The New Testament

Abstract There is no evidence in Philo’s works of any direct contact with Christians, nor is there any hard evidence in the New Testament of any Christians ever being in direct contact with Philo. Some contact with persons from Alexandria (e.g. Alexandrians, Acts 6:9; Apollo, Acts 18; 1 Cor, and the fact that both Philo and then Paul spent some time in Rome, though not at the same time) indicate possibilities of influence on some early Christians from Philonic milieus. A taxonomy of possible relationships is then worked out. In the main part of this chapter, some cases are discussed: Galatians 4:21–31, Hebrews, especially Hebrews 8:5, and finally, John 1 (on the Logos). No direct use of Philo’s works, it is argued, is evidenced by these texts. Finally, it is suggested that the impact of the synagogues can hardly be overestimated: Here, interpretations and expositions of the Jewish Scriptures were central, and the influence of the synagogues as spheres of interaction for social differentiation and identity construction was essential.