Isidore of Pelusium

Abstract The correspondence of Isidore of Pelusium (c.360–440 ce) reveals knowledge of the writings of Philo of Alexandria, but the extent to which one can qualify this as direct usage, allusions, or indebtedness to a shared Hellenistic background remains a delicate matter. Following the groundwork of L. Früchtel (1938) and D. T. Runia (1992, 1993, 1995, 2016), this chapter offers a fresh synthetic overview of Philo’s reception in Isidore, analyzing all borrowings from and references to Philo in Isidore’s letters, which have not received so far a systematic treatment. This chapter shows how, besides the four nominatim references and other four very likely direct usages of Philo in Isidore, the remaining examples are either general gnomic expositions or material shared by other patristic authors. Therefore, it seems more productive to speak about allusions or influences rather than direct dependence, wherein Isidore uses Philo primarily in exegetical contexts.