New Meaning to Old Writings

Philo’s first language was Greek, as was true of many Jews in Alexandria. So the Greek Septuagint version of the Hebrew Scriptures was the basis of his study. As he examined the Septuagint text, he became convinced that it contained elements of philosophy and that Moses possessed “the genius of the philosopher.”

Centuries earlier, Greek intellectuals had found stories of gods and goddesses​—giants and demons of their ancient Greek mythology—​hard to accept. They started reinterpreting those old stories. Classical scholar James Drummond said this about their method: “The philosopher would begin to look for subtle meanings hidden beneath the surface of the mythological tales, and to infer from their very grossness and absurdity that their authors must have intended to exhibit through their sensuous imagery some profound or edifying truth.” This process is called allegorical interpretation, and Philo tried to use it to explain the Scriptures.

As an example, think about Genesis 3:21 3:22 in Bagster’s version of the Septuagint, which says: “The Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skin, and clothed them.” The Greeks felt that making clothes was beneath the dignity of the Supreme God. So Philo found symbolism in that verse and stated: “The garment of skins is a figurative expression for the natural skin, that is to say, our body; for God, when first of all he made the intellect, called it Adam; after that he created the outward sense, to which he gave the name of Life. In the third place, he of necessity also made a body, calling that by a figurative expression, a garment of skins.” Thus Philo attempted to make God’s act of clothing Adam and Eve a philosophical point to ponder.

Consider also Genesis 2:10-14, which describes the water source for the garden in Eden and mentions four rivers that flowed out of the garden. Philo attempted to penetrate the words and look far beyond the landscape. After commenting on the land itself, he said: “Perhaps this passage also contains an allegorical meaning; for the four rivers are the signs of four virtues.” He speculated that the river Pishon represents prudence, the river Gihon is the symbol of sobriety, the Tigris symbolizes fortitude, and the Euphrates denotes justice. Thus allegory supplants geography.

Philo used allegorical interpretation to analyze the creation account, the record of Cain murdering Abel, the Flood of Noah’s day, the confusion of languages at Babel, and many precepts of the Mosaic Law. As the example in the preceding paragraph shows, he often acknowledged the literal point of a Bible verse and then introduced his symbolic understanding with such words as: “Perhaps we ought to look on these things as spoken in an allegorical sense.” In Philo’s writings, symbolisms stand out while, sadly, the obvious meaning of the Scriptures fades away.

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ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION TODAY

Allegory usually is “the expression by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions of truths or generalizations about human existence.” Accounts that employ allegory are said to be symbolic of more important things that are hidden. Like Philo of Alexandria, some modern-day religious teachers use allegorical interpretation to explain the Bible.

Consider Genesis chapters 1-11, in which human history from creation to the scattering of peoples at the tower of Babel is recorded. The New American Bible, a Catholic translation, says regarding that part of the Bible: “To make the truths contained in these chapters intelligible to the Israelite people destined to preserve them, they needed to be expressed through elements prevailing among that people at that time. For this reason, the truths themselves must therefore be clearly distinguished from their literary garb.” This is saying that Genesis chapters 1-11 are not to be taken literally. Rather, just as garb (clothing) covers the body, so the words cover a deeper meaning.

Jesus, however, taught that those early chapters of Genesis were literally true. (Matthew 19:4-6; 24:37-39) The apostles Paul and Peter did likewise. (Acts 17:24-26; 2 Peter 2:5; 3:6, 7) Sincere Bible students reject explanations that do not agree with the entire Word of God.