Philo Judaeus, De Opificio Mundi, ed. Leopold Cohn, 154

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[154] ταῦτα δέ μοι δοκεῖ συμβολικῶς μᾶλλον ἢ κυρίως φιλοσοφεῖσθαι· δένδρα γὰρ ἐπὶ γῆς οὔτε πέφηνέ πω πρότερον οὔτ’ αὖθις εἰκὸς φανεῖσθαι
ζωῆς ἢ συνέσεως· ἀλλ’ ὡς ἔοικεν αἰνίττεται διὰ μὲν τοῦ παραδείσου τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἡγεμονικόν, ὅπερ ἐστὶ κατάπλεων οἷα φυτῶν μυρίων ¹ ὅσων δοξῶν, διὰ δὲ τοῦ δένδρου τῆς ζωῆς τὴν μεγίστην τῶν ἀρετῶν θεοσέβειαν, δι’ ἧς ἀθανατίζεται ἡ ψυχή, διὰ δὲ τοῦ καλῶν καὶ πονηρῶν γνωριστικοῦ φρόνησιν τὴν μέσην, ᾗ διακρίνεται τἀναντία φύσει.

De Opificio Mundi. Philo Judaeus. ed. Leopold Cohn. Germany. 2014.

Funding provided by European Social Fund Saxony.

Current edition First1KGreek

De Opificio Mundi (Greek) (Philo Judaeus. Opera que supersunt, Volume 1. Cohn, Leonard, editor. Berlin: Reimer, 1896.)

Translations (1)

On the Creation of the World First1KGreek (The works of Philo Judaeus, the contemporary of Josephus, volume 1. Yonge, C. D., translator. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1854.) — 154 focus

[154] And these statements appear to me to be dictated by a philosophy which is symbolical rather than strictly accurate. For no trees of life or of knowledge have ever at any previous time appeared upon the earth, nor is it likely that any will appear hereafter. But I rather conceive that Moses was speaking in an allegorical spirit, intending by his paradise to intimate the dominant character of the soul, which is full of innumerable opinions as this figurative paradise was of trees. And by the tree of life he was shadowing out the greatest of the virtues—namely, piety towards the gods, by means of which the soul is made immortal; and by the tree which had the knowledge of good and evil, he was intimating that wisdom and moderation, by means of which things, contrary in their nature to one another, are distinguished.

Notes on the current edition

De opificio mundi

1.
1 ἑκατέρω M ἐναπεμάττετο Mang.: ἀπεμάττετο codd. τῇ om. M
2 τὴν θνητὴν M
3 ἐπλάσθη] ἐγενήθη M
4 ἐνησμένισε Mang. ἥ δ’ Α οὐδὲν ἐκείνου M: οὐδὲν ἐκείνω FGH, οὐδ’ ἐν ἐκείνω ABP
5 ἐμφανέστερον ABP γάννυται ABPFGH, γαυροῦται M τε om. M ἀντιπροσφθέγγεται] προσαγορεύεται M
6 δὲ M ἐπιγινόμενος B, γενόμενος M
7 ἁρμόττεται FGH: ἡρμονίζετο M, ἁρμόττοντα ABP ἐνίδρυσεν ABP
10 δι’ ἣν M: δι’ οὗ ceteri
11 ἀντ’ om. M δὲ καὶ FG
12 τῆς γυναικός M: τῆς om. ceteri
16 τῶν] τὸν corr. ex τῶν Η, τὸν L
17 μόνην M
18 τῶν δ’ οὐχ ὅμοιον scripsi: om. ABPH1, τῶν δ’ οὐχ ὁμοίων M, τὸν δ’ οὐχ ὅμοιον FGH2L, τὸν δ’ ἀνήμερον Christophorson Mang. ὃς] ὡς M ἀναγκαῖος FG
20 φυτὰ MFG: τὰ φυτὰ ceteri
21 ἀδιάφορον ABP1, διάφορον M καὶ ἀγχίνοιαν om. M 21.
22 τὰ καλὰ καὶ τὰ αἰσχρά M: τὰ αἰσχρὰ καὶ καλά ceteri
22 τ᾿ om. M ἄνοσον] ἄνεσιν M τούτων H
24 που M

Philo Judaeus De Opificio Mundi 154

ed. Leopold Cohn

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Current edition First1KGreek

Notes on the current edition

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