Philo
Hellenistic Jewish author poet and writer

Philo

The basics
Quick facts
Intro
Hellenistic Jewish author poet and writer
A.K.A.
Philo the Elder
Gender:
Male
Work field:
The details
Biography

Philo was a Greek poet and writer. He was a Hellenistic Jewish author of an epic poem in Greek hexameters on the history of Jerusalem. He lived at an earlier date than Philo the philosopher. Alexander Polyhistor (c. 105-35 B.C.) quotes several passages of the poem, and is the source of the extracts in Eusebius (Praeparatio evangelica, ix. 20, 24, 37). This is probably the Philo who is mentioned by Clemens Alexandrinus (Strom, i. 21, 141) and by Josephus (Contra Apionem, i. 23), who calls him "the elder".