The Spirit of Faith: A Comparative Study of Philo's and Paul's Reading of the Abraham Story

246 Pages·2017·1.91 MB·English

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The Spirit of Faith: A Comparative Study of Philo’s
and Paul’s Reading of the Abraham Story

Klaus Vibe

PhD Thesis
MF Norwegian School of Theology
March 2018
Supervisor: Reidar Hvalvik

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ◦ vi

Chapter 1. Abraham and the Promise of the Spirit ◦ 1

1.1 The Problem: Abraham and the Promise of the Spirit ◦ 1
1.2 Abraham according to Philo and Paul ◦ 6
1.3 Divine and Human Agency in Paul and His Cultural Environment ◦ 16

Chapter 2. Philo’s Interpretation of Gen 15:6 and an Outline of the Part of This
Study That Deals with Philo ◦ 25

2.1 Introduction ◦ 25
2.2 Philo’s Reading of Gen 15:6 – God’s Acknowledgement of Abraham’s Righteousness ◦ 25
2.3 Presuppositions and the Way Forward ◦ 32

Chapter 3. Abraham’s Path to Virtue according to De Congressu ◦ 37

3.1 Introduction ◦ 37
3.2 The Significance of Nature, Teaching and Practice for the Attainment of Virtue ◦ 38
3.3 The Encyclical Studies and the Effects of Education ◦ 44
3.4 The Relationship between the Encyclical Studies, Philosophy and Wisdom ◦ 48
3.4.1 The Significance of the Preliminary Studies and Philosophy for the Pursuit of Virtue ◦ 48
3.4.2 The Significance of Education for the Restoration of the Soul ◦ 53
3.4.3 Preliminary Summary ◦ 56
3.5 The Pious Perspective on the Lover of Learning’s Attainment of Virtue ◦ 56
3.5.1 The Virtues as God’s Gracious Presence in the World ◦ 56
3.5.2 The Effects of Divine Inspiration: Control of the Passions and an Enhanced Understanding
of God as the Source of Human Virtue ◦ 60
3.5.2.1 Introduction ◦ 60
3.5.2.2 The Difference between Real and Imagined Pregnancy ◦ 61
3.5.2.3 Two Concurrent Perspectives on Sarah’s Affliction of Hagar in Gen 16:6 ◦ 63
3.6 Summary ◦ 65

Chapter 4. Abraham’s Path to the Vision of God according to De Migratione
Abrahami ◦ 71
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4.1 Introduction ◦ 71
4.1.1 The Centrality of the Motif of Self-Examination ◦ 71
4.1.2 The Way Forward: The Aim and Structure of This Chapter ◦ 74
4.2 Philo’s Theological Rationale for His Rejection of Chaldeanism in Migr. 176−183 ◦ 74
4.3 From Self-Knowledge to Knowledge of God in Migr. 184−195 ◦ 78
4.3.1 The Basic Structure of Migr. 184−195 ◦ 78
4.3.2 The Nature of Abraham’s Inspiration in Migr. 190−191 ◦ 81
4.3.2.1 Different Models for Prophetic Inspiration in Greco−Roman Antiquity and in Philo’s
Writings ◦ 81
4.3.2.2 A Comparison of the Inspiration Ascribed to Abraham in Migr. 34−35, 70−85, 190−191
and Her. 69−75 ◦ 84
Excursus on De Abrahamo 69−80 ◦ 88
4.4 Summary ◦ 90

Chapter 5. From Abram to Abraham and the Peculiar Greatness of the Sage –
Philo’s Presentation of Abraham in De Mutatione Nominum ◦ 93

5.1 Introduction ◦ 93
5.2 Abram and Abraham ◦ 94
5.2.1 Abraham and the Souls in the Heavenly Sphere ◦ 94
5.2.2 Abram and Abraham in Light of Philo’s Threefold Classification of Mankind ◦ 96
5.3 From Abram to Abraham in De Mutatione Nominum ◦ 99
5.3.1 A Perfect Balance between Human Effort and Divine Grace? ◦ 99
5.3.2 Two Concurrent Perspectives on the Change of a Name in Mut. 57−76 ◦ 100
5.3.3 Abraham as the Creation of God Alone ◦ 103
5.3.4 Divine Inspiration and Human Capacity to Receive ◦ 106
5.3.5 The Peculiar Greatness of the Sage ◦ 109
5.4 Philo and the Notion of the Things That Are “Up to Us” ◦ 111
Appendix – Abraham’s Faith and Human Mortality ◦ 119

Chapter 6. Conclusion ◦ 123

6.1 The Abraham Story and the Gift of the Spirit ◦ 123
6.2 Divine and Human Agency in Philo’s Portrait of Abraham’s Path to Virtue ◦ 126

Chapter 7. The Abrahamic Promises and God’s Gift of the Spirit in Paul’s Letter to
the Galatians ◦ 129

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7.1 Introduction ◦ 129
7.2 Paul’s Argument in Gal 2:15−21 ◦ 131
7.2.1 Gal 2:15−21 in Its Literary Context ◦ 131
7.2.2 Justification and Righteousness in Gal 2:15−2:21 ◦ 132
7.3 The Abrahamic Promises and God’s Gift of the Spirit in Gal 3:1−4:11 ◦ 136
7.3.1 introduction ◦ 136
7.3.2 Righteousness, Faith, and the Spirit in Gal 3:1−14 ◦ 137
7.3.2.1 Righteousness, Faith and the Spirit in Gal 3:1−5 ◦ 137
7.3.2.2 What Does It Mean to Receive the Spirit of God? Some Preliminary Observations ◦ 140
7.3.2.3 Galatians 3:6−14: The Abrahamic Promises and the Gift of the Spirit ◦ 141
7.4 The Abrahamic Promises and the Gift of Inheritance ◦ 145
7.4.1 Galatians 3:15−18: The Gift of Inheritance on the Basis of the Promise ◦ 145
7.4.2 Righteousness and Life in Gal 3:19−25 ◦ 147
7.4.3 Galatians 3:26−4:7: Life in Christ and Life in the Spirit ◦ 150
7.4.4 Gal 4:8−11 and Gal 4:21−31: Getting Known by God and Being Born in accordance with
the Spirit ◦ 156
7.5 Preliminary Conclusions ◦ 159
7.5.1 The Abrahamic Promise and the Gift of the Spirit ◦ 159
7.5.2 Preliminary Observations Regarding the Relationship between Divine and Human Agency ◦
161

Chapter 8. Abraham and the Spirit of Faith in Paul’s Letter to the Romans ◦ 165

8.1 Introduction ◦ 165
8.2 Preliminary Issues ◦ 167
8.2.1 Romans 4 in Light of Rom 3:21−3:31 ◦ 167
8.2.2 Justification and the Gift of Christ in Rom 3:21−26 ◦ 168
8.3 Faith and Righteousness in Rom 4 ◦ 169
8.3.1 Faith and Righteousness in Rom 4:1−12 ◦ 169
8.3.2 Faith and Righteousness in Rom 4:13−22 ◦ 172
8.4 Life in the Spirit according to Rom 6 and 8 ◦ 179
8.4.1 Preliminary Issues ◦ 179
8.4.2 Rom 6:1−11: The Actualization of the Christ Event through Baptism ◦ 181
8.4.3 The Actualization of the Christ Event through the Spirit ◦ 184
8.4.4 The Actualization of the Christ Event – So That You May No Longer Slave for Sin ◦ 185
8.4.5 Sanctification That Leads to Eternal Life – Thanks Be to God ◦188
8.5 Life in the Spirit according to Rom 8 ◦ 192
8.5.1 Introductory Remarks ◦ 192
8.5.2 The Spirit of Faith in Rom 8:1−17 ◦ 192
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8.5.3 Romans 8:18−30: Waiting and Groaning in the Spirit ◦ 198
8.6 Conclusion ◦ 206
8.6.1 Abraham’s Children and the Gift of the Spirit ◦ 206
8.6.2 Divine and Human Agency in Rom 4−8 ◦ 208

Chapter 9. Concluding Discussions ◦ 215

9.1 The Abraham Story and the Gift of the Spirit – Philo and Paul in Conversation ◦ 215
9.2 Divine and Human Agency and the Question of Reciprocity ◦ 220

Formalities ◦ 223
Bibliography ◦ 223

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Acknowledgments

At this stage of the project, I am glad to have the opportunity to express my thankfulness to the
many people who have supported me along the way. First of all, I want to thank my supervisor
Professor Reidar Hvalvik who supervised my project from its initial stages to the end. From the
first time we met I have enjoyed our conversations about my project, and my project has
benefitted a lot from his careful readings and critical comments. I am especially grateful for his
careful comments and critique in the final stages of the project, always being willing to walk an
extra mile. I am also thankful for the many helpful comments I have received when I have
presented papers at doctoral seminars at MF in Oslo. Not least for the response given at various
stages by Professor Karl Olav Sandnes, who did his best to explain to me the importance of paideia
in Philo’s writings, but also for the many helpful and encouraging comments given at these
meetings by Dr. Nils Aksel Røsæg. Fellow and now former Ph.D.-students have also contributed to
refining my project in many ways. I always want to thank Professor John M. G. Barclay for
providing an opportunity for me to present a paper at a doctoral seminar at the department of
theology and religion at Durham University, encouraging me to move on in my studies of Philo. A
special thanks must be given to the three Professors in the examination committee, Karl Olav
Sandnes, John M. G. Barclay, and Gitte Buch-Hansen, for clarifying many ways in which my work
could be improved, just as I want to thank Professor Torrey Seland for reading a draft of my work
on Philo. Grateful as I am for all that I have benefitted from all these people, the shortcomings
that remain are all my responsibility.

I also want to express my gratitude to the Lutheran School of Theology in Aarhus for providing
financial support for the project, as well as to Professor Peter V. Legarth for the many
encouragements to pursue these studies given not least in the early stages of the project. I also
want to thank my friend and colleague, Associate Professor Morten Hørning Jensen, for numerous
conversations along the way that have shaped my project and thinking in significant ways.

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Finally, I want to express my deepest gratitude to my wife Connie Lilleholt Vibe, who has
supported me in my work from beginning to end. Your love and our three children, Ane, Marie and
Mads, are a blessing, gift and inspiration that keep enriching my life.

Aarhus, August 2018
Klaus Vibe

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The Spirit of Faith: A Comparative Study of Philo’s and Paul’s Reading of
the Abraham Story

Chapter 1. Abraham and the Promise of the Spirit

1.1 The Problem: Abraham and the Promise of the Spirit
In a study called “Abraham and the Promise of Spirit: Points of Convergence between Philo and
Paul” Sze-kar Wan argues for the importance of Paul’s references both to the Spirit and to
Abraham in his letter to the Galatians. Wan notes one question that continues to elude
interpreters: “What gave Paul’s argument internal coherence and logical force? What was the
conceptual framework that enabled him to juxtapose reception of the Spirit with the Abrahamic
Promise, a juxtaposition made explicit in Gal 3:14, ‘. . . in order that the blessing of Abraham might
come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, in order that we might receive the promise of the Spirit
through faith.””1 Wan acknowledges that scholars have referred to prophetic texts from the
Hebrew Scriptures in order to explain the apparent equation of promise with reception of the
Spirit,2 but concludes nevertheless that “at the end, however, the most probable author of the
‘promise’/ ‘Spirit’ equation is Paul.”3 However, according to Wan the questions remain: “Whence
did it derive its persuasive force? Was there something within the realm of Jewish expectations
which did associate the Spirit with the promises to Abraham?” and he suggests that “the answer
might be found in the kind of Hellenistic Judaism that presented the patriarch as a mystic and the
promises as attaining to true knowledge.”4 Philo’s portrait of Abraham “was clearly fashioned with

1 Sze-kar Wan, “Abraham and the Promise of the Spirit: Points of Convergence between Philo and Paul,” in Things
Revealed: Studies in Early Jewish and Christian Literature in Honor of Michael E. Stone (ed. Esther G. Chazon et al.,
JSJSup 89; Leiden: Brill, 2004), 209–224, 209.
2 Wan refers to Richard B. Hays, The Faith of Jesus Christ: An Investigation of the Narrative Substructure of Galatians
3:1–4:11 (SBLDS 56; Chico, Calif.: Scholars Press, 1983), 211. Since then, the following relevant studies have appeared:
Rodrigo Morales, The Spirit and the Restoration of Israel: New Exodus and New Creation Motifs in Galatians (WUNT
2/282; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2010), 109–114 and Chee-Chiew Lee, The Blessing of Abraham, the Spirit, and
Justification in Galatians: Their Relationship and Significance for Understanding Paul’s Theology (Eugene, Oregon:
Pickwick Publications, 2013), 95–135.
3 Wan, “Abraham and the Promise of the Spirit,” 212.
4 Wan, “Abraham and the Promise of the Spirit,” 212. I will not be using the term mystic in this thesis as it is “a
notoriously slippery and multivalent term” (Theresa Morgan, Roman Faith and Christian Faith: Pistis and Fides in the
Early Roman Empire and Early Churches [Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015], 282). I will only use the term in
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an apologetic purpose, and its natural Sitz im Leben would seem to be the prosetylization of
Gentiles,”5 just as his reference to Abraham’s faith in his description of Abraham as the first
proselyte in De Virtutibus 212–219 reflects an obvious dependence on Gen 15:6.6 Correspondingly,
Gen 15:6 plays an important role in Paul’s portrait of Abraham, and even though Paul does not
describe Abraham’s conversion from paganism, he does place his account of Abraham in a
discussion of the Galatians’ conversion (Gal 3:1; 4:9). Wan is careful not to jump to unwarranted
conclusions and completes his study by drawing attention to the following similarities and
differences between the two:

The two portraits of Abraham are of course painted on entirely different canvasses. Philo’s schema is based on
the Hellenistic model of contemplation; Paul’s is eschatological. It is illegitimate to equate simplistically and
haphazardly Philo’s “Wisdom of God” to Paul’s ‘Spirit,’ as if they were just different titles for the same figure.
They assume altogether different roles in their respective schemata. The worthwhile point of comparison is
how the promise of Abraham functions in both as a vital link between the patriarch and his descendants. As the
content of God’s promise to Abraham and his descendants and as the energizer of lived experience in the here-
and-now, this crucial link – Wisdom of God in Philo and Spirit in Paul – creates a homology between the life of
Abraham and that of the believer. Not the content but the manner in which Philo and Paul appropriated

reference to works in which the term is used. Volker Rabens, “Pneuma and the Beholding of God: Reading Paul in the
Context of Philonic Mystical Traditions” in The Holy Spirit, Inspiration, and the Cultures of Antiquity: Multidisciplinary
Perspectives (ed. Jörg Frey and John Levison; Ekstasis 5; Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2014,) 293–294 clarifies with a
reference to the work of Hans-Christoph Meier that “both Philo and Paul share ‘a form of religiosity which has the
immediate experience of divine reality as its center. This experience, which transcends everyday consciousness and
cognition based on reason, is at the same time the experience of an intimate closeness to divine reality.’ As a result of
such experiences of closeness to and participation in the divine, human beings are transformed. These two
fundamental characteristics of mysticism (i.e., the beholding of God and the resulting transformation) will guide our
investigation of Philo and Paul.” The problem with this approach is that it presumes that an encounter with the divine
is something that transcends everyday consciousness and cognition based on reason. One cannot take for granted
that Philo and Paul thought of divine revelation as something that transcends everyday consciousness and cognition
based on reason – on the whole what does this actually mean? Moreover, Philo does not describe immediate
encounters with God, as humans encounter God through the Logos, which does not transcend cognition based on
reason. Yon-Gyong Kwon has contested the idea that Paul’s reference to the Spirit in Gal 3:14 is related to the
Abrahamic promise. He refers to this idea as a widely held interpretation and asserts that “we get the impression that
the idea is familiar to the Galatian ears. This familiarity cannot be assumed, however, for the association of the Spirit
and the Abrahamic promise is a phenomenon unattested in any other contemporary literature” (Yon-Gyong Kwon,
Eschatology in Galatians: Rethinking Paul’s Response to the Crisis in Galatia [WUNT 2/183; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck,
2007], 109). I hope that it will be clear in the following that Kwon has overlooked Philo’s writings.
5 Wan, “Abraham and the Promise of the Spirit,” 219. Finny Philips describes Philo as someone who emphasises “the
present availability of the Spirit to both Jews and Gentiles” and as someone who was “engaged in accommodating and
reinterpreting Israelite faith in the light of their context, by universalising various aspects of Jewish faith and
presenting it more attractively to their pagan neighbours” (Finny Philip, The Origins of Pauline Pneumatology [WUNT
2/194; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2005], 119).
6 Wan, “Abraham and the Promise of the Spirit,” 214.
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