Re Logos: For Biblical scholars and Classicists

[SeattleUte]

Originally Posted by Archaea

But Seattle your view ignores the conflicting archetype argument that the logos doctrine also existed within Hebrew culture independent of Greek thought.

But I'm saying your point about independence isn't factual. The Hebrews learned about the Logos from the Greeks. The Hebrew Bible talks about God and the word of God. The Hebrews who translated the Bible into Greek, the lingua franca of the educated classes, and expounded it decided that the term Logos fit as far as interaction between God and man, including God's words. As Philo's writings demonstrate, Jews of his background and generation (including probably John and Paul) looked around them and saw the indubitable value of Greek philosophy and Classical culture, and they labored to harmonize the Bible with Greek philosophy. This explicitly was Philo's undertaking. Harmonizing those two traditions was Philo's life work, it could be said. Philo was like the Romneys; he came from a rich, worldy Jewish family who were prominent in the Roman world. HIs nephew became an apostate and governor of Egypt. Again, Philo was not a Christian, but he's been adopted as such by later generations.