Philo of Alexandria

In this eighth volume of the Philo of Alexandria Commentary Series, originally published by Brill in hardcover, Michael B. Cover translates and provides commentary on Philo of Alexandria's treatise On the Change of Names. Taking a cue from Platonist interpreters of Homer's Odyssey, Philo reads the story of Abraham as an account of the soul's progress and perfection. Responding to contemporary critics who mocked Genesis 17 as uninspired, Philo finds instead a hidden philosophical reflection on the ineffability of the transcendent God.