Does Philo Help Explain Early Christianity?

Abstract

To pose such a large question in the limited space provided by this essay will seem unwise, and justifiably so, and may even be mistaken as a trivializing of the issue. Whatever may be the limits of my sagacity, however, I can give the strongest assurance that I regard the question as by no means trivial. Granted, I address the question, not from the standpoint of a Philo specialist, but as someone whose primary concern is to understand Christian origins in historical perspective. But, with the benefit of a considerable body of scholarship provided by specialists in Philo, especially in recent decades, this is an appropriate point at which to consider this question, and to attempt to take stock of what we have learned