A human sui generis: Philo’s Life of Moses

Philo focused on human characters in his writings as a means of illustrating the cultivation of virtue. The greatest figure for Philo was Moses. In his De vita Moysis, he signalled the structure with prefaces, summaries and transitional statements to highlight the unique character of Moses. A careful reading of these statements suggests that there was a gap of time between the composition of Mos. 1 and 2. Philo appears to have changed his plan as he neared the completion of book 1 and eventually decided to present Moses under multiple titles, a plan that he did not work out until he began book 2. His final decision to present him as a king, legislator, high priest and prophet is unparalleled in Jewish sources and makes Moses a human sui generis.