Allegory and Ambiguity: Jewish Identity in Philo’s ‘De Congressu’

Philo’s construction of collective identities—Jewish, Egyptian, Greek, Roman—has garnered interest recently among scholars, giving him a place in contemporary conversations about Jewish minority identity within the Roman Empire. Some scholars point to an obstacle to such study of Philo, however, and that is the exegetical framework of much of Philo’s work. While some scholars have emphasised Philo’s exegetical orientation, much work remains to be done regarding what Philo’s exegesis can actually help tell us about his ideologies of identity. This study considers Philo’s exegetical practice as a critical means by which he crafts Jewish identity, looking at Philo’s exegesis of a biblical passage, Lev. 18:1-5, which dictates a strong separatism for the people Israel. Situating that exegesis within the volatile politics of first-century Alexandria, the study proposes that Philo’s allegorical reading of Leviticus in his essay De Congressu makes possible a strategic ambiguity regarding Jewish exclusivism.