Editing Philo (section)

=== Diplomacy ===
Philo lived in an era of increasing ethnic tension in Alexandria, exacerbated by the new strictures of [[Roman Egypt|imperial rule]]. Some expatriate Hellenes (Greeks) in Alexandria condemned the Jews for a supposed alliance with Rome, even as Rome was seeking to suppress Jewish national and cultural identity in the [[Judaea (Roman province)|Roman province of Judaea]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Aberbach |first=David |title=The Roman-Jewish Wars and Hebrew Cultural Nationalism |date=2003 |url=https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403937339_3 |work=Major Turning Points in Jewish Intellectual History |pages=31–44 |editor-last=Aberbach |editor-first=David |access-date=2023-12-20 |place=London |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK |language=en |doi=10.1057/9781403937339_3 |isbn=978-1-4039-3733-9|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=Schwartz/> In ''[[Antiquities of the Jews]]'', [[Josephus]] tells of Philo's selection by the Alexandrian Jewish community as their principal representative before the Roman emperor Gaius Caligula. He says that Philo agreed to represent the Alexandrian Jews about the civil disorder that had developed between the Jews and the Greeks. Josephus also tells us that Philo was skilled in philosophy and that he was brother to the [[alabarch]] Alexander.<ref>Josephus, ''Antiquities'' xviii. 8. 1.</ref> According to Josephus, Philo and the larger Jewish community refused to treat the emperor as a god, to erect statues in honour of the emperor, and to build altars and temples to the emperor. Josephus says Philo believed that God actively supported this refusal.

Josephus' complete comments about Philo:
{{Blockquote|There was now a tumult arisen at Alexandria, between the Jewish inhabitants and the Greeks; and three ambassadors were chosen out of each party that were at variance, who came to Gaius. Now one of these ambassadors from the people of Alexandria was [[Apion]], (29) who uttered many blasphemies against the Jews; and, among other things that he said, he charged them with neglecting the honors that belonged to Caesar; for that while all who were subject to the Roman empire built altars and temples to Gaius, and in other regards universally received him as they received the gods, these Jews alone thought it a dishonorable thing for them to erect statues in honor of him, as well as to swear by his name. Many of these severe things were said by Apion, by which he hoped to provoke Gaius to anger at the Jews, as he was likely to be. But Philo, the principal of the Jewish embassage, a man eminent on all accounts, brother to Alexander the Alabarch, (30) and one not unskillful in philosophy, was ready to betake himself to make his defense against those accusations; but Gaius prohibited him, and bid him begone; he was also in such a rage, that it openly appeared he was about to do them some very great mischief. So Philo being thus affronted, went out, and said to those Jews who were about him, that they should be of good courage, since Gaius's words indeed showed anger at them, but in reality had already set God against himself.<ref>''Antiquities of the Jews'', xviii.8, § 1, Whiston's translation (online)</ref>}}

This event is also described in Book 2, Chapter 5 of [[Eusebius]]'s ''[[Church History (Eusebius)|Historia Ecclesiae]]''<ref>Eusebius, ''Church History,''http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250102.htm</ref>