ter to reveal the philosophy of
Jewish history was Nachman Krochmal (1785-1840), and his posthumous Hebrew
book, "The Guide of the Perplexed of the Time," edited by Zunz,
contained the first critical appreciation of the Hellenistic Jewish
culture by a rabbinic scholar. He knew no Greek, but he studied the
works of German writers, and in his account of Philo gives a summary
of the remarks of the theologian Neander, himself a baptized Jew. In
his own criticism he discerns the weakness and strength of Philo from
the Jewish aspect. "There are," he says, "many strange things in
Philo's exegesis, not only because he draws far-fetched allegories
from the text, but also because he interprets single words without a
sure foundation in Hebrew philology. He uses Scripture as a sort of
clay which he moulds to convey his philosophical ideas. Yet we must be
grateful to him because many of his interpretations are beautiful
ornaments to the text; and we may apply to them what Ibn Ezra said of
the teachings of the Haggadah, 'Some of them are fine silks, others as
heavy as sack-cloth.'"

Krochmal translated into Hebrew examples of Philo's allegories and
gave parallels and contrasts from the Talmud. The relation between the
Palestinian and the Alexandrian exegesis was more elaborately
considered by a greater master of Hellenistic literature, Zacharias
Frankel (1801-1875), who has been followed by a band of Jewish scholars.
Yearly our understanding of the Alexandrian culture becomes fuller.
Philo, too, has in part been translated into Hebrew. Indirect in the
past, his influence on Jewish thought in the future bids fair to be
direct and increasing.

* * * * *

VIII

THE INFLUENCE OF PHILO

The hope which Philo had cherished and worked for was the spreading of
the knowledge of God and the diffusion of the true religion over the
whole world.[346] The end of Jewish national life was approaching, but
rabbis in Palestine and philosophers at Alexandria, unconscious of the
imminent doom, thought that the promise of the prophet was soon to be
fulfilled, and all peoples would go up to worship the one God at the
temple upon Mount Zion, which should be the religious centre of the
world. In Philo's day a universal Judaism seemed possible, a Judaism
true to the Torah as well as to the Unity of God,[347] spread over the
Megalopolis of all peoples; and in the light of this hope Philo
welcomed proselytism. The J