The exegesis of Philo of Alexandria and the peculiar case of Noah as Deucalion

Abstract

Philo of Alexandria (I AD) is frequently named as an example of exegete that adopted the method of allegorical interpretation. Sometimes it is understood in a preconceived way, as if his hermeneutics were imaginative, careless and barely responsible. In this article, through a bibliographical research and the study of primary sources in their original languages, I introduce the Alexandrian as an exegete of his time, resourceful, who took parameters into account. Besides an introductory presentation of the exegete, I approach meticulously a single specific case: the identification that Philo establishes between Noah and Deucalion in On Rewards and Punishments  23. My objective is to understand how this procedure, which is unusual, since the Alexandrian avoided the method of comparative mythology throughout his works, is inserted in Philonic corpus. I demonstrate that it is reasonable that it is not an intentional association between myths, but between historic characters. The passage is still atypical, especially when it is observed from our perspective, but it is coherent with the Alexandrian exegete’s strategy when observed from his perspective.