Philo of Alexandria is well-known as both a commentator on Torah (in Greek) and as a philosopher.
And he praised Essenes--in which capacity?
Philo probably did not have much access to Essene commentaries, the pesharim, for two reasons: these texts were available only to three-year initiates, which Philo was not, and because they were written in Hebrew, which Philo could not read anyway.
Therefore, his appreciation of Essenes would be philosophical--he calls Essenes philosophers--plus their Torah-observance.
We read about Essene philosophy in Josephus, on issues of fate, divine provenance, and the like, contrasted with views of Pharisees and Sadducees.
But Philo lived and died before all of the writings of Josephus.
That's where the influence of Posidonius and Strabo come in. They influenced Philo, in their versions of Plato and Stoics. Philo was influenced by both, but had some differences with Stoics on fate and divine provenance.
Philo of Alexandria is well-known as both a commentator on Torah (in Greek) and as a philosopher.
And he praised Essenes--in which capacity?
Philo probably did not have much access to Essene commentaries, the pesharim, for two reasons: these texts were available only to three-year initiates, which Philo was not, and because they were written in Hebrew, which Philo could not read anyway.
Therefore, his appreciation of Essenes would be philosophical--he calls Essenes philosophers--plus their Torah-observance.
We read about Essene philosophy in Josephus, on issues of fate, divine provenance, and the like, contrasted with views of Pharisees and Sadducees.
But Philo lived and died before all of the writings of Josephus.
That's where the influence of Posidonius and Strabo come in. They influenced Philo, in their versions of Plato and Stoics. Philo was influenced by both, but had some differences with Stoics on fate and divine provenance.