Every Good Man is Free--a welcome new edition.
Philo of Alexandria: Every Good Man is Free: Introduction, Translation, and Commentary. By Maren R. Niehoff. Brill, 2026.
(The merger of Brill with DeGruyter may have slowed distribution of the book completed in October, 2025, at least of paper copies, but that's speculation; what is sure, that it is expensive. Research libraries should obtain it.)
That it is a fine contribution to learning does not mean all its assertions are reliable. For instance, after giving substantive arguments that Nicolaus of Damascus was the major source for Philo on Essenes in this work, it takes for granted that that proposal is a fact. But it may under-appreciate the influence of Strabo. (Compare Madeleine Petit's 1974 French edition.)
The huge bibliography includes my "Posidonius, Strabo, and Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa as Sources on [sic, not "of the"] Essenes," Journal of Jewish Studies 45 (1994) 295-298; she accepts my proposal that Agrippa was Pliny's source on Essenes by the Dead Sea, but does not engage with the Posidonius and Strabo on Essenes portion.
Also, I don't agree that Qumran MSS are irrelevant to Essene etymology. As a group emphasizing deeds over words, the Qumran self-designation, 'osey hatorah, observers of Torah, is more relevant that speculation about a proposal involving healers, in my opinion.
But I haven't yet fully absorbed this remarkable 699-page book! Certainly worth study, if you can access a copy.
Every Good Man is Free--a welcome new edition.
Philo of Alexandria: Every Good Man is Free: Introduction, Translation, and Commentary. By Maren R. Niehoff. Brill, 2026.
(The merger of Brill with DeGruyter may have slowed distribution of the book completed in October, 2025, at least of paper copies, but that's speculation; what is sure, that it is expensive. Research libraries should obtain it.)
That it is a fine contribution to learning does not mean all its assertions are reliable. For instance, after giving substantive arguments that Nicolaus of Damascus was the major source for Philo on Essenes in this work, it takes for granted that that proposal is a fact. But it may under-appreciate the influence of Strabo. (Compare Madeleine Petit's 1974 French edition.)
The huge bibliography includes my "Posidonius, Strabo, and Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa as Sources on [sic, not "of the"] Essenes," Journal of Jewish Studies 45 (1994) 295-298; she accepts my proposal that Agrippa was Pliny's source on Essenes by the Dead Sea, but does not engage with the Posidonius and Strabo on Essenes portion.
Also, I don't agree that Qumran MSS are irrelevant to Essene etymology. As a group emphasizing deeds over words, the Qumran self-designation, 'osey hatorah, observers of Torah, is more relevant that speculation about a proposal involving healers, in my opinion.
But I haven't yet fully absorbed this remarkable 699-page book! Certainly worth study, if you can access a copy.