Philo of Alexandria: On the Change of Names

Introduction, Translation, and Commentary

Series: 

Author:
Michael Cover
In the treatise On the Change of Names (part of his magnum opus, the Allegorical Commentary), Philo of Alexandria brings his figurative exegesis of the Abraham cycle to its fruition. Taking a cue from Platonist interpreters of Homer’s Odyssey, Philo reads Moses’s story of Abraham as an account of the soul’s progress and perfection. Responding to contemporary critics, who mocked Genesis 17 as uninspired, Philo finds instead a hidden philosophical reflection on the ineffability of the transcendent God, the transformation of souls which recognize their mortal nothingness, the possibility of human faith enabled by peerless faithfulness of God, and the fruit of moral perfection: joy divine, prefigured in the birth of Isaac.
Copyright Year:
2025
E-Book (PDF)
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Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-68742-4
Publication:
15 Jan 2024
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Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-68743-1
Publication:
08 Feb 2024
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Michael B. Cover, PhD (2013), University of Notre Dame, is Henri de Lubac Chair of Theology (2022–2025) and Associate Professor of Judaism and Christianity in Antiquity at Marquette University.
Preface and Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
List of Figures and Tables

Introduction
 1 The Place of De Mutatione Nominum in the Allegorical Commentary
 2 The Genre, Sitz Im Leben, and Rhetorical Structure of the Treatise
 3 Chapters of the Treatise
 4 Exegetical Structure of the Treatise (MBL = Gen 17:1–5 + 15, 16–22)
 5 Use of Scripture
 6 The Main Themes of the Treatise
 7 Title and Previous Scholarship on the Treatise
 8 The Text
 9 Parallel Exegesis and Nachleben
 Bibliography

Translation: Philo of Alexandria On the Change of Names

Notes to the Text and Translation

Commentary

Translation Philo of AlexandriaOn the Change of Names



Part One
 [Chapter One]Abraham as Seer and Hearer of God (§§ 1–38)
 [Chapter Two]Philo’s Theology of Covenant (§§ 39–53)
 [Chapter Three]Abraham’s Great Fall (§§ 54–56)
 [Chapter Four]Different Forms of Covenant (§§ 57–59)

Part Two
 [Chapter Five]On the Change of Names (§§ 60–129)

Part Three
 [Chapter Six]The Birth of Isaac (§§ 130–153)
 [Chapter Seven]Abraham’s Laughter (§§ 154–174)
 [Chapter Eight]The Faith and Doubt of Abraham (§§ 175–200)
 [Chapter Nine]The Life of Ishmael (§§ 201–251)
 [Chapter Ten]Sarah’s Child (§§ 252–260)
 [Chapter Eleven]You Will Call His Name Joy (§§ 261–263)
 [Chapter Twelve]God Alone Is the Appropriate Time (§§ 264–269)
 [Chapter Thirteen]Abraham’s Volition in Perfection (§ 270)
 Notes to the Text and Translation

Commentary



Part One
 [Chapter One]Abraham as Seer and Hearer of God (§§ 1–38)
 [Chapter Two]Philo’s Theology of the Covenant (§§ 39–53)
 [Chapter Three]Abraham’s Great Fall (§§ 54–56)
 [Chapter Four]Different Forms of Covenant (§§ 57–59)

Part Two
 [Chapter Five]On the Change of Names (§§ 60–129)

Part Three
 [Chapter Six]The Birth of Isaac (§§ 130–153)
 [Chapter Seven]Abraham and Sarah Laugh (§§ 154–174)
 [Chapter Eight]The Faith and Doubt of Abraham (§§ 175–200)
 [Chapter Nine]The Life of Ishmael (§§ 201–251)
 [Chapter Ten]Sarah’s Child (§§ 252–260)
 [Chapter Eleven]You Will Call His Name Joy (§§ 261–263)
 [Chapter Twelve]God Is the Appropriate Time (§§ 264–269)
 [Chapter Thirteen]Abraham’s Volition in Perfection (§ 270)

Index
This commentary is designed for both the educated generalist in Jewish Studies, Classics, Ancient Philosophy, and New Testament/Early Christianity, as well as specialists in Philo. Primarily graduate and post-graduate readership, though advanced undergraduates and seminarians will find it of interest as well.
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