Abstract
Of all known ancient authors writing in Greek, Philo of Alexandria is the one and related terms and concepts (the apostle Paul comes next, more or less). Something similar may only be found in Latin authors speaking of conscientia, like Cicero. This needs an explanation. After discussing some relevant passages from Philo's writings, with special stress on the texts from scriptures exposed by him, analogies in wisdom literature and in Graeco-Roman rhetoric and mythology are indicated. The following solution is proposed: Philo combines the punishing Furies (cf Cicero) and the benevolent guardian spirit (c. Seneca) of Graeco-Roman mythology and philosophy with the personified reproof from Jewish Wisdom literature, and so he creates a concept that helps him to give a visual description of the strict but nevertheless kind guidance God practices on man.
Highlights
O f all known ancient authors writing in Greek, Philo of Alexandria is the one, who most often uses the word avveiSrjaoig and related terms and concepts
“A philosophical concept of conscience in Greek is to be found for the first time in Philo of Alexandria”, the German classicist Peter W Schonlein writes in an article which tries to prove the originality and priority of conscientia in Latin against the Greek terms for conscience[2]
The earliest instance for the use of conscientia in Latin he discovers in a rhetorical handbook, the Rhetorica ad Herennium, to be dated between 88 and 85 BCE, and it’s a very telling passage (II 5,8): “We investigate the signs which usually attend guilt or innocence
Summary
“A philosophical concept of conscience in Greek is to be found for the first time in Philo of Alexandria” , the German classicist Peter W Schonlein writes in an article which tries to prove the originality and priority of conscientia in Latin against the Greek terms for conscience[2]. Conscientia mille testes, conscience is worth a thousand witnesses, Quintilian will say some time later (Inst Orat V 11,41). These rhetorical and forensic connotations of conscience have been widely overlooked, in my opinion, and that they come to the foreground again, might be partly provoked by the renewed interest in Graeco-Roman rhetoric we are experiencing in New Testament exegesis for some years too. We will begin with On the Decalogue 82-91, a passage which will immediately reveal the basic constellation to us
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