Abstract
Though Philo of
Alexandria’s ascetic beliefs and practices often have been noted, a focused
assessment of the Platonic influences on his contemplative asceticism has yet
to be offered. While addressing that shortcoming this essay
identifies a number of key Platonic themes. Like Plato’s Socrates, Philo is
capable of expressing a range of opinions concerning embodied existence and the
roles of body and soul in noetic contemplation. Though generally pursuing a
path of moderation, the rigorous demands of noetic contemplation necessarily call
for extreme and austere praxes, as well as vigorous effort. Philo’s belief that the suppression of the
bodily senses affords the expression of the spiritual senses also is Platonic
in origin, as is his oft-stated conviction that the contemplative’s diminished
desire for bodily pleasure is a natural consequence of a more powerful, innate attraction
to the Forms and the noetic realm. A final and perhaps most important Socratic
influence is detected in the esoteric meditative techniques Philo uses to
effect the out-of-body experiences that afford mystical contemplation.
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