Seeing God in Philo of Alexandria: Contemplative Ascent and Visionary Experience (SUNY Series in Ancient Greek Philosophy; Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 2026)

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Philo of Alexandria (ca. 15 BCE–50 CE) is one of the most important mystics of the ancient Mediterranean world. Accounts of ecstatic experiences and transformative encounters with God appear throughout his writings, and his most loved and lauded mystical experience, the vision of God, stands at the heart of his philosophical and exegetical efforts. Given its significance and complexity, a wide range of topics intersect with the visio Dei, including the metaphysics and mysticism of ancient philosophy; Greco-Roman and ancient Jewish accounts of epiphany, theophany, and heavenly ascent; theories of vision and the sociocultural implications of the gaze; divine and human agency; and Platonic contemplative practices, such as noetic ascent, asceticism, and the pursuit of virtue. Scott D. Mackie's study examines these many topics and contends that Philo's accounts of the ascent to the visio Dei, though ambiguous and occasionally inconsistent, attempt to represent actual experience. In fact, many of the ambiguities result from his desire to realistically portray a complex and uncertain experience that is ultimately inscrutable and beyond the control of the contemplative.

“Platonic Asceticism in Philo of Alexandria’s Contemplative Practice,” Journal for the Study of Judaism 56.1 (2025): 34–59

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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.

“Apophatic and Anthropomorphic Visions of God in Philo of Alexandria,” Verbum Vitae: Negative Theology: From Anthropomorphism to Apophaticism 41.3 (2023): 529–546

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Despite his core theological convictions that God is incorporeal, formless, invisible, and unchangeable, in some of his most carefully crafted visio Dei texts Philo portrays God "changing shape" and temporarily adopting a human form. However, these are only "seeming appearances" and actually involve God projecting a human-shaped "impression," or "appearance" (φαντασία) from his shapeless, immaterial being. By accommodating the overwhelming reality of God's being to the perceptual and conceptual limitations of the human percipient, these docetic theophanies allow humans to more confidently relate to the deity, while at the same time preserving God's absolute transcendence and apophatic otherness.

“Enduring Divine Discipline in Philo, De congressu 157–180 and the Epistle to the Hebrews 12:5–17,” in Ancient Texts, Papyri, and Manuscripts: Studies in Honor of James R. Royse (NTTSD 64; Leiden: Brill, 2022), 269–301

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Scholars often have speculated about Philo’s possible influence on the Epistle to the Hebrews. Though a connection between Hebrews and Philo may never be conclusively proven, in this essay I argue that Philo’s De congressu 157–180 and Hebrews 12:5–17 offer remarkably similar theodicies while pursuing the same rhetorical goal: to defend the necessity of trials and tests, and the benefits of enduring adversities. A number of linguistic and conceptual links joining the two texts also are identified, including the contrast between appearance and reality, the need to correctly interpret the significance of adverse circumstances, the nature and role of παιδεία (“education”/“discipline”), confessing “kinship” with God, “looking ahead” to a punishment or reward, turning away from God, life as an agonistic/athletic contest, and gymnastic training.

“Leading Sons and Daughters from Despair to Glory: Theodicy and Divine Action in Romans 8 and Hebrews 2,” in Divine Action in Hebrews, and the Ongoing Priesthood of Jesus (ed. Craig Bartholomew, Gareth Lee Cockerill, and Benjamin Quinn; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2023), 111–130

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A number of shared features unite two of the most profound texts in the New Testament, Romans 8 and Hebrews 2. In them we find the early church’s two greatest theologians offering panoramic presentations of the Christ event and its significance for humanity. In both texts bleak assessments of the human condition are contrasted with effusive portrayals of Christian eschatological experience, and both bridge these disparate states by means of the Christ event, as Jesus’ full immersion in the human condition is accorded an instrumental role in rescuing humanity from sin, death, and despair, and conveying them into heavenly glory. More specifically, it appears that both texts were motivated by situations of suffering and an inability to understand the significance of divine action undertaken in the face of that suffering. In response, both authors offer theodicies which appeal to God’s most powerful act of love, the giving of his Son, and which locate the essential proof of this divine action in transformative experiences of God’s fatherly love. Only such experiences can adequately substantiate Paul’s remarkable claim, that “the present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is about to be revealed in us” (Rom 8:18).

“‘God Has Had Mercy on Me’: Theology and Soteriology in Philo of Alexandria’s De sacrificiis Abelis et Caini,” Journal of Theological Studies 72.2 (2021): 709–737

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Philo of Alexandria’s treatise De sacrificiis Abelis et Caini offers a rich example of his theology and soteriology. The majestic God of De sacrificiis is transcendent, omnipresent, and absolutely unique. Anthropomorphic and anthropopathic conceptions of God also are memorably discussed and dismissed. Standing in tension with these ontological characteristics are relational attributes of God, which often are expressed in redemptive acts. Thus, the merciful God of De sacrificiis ‘transcends his transcendence’, and compassionately reaches out to humans in need. A full array of soteriological themes populate the pages of the treatise, including the war against the passions, the allegory of the soul, transformative revelatory experiences, salvific worship, contemplative ascent, and the vision of God. Furthermore, the agential acts and roles played by God and humans are complexly intertwined, demonstrating a sophisticated, experientially informed soteriology. Though these important Philonic themes typically are interpreted thematically and systemically, thus ‘ironing out’ any idiosyncrasies, this essay closely attends to the particular thought of this treatise. As a consequence, unique elements and emphases emerge, which in addition to distinctive depictions of divine compassion and soteriological agency, include a Stoic emphasis on reason, the relative absence of mediatorial figures, and a rare portrayal of an unequivocal visio Dei. 

"Behold! I Am with the Children God Has Given Me": Ekphrasis and Epiphany in Hebrews 1-2," in Son, Sacrifice, and Great Shepherd: Studies on the Epistle to the Hebrews (ed. E.F. Mason and D.M. Moffatt; WUNT 2/510; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2020), 43–77

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In “‘Behold! I Am with the Children God Has Given Me’: Ekphrasis and Epiphany in Hebrews 1–2,” Mackie considers ways in which Heb 1–2 encourages a mystical vision of the ascended Christ’s enthronement in the heavenly realms and sets the scene for the later passages of the homily that exhort the audience to approach God. Identifying rhetorical elements in Hebrews that parallel techniques in the wider Greco-Roman world that make up an ekphrasis (which intends to produce visual and emotional experiences in hearers), Mackie argues that Hebrews aims to make the heavenly tabernacle and divine presence visually accessible to the community. They can approach God, enter the tabernacle that is manifest to them in their gathered worship, and experience a vision of the risen and exalted Jesus. This experience forms a central aspect of the exhortation and encouragement the author uses to help persuade his audience to remain faithful to Jesus, as they have their identity as his siblings reconfirmed.