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La materia e la creazione del mondo nel De opificio mundi di Filone di Alessandria

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Published/Copyright: August 1, 2022
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Abstract

Following the traces of some references to pre-existing matter in the Septuagint, the article analyses the interpretation of Gen 1, 2a in Philo of Alexandria’s De opificio mundi with a focus on his omission of the ἀκατασκεύαστος character of the earth. Philo’s interpretation is closely linked to his conception of emptiness and to his pioneering defence of a creation ex nihilo. In his cosmology, which is articulated as a dual interpretation of the Genesis and Plato’s Timaeus, the matter plays an essential role. Philo justifies its existence on Aristotelian-Stoic grounds, highlighting the process of gradual refinement whereby matter passes from being a rough ὕλη to being an elaborate type of οὐσία.


Corresponding author: Ludovica De Luca, Università degli Studi dell’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy, E-mail:

Ringraziamenti

Si ringrazia G. E. Sterling per i commenti ricevuti durante gli SBL International Meetings (Roma 2019) in cui ho presentato i primi spunti su cui questo articolo è stato costruito.

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