Different Traditions or Emphases? The Image of God in Philo's De opificio mundi

 

Gregory Sterling

University of Notre Dame

 

Philo of Alexandria offered three different interpretations of the "image of God" in De opificio mundi. The image was the Logos, the mind of a human being, or a heavenly human being in contrast to the earthly human being of Genesis 2:7. There have been two approaches to these different interpretations. Some think that they reflect different exegetical traditions that Philo has incorporated. Others suggest that Philo wanted to emphasize different aspects of the text. This paper will address this debate by attempting to determine the criteria for determining exegetical traditions.