Texts in Conversation
Philo contrasts heavenly treasuries that store permanent blessing with earthly stores that store temporary blessing. In Matthew, Jesus follows this Jewish tradition, comparing earthly wealth with treasure kept in heaven.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Philo, On the Birth of Abel 1:22
De sacrificiis Abelis et Caini
Classical
22 And with her, as her closest friends, walk bold cunning, and rashness, and flattery, and trick, and deceit, and false speaking, and false opinion, and impiety, and injustice, and intemperance, and she advances in their midst like the leader of the company and, marshalling her band, speaks to her mind as follows: 'My good friend, the treasuries of all human blessings and stores of happiness are in my power (for divine blessings are all in heaven), and apart from them you will find nothing. 23 'If you will live with me, I will open all these treasures to you and give you their most unsparing use and enjoyment for ever. And I want to tell you in advance how many good things I have stored up there, so that if you are so inclined you may choose of your own accord to live happily, and if you refuse, you will not be declining them out of ignorance. 'I have in my power perfect relaxation, and exemption from all fear, and tranquillity, and a complete absence of all care and labour, and an abundant variety of colours, and most melodious intonations of the voice, and all kinds of costly foods and drinks, and plentiful varieties of the sweetest scents, and continual loves, and sports such as require no teacher, and connections no one will ever inquire into, and speech with no shade of reproof in it, and actions that never need to be accounted for, and a life free from anxiety, and soft sleep, and abundance without any feeling of satiety.
Date: 20–50 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
Matthew 6:20
New Testament
18 so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 19 “Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and devouring insect destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and devouring insect do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.
Date: 70–90 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... In his Allegorical Interpretation Philo contrasts God’s treasuries of good things with the storehouses of evil things (3.34.104-105). While God opens his treasuries for those who live virtuously, his storehouses of evil things are sealed, that is, he refrains from immediate vengeance against the sinners to give them time for repentance (ibid. 106). A similar use is evident in On the Birth of Abel, where Divine blessings are said to be stored up in heavenly treasuries to be bestowed upon those who live virtuous lives. Virtues are also associated with “treasures” in his tractate On the Virtues, where they are presented as accessible to everyone who seeks them ..."
Hezser, Catherine
Finding a Treasure: The Treasure Motif in Jewish, Christian, and Graeco-Roman Narratives in the Context of Rabbinic Halakhah and Roman Law
(pp. 295-325) Mohr Siebeck, 2019
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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