Texts in Conversation
Philo reads Exodus 24 in the Greek Septuagint, where the elders see only the place where God stood rather than seeing God directly. The Greek version softens the Hebrew Bible’s claim that the elders saw God.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
LXX Exodus 24:10
Septuagint
9 And Moses and Aaron and Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel went up. 10 And they saw the place where the God of Israel stood and what was under his feet just like brickwork of lapis lazuli, and like the appearance of the firmament of the heavens in purity. 11 And not even one of the chosen leaders of Israel was missing, and they appeared in the place of God, and they ate and drank.
Philo On the Confusion of Tongues 1:96
Classical
95 But it is a peculiar property of those who serve the living God neither to regard the work of cup-bearers, or bakers, or cooks, or any other earthly employments, nor to trouble themselves about arranging or adorning their bodies like bricks, but to mount up with their reason to the height of heaven, having elected Moses, the type of the race which loves God, to be the guide of their path; 96 for then "they will see the place which is Visible," on which the unchangeable and unalterable God stands; and the footstool beneath his feet, which is, as it were, a work of sapphire stone, and, as it were, a resemblance to the firmament of heaven, namely, the world perceptible by the outward senses, which he describes allegorically by these figures. 97 For it is very suitable for those who have made an association for the purpose of learning to desire to see him; and, if they are unable to do that, at least to see his image, the most sacred word, and, next to that, the most perfect work of all the things perceptible by the outward senses, namely, the world? For to philosophise is nothing else but to desire to see things accurately.
Date: 20-50 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
“... At other times, Scripture presents the experience of seeing God in more active, physical terms. In Genesis 32:25-33—the all-important passage for Philo’s thought that narrates Jacob’s change of name to ‘Israel’—the patriarch wrestles with a man. Afterwards, however, in naming Peniel, he says, ‘I have seen God face to face.’ Another passage, Exodus 24:9-11, also describes physical sight, though God Himself is not directly seen. It says, ‘And Moses went up, and Aaron and Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the place where the God of Israel was standing; and there was under His feet as it were a work of sapphire stone, just like the appearance of the firmament of heaven in purity. And not one of the chosen ones of Israel perished; and they appeared in the place of God and ate and drank.’ (my translation) ...”
Birnbaum, Ellen
The Place of Judaism in Philo’s Thought: Israel, Jews, and Proselytes
(p. 78) Scholars Press, 1996
* 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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