an ancient Greek writer, was of a noble family among the Jews, and flourished at Alexandria during the reign of Caligula. He was the chief of an embassy sent to Rome about the year 42, to plead the cause of the Jews against Apion, who was sent by the Alexandrians to charge them with neglecting the honours due to Caesar. Caligula, however, would not allow him to speak, and behaved to him in such a manner that Philo... was in considerable danger of losing his life. Others again tell us that he was heard; but that his demands were refused. He afterwards went to Rome in the reign of Claudius; and there, Eusebius and Jerome inform us, he became acquainted with St Peter, with whom he was on terms of friendship. Photius adds, that he became a Christian, and afterwards, from some motive of resentment, renounced it. Great part of this, however, is uncertain, for few believe that St Peter was at Rome so early as the reign of Claudius, if he ever was there at all.

Philo was educated at Alexandria, and made very great progress in eloquence and philosophy. After the fashion of the time, he cultivated, like many of his nation and faith, the philosophy of Plato, whose principles he so thoroughly imbibed, and whose manner he so well imitated, that it became a common saying, "Aut Plato philonizat, aut Philo platonizat." Josephus says, he was a man "eminent on all accounts;" and Eusebius describes him, "copious in speech, rich in sentiments, and sublime in the knowledge of holy writ." He was, however, so much immersed in philosophy, particularly the Platonic, that he neglected the Hebrew language, and the rites and customs of his own people. Scaliger says, that Philo "knew no more of Hebrew and Syriac than a Gaul or a Scythian." Grotius is of opinion, that "he is not fully to be depended on, in what relates to the manners of the Hebrews;" and Cudworth goes further; for "though a Jew by nation (says he), he was yet very ignorant of Jewish customs." Fabricius thinks differently; for though he allows some inadvertencies and errors of Philo with regard to these matters, yet he does not see a sufficient foundation on which to charge so illustrious a doctor of the law with ignorance. He allows, however, that Philo's passion for philosophy had made him more than half a Pagan; for it led him to interpret the whole law and the prophets upon Platonic ideas; and to admit nothing as truly interpreted which was not agreeable to the principles of the academy. Besides, this led him farther; he turned every thing into allegory, and deduced the darkest meanings from the plainest words. This most pernicious practice Origen, it is known, imitated, and exposed himself by it to the scoffs of Celsus and of Porphyry. Philo's writings abound with high and mystical, new and subtle, far-fetched and abstracted, notions; and indeed the doctrines of Plato and Moses are so promiscuously blended, that it is not an easy matter to assign to each his principles. There are certainly, however, in his works many excellent things. Though he is continually Platonicising and allegorising the Scriptures, he abounds with fine sentiments and lessons of morality; and his morals are rather the morals of a Christian than of a Jew. History, together with his own writings, give us every reason to believe that he was a man of great prudence, constancy, and virtue.

His works were first published in Greek by Turnebus at Paris 1552. A Latin translation made by Gelenius was afterwards added, and printed several times with it. The Paris edition of 1640 in folio was the best for a whole century; which made Cotelerius say, that "Philolao was an author that deserved to have a better text and a better version." In 1742, a handsome edition of his work was published at London by Dr Mangey in two volumes folio; which is certainly preferable if it were only for the paper and print, but it is not so good a one as Philo deserves.

Many of our readers may be desirous of further details respecting this celebrated man; we refer such therefore to Josephus's Antiquities, Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History, St Jerome's work De Scriptoribus Ecclesiasticis, Fabricius Bibliotheca Graeca, Cave Hist. Liter. and vol. ii. of Monuments of the Greek Church.