The Creation of Man

This monograph, a revised form of a 1980 Harvard dissertation, is a study of Philo's interpretation of the creation of man in Genesis 1-3, and specifically in 1:27 and 2:7. Tobin approaches this study with two particular questions: (1) what were the exegetical traditions available to Philo and what were Philo's own developments and contributions?; and (2) what was the philosophical milieu of the period in Alexandria and how did this influence both the traditions and their use by Philo? Very early in the book Tobin establishes the two basic criteria which he will use in determining which interpretations are Philo's own and which are those of his predecessors. Pre-Philonic interpretations are (1) those which Philo tells us directly are not his own; and (2) those which clash with a position which spans the entire Philonic corpus and thus can be identified as Philo's own.