While we are on the subject let's be crystal clear about Philo's purpose in "The Embassy to Gaius."
There were serious anti-jewish disturbances in Alexandria ( where Philo lived ) at the beginning of Caligula's reign. My college Roman History text - which I still have - states:
"In Alexandria there was a large Jewish colony, hated by the Alexandrians for claiming citizenship in the city and enjoying exceptional privileges." It goes on to state that the Greeks attacked the Jewish quarter and installed statues of Caligula in the synagogues. In response the Jews sent a delegation to Caligula - this was the "embassy to Gaius" seeking redress from the emperor but Caligula sent them packing. Philo's mission was a failure but it did firmly plant the idea in Caligula's head that his statue should be placed in the temple in Jerusalem.
An order was given to the then governor of Syria, Publius Petronius, and production of the statue was actually begun. However Petronius was smart enough to see that this would lead to a rebellion and delayed carrying it out until Caligula's assassination ended the crisis far more effectively that Philo's words.
But Philo sought to portray Pilate's action of putting a couple of inscribed shields in the old palace of Herod and, perhaps, inflating the level of discontent thereby caused with Caligula's provocations and the placement of his own statue in the temple itself. "Imagine the reaction if you defile the temple when all Pilate did was install a couple of shields in a palace," was Philo's message. Caligula was unimpressed. Fortunately, at least for another 25 years, cooler heads prevailed.
There were serious anti-jewish disturbances in Alexandria ( where Philo lived ) at the beginning of Caligula's reign. My college Roman History text - which I still have - states:
"In Alexandria there was a large Jewish colony, hated by the Alexandrians for claiming citizenship in the city and enjoying exceptional privileges." It goes on to state that the Greeks attacked the Jewish quarter and installed statues of Caligula in the synagogues. In response the Jews sent a delegation to Caligula - this was the "embassy to Gaius" seeking redress from the emperor but Caligula sent them packing. Philo's mission was a failure but it did firmly plant the idea in Caligula's head that his statue should be placed in the temple in Jerusalem.
An order was given to the then governor of Syria, Publius Petronius, and production of the statue was actually begun. However Petronius was smart enough to see that this would lead to a rebellion and delayed carrying it out until Caligula's assassination ended the crisis far more effectively that Philo's words.
But Philo sought to portray Pilate's action of putting a couple of inscribed shields in the old palace of Herod and, perhaps, inflating the level of discontent thereby caused with Caligula's provocations and the placement of his own statue in the temple itself. "Imagine the reaction if you defile the temple when all Pilate did was install a couple of shields in a palace," was Philo's message. Caligula was unimpressed. Fortunately, at least for another 25 years, cooler heads prevailed.
Robert G. Ingersoll : “No man with a sense of humor ever founded a religion.”
