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About This Text
Author: Philo of Alexandria
Composed: c.10 – c.50 CE
The Midrash of Philo is a selection of Philo’s midrashic biblical interpretations, collected from Philo’s work of Questions and Answers on the Books of Genesis and Exodus and from other writings of his. These represent the oldest recorded allegorical biblical commentaries, compiled before the formulation of early rabbinic literature. 20th-century scholar Rabbi Dr. Samuel Belkin translated Philo’s commentary into Hebrew from Armenian and Greek and added extensive explanations, noting parallels to Philo’s interpretations in rabbinic literature. Philo’s words appear in bold, and Belkin’s commentary appears in plain text.