Aristobulus of Alexandria

The first known Jewish philosopher (second century BCE). He read the Bible allegorically and claimed that Plato had imitated the legislation of Moses.

Aristobulus, the first known Jewish philosopher, resided in Alexandria during the 100s BCE. His work contains the oldest examples of allegorical interpretation of the Bible, a technique borrowed from Greek scholars who read Homer and Hesiod: God's 'hand', for example, would signify divine power.1 Aristobulus acknowledged Plato's merit but argued that Moses was the best philosopher and that Plato had copied the Jewish laws. Imitating Greek culture did not mean abandoning Jewish identity.2