The first modern writer to reveal the philosophy of
Jewish history was Nachman Krochmal (1785-1840), and his posthumous Hebrew
book, "The Guide of the Perplexed of the Time," edited by Zunz,
contained the first critical appreciation of the Hellenistic Jewish
culture by a rabbinic scholar. He knew no Greek, but he studied the
works of German writers, and in his account of Philo gives a summary
of the remarks of the theologian Neander, himself a baptized Jew. In
his own criticism he discerns the weakness and strength of Philo from
the Jewish aspect. "There are," he says, "many strange things in
Philo's exegesis, not only because he draws far-fetched allegories
from the text, but also because he interprets single words without a
sure foundation in Hebrew philology. He uses Scripture as a sort of
clay which he moulds to convey his philosophical ideas. Yet we must be
grateful to him because many of his interpretations are beautiful
ornaments to the text; and we may apply to them what Ibn Ezra said of
the teachings of the Haggadah, 'Some of them are fine silks, others as
heavy as sack-cloth.'"
Krochmal translated into Hebrew examples of Philo's allegories and
gave parallels and contrasts from the Talmud. The relation between the
Palestinian and the Alexandrian exegesis was more elaborately
considered by a greater master of Hellenistic literature, Zacharias
Frankel (1801-1875), who has been followed by a band of Jewish scholars.
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