ABSTRACT
The Jewish philosopher Philo’s works never became part of the Jewish canon. His expansive philosophical commentary on the Torah is nevertheless important for the insight it provides on early Jewish ways of thinking about the Torah in a heavily Hellenized environment. In this tract Philo briefly summarizes issues concerning the Ten Commandments, including an explanation of what each of the commandments means. Here he tellingly connects the commandments against theft to the behavior of those in power; God’s real intent with this commandment is to prevent the rich and powerful from stealing from the public and the poor. Of course, one should never steal but the real purpose of not doing so is to inculcate virtue so as to avoid temptation when one has real power.
