On the Sacrifices of Abel and Cain
E581570
On the Sacrifices of Abel and Cain is a philosophical and allegorical treatise by Philo of Alexandria that interprets the biblical story of Abel and Cain to explore themes of virtue, vice, and the soul’s relationship to God.
Statements (42)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
allegorical treatise
ⓘ
philosophical treatise ⓘ religious work ⓘ |
| analyzes | inner motives behind religious acts ⓘ |
| author | Philo of Alexandria NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| basedOn | Biblical story of Cain and Abel ⓘ |
| basedOnWork | Book of Genesis NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| category |
Ancient philosophical literature
ⓘ
Jewish Hellenistic literature ⓘ |
| compares | different kinds of sacrifice ⓘ |
| concerns |
moral evaluation of human character
ⓘ
relation between human mind and God ⓘ |
| emphasizes | superiority of spiritual over material offerings ⓘ |
| explores | symbolic meaning of agricultural and pastoral life ⓘ |
| genre |
Hellenistic Jewish philosophy
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
allegorical commentary ⓘ biblical exegesis ⓘ |
| historicalPeriod | early 1st century CE ⓘ |
| influenced |
later Christian exegesis
ⓘ
patristic allegorical interpretation ⓘ |
| intendedAudience | educated Hellenistic Jewish readers ⓘ |
| interpretsAsSymbol |
Abel as symbol of virtue
ⓘ
Cain as symbol of vice ⓘ sacrifice as disposition of the soul ⓘ |
| language | Koine Greek ⓘ |
| literaryForm | prose treatise ⓘ |
| mainCharacter |
Abel
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Cain NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| partOf | Philo’s biblical commentaries NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| philosophicalTradition |
Hellenistic Judaism
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Middle Platonism NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| placeOfOrigin | Alexandria NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| religiousTradition | Judaism ⓘ |
| scripturalSource | Genesis 4 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| theme |
allegorical interpretation of Scripture
ⓘ
ethical symbolism of sacrifice ⓘ moral psychology ⓘ soul’s relationship to God ⓘ vice ⓘ virtue ⓘ |
| usesMethod | allegorical exegesis ⓘ |
| workOf | Philo’s allegorical commentary on Genesis ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.