{"product_id":"philos-on-the-creation-jason-kassel-9798902839163","title":"Philo's On the Creation: A Jewish Philosophy of Cosmic Reasoning: Part of the Poetic Philosophy Series","description":"\u003cp\u003eWritten in the \u003cb\u003eearly first century CE (c. 20-40 CE)\u003c\/b\u003e, while the \u003cb\u003eSecond Temple in Jerusalem still stood\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eOn the Creation\u003c\/i\u003e represents one of the \u003cb\u003elast complete expressions of Jewish philosophical thought before the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE\u003c\/b\u003e and the emergence of rabbinic Judaism.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this foundational work, \u003cb\u003ePhilo of Alexandria\u003c\/b\u003e-a Jewish thinker living in the Hellenistic world of Roman Alexandria-reads the Book of Genesis as a rational account of cosmic order, law, and meaning. Creation is not treated as myth or chronology, but as an act of \u003cb\u003edivine intelligence\u003c\/b\u003e in which cosmos, law, number, and the human soul form a single intelligible structure.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a \u003cb\u003epre-rabbinic\u003c\/b\u003e text. It speaks from within a Judaism still centered on \u003cb\u003eTemple worship, priesthood, sacrifice, sacred calendar, and sacred space\u003c\/b\u003e. Law is not yet portable commentary; it is lived order. Worship is not primarily interpretation or study, but \u003cb\u003eoffering\u003c\/b\u003e-embedded in blood, fire, ritual sequence, and cosmic rhythm. Philo's philosophical interpretations do not replace Temple practice; they presuppose it and seek to reveal its deeper rational and moral architecture.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on Plato, the Stoics, and biblical tradition, Philo presents creation as a model for lawful life: \u003cbr\u003ethe world is intelligible because it was thought before it was made, and the human being is capable of justice because the soul mirrors the same rational order that governs the cosmos.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis translation by \u003cb\u003eJason Kassel, PhD\u003c\/b\u003e preserves Philo's conceptual structure, metaphors, and philosophical cadence, offering modern readers access to a world of Jewish thought \u003cb\u003ebefore exile, before rabbinic reconstruction, and before theology was separated from cosmology\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eOn the Creation\u003c\/i\u003e is essential reading for anyone interested in: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003epre-rabbinic Judaism\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eJewish philosophy before 70 CE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003ethe relationship between law, cosmos, and reason\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eHellenistic Judaism and the Temple world\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003ethe foundations of Western religious philosophy\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book does not explain Judaism after catastrophe.\u003cbr\u003eIt shows what Jewish thought looked like \u003cb\u003ebefore the rupture\u003c\/b\u003e-when the world itself was still understood as ordered, meaningful, and readable.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Jason Kassel,Philo Of Alexandria\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798902839163\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Recursive Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/08\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 110\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.45lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 10.00h x 7.00w x 0.23d","brand":"Jason Kassel","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48217962447103,"sku":"9798902839163","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_d434e122-3f00-42a5-bc6c-648a1dc9e5de.jpg?v=1772000550","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/philos-on-the-creation-jason-kassel-9798902839163","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}