Abstract

The Judaism of the Second Temple period was not an isolated culture. Modern research shows that, as a result of the long-standing interplay of Greek, Roman and Judaic cultures, Judaism developed its thinking and practice in dialogue with its neighbours' and conquerors' cultures, though the extent of the interplay remains contentious. That interplay can be seen in the work of the Alexandrian Jewish writer, Philo, whose work is a fusion of Greek philosophy and Judaism. Platonic ideas and literature figure heavily in his writing. However, the relationship which exists between pupil and teacher does not adopt wholeheartedly the patterns which can be seen in the Platonic corpus