Source edition
Philo Judaeus. Opera quae supersunt, Volume 2. Wendland, Paul, editor. Berlin: Reimer, 1897.
Source data
Open Greek and Latin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is an allegorical and philosophical commentary by Philo of Alexandria, which takes the biblical narrative of Noah's awakening from wine as its starting point to explore the virtues of a "sober" soul. In the first half, Philo argues that biblical terms such as "child" and "elder" refer not to physical age but to the soul's moral maturity or imperfection, drawing on the examples of Abraham, Joseph, and others. The core of the treatise focuses on why Noah cursed his grandson Canaan instead of his son Ham; to explain this, Philo introduces the philosophical distinction between "state" (habit) and "movement" (activity), arguing that only active vice deserves condemnation. In the final section, he allegorically interprets Noah's blessings on Shem and Japheth, contrasting the expansion of physical goods with the return to pure intellect that regards virtue as the sole good. Through this symbolic reading of the scriptures, the work illuminates the true wisdom the soul should seek and its ultimate connection to the divine.