Atoms in Philo of Alexandria

**Atoms in Philo of Alexandria**

Philo of Alexandria, a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher of the first century CE, sought to harmonize the philosophy of the Greeks—especially Platonism and Stoicism—with the Hebrew Scriptures. One of the more intriguing aspects of his thought is his interaction with atomic theory, particularly in relation to the doctrines of Democritus and Epicurus. Philo did not adopt atomism wholesale, but he did not ignore it either. Rather, he reframed and reinterpreted its language and concepts within his theological and allegorical framework. This essay will explore how Philo speaks of atoms, both literally and metaphorically, and what significance they hold in his philosophical theology.

### 1. Atoms as Indivisible Principles

Philo occasionally uses the term “atoms” in his allegorical interpretations, especially when speaking about the precision of intellectual discernment. In *On the Unclean Animals*, he allegorizes the division of the hoof as a symbol of accurate analysis and memory:

> “...not to have one’s own divisions clearly distinguished, which by some persons are with great felicity named atoms and indivisible portions? for all these things are manifest displays of intelligence and excessive accuracy, sharpened to a degree of the most acute comprehension. But they have no influence in causing virtue, or in making men live a life free from reproach.” (*On the Unclean Animals* §134–135)

Here, Philo acknowledges the intellectual rigor behind atomic theory—its effort to reduce things to indivisible units—but criticizes it for being of little moral utility. The atomic divisions may appeal to a keen intellect, but they do not produce virtue unless tethered to divine wisdom.

### 2. The Fullness of the Cosmos and the Impossibility of the Void

Philo’s most striking engagement with atomic theory appears in *On the Creation*, where he confronts the Epicurean and Democritean idea of the void:

> “...this world consists of all earth, and all water, and all air, and all fire, not a single particle, no not the smallest imaginable atom, being omitted. It follows therefore of necessity, that what is outside must either be a vacuum or nothing at all.” (*On the Creation* §6–7)

This statement affirms the completeness of the cosmos—no atom is left out. But Philo’s argument quickly turns against the idea of an external void:

> “If now it is a vacuum, than how can that which is full and solid, and the heaviest of all things, avoid being pressed down by its own weight, since there is no solid thing to hold it up? ... the eternal law of the everlasting God ... is the most supporting and firm foundation of the universe.” (*On the Creation* §8–9)

Philo is rejecting the atomist void in favor of a providentially ordered cosmos, structured and upheld by the *logos*—the rational law and bond created by the Deity. Rather than a mechanical collision of atoms in empty space, Philo envisions a cosmos knit together by divine rationality.

### 3. Moses and the Error of Atomism

In a powerful allegory drawn from Exodus, Philo connects the Egyptian philosophical disposition with two false doctrines: hedonism and atomism.

> “\[Moses] buried him in the sand, thinking that the two doctrines, of pleasure being the first and greatest good, and of atoms being the origin of the universe, both proceed from the same source.” (*On the Confusion of Tongues* §148)

Here, atomism is associated not with lofty science, but with a materialist worldview that degrades the soul by reducing the universe to physical particles and pleasure. Philo places this doctrine squarely within the realm of Egyptian folly, against which Moses—the figure of divine philosophy—must take a stand.

### 4. The Indivisible Spirit and Divine Sharing

Philo also touches on the notion of indivisibility when discussing how Moses’ spirit was shared with the seventy elders:

> “...as is the case in an operation effected by fire, which can light ten thousand torches, without itself being diminished the least atom...” (*On the Giants* §25)

This metaphor likens the divine spirit to fire that does not diminish when shared. The phrase “the least atom” appears here not in a technical scientific sense, but as a figure for absolute indivisibility. It becomes a rhetorical marker of divine infinity—untouched by loss, unlike the divisible bodies of the physical world.

### 5. Philo and the Philosophers: A Mixed View

Philo was well aware of the positions of the Greek schools. In *On the Eternity of the World*, he discusses three main theories:

> “Democritus and Epicurus, and the principal number of the Stoic philosophers, affirm both the creation and the destructibility of the world... they attribute \[its generation] to the concourse and combination of atoms.” (*On the Eternity of the World* §8)

Philo distinguishes himself from these thinkers by emphasizing divine providence and purpose. The Stoics are portrayed more favorably, especially when they acknowledge God’s role in the creation. But even they fall short by attributing destruction to fire rather than to divine judgment or wisdom.

### Conclusion

Philo of Alexandria used the language of atoms in both critical and allegorical ways. While he recognized the intellectual precision behind atomic theory, he rejected its metaphysical implications. For Philo, the world was not a random conglomeration of particles in a void, but a fully constructed, divinely ordered cosmos held together by the *logos*. Atoms, when they appear in his writings, serve to highlight either the limitations of materialist philosophy or the indivisible, spiritual principles that transcend physical reality. Philo thus reclaims the concept of indivisibility—not for matter, but for the divine.