Torrey Seland, «Saul of Tarsus and Early Zealotism. Reading Gal 1,13-14 in Light of Philo’s Writings», Vol. 83 (2002) 449-471
One of the most consistent features in the portraits of Saul of Tarsus in the Acts of the Apostles and in the letters accredited to Paul, is the fervent zeal of his youth. The zeal of the young Saul has been dealt with in several studies, drawing on the issue of zealotry in Palestine, but the conclusions reached are rather diverse. The present study suggests that the often overlooked phenomenon of zealotry in the writings of Philo of Alexandria should also be considered. The material from Philo does not support the view that the early zealots formed any consistent movement or party, but that they were vigilant individuals who took the Law in their own hands when observing cases of gross Torah transgressions.
be turned away with prayer," signifies the absence of mercy in several descriptions of punishment for specific severe crimes43.
Hence we have here not only a case where Philo admonishes zealous persons to take action, but one in which he also explicitly points to their feelings of anger and suggests a rapid and violent action on the spot. His further specifications emphasize the "affective nature" of this zeal, a feature corroborated by his reference to the Phinehas episode. Furthermore, as they are told not to bring the offender before any court, the persons denoted are not to be restricted to court officials, or any other known group formations, but any zealous Jew might take such actions.
In the other text, Spec. 2,252-3, Philo gives a similar description of the violent zealots present: "there are ‘thousands’ present full of zeal for the laws (zhlwtai_ no/mwn), strictest guardians of the ancestral institutions (fu/lakej tw=n patri/wn a)kribe/statoi), merciless to those who do anything to subvert them" (Spec. 2,253). The latter text is thus much closer to a report than the other. This special feature enhances its importance for the present study.
The description of the agents supposed to take violent measures against the perjurers is rather brief, but it nevertheless contains two aspects warranting further comment: the expression zhlwtai_ no/mwn and fu/lakej tw=n patri/wn a)kribe/statoi.
The expression zhlwtai_ no/mwn is a hapax legomenon in the works of Philo. Philo seems to prefer the term a)reth/ as denoting the object for zh=loj. There need be no contradiction here, however, as the Law according to Philo, is a central "instrument" in acquiring virtue (a)reth/)44. Nevertheless, the expression zhlwtai_ no/mwn remains important. This expression is first attested in 1 Macc 2,26.27.50 and 5845,