Virgin Mothers: Philo on the Women Therapeutae

Abstract

Philo of Alexandria describes the Jewish men and women known as the 'Therapeutae' in his treatise De Vita Contemplativa (c. 41 CE) as people who are truly good. They live a virtuous existence, practicing an ascetic, contemplative life of philosophy. However, in antiquity women philosophers could be seen as unfeminine and dangerously sexual. Women Therapeutae were therefore a rhetorical problem for Philo, as it would have been difficult for him to ensure that they were clearly seen as 'good'. To solve the problem Philo insists on their virginity, while also characterizing them as maternal (thereby feminine). By considering Philo's rhetoric here we not only better understand his concerns but also aspects of the historical Therapeutae that this rhetoric can both illuminate and obscure.