Philo of Alexandria On Rewards and Punishments

The treatise begins with some remarks on the scheme on which Moses constructed his law book and how it was observed by some and disregarded by others. Coming to the main subject of the rewards for obedience and punishments for disobedience he notes that those described in the history may be classified under individuals, houses or groups, cities, countries and nations, and larger regions. We take the rewards to individuals and start with the less perfect Trinity, Enos, Enoch and Noah, who exemplify respectively hopefulness, repentance and justice. Hope is the motive of all human effort and hope in God is its only true form. Enos the hoper was rewarded with a name which means that he is a true man. Enoch's repentance is rewarded by his "transference" away from the common herd to the isolation which the converted need. Noah the just was saved from the flood and made the founder of renewed mankind. The second Trinity, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, represent the true religion which despises vanity.