Aristobu'lus

3. An Alexandrine Jew, and a Peripatetic philosopher, who is supposed to have lived under Ptolemy Philometor (began to reign B. C. 180), and to have been the same as the teacher of Ptolemy Evergetes. (2 Maccab. 1.10.)

Works

Aristobulus is said to have been the author of commentaries upon the books of Moses (Ἐξηγήσεις τῆς Μωϋσέως γραφῆς), addressed to Ptolemy Philometor, which are referred to by Clemens Alexandrinus (Strom. i. pp. 305, b. 342, b. v. p. 595c. d), Eusebius (Euseb. Praep. Ev. 7.13, 8.9, 9.6, 13.12), and other ecclesiastical writers. The object of this work was to prove that the Peripatetic philosophy, and in fact almost all the Greek philosophy, was taken from the books of Moses.

It is now, however, admitted that this work was not written by the Aristobulus whose name it bears, but by some later and unknown writer, whose object was to induce the Greeks to pay respect to the Jewish literature.

Further Information

Valckenaer, Diatribe de Aristobulo, Judaeo, &c. edita post auctoris mortem ab J. Luzacio, Lugd. Bat. 1806.