How did the Jewish philosopher Philo influence St. Clement of Alexandria’s biblical interpretation?

The Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria significantly influenced St. Clement of Alexandria’s approach to biblical interpretation by providing a model for the allegorical interpretation of sacred texts.21

Alexandria possessed a long-standing tradition of classical study that utilized allegory to interpret Homeric epics and Greek myths. Philo adopted this method to reconcile Jewish religious doctrines with Greek philosophical concepts, and Christian scholars in Alexandria, including Clement, subsequently adapted this framework for their own exegesis.2

Clement and his successor, Origen, utilized this allegorical method to extract deeper, spiritual truths from scripture, which they believed were concealed within the literal narratives. While Clement did not entirely reject the literal sense of the Bible, he maintained that the most meaningful aspects of divine revelation were accessible primarily through allegorization. By applying these principles, Clement sought to make Christian beliefs intelligible to those educated in the Greek paideia, framing the Law of Moses and Greek philosophy as complementary disciplines leading toward the truth personified in the Logos.23