What Jewish education did Philo Judaeus describe in his writings?

Philo Judaeus did not explicitly detail his own Jewish education in his writings. The only reference he makes to Jewish schooling in his work pertains to Jewish schools that met on the Sabbath for lectures on ethics, which suggests that his formal Jewish religious instruction may have been relatively limited.1

In contrast, Philo’s broader education was deeply rooted in the Hellenistic tradition. As a resident of Alexandria, he was likely a product of the Greek gymnasium, an institution dedicated to the liberal arts and athletics. His writings demonstrate an intimate acquaintance with Greek rhetorical schools and a wide range of Greek literature, particularly epic and dramatic poetry. Scholars infer that his formal education likely encompassed the standard curriculum of the time: arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, harmonics, philosophy, grammar, rhetoric, and logic.1