Why did Philo Judaeus oppose people who treated Jewish laws as mere allegories?

Philo Judaeus did not oppose the use of allegory itself; rather, he criticized those who used it to excess. Specifically, he opposed individuals who argued that because ceremonial Jewish laws were merely parables or allegories, they no longer required literal observance.1

Philo viewed this extreme allegorical approach as a dangerous path that anticipated antinomianism—the belief that one is exempt from moral or religious law. As an observant Jew, Philo maintained that one should not omit the practice of any divinely ordained customs, regardless of their symbolic or philosophical depth. His stance reflected a commitment to maintaining the integrity of religious tradition, even while he simultaneously employed Greek philosophy to provide intellectual respectability to Jewish doctrines.12