On November 28, Prof. Maren R. Niehoff of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem delivered the opening keynote for the International Symposium: Divine and Human in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy at the Divinity School of Chung Chi College (DSCCC), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).
Her lecture, titled "Is Human Freedom Conditioned by the Mind, the Personality, or God? A Philonic Perspective," began with this guiding question and introduced a structured model drawn from the ancient Jewish thinker Philo of Alexandria.
Firstly, Prof. Niehoff briefly introduced Philo's historical context. She explained that Philo was a Greek-educated Jew in Roman-era Alexandria who sought to articulate Jewish belief using the philosophical language of his time. Prof. Niehoff reminded us that many of the texts through which we know early Greek philosophy were themselves reinterpreted in this later Roman context, an environment in which Philo was writing.
Prof. Niehoff then moved to the first element of the title's question: the "Mind." She connected this to the Stoic understanding of freedom. For the Stoics, she explained, true freedom is an internal mental state, not a social status. It is achieved when reason governs the "passions" (Greek: πάθη) — the strong emotions and desires that can enslave the soul. This ideal state of being undisturbed by anger, fear, or greed is known as apatheia (ἀπάθεια). On this view, a slave whose mind is ordered and self-controlled can be "freer" than a ruler who is driven by uncontrolled desires.
Next, Prof. Niehoff addressed the second element of the question: "Personality." She linked this concept to the tradition of the Cynics, who were known for their sharp criticism of social customs and their willingness to challenge authority. Unlike the long-term character training of the Stoics, Cynics like Diogenes of Sinope often used provocative public acts to display an independent personality. Prof. Niehoff argued that Philo adopted this tradition, proposing that a free person must possess a unique "personality" — the character and courage to maintain distance from social hierarchies and speak frankly to rulers when necessary.
Thirdly, Prof. Niehoff addressed the third and most decisive element of the question: "God." This, she identified, was Philo's most original contribution. Prof. Niehoff's core argument here is that Philo posited that true freedom is only attained when a person can declare, "God is my ruler, not man." By submitting to this single, divine authority, the individual is liberated from all lesser forms of bondage, be they from other people, social pressure, or their own internal impulses.
Finally, Prof. Niehoff linked these three aspects together. She pointed out that Philo's answer to the title's question is not an either-or choice but a "three-in-one" synthesis: true freedom requires Stoic self-discipline of the Mind, a Cynic-like independent Personality, and is ultimately realized in obedience to God
