This chapter introduces Philo of Alexandria, including his life, work, social standing, and scholarly methods. It shows how Philo foreshadows all six of the Alexandrian theological tendencies outlined in the Introduction. He upheld a transcendent God (the Existent), distinguished creative powers (the Logos and unnamed auxiliaries), upheld a manifestation of God (the Logos) as the archetypal Human, endorsed a tradition of transmigration, rejected the corruptible flesh as unworthy of salvation, and proposed the deification of the mind. At the same time, Philo practiced Jewish customs and did nothing to undermine his Jewish identity.