Torrey Seland, «Saul of Tarsus and Early Zealotism. Reading Gal 1,13-14 in Light of Philo’s Writings», Vol. 83 (2002) 449-471
One of the most consistent features in the portraits of Saul of Tarsus in the Acts of the Apostles and in the letters accredited to Paul, is the fervent zeal of his youth. The zeal of the young Saul has been dealt with in several studies, drawing on the issue of zealotry in Palestine, but the conclusions reached are rather diverse. The present study suggests that the often overlooked phenomenon of zealotry in the writings of Philo of Alexandria should also be considered. The material from Philo does not support the view that the early zealots formed any consistent movement or party, but that they were vigilant individuals who took the Law in their own hands when observing cases of gross Torah transgressions.
where it takes the place of "zeal for God," a change due to the prominent place of the Law in post-exilic Judaism. It is not found in the works of Josephus; the closest parallel in his works is Ant. 12,271 where Mattathias’ call (1 Macc 2,26) pa=j o( zhlw=n tw= no/mw= kai/... is rendered as ei! tij zhlwth/j e)stin tw=n patri/wn e)qw=n kai/46. The zeal concerned in Philo’s texts associated with violent measures against non-conformers is related to its Jewish context both by the stress on its "Affektbetontheit" (1,55) and here by its association with "the laws."
These observations of the role of zeal for God/Torah in Philo’s works substantiate the rather casual remark by K. Haacker that some astonishing zealotic sayings are to be found in the works of Philo of Alexandria: "Das lehrt im Blick auf Paulus, dass geographische Gesichtspunkte (Tarsus) und das Vorhandensein hellenistischer Bildungselemente nicht gegen die Annahme zelotischer Einflüsse ins Feld geführt werden können"47. G. Alon has suggested that Philo used a Halachic tradition, and that "Philo did not teach this Halakha of his own record, but on the basis of an ancient Halachic tradition that he knew, and which was acted upon in Eretz-Israel and in the Diaspora in Philo’s days"48. Alon finds his view further substantiated by texts as 1 Macc 1,24; 3 Macc 7,10-15, and several New Testament and Rabbinic texts49. Be that as it may50, the conclusion remains that the works of Philo should not be overlooked when considering the impact of zeal for God/Torah in the first century CE, and the role such zeal might have had in the early life of Paul.
The pervasiveness of this kind of zealotic attitudes can be further substantiated by considering the second part of the relevant phrase of Gal 1,14.