Did Philo influence the contents of the New Testament?

Internet Encyclopedia (IE) article on Philo claims that Philo “laid the foundations for the development of Christianity … as we know it today.” It says, “Philo’s primary importance is in the development of the … foundations of Christianity.” > More specifically, it claims that the Logos theology , that became the > standard explanation of Jesus after the church became Gentile > dominated in the second century, was inspired by Philo, namely, that > Philo, by synthesizing Judaism and Greek philosophy, developed > concepts which formed the basis for the Christian interpretation of > Jesus Christ. IE mentions “Clement of Alexandria, Christian Apologists > like Athenagoras, Theophilus, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and by > Origen” as Christian theologists who used Philo’s concepts to explain > the Biblical Son of God. > > Furthermore, and much more important, IE claims that Philo influenced the Bible itself. (Philo > lived and wrote a few decades before the writers of the New > Testament.) IE says, Philo “may have influenced Paul, his > contemporary, and perhaps the authors of the Gospel of John … and the > Epistle to the Hebrews.” To justify these statements, IE points to the following similarities between Philo and the New Testament: Same Titles ----------- In Philo, the Logos exists before everything else and, therefore, is called the “first-born” (IE), “the ‘first-born’ of God” (Blogos ), and the first-begotten Son of the Uncreated Father (IE). Consequently, both Philo's Logos and Jesus Christ are called: - Logos (the Word - John 1:1), - The first-born (Col 1:15; Heb 1:6), and - Son of God. Eternal ------- In both Philo and the NT, the Logos is eternal: > In the NT, the Son > "was" in “the beginning” (John 1:1-2) and is “the First and the Last” > (Rev 1:17). “His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of > eternity” (Micah 5:2). The Arians liked to add, “From everlasting I > was established” (Prov 8:23). > > Similarly, in Philo, the Logos was begotten from eternity (IE). The > Logos has an origin, but as God’s thought, it also has eternal > generation (IE). God begat the Logos eternally because it is a > manifestation of God’s thinking-acting (IE). Created and Maintains All Things -------------------------------- In both Philo and the NT, the Logos created and still maintains all things: > In Philo, the Logos is “the organizing principle of matter” (Blogos), > the power by which God made and ordered all things (IE), and the bond > holding together all the parts of the world (IE). > > In John, God created all things through the Logos (John 1:1-3; cf. Col > 1:16; Heb 1:2; 1 Cor 8:6) and also maintains all things through His > Son (Heb 1:3; Col 1:17). Entrusted Power --------------- In both Philo and the NT, the Logos receives His power from God: > In Philo, the Logos has no autonomous power, only an entrusted one > (Wikipedia ). > > Similarly, in the New Testament, the miracles which Jesus performed were > performed by God “through Him” (Acts 2:22). God “seated Him at His > right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority > and power and dominion” (Eph 1:17-21). The Angel of the Lord --------------------- In both Philo and the NT, the Logos is the Old Testament Angel of the Lord: Many Christians identify the Old Testament Angel of the LORD as the pre-existent Christ. Similarly, Philo describes the Logos as the revealer of God symbolized in the Scripture by an angel of the Lord (IE). Reveals God ----------- In both Philo and the NT, the Logos reveals the invisible and incomprehensible God to the created things: > In Philo, “God is revealed to His creation through the Logos” > (Blogos). > > Similarly, in the New Testament, God “alone possesses immortality and > dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see” but > the Son is “the exact representation” of God’s nature (Heb 1:3); “the > (visible) image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15). Therefore, Jesus > said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Light ----- In both Philo and the NT, the Logos illuminates the soul: > In Philo, the Logos illuminates the human soul and nourishes it with a > higher spiritual food (Wikipedia ). In the mind of a wise man > thoroughly purified, it allows preservation of virtues in an > unimpaired condition. (IE) > > Similarly, Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me > will not walk in the darkness” (John 8:12). And John wrote: “In Him > was life, and the life was the Light of men.” “There was the true > Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man” (John 1:4, > 9). Begotten -------- In both Philo and the NT, the Logos is neither uncreated as God nor created as men: > In Philo, "the ontology of the Logos would most closely resemble an > emanation from the divine essence” (Blogos), and “an extension of a > divine being” (IE). The Logos is more than a quality, power, or > characteristic of God; it is an entity eternally generated as an > extension (IE). Therefore, the Logos … is neither uncreated as God nor > created as men (IE). > > Similarly, in the NT, the Son is the only being ever “begotten” by the > Father. If we interpret this fairly literally, it seems to indicate > that He came out of the being of God. The Nicene Creed interprets > “begotten” as that He was not created but came from the substance of > the Father. The anti-Nicenes warn that humans do not understand what > “begotten” of God means and that we should not introduce non-Biblical > words or thoughts. Mediator between God and man ---------------------------- In both Philo and the NT, the Logos is the mediator between God and man: > In Philo, the Father is the Supreme Being and the Logos, as his chief > messenger, stands between Creator and creature (IE). The Logos is a > perfect being, procuring forgiveness of sins and blessings (IE); the > mediator between God and men (IE). “The Philonic Logos is the bridge > between the infinite God and finite creation” (Blogos). > > Similarly, in the New Testament, “there is one God, and ***one mediator*** > also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5; cf. Heb > 8:6; 9:15). Everything that the creation receives from God, including > existence, sustenance, knowledge, and salvation, flows through His > Son. Also, through Christ, we draw near to God and worship Him. Question -------- It is fairly common knowledge that the pre-Nicene Fathers (the Apologists ) explained the Son of God in terms of Greek philosophy. My main question is whether Philo influenced the formulation and contents of the New Testament. Perhaps I can frame the question like this: Jesus and Philo lived at the same time. Jesus said that all power and all judgment have been given Him but He never said that He is the Logos or that God created all things through Him. However, Philo, at that same time, taught that the High God created all things through His Logos. So, did John, Paul, and Hebrews get the idea that Jesus is the Logos and that God created all things through Him from Philo?