Madeleine Petit is a research fellow at the National Scientific Research Centre (CNRS), France. She holds a Doctorat-ès-lettres in the Hellenistic Philosophy from the University of Paris (Sorbonne). She has prepared critical editions of Philo’s work and has written extensively on various aspects of Hellenistic Judaism including Le phénomène religieux : introduction à l'histoire des religions (Paris: Bloud et Gay, 1966).