Philo's work has been dated to c. 15 CE [jt], although there are some claims that the Therapeutae sect existed in the first or second centuries BCE [js].
The ever hopeful fourth century Church father Eusebius claimed not only that the Therapeutae where Christians, but that Philo met St. Peter in Rome and became a Christian himself [et]. Both claims are clearly false [ot].
Professor Constantine Scouteris of the School of Theology of the University of Athens describes the history of debate on this matter:
"It is true that there are considerable similarities between the Therapeutae and the way of life of the first Christian monks of Egypt, especially those of the Nitria Desert. It is for precisely this reason that until the end of the eighteenth century Eusebius' position was widely accepted among Christian scholars. Another deduction, derived from the striking similarities already noted, was that of the Strasbourgian scholar Lucius, at the end of the last century. He insisted that the De Vita Contemplativa was not, in fact, Philo's work, but that of an unknown Christian author of the third century. Interesting though it may be, Lucius' position can be dismissed since Massebieau and Conybeare have definitively proved the authenticity of the Philonian authorship... What is indisputable is the fact that in Philo's presentation one finds basic trends of early Christian monasticism. The semianchoritic character of the Therapeutae community, the renunciation of property , the solitude during the six days of the week and the gathering together on Saturday for the common prayer and the common meal, the severe fasting , the keeping alive of the memory of God, the continuous prayer , the meditation and study of Holy Scripture were also practices of the Christian anchorites of the Alexandrian desert." [ot]
In their book The Jesus Mysteries, Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy argue that the Therapeutae are possible candidates for the birth of the legend of Jesus Christ. In any event, there is no doubt that the Therapeutae were remarkably similar to the asthetic early Christians who they pre-dated [jt].
