The interpretation of the Patriarchal Narratives in the voluminous Corpus Philonicum is an exemplary demonstration of how formally and intentionally scriptural exegesis could stand in a complex mutual relationship to specific regional, medial, social and religious factors in the 1st century AD. Philo's three works on the Pentateuch show to what extent an exegete's hermeneutic principles can remain consistent and to what extent they could develop differently for different target groups. Findings of this kind provide a foundation which must be utilised for specific questions from the New Testament.