ABSTRACT
Although Philo confines himself to describing only Jewish groups, we can assemble evidence of various other forms of contemplative groups in the Hellenistic world. A pagan group on the island of Delos is identified in an inscription by the actual word therapeutai. They were a group centred in a precinct sacred to the god Sarapis. The worship of Sarapis had been carried to Delos from Alexandria by a migrant Egyptian priest. When he established a new home he also built a modest worship centre to Sarapis. Eventually the god gained local popularity and the temple area expanded. Other gods were worshipped in conjunction with Sarapis. A more or less permanent community of worshippers settled in the sacred precincts. They dedicated their accumulated wealth to the god, paying for the expenses associated with the liturgy, sharing meals and sleeping in the temple with the hope of experiencing healing visits. The community consisted mostly of men, but the presence of at least one woman has been noted (Engelmann 1975: 32; Roussel 1916: 253). If such a community dedicated primarily to Sarapis could exist outside Egypt, it is likely that there were similar groups in the country where the god originated. Philo practically says as much in the quotation above: 'this kind . . . abounds in Egypt'.
