De opificio mundi

The De opificio mundi (On the Creation of the Cosmos) is a treatise on the Genesis creation narrative, composed by the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria some time between 30 and 40 AD. It belongs to the Hexaemeral genre of literature, and is the first surviving example of it, though earlier, albeit lost Hexaemeral works, also existed. One such example by Aristobulus of Alexandria was an inspiration for Philo's own work.

In all collections of Philo's work, the Opificio always appears first, with one exception, since the edition by Turnebus in 1552. Only his Legum allegoriae is more popular. It has drawn an audience for many reasons, including its dedication to the topic of the creation period, its novel monotheistic reading of the Timaeus by Plato (subsequently adopted by the Church Fathers and in Christian Platonism), and its development of Logos theology. Philo also wrote some similar works to the Opificio, including his Allegorical Commentary on Genesis and his Questions and Answers on Genesis and Exodus, for which the Opificio served as an opening treatise.