Gig. 1:6 - "Those beings, whom other philosophers call demons, Moses usually calls angels; and they are souls hovering in the air". I wonder if this reflects the peculiar verse in Eph. 2.2 concerning Satan as "the ruler of the power of the air"?
Somn. 1:141 - "Now philosophers in general are wont to call these demons, but the sacred scripture calls them angels, using a name more in accordance with nature".
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For determing the identity of the power/authority of the air, I suggest that the passage from Philo most applicable is Cont 3, where Philo speaks of "different peoples who call fire Hephaestrus because it is kindled (hezaptw), air Hera because it is lifted up (hairw)and exalted on high,..."
So, I suggest, the power of the air in Eph. 2:2 is Hera.
While Ephesus was famed as being the center for the worship of Artemis, the official cult regarded Hera. See The Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible (Supplementary Volume, p. 269), where D. Boyd states, "The ceremonial center of the city established by ALEXANDER'S general Lysimachus was the shrine of Hera Boulaia on the saddle between Mounts Pion and Koressos. In this shrine a sacred hearth representing the well-being of the city was kept constantly burning."
So, I suggest, Eph. 2:2 portrays Hera as being a demon/angel under the dominion of Satan. The purpose: to discredit the official city cult devoted to Hera.
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