The Wisdom of Solomon

1
The Wisdom of Solomon

• The most attractive and interesting book in the
  Apocrypha!

2
Itinerary

• I. Basic Background Details
• II. Analysis of Chapters in Wisdom of Solomon
• III. Purpose of Text and its Exclusion from Canon
• IV. Discussion

3
Who Accepts This Text?

• For Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, it is
  Deutero-canonical (accepted as authoritative)
• For Protestants and Jews, it is Apocryphal
  (excluded from Protestant canon and Hebrew
  Tanakh)
• Atheists, agnostics, and members of other
  religions do not accept it as authoritative

4
Title

• Earliest mention of the book is found in the
  Muratorian Canon
• Greek MSS have the title Wisdom of Solomon
• Latin MS likely contains Solomons name because
  translated from LXX
• However, Jerome omits Solomons name he deems it
  pseudepigraphic
• Historical figures who mention book under name of
  Wisdom of Solomon
• Tertullian
• Origen
• Clement
• Cyprian
• Peshitta has extended superscription The book
  of the Great Wisdom of Solomon, the son of David
  of which there is a doubt, whether another Wise
  man of the Hebrews wrote it in a prophetic
  spirit, putting it in the name of Solomon, and it
  was (s) received.
• This is probably because there are several parts
  of scripture which illustrate Solomons life and
  there is praise of wisdom and the pursuit thereof
  these are hints as to why the text was named
  Wisdom of Solomon

5
Author

• Because of Solomons name, easy to assume that
  Solomon was the author
• Sections in Wisdom that parallel events in
  Solomons life
• Speaker is of royal birth (Wisdom 75)
• He prays for wisdom (Wisdom 821)
• He says that God has chosen him to be a king
  (Wisdom 97)
• Solomon lived hundreds of years before text was
  written not author
• No uniform agreement/definitive answer among
  scholars regarding authorship
• Jerome quotes ancient authors saying that Philo
  is the author
• Modern scholars do not accept this
• Philos ideas, such as the Logos, dualism, and
  the doctrine of the ideas, are absent from Wisdom
• Philo believes the personality of the devil is
  allegorized, while Wisdom portrays existence of
  devil as a fact
• Philo allegorizes rather than exaggerates, author
  of Wisdom does the opposite
• Apollos suggested as author scholars generally
  reject this too
• Author is generally assumed to be a Jew from
  Alexandria
• Text falls into Jewish circle but it contains
  Greek philosophy AND very similar parallels with
  Christian New Testament

6
Date and Genre

• Exact date is debatable different scholars set
  different dates
• Grimm 145-50BCE
• Thackeray 130-100BCE
• Gregg 125-100BCE
• Gfrorer 100BCE
• Bousset under the empire
• Farrar 40CE
• Possible dates range anywhere from 220BCE to 50CE
• This would make sense because Wisdom displays
  Jewish theology juxtaposed with Hellenistic
  thought and philosophy
• Genre of Wisdom is wisdom literature with some
  didactic and historical elements

7
Language and Setting

• Wisdom was written in Alexandria
• Alexandria was a center of Greek-speaking Jews,
  and Judaism was influenced by Hellenistic thought
  in this area and time frame
• The text was written in Alexandrian Greek
• Alexandrian Greek has a lot of compound verbs
  Wisdom has a lot of those (over fifty from the
  first six chapters)
• Text of Wisdom depends a lot on LXX as opposed to
  Hebrew text
• If written in Hebrew, it would probably be in the
  Hebrew Tanakh/Protestant OT

8
Basic Structure

• Basically divided into three sections
  representing different issues/ideals being
  addressed
• book of eschatology (Wisdom 11-611)
• Main idea Gods judgment of both righteous and
  ungodly
• book of wisdom (Wisdom 612-918)
• Main idea Personified Wisdom
• book of history (Wisdom 10-19)
• Main idea Gods acts of judgment and
  intervention in history

9
Overview of Judgment Chapters

• Chapter 1
• Prescriptions for proper action and righteousness
• Verses of Interest
• 11, 13, 15, 18, 19, 113, 114
• Chapter 2
• Philosophical views of the ungodly and a rebuke
• Verses of Interest
• 21, 23, 25, 26, 210, 211, 221-24

10
Overview of Judgment Chapters, contd.

• Chapter 3
• Destiny of righteous and ungodly
• Verses of interest
• 31, 34, 35, 38, 39, 310, 311
• Chapter 4
• More elaboration of destiny of righteous and
  ungodly
• Verses of interest
• 43, 45, 46, 47, 416, 419

11
Overview of Judgment Chapters, contd

• Chapter 5
• Ungodly regret sinful lives, God and creation
  fight against and punish sinners/ungodly
• Verses of Interest
• 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 59, 514, 515, 516,
  517
• Chapter 61-11
• Prescriptions for rulers/kings/judges
• Verses of Interest
• 61, 62, 63, 67, 611

12
Overview of Wisdom Chapters

• Chapters 612-918
• Appraisal, importance, and glorification of
  wisdom
• Pursuit of wisdom is the highest good
• Deep love for wisdom
• Prayer for wisdom
• Verses of Interest
• 615, 617, 77, 78, 722, 724, 725, 728,
  82, 94, 99, 911, 918

13
Overview of History Chapters

• Chapters 10-19
• It was Wisdom who supported and helped out famous
  biblical people and prophets during times of
  distress and trouble
• Note of discussion, can you recognize some of
  these famous biblical people and prophets?
• Note of discussion, who/what exactly is Wisdom??
• Critique and judgment of nature worship and
  idolatry (Chapters 1223-1431)
• Gods wrath and judgment against the Egyptians
  (Chapters 15-19)

14
Why Was This Text Written?

• To encourage those who are suffering, being
  oppressed, and are feeling like justice will
  never prevail on earth
• To motivate people to pursue after righteousness
  and avoid ungodliness obtain blessing in next
  life if not in this one and avoid punishment and
  wrath of God
• To motivate people to pursue Wisdom
• To reiterate the notion that God/Wisdom has
  always helped out the Jewish people in time of
  distress, especially during the Exodus
• To expose the foolishness of idolatry, animism,
  and paganism
• To perpetuate and encourage a sense of Jewish
  identity, religion, and worldview

15
Why Isnt Text Included in Protestant canon or
Hebrew Bible?

• Wasnt written in Hebrew
• Jews believed that Holy Spirit departed from
  Israel after time of Malachi prophecy ceased
  about 4th century B.C.E. Wisdom of Solomon
  along with rest of Apocrypha written after that
• Apocrypha never considered divinely inspired
  until Council of Trent on 1546 too late in
  history?
• Lack of citations of Apocrypha in New Testament
  (numerous citations by Jesus and Paul of Law and
  Prophets)
• Historical errors in Apocrypha (remember, the
  accuracy, literality, infallibility, and
  inerrancy of the Bible is VERY important to
  Protestants Protestants much more bibliocentric
  than Catholics or Eastern Orthodox)
• Christian ideologies and terminologies (would
  serve as a problem for Jews but not for
  Protestants)
• Mention of the world devil and implication of
  original sin (Wisdom 224) Remember, Satan in
  Judaism IS NOT the Satan/Lucifer/devil of
  Christianity!!!
• Justice is next-worldly as opposed to this
  worldly
• A lot of emphasis on eternal life/afterlife
• Natural law/revelation and critique of idolatry
  similar to Pauls writings in Romans 118-27
• Maybe Wisdom could be equated with the Holy
  Spirit or the Logos/Jesus Christ, or exemplify
  God as having a compound nature? (A big no-no in
  Judaism!)
• Hellenistic influence (remember conflict between
  Athens and Jerusalem)
• Too much of a personification of Wisdom (maybe
  idolatrous?)

16
Questions For Group Discussion

• What value can todays reader take from such a
  text? Are there any dangers?
• How might the course of Judaism or Christianity
  be changed had this text been included in the
  canon?

17
Sources

• Charles, R.H. The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of
  the Old Testament, Volume One Apocrypha.
  Berkeley, CA, Apocryphile Press, 2004.
• Oesterley, W.O.E. An Introduction to the Books of
  the Apocrypha. New York, The Macmillan Company,
  1935.
• Nickelsburg, George W.E. Jewish Literature
  Between the Bible and the Mishnah. Philadelphia,
  Fortress Press, 1981.
• The Holy Bible New Revised Standard Version.
  Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1989.
• Winston, David. The Wisdom of Solomon A New
  Translation with Introduction and Commentary, the
  Anchor Bible Series. Garden City, New York,
  Doubleday and Company, Inc, 1979.