Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament: Wisdom of Solomon

The Wisdom of Solomon is a long and subtly poetic work placed in the mouth of "wise" King Solomon.It blends biblical thought and Middle Platonism.David Winston thoroughly analyzes the book,presenting the philosophical situation clearly and putting forth evidence to suggest that the work was written later than is commonly supposed,during the reign of Caligula (A.D. 37-41),and by a single author.
Because of its exclusion from the canon of scripture used by Jews and Protestant Christians.The Wisdom of Salomon has been neglected by biblical scholars in general .Dr.Winston's commentary is the first to thoroughly cover both previous research and recent developments such as the Qumran scrolls,papyrus discoveries in Egypt,and new knowledge of ancient Iranian religion.It is a major contribution to the study of the apocryphal literature of the Bible.

General Introduction/A Guide to using This Commentary/ Abbreviations/Introduction to the Apocrypha/ Commentary on Tobit/ Commentary on Wisdom of Solomon/ Commentary on Ecclesiasticus,or The Wisdom of Jesus The Son of Sirach/ Commentary on Baruch/ Commentary on the Letter of Jeremiah/ Commentary on the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men/ Commentary on Susanna/ Commentary on Bel and the Dragon/ Appendix:Early Christian Writers and the Documents Cited../ Biographical Sketches/ Timeline of Writers of the Patristic Period/ Bibliography o Works in Original Languages/ Bibliography of Works in English Translation/Author-Writings Index/Subject Index / Scripture Index.

This series of Guides is designed to meet the needs of students of the apocryphal and pseudepigraphical writings in a concise and accessible format.The complete set of books will offer a comprehensive introduction to the literature.Each guide comprises: an introduction to the content and message of the particular book/a survey of the significant critical issues/ an assessment of recent scholarship/ signposts towards major critical works in the area/ annotated bibliographies.
Each guide is written by an acknowledged expert in the field,and the authors have drawn on their teaching experience for this series.

The footnotes to the N.E.B. text/The title /The date and authorship of the book/The unity of the book/ The purpose of the book/ Language and literary style/Key ideas/ The promise of immortality/In praise of wisdom/ Divine wisdom in history/ The evils of idolatry/ The pattern of divine justice/Why read Wisdom today?/ A note on further reading/ index.

Invitation to the Apocrypha is a clear,basic guide to these important-but often neglegted- ancient books.Respected biblical scholar Daniel Hrrington presents a general introduction to the texts and then leads readers through the background,content,and significance of each book.In treating the individual books of the Apocrypha,Harrington shows their links to the Hebrew Bible and notes their importance for understanding the New Testament.He also introduces in an unobtrusive way the latest and best scholarship on these works and suggests leads for further study.

Without being a commentary in the strict sense on the deuterocanonical Greek book entitled The Wisdom of Salomon,this collection of articles discusses the main questions posed by this biblical book.The first part touches on some introductory problems about the book.The second,the most developed part,analyses the major texts in the book,not overlookingits last chapters,often not taken into account.The third is confined to four fundamental themes in the whole book.The fourth confronts the book's teaching on creation with Gen 1-3.

Continuing his highly acclaimed series of spiritual and social commentaries on the books of the Bible, Daniel Berrigan offers an original and timely reading of the Wisdom of Solomon. Navigating through its complex style—which intermixes poetry characteristic of the Old Testament and elaborate sentences found in Greek Oratory—Berrigan's Wisdom: The Feminine Face of God reveals the philosophical, ethical, theological, historical, psychological, and scientific issues raised by the text and wrestles with their contemporary relevance.

Old Testament message, v. 20.

The papers in this volume focus on various aspects of the deuterocanonical Book of Wisdom. They research the traditions and theology of the Book of Wisdom, and demonstrate its relationship with the contemporary literature of early Judaism and Middle Platonic thought.

Presents a comparison between scholars from different areas and with diverse approaches. This book paves the way for following a thematic access to the historical and theological aspects of the "Book of Wisdom" in order to research its structural unity, its particular historical value and the specific, not granted, theological importance.

Chapter I/Wisdom as a Literary Construct/The Unity of the Text and its Genre/Provenance and Dating/The Emergence of Middle Platonism/The Literary World of the Book of Wisdom/The Structure of the Book of Wisdom/Chapter II/The Mercy Dialogue/The Mercy Dialogue as a Digression/Themes of the Mercy Dialogue/God as a Creator/The Hypothetical Instruments of Punishment/Measure,Number,and Weight/Little by little-Instruments of Punishment/The Sovereign Power of God/The Lesson for Israel/Conclusions from the Mercy Dialogue/Chapter3 /The Apocalyptic Drama/Divine Justice and Divine Mercy in the Apocalyptic Drama/The Prologue/The LXX setting of the drama/The Speeches of the Wicked/The First Speech/The bargain with Death/The Mockery of Justice/The Discourse of the Tyrants on Justice and Injustice/The Second Speech of the Wicked/The setting of the Second Speech/The Wicked Recognise their Sin/ Confession and Self-condemnation/Relationship of the First Speech of the Wicked to the Second Speech/God's Judgement-The Calamity of the Wicked/The Dilemma of the Death of the Righteous Man/The Vindication of the Just/Transition:The Second Address to the Kings/Chapter4/The Creation of Righteousness-Wisdom/Wisdom's role in the Apocalyptic Drama/Genre and Structure of the Wisdom Chapters/Genre/Structure/Comparison of Structural Analyses of the Wisdom chapters/The King's Narrative/The Exhortation to the Kings to join with Wisdom/The First Autobiographical Speech of the King/Narrator/The Kings Mortality/Wisdom as the Criterion of Knowledge/The Acquisition of Wisdom or the 'End of Goods'/Knowledge of the World and the Planetary System/Knowledge of Wisdom as World Soul or Logos/Wisdom as the Virtues/The Task of the King with Wisdom-The Second Speech/Knowledge of the Blueprint/Wisdom and Saving Knowledge/The Corruption of Life-Idolatry/False Worship-The Antithesis of Wisdom/Structure of the Critique of False Worship/Constructing Errors:Analysis of the Sub-sections in Chapters13-15/Knowledge of the World and the Planetary System/The Idol-makers/TheCarpenter/The Ship's Idols/ Causes and Origins of Idolatry/Idolatry as Vice/ The Potter/The Author's Summary and the Introduction to Animal Worship/The Structure of the Review of False Worship(Part 2)/The Judgement of Egypt and the Transcendent Ideas of God/ The Seven-fold Comparison/Genre and Structure/Genre/Structure/ Analysis of the Diptychs/The Context of Diptych/Analysis of Diptych 1/Relationship of Diptych 1 to Mercy Dialogue and False Worship/The First Three Signs :Diptychs2,3 and 4./Dyptich2/Diptych 3 /Diptych 4 /The Second Group of Signs-Diptychs 5,6 and 7/Diptych5/Diptych6/Diptych7/The Diptychs as a Defense of Israel/The Mythical Construct in the Diptychs of Wisdom/ Definitions of Israel/Chapter 7/Conclusion/Chapter8/Appendix:The History and Reception of the Book of Wisdom/Wisdom and the LXX/The Problem of the LXX/The Formation of the Canons/Christian Adoption of LXX/The Place of Wisdom in the Jewish and Christian Communities/Patristic Use of the Book of Wisdom/ Wisdom in the Medieval and Post-Reformation Church/Bibliography/Index of References/Index of Authors /Index of Subjects.

In "God,Grace and Righteousness in Wisdom of Solomon and Paul's Letter to the Romans" Jonathan A.Linebaugh places the Wisdom of Solomon and the Letter to the Romans in conversation.Both texts discuss the relationship of Jew and Gentile,the meaning of God's grace and righteousness,and offer readings of Israel's scripture.These shared themes provide talking points,initiating a dialogue on anthropology,soteriology,and hermeneutics.By listening in on this conversation,Linebaugh demonstrates that while these texts have much in common,the theologies they articulate are ultimately incommensurable because they think from different events-Wisdom from the pre-creational order crafted by Sophia and exemplified in the Exodus;Paul from the incongruous gift of Christ which justifies the ungodly.

The Wisdom of Solomon 10 is a unique passage among Jewish wisdom texts since it both presents personified divine Wisdom(i.e.Lady Wisdom)as acting directly in early Israelite history and explicitly categorizes key biblical figures as either righteous or unrighteous.Through the use of historical and literary criticism,this study specially focuses on how Wisdom 10 has a distinct literary genre and form.Furthermore, it investigates the way that the book's author(i.e.Pseudo-Solomon) reinterprets well-known figures and events of the Pentateuch for his Jewish Alexandrian audience in the Greco-Roman era.

In this exploration of Jewish Wisdom during the Hellenistic period,internationally known scholar John J. Collins examines the books of Sirach and the Wisdom of Solomon,the Sentences of Pseudo-Phocylides and the recently discovered Qumran Sapiential A text from the Dead Sea Scrolls-Offering one of the first such looks at this text in print. This commentary is a compelling analysis of these four important texts and their continuing traditions.

In this study of Solomon and his place in the larger consciousness of Israel,Walter Brueggemann considers what Old Testament narratives regarding David's heir reveal about the aspirations and ideals of the ancient Israelite people.On the supposition that figures of legend and lore disclose much about the societies celebrating them,Brueggemann examines assertions about Solomon,a man praised for his wealth,wisdom and power and depicted as an example of enormous human achievement.Looking beneath the surface of these claims,however,Brueggemann notes that an irony permeates the tradition and invites critique of accepted beliefs.Through close attention to nuances of the biblical text,he exposes the competing interpretive voices that claim to offer a reliable rendering of Solomon.

Extent of Hellenistic influence on the Book of Wisdom/The Depth of Hellenistic Influence/The Literary Genre of The Book of Wisdom/Unity and Addressees of the Book of Wisdom/Summary and Conclusion.