Bible - Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha - The Wisdom of Solomon
WISDOM OF SOLOMON, an apocryphal work in Greek (see Apocrypha and pseudepigrapha), written for the purpose of strengthening the Jewish faith against the temptations of idolatry. Although hints of Solomon's authorship are contained in the book itself (particularly 9:7), such early Christian writers as Jerome and Augustine were already highly critical of this assertion.
The book can be divided into three main parts. Chapters 1–5 deal with eschatology, chapters 6–10 with wisdom, and chapters 11–19 are the Hellenistic Midrash on Exodus. The first part focuses on the fates of the virtuous and the wicked. The wicked man regards everything that happens as chance and is therefore not afraid to do as he pleases; he does not realize that in the end he will be judged for his actions. Although the sinner may seem to prosper in this life, eternal life and happiness are the destiny of the righteous. In the second part, wisdom is characterized as a metaphysical reality - "the breath of the power of the Lord" (7:25); it exists forever, through it come all knowledge and virtue. It determines the destiny of the people of Israel. In the third part, the author considers the plagues of Egypt and deliverance. A miracle is treated as a change not merely in the natural order of things, but in the very principles of nature, and as retribution for virtue or sin. Punishment comes only after all other measures have been tried, because God always waits to see if the sinner will repent. In this context, the author examines the origins of idolatry. In his opinion, it primarily stems from the bad habit of people not to look for the root cause. Idolatry allows a person to attribute his vices to certain gods.
The book reveals various influences. The problem of the suffering of the righteous, posed in the Bible mainly in the book Job, is treated here in the traditions of Hellenistic thought. The influence of wisdom literature (see Proverbs of Solomon, Ben Sira's Wisdom) is evident in the comparison of wisdom with the creative Divine principle manifested in the world (18:15). The influence of Aggada is also significant. Apparently, the author was also familiar with Greek philosophy.
The style of the book Wisdom of Solomon imitates the Bible. Textual analysis leads to the conclusion that the work was originally written in Greek by one author, who probably lived in Alexandria, most likely in the first half of the 1st century AD. A 16th century manuscript has survived, containing a translation of the Wisdom of Solomon into Hebrew (weak in linguistic terms), apparently from Latin.