Глава 8

1–2. The writer on behalf of King Solomon says that from his youth he strove for wisdom: 3–4. because of her inner closeness to God and 5–8. general importance for human life and 9–16. especially for the king in his government of the people. 17–21. Knowing that wisdom is a gift from God, he turns to God with a prayer for its granting. Prem.8:1. It quickly spreads from one end to the other and arranges everything for the benefit. Prem.8:2. I fell in love with her and sought her from my youth, and wished to take her as my bride, and became a lover of her beauty. 2. Pseudo-Solomon again (Wis. 7:7) speaks of his love for wisdom and his zealous desire for it (cf. Sir. 51:13–21). The allegory that the writer uses means the deepest love for wisdom and the closest unity with it. These attitudes towards wisdom prompt the writer to further speak again about its benefits and significance. In this story, the concepts of divine and human wisdom are not exactly differentiated: 1 tbsp. and 4 refer to the first, 2 and 5 only to the last, 3 tbsp. can be understood in relation to both. Prem.8:3. She exalts her nobility by the fact that she has cohabitation with God, and the Lord of all loved her: 3. “She exalts (her) nobility by having cohabitation with God...” The Russian text, inserting the pronoun “her” for clarification, defined the meaning of these words in relation to wisdom as a Divine property. The kinship and closeness (cohabitation - the image is taken from the marriage relationship in accordance with the previous “bride”) of wisdom to God elevates its inner dignity and significance. Some exegetes refer to the expression “exalts nobility” to human nobility, which is exalted by wisdom (meaning the advantages associated with birth). But the writer has already spoken out against earthly advantages in relation to wisdom (Wisdom 7:1–6), and then the immediate context is more favorable to the first understanding of this place; finally, the image of “cohabitation” also speaks for the fact that here we are talking about wisdom as an internal property of God. Prem.8:4. she is the mystery of the mind of God and the selector of His works. 4. “She is the mystery of the mind of God...” “Mystery”, i.e. initiated into the mysteries of God, deeply knowledgeable in the inner life of God (“the mind of God”). - “The voter of His works.” The explanation for this expression is given by Art. 9. Chapter IX Wisdom chooses between the works of God, the idea of ​​which is in the mind of God, those that must be realized by creative will at a certain moment. Thus, this expression means: God creates the world with wisdom. Prem.8:5. If wealth is a desirable acquisition in life, then what is richer than wisdom, which does everything? 5–8. Wisdom is the source of precious blessings for human life, both external and internal. The writer expresses this idea in four conditional sentences. 5. By “wealth” some exegetes here mean spiritual and moral goods. But the writer does not make any indication of such a meaning, while above (Wis. 7:11–12) he already said that wisdom also gives material benefits. The latter are in her power, for she is an artist and ruler of the universe, therefore she is higher and more valuable than all of them. Prem.8:6. If prudence does a lot, then what artist is better than it? 6. If ordinary human prudence helps us achieve our goals, then wisdom, the power and activity of which was manifested in the formation and structure of the universe, can provide us with even more significant benefit. The expression “artist” (τεκνιης) is taken here in accordance with the fact that wisdom is depicted in the book as an artist. Prem.8:7. If anyone loves righteousness, its fruits are virtues: it teaches chastity and prudence, justice and courage, than which there is nothing more useful for people in life. 7. Wisdom satisfies man's desire for righteousness, for it is the source of all virtue. From her come the four main virtues: chastity, prudence, justice and courage. This four-part division serves as undoubted proof of the writer’s familiarity with Greek philosophy. We first find such a division of virtue in Plato, then in the Stoics and later in Judeo-Alexandrian philosophy. The writer of the book of the Wisdom of Solomon, it must be assumed, became acquainted with this doctrine of virtue from the latter source, and not directly from Plato, with whom he here disagrees. For Plato, there were actually three main virtues (prudence, courage and chastity) in accordance with the three-part division of the soul, while the fourth, justice, was considered not as a special property of the soul, but as the harmony of all spiritual life, when every strength and ability develops freely. The writer of the book of the Wisdom of Solomon could not have such an idea of ​​the four virtues for the sole reason that he did not share Plato’s view of the tripartite division of the soul. He uses the concept of “justice” in a double meaning: at the beginning of the verse (“righteousness” - δικαιοσύνη) as virtue as a whole, and then as part of it. If the first approaches Plato’s understanding, then the second differs significantly from it: δικαιοσύνη here means fair relations towards people (cf. Pres. 9:3). Prem.8:8. If anyone desires great experience, wisdom knows the long past and divines the future, knows the subtleties of words and the solution of riddles, foreknows signs and wonders and the consequences of years and times. 8. Wisdom combines a wide variety of knowledge. The idea is the same as in Pres. 7:14–21, although more physical and natural-historical objects are named there, here we are talking about such knowledge that relates to human life and relationships. “If anyone desires great experience...” - broad life experience (Sir. 26:5), which is acquired not only through personal experience, but also through acquaintance with the experience and knowledge of other people, let him turn to wisdom, which “knows the long past and guesses the future.” Good knowledge of the past history of mankind and wide acquaintance with the present enables people to predict future events. "Subtleties of words and resolution of riddles". The first means skillfully composed speeches, then parables, the second means riddles in the proper sense (Judges 14:12). The ability to understand all this was a necessary quality of an Eastern sage; as you know, Solomon was famous for this (1 Kings 5:12; Sir. 48:15–17; Proverbs I). “He foreknows signs and wonders...” Cf. Prem.10:16 art. “The consequences of years and times ...”, the words have the same meaning as the previous expression “guesses the future” (cf. Acts 1:7; 1 Sol. 5:1). Prem.8:9. Therefore, I decided to accept her into cohabitation with me, knowing that she would be an adviser to me for good and a consolation in worries and sorrow. 9–16. The writer had previously spoken about the essence of wisdom in general. Now, on behalf of King Solomon, he expresses what hopes he personally connected with the acquisition of wisdom. Through her, he hoped to ensure the success of his social activities (9–15) and the happiness of his family life (16 v.). Prem.8:10. Through her I will have glory among the people and honor before the elders while I was a youth; 10. Wed. 1 Kings 5:11, 14, 10:1, 6–7; Sire. 5:13, 38:24. Prem.8:11. I will prove perceptive in court, and in the eyes of the powerful I will earn surprise. Prem.8:12. When I am silent, they will wait, and when I begin to speak, they will listen, and when I continue the conversation, they will put their hand on their lips. 12. Wed. Job. 19:9, 40:4; Proverbs 30:32. Prem.8:13. Through her I will achieve immortality and leave an eternal memory for those who will come after me. 13. Wed. Pres.1:15, 3:4. Prem.8:14. I will govern the nations, and the nations will submit to me; Prem.8:15. they will fear me when the terrible tyrants hear about me; I will appear kind among the people and courageous in war. 14–15. The content of these verses does not correspond to the character of the historical personality of Solomon, who was not a warlike king and did not conquer foreign nations. The writer obviously idealizes the personality of Solomon, he portrays him in his work as a living bearer of wisdom, and therefore attributes to him all the qualities that such an ideal personality should have. Prem.8:16. Entering my house, I will be calmed by her, for in her behavior there is no severity, nor in cohabitation with her sorrow, but joy and joy. Prem.8:17. Thinking about this within himself and pondering in his heart that immortality is related to wisdom, Prem.8:18. and in friendship with her there is good pleasure, and in the labors of her hands there is inexhaustible wealth, and in conversation with her there is reason, and in the communication of her words there is good glory - I walked and looked for how I could take her for myself. 17–18. In the manner characteristic of the writer, in these verses he briefly repeats the idea he widely revealed above about the meaning of wisdom and his desire to acquire it. – “Thinking about this within yourself and pondering in your heart (Wisdom 2:21), that in kinship with wisdom there is immortality (see 13th article. Wisdom 6:17-20), and in friendship with her there is good pleasure (see 16), and in the labors of her hands there is inexhaustible wealth (see Wisdom 7:11, 8:5), and in in conversation with her there is understanding (see Wis.6:15, 7:16, 8:6), and in the communication of her words there is good glory (Wis.8:10), I went and looked for how I could take her” (Wis.7:7-8, 6:16). Prem.8:19. I was a gifted youth and received a kind soul; Prem.8:20 . Moreover, being good, I entered into a clean body. 19–20. The writer indicates a new motive for his desire to acquire wisdom. Until now, he has indicated an objective basis for this, in the essence of wisdom, in its meaning for man; now indicates a subjective motive, in the pursuit of wisdom of the best in human nature. This passage parallels Wisdom 7:1–7 v. Just as he taught there that a person, even if he was born in the best external conditions, on his own, without wisdom, cannot do anything, so now he says that even with an undoubted natural desire for good, he cannot do without divine help. “I was a gifted youth and received a good soul...” These two sentences in the Greek text are connected by a connective (μάλλον δε), which is often used to indicate an amendment to a previous thought (see Gal. 4:9; Eph. 4:28, 5:11; Rom. 8:34). Therefore, the predicate “gifted” (ευφυής) here means “gifted with the desire for good.” The expression “received a good soul” can be understood in two opposite senses: that bodies are formed earlier than souls, or vice versa, souls exist before they begin to live in bodies. The following words speak in favor of the second understanding. "Being kind" (αγαθος ών), i.e. my own self, my soul was already good before it entered “a pure body,” i.e. one in which the power of sensual movements was not so strong that it could drown out the desire for virtue. Thus, this passage contains an allusion to the doctrine of the pre-existence of souls. There is no indication of this teaching in the Old Testament; the writer of the Book of Wisdom could only borrow it from Plato's philosophy. However, Plato's doctrine of the pre-existence of souls was significantly changed. According to Plato, only fallen souls who have sinned are sent into bodies; here they fight against all that evil, the source of which is the body, and if they win victory over low carnal feelings, then after death they return to their original blissful state, but if they submit to the body, they perish. For the writer of the Book of Wisdom Solomon, on the contrary, a “good soul” is sent into the body and, moreover, a “clean body.” Does this mean that the writer does not look at the body as a source of evil? The answer is found in Wisdom 9:15: “the corruptible body burdens the soul, and this earthly church suppresses the over-anxious mind.” Prem.8:21. Having realized that I could not take possession of it otherwise than if God bestowed it, and that it was already a matter of reason to know whose gift it was, I turned to the Lord and prayed to Him, and said with all my heart: 21. Being well gifted by nature, pseudo-Solomon nevertheless did not consider it possible to achieve wisdom through his own efforts. He knew that wisdom is a gift of God and should be prayed for. It is up to the natural mind to say “whose gift this is” and to whom to pray.