Commentary on the Book of Wisdom of Solomon

Contents Book inscription Time, place and purpose of writing. Contents of the book of Wisdom of Solomon. Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 In the Greek Bible this book is inscribed: Σοφία Σολομώντος - Wisdom of Solomon, and in Latin Liber Sapientiae. Such an inscription indicates, first of all, the contents of the book; its main subject is the doctrine of the Wisdom of God, its beginning, properties and actions in the world. Another word in the inscription refers to Solomon. The name of this king appears here because the writer of the book sometimes speaks on behalf of Solomon (see Pres VII-IX chapters), the main representative and first teacher of biblical wisdom, and its subject is similar to the subject of the book. Proverbs of Solomon. The most ancient opinion about the face of the writer Prince. The wisdom is that its writer was Solomon. This opinion was held by many fathers and teachers of the church (Clement of Alexandria. Strom. XI, vol. IX, 315. Tertullian. De praecript, II, 20. St. Cyprian. Ep. de exhort martyrum XII, VI, 673) on the grounds that the name of Solomon appears in the inscription and the book speaks on his behalf. This opinion was subsequently vigorously defended by the Catholic Church in the form that it recognizes this book as canonical. This opinion about the author of the book of the Wisdom of Solomon cannot be considered correct for the following reasons. 1) The Book of Wisdom of Solomon cannot be attributed to the pen of Solomon because it was not written in Hebrew, its original language is Greek. 2) The writer of the Book of Wisdom is familiar with Greek philosophy: the teachings of Plato, the Epicureans and partly the Stoics (II:1–6; VIII:7, 19–20). 3) He lives outside Palestine and makes references to Greek morals and customs (VII:17–20; VIII:8; XIII:1–15; XIV:14): he quotes from the LXX translation (Wis II:12 cf. Isa III:10; Wis XV:10 cf. Is XLIV). 4) In catalogs of books of the Old Testament, for example, in the “Rules of the Apostles.” (85 Ave.), Laodicea Cathedral, St. Athanasius the Great, it is not considered a work of Solomon and a canonical book. Another opinion, which was expressed back in the time of Jerome, attributes the writing of the book of the Wisdom of Solomon to Philo. In defense of this opinion, they point out the similarity of the teaching of this book about Wisdom with the teaching of Philo about the Logos. But the similarity is external: the writer of our book thinks by the image of Wisdom is not what Philo meant by Logos. Between the one and the other, there is a difference in views to the point of opposites. 1) The origin of sin and death in the book of the Wisdom of Solomon is explained by “the envy of the devil” (II:24): Philo could not say this, since he did not allow the existence of an evil principle in the world and understood the biblical story about the fall of the ancestors allegorically. 2) The theory of the preexistence of souls was presented differently by the writer Prince. Wisdom and Philo: according to the teachings of the book. Wisdom, the souls of the good enter into pure bodies (VIII:19–20), according to Philo, only fallen souls and those prone to sin are sent into bodies on earth (De monarchia II, pp. 213–216). 3) Finally, Philo’s views on the origin of idolatry differ greatly from the teachings of the book. Wisdom about this subject. (Prem XII-XIII ch. and Philo De mundo II, 604 pp.). Thus, Philo could not write a book that sets forth a doctrine that is in many ways opposed to his views. Church tradition also testifies against the writing of the book. Wisdom by Philo. The church fathers contemporary to Philo - Clement of Rome, Dionysius the Areopagite - cite in their writings excerpts from this book as sacred. These fathers could not have had such respect for the book if it had been written by an unbelieving Jew, their contemporary. All other attempts to find the author of the book. The Wisdom of Solomon is also unsuccessful, like the two indicated (you can read about them in the work of Prof. D. Pospehov: “The Book of the Wisdom of Solomon, its origin and relation to Judeo-Alexandrian philosophy”). Therefore, we can only be content with the general indication, which we find in the book itself, that its writer was a Hellenistic Jew, an educated Alexandrian who knew Greek philosophy well. About the time of writing the book. Wisdom can only be judged tentatively, based on the allusions in this book to the contemporary situation of the Egyptian Jews in the writer. All interpreters agree that during the life of the writer, the Egyptian Jews were subjected to some kind of severe unjust oppression from the pagan government, which had the nature of religious persecution. Turning to history, we find that during the reign of the first three Ptolemies, the Jews did not tolerate any oppression and even enjoyed the favor of the government. Only under Ptolemy IV, Philopator, when after the end of the 4th Syrian War (221–217 BC) he returned from Palestine to Egypt in strong irritation against the Palestinian Jews, did the religious persecution of the Jews in Egypt begin. This persecution of the Egyptian Jews is described in the 3rd book of Maccabees and, moreover, with such features as we find in the book. Wisdom of Solomon (II:12–17 cf. 3Mak. I and II; I:11–12 cf. 3Mak II:19–20; Wis II:19–20 cf. 3Mak III:1). From this we can conclude that the book. Wisdom written at the end of the reign of Ptolemy IV, c. 221–217 BC. The place where the Book of Wisdom was written was Egypt and, most likely, Alexandria. Its author is familiar with Judeo-Alexandrian philosophy; in his book makes allusions to Egyptian religion (XII:24; XV:16–19). Regarding the purpose of writing the book, based on the writer’s repeated exhortations and appeals to the judges of the earth, rulers of nations and kings (I: 1; VI: 1), it was believed that the book of the Wisdom of Solomon was written mainly for kings (Egyptian or Syrian) and was intended for transmission to them. But a more careful study of the book convinces that the main readers of the book. The wisdom that the writer had in mind when composing it must be assumed within Judaism itself, and not outside it. The sad state of Judeo-Alexandrian society prompted the writer to present to the consciousness of contemporary Egyptian Jews the truth of the theocratic idea of ​​the Old Testament faith in all its light, pointing them to the great and glorious future of Israel in the coming kingdom of God, in heaven and on earth. The main subject of the book. The Wisdom of Solomon is the doctrine of wisdom. The writer of the book examines wisdom from two sides: 1) how it exists in itself, in its original source - God; this is objective or divine wisdom, and 2) how it is reflected in the human spirit; This is subjective or human wisdom. Considering wisdom in the first respect, the writer portrays it as the eternally inherent principle of God's revelation and His action in the world, as the focus of divine perfections revealed in peacemaking and world governance; in the second respect, Wisdom is the beginning of all highest spiritual perfection entering the human spirit from God, leading man to immortality. According to the gradual revelation of this idea of ​​​​wisdom, the entire book can be divided according to its content into three parts. In the first part (I-V ch.), wisdom is portrayed as a guide to blissful immortality, contrary to the false opinion of Jewish freethinkers who denied immortality. In the second part (VI-IX chapters), on behalf of King Solomon, the writer expounds the doctrine of the essence of wisdom, its origin and properties, the necessity and significance of possessing it, as well as the conditions for its achievement. In the third part (X-XIX chapters), the writer proves with an example from the ancient history of his people that only wisdom made this people happy; on the contrary, its lack led individuals and entire nations (Egyptians, Canaanites) to death.