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Wisdom of Solomon
Wisdom of Solomon A Greek book composed in Alexandria in the latter part of the 1st cent. BCE or the early part of the 1st cent. CE. It contains a warning to the wicked of a future judgement and an affirmation of the doctrine of immortality; it derides the cults of idols and suggests that they are made in the likeness of human beings to meet human needs—grieving parents who want to remember their children, and kings who find it convenient to invoke a supernatural authority to support their powers. Possibly the aim of the writer is to urge Jews in Alexandria to be vigilant against the wiles of idolatry. The book is not quoted in the NT, though possible allusions to Wis. 7: 26 have been detected in Heb. (1: 3), an epistle which has other links with Alexandria, and Paul is often held to be dependent on the book, especially in his letter to the Romans.
The pseudonymous author uses the name Solomon, whose wisdom was renowned, and in 6: 12–10: 21 there is a kind of Solomonic autobiography in which the king praises wisdom, God's partner, and prays for her continuing support (9: 10). The book has mystical elements and appears to be indebted to Plato—which would have been attractive to some readers in Alexandria. Human beings are described in terms of souls who are pre-existent and immortal. The exposition of wisdom in chs. 7 to 10 influenced the Christology of Paul and of Origen, as well as much Christian spirituality: the antiphon O Sapientia (O Wisdom) is still sung in December. |
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Wisdom of Solomon." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "Wisdom of Solomon." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-WisdomofSolomon.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "Wisdom of Solomon." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-WisdomofSolomon.html |
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Wisdom of Solomon
Wisdom of Solomon or Wisdom, early Jewish book included in the Septuagint and the Vulgate but not in the Hebrew Bible. The book opens with an exhortation to seek wisdom, followed by a statement on worldly attitudes. Chapter 3 is an eloquent passage on the immortality of the just and the rewards of the wicked, amplified in the next chapters. Then follows another exhortation and a transition to a section praising wisdom, ending with a prayer for it. The remainder of the book is a history of God's care of the Jews from the beginning, with a long parenthesis on the natural origin of idolatry and its folly. The style and content of the book lend themselves to quotation; for example, St. Paul 's letters allude to passages from Wisdom. The book is probably of Alexandrian Jewish authorship—most scholars place the date in the two centuries before Jesus. Some see in it a composite work of three parts: chapters 1–6, 7–9, and 10–19, of which the third is said to resemble a PassoverHaggada. It is the paragon of what is called wisdom literature, a term for the Jewish philosophical writings of the pre-Christian era. The following books of the Hebrew Bible also represent this type: Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Sirach.
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"Wisdom of Solomon." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Wisdom of Solomon." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-WisdomSo.html "Wisdom of Solomon." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-WisdomSo.html |
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Wisdom of Solomon
Wisdom of Solomon. One of the books of the Apocrypha. The author's familiarity with Gk. philosophy places him as a Jew of Alexandria in the period 2nd cent. BCE–1st cent. CE. The terms used of Wisdom in ch. 7 passed into Christian theology as applied to Christ.
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JOHN BOWKER. "Wisdom of Solomon." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Wisdom of Solomon." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-WisdomofSolomon.html JOHN BOWKER. "Wisdom of Solomon." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-WisdomofSolomon.html |
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Solomon, Wisdom of
Solomon, Wisdom of (book of the Apocrypha): see WISDOM OF SOLOMON.
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Cite this article
JOHN BOWKER. "Solomon, Wisdom of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Solomon, Wisdom of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-SolomonWisdomof.html JOHN BOWKER. "Solomon, Wisdom of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-SolomonWisdomof.html |
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Solomon, Wisdom of
Solomon, Wisdom of. See WISDOM OF SOLOMON.
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Solomon, Wisdom of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Solomon, Wisdom of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-SolomonWisdomof.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Solomon, Wisdom of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-SolomonWisdomof.html |
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