The Book of the Wisdom of Solomon: who is the real author

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

"The Wisdom of Solomon" in the Greek Bible is a book, the main content of which is the doctrine of the beginning, properties and actions of the Wisdom of God in the world. The name of King Solomon in it indicates that the author of the book sometimes tells his story on behalf of the most ancient ruler. After all, it was he who became the first teacher of biblical wisdom and its main representative. The Book of the Wisdom of Solomon is very similar in subject matter to the Book of Proverbs of Solomon. But let's try to figure out who its main author is.

The Wisdom of Solomon is a book and food for thought

Since ancient times, it was believed that this work was written by King Solomon himself. This opinion, in particular, was expressed by such fathers and teachers of the Church as Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, St. Cyprian, and basically it was based on the fact that his name was in the inscription. Subsequently, this statement was strongly defended by the Catholic Church, according to her statements, the bookcorresponded to church canons.

The error of judgment is that, firstly, the “Book of the Wisdom of Solomon” was originally written in Greek, and not in Hebrew; secondly, the author of the book is well acquainted with Greek philosophy - the teachings of Plato, the Epicureans and the Stoics; thirdly, the author is not a resident of Palestine, but refers to Greek customs and mores; and fourthly, the book is considered canonical and cannot be written by Solomon, based on the Rules of the Holy Apostles and the Epistle of Athanasius the Great.

Opinions about the author

In the time of Jerome there was another opinion: that the "Book of the Wisdom of Solomon" was written by Philo of Alexandria - a representative of Jewish Hellenism, linking the dogmas of the Jewish religion with Greek philosophy. This opinion was based on the fact that the work was very similar to Philo's teaching on the Logos. But these similarities were only superficial. The author of the "wisdom" did not think at all what Philo meant by the Logos. And between them there is too obvious opposition of views. In the Book of Wisdom of Solomon, the origin of sin and death is explained as “the envy of the devil,” but Philo could not say this, because he did not believe in the existence of an evil principle in the world, and he understood the fall of the ancestors from the Bible purely allegorically. They also perceived the theory of preexistence differently - the author of the book and Philo. According to the teachings of the book, good souls enter into clean bodies, according to Philo, on the contrary, fallen and sinful souls are sent into bodies on earth. Their views also differ from those of the origin of idolatry. Therefore, Philocould write this book.

Attempts to find the author were unsuccessful, so we can only point out that the author of the book was another Hellenistic Jew, a fairly educated Alexandrian, well versed in Greek philosophy.

Time, place and purpose of writing

After deep analysis, it can be argued that this book was written at the end of the reign of King Ptolemy IV (c. 221-217 BC) and most likely in Egyptian Alexandria. It can be seen from the text how the author is well versed in the Judeo-Alexandrian philosophy and makes allusions to the Egyptian religion.

The purpose of writing the treatise is believed to be that the "Book of the Wisdom of Solomon" was originally intended for the Syrian and Egyptian kings in order to convey to them some veiled divine teachings and messages.

Contents

The main theme of the content of the book is the doctrine of Wisdom from two sides, based on the most famous philosophical teachings. The first is an objective reality, not given to us in sensation. The second is the subjective reality, perceived in sensations from the point of view of the objective.

In this case, there is the simplest example: there is God in the world. This is an objective reality (so to speak, an axiom from a mathematical point of view that does not require proof), which cannot be touched or felt at the physical level. His Wisdom is displayed directly in our soul. As for the subjective, this is the personal relationship of each person to God and understanding of what He offers.to everyone who believes in Him on a spiritual level.

Three parts

The book is divided into three main sections: the first (chapter I-V) says that only Wisdom can become a guide to achieving true blissful immortality, despite the false teachings of the Jews who denied it.

The second (VI-IX ch.) part is devoted to the essence of the teaching, its origin, as well as the significance of having such higher knowledge and basic conditions in terms of achieving them.

The third part (X-XIX ch.) is a historical example of the fact that only those people who have this Wisdom can become happy. Ignorance of it, loss or rejection leads any nation to degradation and death (like the Egyptians and Canaanites).

Conclusion

The book "The Wisdom of Solomon" (reviews about it are direct evidence) is one of the most revered documents of all times and peoples, which shows the indestructible unity of God and man. Regardless of its non-canonical origin, it has long been considered deeply instructive for those seeking lessons in piety and wisdom.