The Book of Wisdom
Read this material and Chapters One and
Two of Wisdom
The beginning of wisdom is the fear of
the LORD
Prov 9:10
Notice to our Readers : The Book of Wisdom is found in Catholic Bibles and in the Apocrypha of Protestant Bibles. The difference between a Catholic Bible and a Protestant Bible is that the Protestant Bible only recognizes the Bible's books which were originally written in Hebrew. Wisdom was originally written in Greek.
Background
Known also as Wisdom of Solomon
Written one century before Christ by a Greek-speaking Jew of Alexandria in Egypt.
The Jewish people originated in the Holy Land but they were spread all over the Roman Empire by the time the Book of Wisdom was written. Alexandria was a city of half a million inhabitants and it was the highest populated city of Jews after Jerusalem.
The Egyptian rulers from Ptolemy VIII to Cleopatra were not well-disposed towards their Jewish subjects. The Jewish religion was not liked by the powerful, the wealthy and the learned. The faith of the Jews was in constant danger of corruption from idolatry and false philosophy.
The Main Purpose of the Writer of the Book of Wisdom-
To strengthen the faith of the Jews, to console them in their afflictions, to raise their hearts above the selfishness and immorality that surrounded them. He also had another purpose in writing, many Jews, anxious to gain the good will of the Egyptians, were not faithful to Jehovah. To these the writer addresses himself time and again, warning them of the impending judgment of God and exhort them to return to the path of true Wisdom which alone leads to perfect happiness.
Importance of the Book of Wisdom.-The Book of Wisdom was not written only for the Jews residing in Egypt at the time, but for men of all times. Every Jew who read it must have been filled with the conviction that God would not abandon His people, and that Israel's religious ideals eventually would win the final victory over the pagan world.
The Christian finds in it good religious and moral lessons - lessons which are very important today, just as they were two thousand years ago. The frivolity of the pagans, the suffering and consolations of the good people, the total confusion of the wicked and the serene confidence of the good man in the day of judgment, the wonderful origin and the excellence of Wisdom, the total dependence on God of the true seeker after Wisdom - all of that is described with a warmth and clarity that moves us and guides us to love and serve God.
Divisions-
The Book of Wisdom may be divided into three parts.
First Part- It offers contrast between the good and the wicked (Chapters 1-5)
Second Part- It sets forth the glories of Wisdom and recommends prayer as the means to attain it (Chapters. 6-9)
Third Part- It is a historical illustration of the principles laid down in the first two parts (Chapters 10-19).
The Book of Wisdom is regarded by Biblical scholars as the most brilliant production of the later Jewish literature, "remarkable both for the elevation of its ideas and the splendor of its diction."
Resource:
Introduction to the Bible by Fr. John Laux- Tan Books and Publishers, Inc. 1990
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful
for teaching,
for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
so that one who belongs to God may be competent,
equipped for every good work.
2 Tim 3:16-17
Definition of Wisdom
From “Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Bible”, Welcome to the Catholic Church on CD-ROM – © 1996 Harmony Media, Inc
The wisdom of men and the Wisdom of God.
1. In relation to men, wisdom is worldly or religious in character. Worldly wisdom is a man's skill or "know-how" which enables him to choose the right means to gain his purpose. Thus, those skilled in various arts and crafts, such as the brass worker on Solomon's Temple, are described as having wisdom (Ex. 28:3; 31:3-6; 35:25-36:2; 1 Kings 7:14). To govern rightly a ruler had to be filled with wisdom and to have wise men as his advisers (Gen. 41:35-39; Deut. 34:9). Sometimes the people were misled by so-called "wise men" and this abuse of wisdom was condemned by the prophets (Is. 5:2; Jer. 8:9).
The men who excelled in religious or spiritual wisdom directed the people in the observance of the Ten Commandments and instructed them in the practice of the virtues. These wise men wrote the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, known as the Sapiential Books of the Bible: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, The Song of Songs, Wisdom, and Sirach. The writers of the Sapiential Books consider wisdom in its relation to man as the perfection of knowledge showing itself in action. According to these wise men, wisdom is had only by righteous men and is bestowed by God on those who earnestly seek it (Wis. 1:4-5; 7:15; 8:3-4, 21). Through the power of wisdom man overcomes evil, and through its possession one may secure for himself the promises of both the present and the future life. Wisdom is to be prized above all things, and whoever despises it is doomed to unhappiness (Wis. 3:11; 7:8-12, 30; 8:5-9).
The fruits of wisdom are so
many and far-reaching that their effects are shown in the soul as well as in the
body of man. The possession of wisdom results in a good spiritual life. Wisdom
brings happiness, spiritual life, and God's blessings to those who keep its
ways; its attainment secures rest, gladness and joy (Wis. 8:16). The prosperity
of the sinner should not disturb the wise man, who should continue to practice
his religion, because there is a future life and he will not be deceived in his
hope of a future reward (Prov. 8:32-36; 23:
As a reward for keeping the
Commandments, two special gifts are given to the wise man; namely, the fear of
the Lord and the knowledge of God, in which real wisdom consists (Prov. 2:14).
God, who is the only source of wisdom, will protect the wise man from sin and
will give him the blessing of the kingdom of God (Prov. 2:5-22). Among the
temporal blessings given to the wise are good health, strength, and long life (Prov.
3:
2. The Wisdom of God is presented to us in a threefold way: as an attribute, as a poetical personification, and as an individual person.
In many passages of the Old Testament this divine attribute is shown in God's relation to the created universe, to His ordering of human events, and to the Ten Commandments. The Wisdom of God is seen in the visible creation and in His providence over mankind. By His Wisdom, God was the first and greatest architect; not only did He create the physical universe, but He also continues to direct human events. Divine Wisdom is also shown in God as the author of the moral order, in particular of the Ten Commandments (Ezra 7:25; Job 11:1-12; Ps. 104:24; Sir. 16:24-18:14; Jer. 10:12; Bar. 4:1). Paul summarizes this attribute in his hymn of praise to the infinite wisdom and knowledge of God in his Epistle to the Romans 11:33-36.
Poetical personification, as a literary tool, is often found in the Old Testament and is applied to human as well as Divine Wisdom. Divine Wisdom is depicted as a standard of moral life or a practical virtue regulating human actions. It is portrayed as a penitential preacher, as a personal teacher. Divine Wisdom is also depicted as God regulating the course of the universe. This Wisdom is given to man, especially Israel, through revelation (Job 28; Prov. 1:20-28; 8:1-3, 12-16; 9:1-5; Bar. 3:9; 4:4).
The authors who wrote the Sapiential Books also speak of Wisdom as a person and finally identify Wisdom with God Himself. Wisdom is with God from all eternity, the partner of His throne and the sharer of His thoughts. Wisdom is the mirror of God's power and goodness, almighty and unchangeable, and yet she makes all things new with an activity greater than any motion. When God created the. World, Wisdom was present; and she gives to men all the virtues which they need in every station and condition of life (Wis. 7:23-27; 8:3, 21; 9; 10:1-21). Wisdom is identified in particular with the Word of God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, and is represented as being in the Holy Spirit, to whom a Divine nature and Divine activity are likewise attributed. This exalted doctrine stands in vital connection with the New Testament, in which the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity becomes man to reveal to us the Mystery of the Blessed Trinity. While some passages of the Book of Wisdom find their fulfillment in Christ, the "Word made flesh," and the "Wisdom of God," in other respects, too, especially with regard to its teachings on the end of the world, the Book of Wisdom presents a Wonderful preparation for the New Testament (Wis. 1:5-7; 2:13; 3-5; 7:22, 24; 9:1-17), The New Testament writers are perfectly familiar with the Book of Wisdom (cf. Matt. 27:42, 43 with Wis. 2:13-18; Rom. 11:34 with Wis. 9:13; Eph. 6:13-17 with Wis. 5:18, 19; Heb. 1:3 with Wis. 7:26).
3. In the Christian dispensation, Wisdom is one of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. It perfects the virtue of charity by enabling men to discern God and divine things in their ultimate principles and to have a relish for them.
– © 1996 Harmony Media, Inc
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.
Ps 119:105
(NIV)
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