In this intellectual movement wliich defended the Jewish religion with the weapons of Greek philosophy, and embellished it with the grace acquired from Greek education, the Book OF Wisdom took its place as an important factor. See the following article. C. Siegfried.
WISDOM, BOOK OF.— i. Title.— The title (roipia SaXwM'ij'os rests upon the circumstance that the book in several pa.ssages, particularly chs. 7-9 (cf. esp. y") claims to be the words of king .Solomon, who passed in general for the patron of didactic composition, as David did of lyric. In like m.anner tlie canonical Book of Proverbs received the title ' Proverbs of Solomon ' (.t::'S.;' '^^f-.:), although in 30, 31' other composers of oracles are also introduced as authors. Of Solomon's kingly wisdom we hear in 1 K 3'-". In Sir 47'--'8(i-'-i») he is celebrated as one Avho filled the earth with dark sayings, songs, parables, and apophtliegms, as well as with inter- iiretations which evoked the admiration of all lands. Also in Qoheleth he is regarded as the real founde/ of the schools of wisdom (Ec 1'^), and even the sayings of this book are in a way attributed to him as their legendary author (see Siegfried, Pre- differ, p. 1 f.). 'The author of the Book of Wisdom appears to have been moved by a definit* polemical ami in opposition to the Hook of Qoheleth, when he chose Solomon as the representative of his views. In I'O-o-" he assails with remarkable vehemence the opinions of unorthodo.x Jews, who incline partly to Stoicism, partly to Epicureanism. These opmions correspond e.xactly to those put forward in the Book of Ecclesiastes. He reproaches these men with their pessimism, in which they in a manner ' called death unto them by their hands and their words' (Wis 1'"), consumed themselves Avith longing after this friend, and made a covenant with iiiin iib.). According to their pen'erted judgment, life is short and sorrowful (2'' ; cf. Ec 6''' 2^- S'M'"-). Man has no remedy against death, and none can release from Hades (2""; cf. Kautzsch, Apokr. i. 482). The breath of our nostrils (cf. Gn 2') is but as a smoke that ascendeth ; thought (6 \l>yoi) is a spark kindled by the beating of the heart [the ancients liad no idea of the functions of the brain], and, when this is extinguished, the body is turned
into a.shes, and the animating breath is dissipated in the air. Then even the recollection of us fades quickly (2'-« ; cf. Ec 2'8 9^"). Our life is like the passing of a shadow (2' ; cf. Ec 6'^). Hence from ihese circles of thought c mies the Epicurean call to enjoy the good things of this life as long as they are within our reacli. — Further, there are expres- sions here and there in Wisdom which recall the late Hebraisms peculiar to Ecclesiastes : e.g. picpls. Wis •2'^ = p'7- of Ec 2'" 3-'- in the sense of ' fruit of toil,' 'reward'; naTaoi'vaurTdeiy, Wis 2'", cf. ? f;'J Ec 4', 3 abt 8' (cf. Farrar, Apocr. i. 404"). To this unbelieving Solomon our author opposes a genuinely Jewish, pious, orthodo.x Solomon. — That the words of the book are those of the historical king Solo- mon, our author does not mean to assert, nor could the readers of his time have supposed this to be the case. The Muratorian canon pronounces the Book of Wisdom to be ' a work composed in his honour by friends of Solomon' (ab amicis Salomoni-a in honorcm ipsius scripta) ; Clement of Alexandria, it is true, cites sayings from our book as words of Solomon, but also as those of ao(pla ; Origen and Cjprian use the book as canonical, but Origen is doubtful of its authenticity (^ iTnyeypaiiiiivri 'ZoKop.wvToi ffo(pla, adv. Cels. v. 29). Jerome and Augustine give up the Solomonic authorship (see Schurer, GJV^ iii. 381 f.).
ii. Language. — D. S. Margoliouth attempted [JRAS, Apr. 1890, pp. 263-297) to prove a Heb. original for the Book of Wisdom.* But, in spit« of certain phenomena wliich at first sight favour this theory, J. Freudenthal {JQE, July 1891, pp. 722-753) has conclusively shown that both the speech and the form of thought in our book plainly point to a Greek original. Hebraizing expressions are employed by the author because he found these in the LXX, and because he was himself a Jew (cf. Farrar, 404'', 405"; Grimm, Apokr. 6" Lieferung, pp. 5, 8) ; but these expressions do not justify the conclusion that the worli was originally composed in Hebrew. — The Greek of the book is indeed not always correct. Our autlior at times gives words a moaning which is not usual in classical literature (cf. Farrar, 405'). To this category belong expressions which are particularly characteristic of the Platonic or the Stoic philo- sophy (Farrar, 407*; Grimm, 19) ; compound adjec- tives, which appear to be in part of tlie author's own coining (Farrar, I.e. ; for similar phenomena in Philo see Siegfried, Philo von Alcxandrin, 1874, pp. 46 f., 135). The author shows himself to be also well read in Greek poetry (Farrar, 405'', 406* ; Grimm, 7) ; he imitates Greek figures of speech (according to Farrar, 405'', 406*, and Grimm, I.e.), although not always with success (Farrar, 406*). Regarding the influence which the Greek of the Book of Wisdom exercised upon the NT, cf. Farrar, p. 408. Our author reveals also an acquaintance with Greek culture, art, and science ; in particular, he displays a knowledge of astronomy and natural history (cf. 7"''"), makes reflexions on the origin of idolatry (13'-» 14'»'- 15'"-), etc. Towards the end of his book his creative power gets exhausted, and he begins to repeat himself (II*^', cf. chs. 16-19). His language, too, degenerates into rhetorical bombast.