5. Value of the work. — From the point of view of intellectual ability the work is incomparably superior to the rest of the Apocrypha ; besides containing many brilliant aphorisms it displays a capacity for continuous and consistent thinking which is rare in Semitic products. As an ex- pounder of Scripture the author exhibits great ability. We may notice his proof of man's poten- tial immortality from the fact that in the story of creation everything is commanded ' to be ' ; there is no mention of a death-plant (whereas there is of a tree of life), and the sovereignty of the earth is given not to Hades but to man (l"- '*). The work was probably of the greatest importance in securing the early progress of Christianity. Of Scriptures showing ' that Christ ought to have suffered these things and enter into his glory' (Lk 24-') there is none comparable in clearness with Wis 2-5, and the potency of this weapon in the hands of such controversialists as Hippolytus is probably what occasioned the loss of the book to tne Synagogue. The Resurrection and the Final Judgment are taught with a clearness and certainty to which the OT oSers no parallel. Further, Christian contro- versy with pagans would seem to have been directed by the discussion of idolatry which occupies chs. 13-15. In St. Paul's address to the Athenians the words (Ac 17") ^rdv rbv 8(6v el &pa yc ^T]\a(pifiaeiav airrov Kal eOpoid' seem to be a reminiscence of Oeiv ^TjToufTes Kal 6^\ovr€s ^vpuv in the same context in Wis 13', and the words which follow in tlie address, Xpi"yv ^ dpyijpix} ij \i6tp, x^P'^'Yf^^'^^ rix^V^ ^ai ^vdvfi- ■f}<Teus ivffpilnrov, parajihrase what follows in Wisdom (13'"), ^pya x^ipCov avQpuTTtav xp^<^^v i^ai dpyvpov, t^x'^V^ ilxij.(K{TTiixa. Further, the list of crimes which in Ro 1-'"'' is said to be the result of idolatry appears to be a rearrangement of Wis 14-^"'''. The notion of a .sjpiritual Israel which is found in the Pauline Epistles is to some extent anticipated by, even if it be not actually based on, the theory of Wisdom that the righteous are the sons of God, and Israel are tlie righteous.
6. The text.— The variants of the Greek MSS are for the most part of slight importance, but in a few cases they suggest revision from a Hebrew original ; so 10' i^tiXaro, MS 68 i^iTeivev, perhaps ny-B'in and no'Cin ; 14'" i<pvKax8-n, MSS 106, 261 iivo/iiaSt], perhaps mncj and no-^n ; 9" ip 6(t>$a\/j.oh, MS 248 ivuiTTiov. W^here the Greek is obscure, it is often difficult to decide whether this is due to mis-
WITCHCRAFT
WOMAN
G89
translation or corruption ; such a case is 15'*, xat ri fuia 5^ t4 ^x^*""^*^ ffi^ovraC avol*^ yap ffvyKpi.v6fiiva rdv
Of tlie ancient versions tiie Peshitta Syriac, the Latin, and the Armenian are of some importance for the criticism of tlie text. The first of these appears to be made from the Greek, which it often seriously mistranslates ; there are, however, pass- ages where it oilers what seems to be the sense intended by the author, where the Greek text misrepresents it — e.g. 8', for ei Si <pp6ri](n^ ipydferai. tlie Syriac offers ' if a man desires to do handicraft,' which is certainly more like what was meant. It seems doubtful whether in any case these varieties can convincingly be ascribed to the use of a Hebrew original. The Latin seems to have preserved a line lost in the Greek copies, 2"" ; in some places it shows curious agreement with the Syriac — e.g. 9" 14", ' qui se assumpsit ' for rtf KpaTovpTi, which in Syriac is naturally represented in this way. The Armenian has some noteworthy renderings — e.g. 15', 'on the [potter's] wheel' for (iripoxOov, which appears to be what was intended. The source of these is obscure.
LiTEKATi'RE. — The Conimentary of A. T. S. Goodrick, London, 1913, in the Oxford Church Bible Commintar\i, super- sedes ita predecessors. See also E. Schiirer, HJP ll. iii. [Edinburgh, l?SGj 230ff. ; F. Susemihl, Geschichte der qriech- i^'-hen Littt'ratur in der Alezandrinerzeit, Leipzig, 1891, ii. 621 ; W. Bousset, Die Religion desJudentum^imneutest. Zeitalter^, Berlin, 1906. D. S. MaRGOLIOUTH.
WITCHCRAFT.— See Divination.
WITNESS. — In confirmation of the gospel message the NT appeals to two kinds of witness, in themselves distinct, but serving the same end.
1. The human witness to Christ. — The primary business of the Apostles was to testify as eye- witnesses to the fiicts of the earthly life of Christ and above all to His resurrection. The ability to do this was the qualification demanded in the successor to Judas (Ac 1-'), and the ground on which the Apostles justified their claim to preach Jesus (Ac 2'- 3'^ 5'*- 10^") and to speak with authority in the Church (1 P 5')- This witness could be borne only by those who had been specially chosen to do so, and had been trained by personal com- munion with the risen Christ (Ac 10'", 1 .Jn 1- 4'^). It is noticeable that St. Paul is careful to show that he had experienced this, though not in the same way as that in which it had been granted to the older apostles (Ac 22'», 1 Co 9'). It soon be- came clear that this witness must be given at the risk of liberty and life, and, though in the NT fidprvi does not pass absolutely into the sense of ' martyr ' (see Maetyr), yet in Rev. the /xaprvpla 'iTjtroii, in nearly every case, is connected witli suH'er- ing {e.g. P 6' 20''). tn 1 Ti 6'^ a like connexion of ideas is applied to our Lord Himself, who is said to have ' witnessed the good confession ' before Pontius Pilate. A similar sense may attach to ixapTvpwv in He 12' if we regard the 'cloud of witnesses ' as consisting of those who have already sealed their faith by suffering. But the word may here mean no more than interested onlookers watching those engaged in the warfare which they themselves have already accomplished.