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One of the forgotten books of the Apocrypha, Wisdom of Solomon is a 1st century Greek work originating in Alexandria, Egypt.
The work relates early Nazarite and Essene understandings of the feminine principle of God at work in the ancient Hebrew tradition.
The following is taken from a series of six lessons shared with The Essene Holy Communions Group
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Wisdom of Solomon
Part 1
Jerome (c. 347 – 420) identified Philo of Alexandria as the author of Wisdom of Solomon (Praef. in lib. Sol.). This view was supported by Luther and other scholars but is disputed by scholars today, many of whom cite the “omission of allegory” as the reason. However, most agree internal evidence suggests Wisdom was written in Greek by a Hellenized Jew, probably in Alexandria during Philo's lifetime (c. 10 BCE - c. 50 ACE.
In addition to teaching allegory, Philo attempted to merge Judaism with Greek philosophy. Clement of Alexandria called him, “the Pythagorean.” Philo considered Greek philosophy a natural development of the teachings of Moses.
Whether from Philo's mind or some other, Wisdom of Solomon was an effort to introduce the Goddess ideal to Judaism, perhaps the first step for someone who was attempting to merge the two philosophies.
Wisdom of Solomon 6:17-20
"The beginning of Wisdom is the most sincere desire for instruction, and concern for instruction is love of Her, and love of Her is the keeping of Her laws, and giving to Her laws is assurance of immortality, and immortality brings one near to God; so the desire for Wisdom leads to a Kingdom."
Wisdom of Solomon 7:7-12
"...I prayed, and understanding was given me; I called upon God, and the Spirit of Wisdom came to me. I preferred Her to scepters and thrones, and I accounted wealth as nothing in comparison with Her. Neither did I liken to Her any priceless gem, because all gold is but a little sand in Her sight, and silver will be accounted as clay before Her. I loved Her more than health and beauty, and I chose to have Her rather than light, because Her radiance never ceases. All good things came to me along with Her, and in Her hands uncounted wealth. I rejoiced in them all, because Wisdom leads them; but I did not know that She was their Mother."
***
WISDOM OF SOLOMON
Part 2
Luke 11:31
Jesus said:
“The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment
with the people of this generation and judge them,
because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to
the Wisdom of Solomon,
and see, something greater than Solomon is here!
**
Wisdom of Solomon 7:15-22
“May God grant that I speak with judgment and have thoughts worthy of what I have received, for He is the guide even of Wisdom and the corrector of the wise.
For both we and our words are in His hand, as are all understanding and skill in crafts.
For it is He who gave me unerring Knowledge of what exists, to know the structure of the world and the activity of the elements; the beginning and end and middle of times, the alternations of the solstices and the changes of the seasons, the cycles of the year and the constellations of the stars, the natures of animals and the tempers of wild beasts, the powers of winds and the reasonings of men, the varieties of plants and the virtues of roots; I learned both what is secret and what is manifest, for Wisdom, the Fashioner of all things, taught me.”
***
WISDOM OF SOLOMON
Part 3
Luke 12:10-11
Jesus said:
“…every one who speaks a word against the Son of man will be forgiven;
but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities,
do not be anxious how or what you are to answer
or what you are to say; for the
Holy Spirit will teach you
in that very hour what you ought to say.”
**
Wisdom of Solomon 7:22-30
“For in Her there is a Spirit that is intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, clear, unpolluted, distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen, irresistible, beneficent, humane, steadfast, sure, free from anxiety, all-powerful, overseeing all and penetrating through all spirits that are intelligent and pure and most subtle.
For Wisdom is more mobile than any motion; because of Her pureness She pervades and penetrates all things. For She is a Breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into Her. For She is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of His goodness.
Though She is but one, She can do all things, and while remaining in Herself, She renews all things; in every generation She passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God and prophets; for God loves nothing so much as the man who lives with Wisdom. For She is more beautiful than the sun, and excels every constellation of the stars.
Compared with the light She is found to be superior, for it is succeeded by the night, but against Wisdom evil does not prevail.”
***
WISDOM OF SOLOMON
Part 4
Luke 11:31
Jesus said:
“The Queen of the South…came from
the ends of the earth to listen to
the Wisdom of Solomon…
**
Wisdom of Solomon 8:1-7
“She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and She orders all things well. I loved Her and sought Her from my youth, and I desired to take Her for my bride, and I became enamored of Her beauty.
She glorifies Her noble birth by living with God, and the Lord of all loves Her. For She is an initiate in the knowledge of God, and an associate in His works.
If riches are a desirable possession in life, what is richer than Wisdom who effects all things? And if understanding is effective, who more than She is fashioner of what exists? And if anyone loves righteousness, Her labors are virtues; for She teaches self-control and prudence, justice and courage; nothing in life is more profitable for humankind than these.”
***
WISDOM OF SOLOMON #5
Luke 11:31
Jesus said:
“The Queen of the South…came from
the ends of the earth to listen to
the Wisdom of Solomon…
**
Wisdom of Solomon 8:8-12
“And if anyone longs for wide experience, She knows the things of old, and infers the things to come; She understands turns of speech and the solutions of riddles; She has foreknowledge of signs and wonders and of the outcome of seasons and times.
Therefore I determined to take Her to live with me, knowing that She would give me good counsel and encouragement in cares and grief. Because of Her I shall have glory among the multitudes and honor in the presence of elders, though I am young.
I shall be found keen in judgment, and in the sight of rulers I shall be admired. When I am silent they will wait for me, and when I speak they will give heed; and when I speak at greater length they will put their hands on their mouths.”
***
WISDOM OF SOLOMON
Part 6
Wisdom of Solomon 1:5-6
“For a holy and disciplined spirit will flee from deceit,
and will rise and depart from foolish thoughts…
“…For Wisdom is a kindly spirit
and will not free a blasphemer from the guilt of his words…”
Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-13
“Wisdom is radiant and unfading,
and She is easily discerned by those who love Her,
and is found by those who seek Her.
She hastens to make herself known to those who desire Her.”
***
Conclusion
Biblical scholars of today dispute Jerome’s fourth-century assertion that Philo of Alexandria wrote Wisdom of Solomon. Their arguments usually revolve around the “lack of allegory” contained in Wisdom. Apparently the theme of “Wisdom as Goddess” doesn’t qualify as “allegory.”
What these scholars ignore, however, is that in addition to Philo’s passion for allegory, he had a second equally-important goal: to merge Judaism with Greek philosophy.
Excerpts from scholarly opinions: http://my.execpc.com/~gto/Apocrypha/Summaries/wisdom.html
“No consensus has thus far emerged regarding the date of Wisdom…various scholars have placed it anywhere between 220 BC and 50 AD. There is virtual agreement that the author made use of the LXX (Greek Septuagint) version of Isaiah…Some considerations seem to point to the reign of Gaius “Caligula” (37-41 AD) as the likeliest setting for Wisdom…”
(Note: Philo: c. 10 BCE to c. 50 ACE; he used the LXX in his work.)
“The author of the book remains anonymous, and the most we can say is that he was a learned Greek-speaking Jew and probably a teacher, and that he was familiar with Hellenistic philosophy, rhetoric, and culture.” (Note: all characteristics that describe Philo.)
“St. Jerome recognized that Wisdom was a pseudepigraphon and placed it among those books formally excluded from the Canon (PL 28:124). St. Augustine, who quotes Wisdom close to 800 times, at first attributed it to Ben Sira but later declared the author to be unknown. In his De Praedestinatione Sanctorum 14.26-29, he nevertheless came out in favor of the canonicity of Wisdom.”
“…emphasis on immortality is the writer’s (of Wisdom) most original and influential contribution to biblical theology. This idea, which was common in some Greek philosophies but barely present in the Hebrew Bible, allowed him to acknowledge the reality of innocent suffering in the present, while defending the omnipotence and justice of God.”
“Christian understanding of both the Christ event (personification of wisdom) and the idea of wisdom as a “spirit” with cosmic, personal, and historical dimensions contributed greatly to the continuance of the wisdom tradition within Christianity.” (Note: Emphases added.)
http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/wisdom.html
David A. deSilva writes: "There is wider debate concerning the date of Wisdom, which has been placed anywhere between 220 B.C.E. and 100 C.E. The terminus a quo is set by the author's use of the Greek translation (LXX) of Isaiah, Job, and Proverbs, the first of which was probably available by 200 B.C.E...The terminus ad quem is set by the evident use of the work by several New Testament authors... A date within the early period of Roman domination of Egypt, especially the early Roman Principate (or Empire), seems most likely. First, the description of the development of the ruler cult in 14:16-20 best describes not the cult of the Ptolemaic kings of Egypt, a cult that was organized and promoted from the center, but the spontaneous, decentralized development of the imperial cult under Augustus, who was also Egypt's first 'remote' ruler since Alexander...Second, the author uses some thirty-five terms or phrases unattested in secular Greek before the first century C.E. ...” (Note 1: Augustus died c. 14 ACE, succeeded by his step-son, Tiberius, and then “Caligula.” Note 2: Emphases added.)
***
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Book_of_Wisdom
"The philosophical influences on the Book of Wisdom may include those of classical and Middle-Platonism. Some religious and ethical influences may stem from Stoicism, also found in the writings of the Alexandrian Jew, Philo, to whom Book of Wisdom has on occasion been wrongly attributed. This is evident in the use of the four Stoic ideals which are borrowed from Plato.”
“The Book of Wisdom contains verses that personify the concept of Wisdom with divine attributes. These verses have long been taken by Christian exegetes as references to Christ, who is called the "Wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:24) by Saint Paul the Apostle. For example, in chapter seven, Wisdom is said to be “the fashioner of all things” (v. 22), “an associate in his [God’s] works” (8:4), and a “pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty” (7:25). For Christians, the most definite indication that personified Wisdom refers to the Messiah is the paraphrasing of Wis 7:26 in Heb 1:3. Wis 7:26 says that “she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness.” The author of Hebrews says of Christ: “He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power” (Hebrews 1:3).” (Note: Emphases added.)
Final Note
There is general agreement among scholars that Wisdom of Solomon was: 1) written in Greek, 2) in Alexandria, Egypt, 3) most likely c. 37 to 40 ACE, 4) by a Hellenized Jewish teacher 5) using the Septuagint who 6) was attempting to merge Judaism with Greek philosophy. One even noted that “Some religious and ethical influences (from Stoicism)…are also found in the writings of…Philo.”! Jerome attributed Wisdom to Philo; Philo meets all the criteria required to be identified as the most likely author of Wisdom. Yet scholars deny him that honor and some Christians attempt to spin “Her…Wisdom” into “Him…Christ.”
Preceding the Christian Trinity (that the Church insisted was composed of three males) was the Egyptian and Greek Trinity: God, Goddess, Holy Child. The author of Wisdom left blatant clues that reassigned the gender of the entity known as, “Holy Spirit”:
“Wisdom…a Holy and disciplined Spirit…a kindly Spirit…She hastens to make Herself known.”
Thanks to Wisdom of Solomon, the secret of the Trinity’s “Holy Spirit” is revealed: She is the Goddess.
“Father, Son, Holy Spirit” is God, Goddess, Holy Child.
And, perhaps that is the reason Wisdom of Solomon was rejected by the patriarchal Church Fathers who chose the Christian scriptures to be canonized.
In addition to defining "Goddess" as "Wisdom," the author (Philo?) also defined "God" as "Knowledge." The goal of a king, as well as his subjects, was to acquire Knowledge from God and to use that knowledge with Wisdom from Goddess for the benefit of all. It was a lesson that is timeless in its value.
***
It will be demonstrated in future postings that the importance of Philo of Alexandria cannot be overstated in the search for the original, authentic “Christians” and the “authentic religion" of the man most of the world calls Jesus. Philo’s importance is hidden in the allegory he worked so hard to leave as his legacy. It begs for discovery and recognition. Over time, we will attempt to do just that!
The Wisdom of Solomon:
http://www.thenazareneway.com/Wisdom%20of%20Solomon.htm
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