Introduction to the Wisdom of Solomon

With the exception of early King James Versions and some Eastern Orthodox Versions, The Wisdom of Solomon also known as The Book of Wisdom has been omitted from Bibles we find today.

Why is that? Is it not scripture? Is the book forged? Was the book not from antiquity? Was the book not written by an historical person? Does it not portray historical events? Does it not portray those who have dedicated their lives to the Supreme Being?

Let’s take a look at these possible reasons and try to figure out why The Wisdom of Solomon has been excluded and ignored for centuries.

The Wisdom of Solomon was seemingly written somewhere between two hundred years before Christ to the First Century after Jesus’ arrival.

According to many scholars, the book was written in Alexandria Greece during this time.

However, like many ancient texts, there is also the possibility that the book existed prior to this era, and perhaps was simply transcribed from Hebrew to Greek. A Hebrew text version has not been found, however.

It is obvious from the text itself that this is a dedicated follower of Moses and Solomon at the very least. There is also a distinct possibility that the text was originally written by Solomon. This possibility assumes the loss of the original manuscript during the tumultuous times of the 10^th Century BCE and when the Greek translation appeared.

With regard to why the Wisdom of Solomon isn’t in more Bibles, quite simply, the Protestant clergy did not accept this book as a canon – or part of the Bible. Subsequently they called the book Apocrypha simply because of the era of the book.

Apocrypha can have several meanings but it essentially refers to books that were not part of the ancient collection of Hebrew texts. They seemingly were written between the 2^nd century BCE and the 4^th century CE. The question in this regard is whether those dates are when the books were originally written, or whether they were written or passed down orally previous to their subsequent recorded writing.

There is now clear evidence, for example, from the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery, that books that were thought to have been written later in Greek or otherwise, did have Hebrew versions prior. This includes the Book of Enoch, which was found to have a Hebrew text older than later translations into Greek.

Indeed, it is not as if none of the ancient Hebrew texts have been lost or damaged in the many wars and fires that took place as the Israelites and Judeans battled their opponents, sometimes losing and subjected to expulsions and exoduses from their homelands. During these times of crises, many of the ancient scriptures were lost to history.

This could certainly apply to the Wisdom of Solomon, because after all, the text does reference historical events such as the Israelites’ escape from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea. And there is certainly a first person reference throughout the text that appears to refer to Solomon.

Nonetheless, many scholars suggest that that the Greek version of the Wisdom of Solomon was written a Century or two prior to Jesus’ arrival. They also suggest that the book was first written in Greek. Again, this comes from the notion that a Hebrew version of the book has not been found.

As you will find, the text can be divided into three potential parts. These include the reason for justice in human civilization; the need and benefits of wisdom; and how wisdom played a role in the history of the Israelites, especially during the time of Moses.

The book also documents a period of history when the Israelites escaped the heavy handed rule of the Egyptians and were guided into the desert and through the Red Sea as they were escaping the Egyptian army.

Note that most translations utilize draft text, as though this scripture was written as a historical ledger.

But it is obvious from the text is that this was written as prose. Like much of the Bible, the test of the Wisdom of Solomon is a recording of lengthy but beautiful prose.

This translation honors that approach and has attempted to translate the text into a modern English translation of the prose.

So what does Solomon have to do with this chapter? Did Solomon write it?

It does not seem to be a work of Solomon’s. But it could be a contemporary of Solomon or someone dedicated to Solomon that wrote it.

Nonetheless, this text does illuminate the reality that Solomon exemplified what is contained in these texts. And surely did indeed follow the pledges made in this book with regard to honoring wisdom.

Just consider the following text after God asked what Solomon wants:

“So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (1 Kings 3:4 NIV)

So we see that Solomon treasured wisdom. He could have asked the Supreme Being for virtually anything. But he asked God for wisdom.

This is what this text is about: It is about putting wisdom at the top of our goals when it comes to worldly achievements.

It is a lesson for all of us as we seek guidance in a confusing world.