Worship and Holy Places in the Wisdom of Solomon

In contrast to the book of Ben Sira with its strong focus on Jerusalem and the temple, the Wisdom of Solomon, written between the first century BCE and the first century CE in Alexandria, mentions the holy city in only two verses, both in the relecture of the prayer of Solomon (1 Kgs 3) in Wis 9. The temple and the sacrifices play only a marginal role in the book of Wisdom. This article provides an overview of the use of terms for “holy” in the book of Wisdom. It also analyzes its handling of holy places and its high estimation of prayer and of the interpretation of scriptures-two location-independent forms of worship-as typical of early Jewish diaspora theology.*