The Wisdom of Solomon

The Wisdom of Solomon combines Greek philosophical traditions with biblical exegesis to portray the eschatological fate of humans. To develop his argument, the author draws upon earlier texts in both a creative and a critical way, and integrates them, inconsistently, with Platonic philosophical themes. Imagery of and associations with the figure of Solomon from 1 Kings and Proverbs unite the sections of the book, but the biblical figure remains unnamed since the characteristics of all biblical figures are universalized. The author of Wisdom clearly used the Greek versions of such Hebrew works as Proverbs, 1 Kings, and Sirach, but also shows apparent familiarity with terms and themes from Hebrew works among the Dead Sea Scrolls, especially 4QInstruction. This would suggest some intermediary Greek version or a ready transfer of ideas between Hebrew and Greek Jewish writings. The philosophical material and social context place the work in late first century bce.