The Wisdom of Solomon

The Wisdom of Solomon is a rhetorically sophisticated composition written near the turn of the era in Alexandria, Egypt. While early scholars saw the text as a product of several authors from different times and places, more recent studies have gone a long way in demonstrating the unity of the text. The unique confluence of diverse elements, whether apocalyptic and sapiential themes, Stoic and Platonic philosophy, or multiple literary forms, has provided scholars ample opportunity to debate the main arguments and purpose of the text, the audience at which it was aimed, and the position of the text with respect to wider Hellenistic culture. One of the more unique features of Wisdom is the uncertainty surrounding many of its core concepts and figures. This crafted ambiguity offers a multiplicity of meaning that draws the reader in to engage more closely with the central lessons of the text on how to be a righteous person and secure the future immortal life of the soul.