Hebrew Bible: Deutero-cannonical wisdom literature

Deutero-cannonical Wisdom Literature

Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ben Sira), Baruch

12/07/2011

Authorship

Sirach

   only book written by the name given in the title

Wisdom

   sophisticated Greek and Platonic ideas, so must not have been written by Solomon

Baruch

    "Jeremiah's friend" -- written in Greek, Baruch's living situation not the same as Jeremiah describes

Sirach (or Ben Sira)

• written in Hebrew in 180 BCE
• autobiographical statements and a prologue
• prologue written by son in Alexandria
• translated the text into Greek 
• never cannonized, so Hebrew version was lost
• hope that the original would come to light at some point
• two Scottish sisters 1890 went to Cairo...
• buy a piece of a manuscript 
• they do not recognize the Hebrew text
• Cambridge friend Solomon Sectar (?) realizes this is the Hebrew version of Ben Sira!!!
• at Cairo, Solomon tracks down the manuscript
• a synagogue that is broken down
• found 750,000 leaves of Hebrew and Arabic manuscripts!!
• Cairo Geniza -- the find of the manuscripts, especially the letters
• Then, Dead Sea Scrolls found in 1947

Book Contents

• Textual contents
• from Jerusalem 
• from a priestly family (or closely linked to one)
• an anthology
• not cannonized probably because of how blatantly late 
• Daniel was cannonized though, and it was later!
• yet Daniel was pseudonimous -- said to have been written by a Babylonian prophet
• on the other hand, Ben Sira didn't claim to write the words of any person in antiquity
• Women
• spoken of poorly 
• visionary experiences brought about "flaming eyes" -- flaming vaginae?
• blames Eve for the sin of humanity
• Wisdom = Logos
• wisdom is the pillar of cloud that accompanied the Israelites after the Exodus
• wisdom is the Torah
• Logos -- Gr. "word"
• important in Christianity
• e.g. Gospel of John prologue, saying Jesus = Word
• Logos becomes intermediary between God and humanity
• No belief in life after death
• Life is ultimately just

Wisdom of Solomon

   written around 20 BCE in Greek in Alexandria, Egypt, where a thriving group of Jews lived. 

• Contextual ideas
• The author was a learned, Hellenized scribe
• full of Greek philosophical language
• Jews in Alexandria were very Hellenized 
• written to persuade Hellenized Jews to embrace their Judaism
• biblical-style wisdom and Greek philosophy
• FIRST TIME the idea of an eternal soul is discussed
• God made the soul eternal
• (explicit talk about soul's immortality)
• soul is the vehicle of ultimate justice
• after death, true justice will prevail
• became important for Christian theology
• Three parts
• ch. 1-6 -- Book of Eschatology -- study of the End Times
• ch. 7-10 -- Book of Wisdom
• ch. 11-19 -- Book of History -- specifically, the Exodus

Baruch

   written ~ 200 BCE.  Written in Hebrew first? (now oldest in Greek)

• poem to wisdom
• wisdom will come live with among humanity
• fits with Logos
• Christians attribute this idea to Jesus