Ahistorical interpretation of the Torah narratives in the Wisdom of Solomon

K. Hogan
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引用次数: 1

Abstract

The traditional scholarly title (since the early twentieth century) for the last section of the Wisdom of Solomon, chapters 11–19 (or for some, 10–19) is the “Book of History.” This is a misleading designation because the author of the Wisdom of Solomon chose to present certain events from the exodus and wilderness traditions of ancient Israel not in the context of a continuous historical narrative, but rather as paradigmatic examples of God’s justice and mercy toward both the righteous and the ungodly. The purpose of the second half of the Wisdom of Solomon is pedagogical and apologetic rather than historical. The author’s avoidance of proper names and the consistent division of humanity in moral terms (the righteous vs the ungodly/unrighteous) rather than along ethnic lines (Israel vs Egyptians or Canaanites) should be taken seriously as an effort to universalize the lessons of Israel’s stories. The consistent message of both the antitheses and the excurses in chapters 11–19 is that God manifests both justice and mercy in disciplining human beings (both the righteous and the unrighteous) with suffering. Thus, it would be preferable to call chapters 11–19 either the “Book of Discipline” or the “Book of Divine Justice and Mercy.”
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《所罗门的智慧》中对托拉叙事的历史解释
《所罗门的智慧》的最后一部分,第11-19章(有些人则是第10-19章),传统的学术标题(自20世纪初以来)是“历史之书”。这是一个误导性的名称,因为所罗门智慧的作者选择从古代以色列的出埃及记和旷野传统中呈现某些事件,而不是在连续的历史叙述的背景下,而是作为上帝对义人和不敬虔人的正义和怜悯的范例。所罗门智慧的后半部分的目的是教学和道歉,而不是历史。作者避免使用专有名称,并在道德方面(义人与不敬虔/不义的人)而不是沿着种族界线(以色列人与埃及人或迦南人)划分人类,这应该被认真对待,因为这是一种努力,以普及以色列故事的教训。在第11-19章的对题和插曲中,一致的信息是,上帝在用苦难惩戒人类(包括义人和不义的人)时,彰显了正义和怜悯。因此,将第11-19章称为“纪律之书”或“神圣的正义和仁慈之书”更可取。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
0.40
自引率
33.30%
发文量
13
期刊介绍: The last twenty years have witnessed some remarkable achievements in the study of early Jewish literature. Given the ever-increasing number and availability of primary sources for these writings, specialists have been producing text-critical, historical, social scientific, and theological studies which, in turn, have fuelled a growing interest among scholars, students, religious leaders, and the wider public. The only English journal of its kind, Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha was founded in 1987 to provide a much-needed forum for scholars to discuss and review most recent developments in this burgeoning field in the academy.
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