Pub Date : 2022-03-01DOI: 10.1177/09518207211032888
D. Olson
This two-part article presents new evidence and proposals for the original names of the wicked angels listed in 1 En. 69:4–15 and an interpretation of the passage in light of the new proposals. Nine names (plus one additional term) are involved. Contrary to the assertions of most scholars, the names have been remarkably well preserved in the Ethiopic text, and the purpose of the whole is best explained in light of the anti-Babylonian polemic proposed by Henryk Drawnel as the driving force behind the similar angel listings in 1 En. 7–8.
{"title":"The wicked angels of 1 En. 69:4–15: Part 1: New evidence and proposals for the names; Part 2: The nature and purpose of the list","authors":"D. Olson","doi":"10.1177/09518207211032888","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09518207211032888","url":null,"abstract":"This two-part article presents new evidence and proposals for the original names of the wicked angels listed in 1 En. 69:4–15 and an interpretation of the passage in light of the new proposals. Nine names (plus one additional term) are involved. Contrary to the assertions of most scholars, the names have been remarkably well preserved in the Ethiopic text, and the purpose of the whole is best explained in light of the anti-Babylonian polemic proposed by Henryk Drawnel as the driving force behind the similar angel listings in 1 En. 7–8.","PeriodicalId":14859,"journal":{"name":"Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha","volume":"31 1","pages":"133 - 164"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46588071","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-03-01DOI: 10.1177/09518207221075316
Angela Standhartinger
Whereas many of the so-called Jewish Pseudepigrapha still wait for a critical edition, the Life of Adam and Eve—or the Apocalypse of Moses, as the Greek version is captioned in some manuscripts—has received more than three critical editions in recent years. While the question which manuscript or version comes closest to the original form of the story is still under debate, this article argues that the manifold manuscript tradition opens a window into an ancient discussion on Satan’s, Eve’s, and Adam’s role in the story of their expulsion from Paradise. I will concentrate my discussion on Eve’s account of the story in GLAE 15–30 and LLAE 45–60. The three texts differ in their representation of gender roles in Eve’s own account of the fall. None of these versions only exonerates or denigrates Eve, nor is one with the most emancipatory potential easily identified. All three texts, however, document a constant discussion on Eve’s role in Paradise.
{"title":"Manuscript and gender: Eve’s testament in GLAE/Apoc. Mos. 15–30 and LLAE 45–60","authors":"Angela Standhartinger","doi":"10.1177/09518207221075316","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09518207221075316","url":null,"abstract":"Whereas many of the so-called Jewish Pseudepigrapha still wait for a critical edition, the Life of Adam and Eve—or the Apocalypse of Moses, as the Greek version is captioned in some manuscripts—has received more than three critical editions in recent years. While the question which manuscript or version comes closest to the original form of the story is still under debate, this article argues that the manifold manuscript tradition opens a window into an ancient discussion on Satan’s, Eve’s, and Adam’s role in the story of their expulsion from Paradise. I will concentrate my discussion on Eve’s account of the story in GLAE 15–30 and LLAE 45–60. The three texts differ in their representation of gender roles in Eve’s own account of the fall. None of these versions only exonerates or denigrates Eve, nor is one with the most emancipatory potential easily identified. All three texts, however, document a constant discussion on Eve’s role in Paradise.","PeriodicalId":14859,"journal":{"name":"Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha","volume":"31 1","pages":"215 - 246"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49409295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-12-01DOI: 10.1177/09518207211059475
J. Zurawski
The Wisdom of Solomon is a text intensely concerned with epistemological questions. What is true knowledge? Where does it come from? What’s its purpose? How does one attain it? In each of its parts, Wisdom can be seen directly and clearly tackling these types of problems. The Wisdom of Solomon is also a text deeply and frustratingly ambiguous. Is this some kind of embarrassing irony, a text so intent on delving into the nature and purpose of understanding ultimately unable to be understood? This study looks at how the ambiguity, surely present at several places throughout the book, is, in fact, rhetorically crafted and designed to guide to the reader to greater clarity and understanding. There is, then, no conflict between the stated purpose of the text, to lead the reader to wisdom and knowledge, and the means by which the author does so. The ambiguity and the epistemology of the Wisdom of Solomon are, in the end, inseparable.
{"title":"Crafted ambiguity in the Wisdom of Solomon","authors":"J. Zurawski","doi":"10.1177/09518207211059475","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09518207211059475","url":null,"abstract":"The Wisdom of Solomon is a text intensely concerned with epistemological questions. What is true knowledge? Where does it come from? What’s its purpose? How does one attain it? In each of its parts, Wisdom can be seen directly and clearly tackling these types of problems. The Wisdom of Solomon is also a text deeply and frustratingly ambiguous. Is this some kind of embarrassing irony, a text so intent on delving into the nature and purpose of understanding ultimately unable to be understood? This study looks at how the ambiguity, surely present at several places throughout the book, is, in fact, rhetorically crafted and designed to guide to the reader to greater clarity and understanding. There is, then, no conflict between the stated purpose of the text, to lead the reader to wisdom and knowledge, and the means by which the author does so. The ambiguity and the epistemology of the Wisdom of Solomon are, in the end, inseparable.","PeriodicalId":14859,"journal":{"name":"Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha","volume":"31 1","pages":"89 - 107"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46693399","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-12-01DOI: 10.1177/09518207211058998
J. Zurawski, K. Hogan
The following is the second special issue of the Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha (JSP) devoted to studies of the Wisdom of Solomon, edited by Karina Martin Hogan and Jason Zurawski. The collection of papers largely derives from three sessions of the Wisdom and Apocalypticism program unit of the Society of Biblical Literature focused on the important first-century text: “The Wisdom of Solomon at the Crossroads of Wisdom, Apocalypticism, and Philosophy” (2018, Denver); “Knowledge and the Cosmos in the Wisdom of Solomon” (2019, San Diego); and “The Wisdom of Solomon” (2020, online). The first four articles, by Emma Wasserman, Benjamin Wold, Bradley Gregory, and Mark Giszczak, were published in the September 2021 issue. And we are very pleased to present the following four studies, fine examples of the current critical study of this influential text, and we would like to thank Matthias Henze, editor of JSP, for the opportunity and for all of the guidance he has graciously offered in getting out and presenting what we hope will be an important contribution to the study of the Wisdom of Solomon. Karina Martin Hogan in her article, “Ahistorical Interpretation of the Torah Narratives in the Wisdom of Solomon,” tackles one of the more debated questions in the history of research on the text, the confounding lack of proper nouns or precise character descriptions in the final nine chapters of the book. Hogan calls into question the traditional designation of this section as the “Book of History,” as the Torah narrative is presented not as a record of historical events but rather as a mythos, as paradigmatic stories designed to educate. Hogan closely examines three examples—the first Antithesis (11:1–14), the
以下是由Karina Martin Hogan和Jason Zurawski编辑的《伪典研究杂志》(JSP)专门研究所罗门智慧的第二期特刊。这些论文主要来自圣经文学学会智慧与启示项目单元的三次会议，重点关注第一世纪的重要文本:“所罗门在智慧、启示和哲学的十字路口的智慧”(2018年，丹佛);《所罗门智慧中的知识与宇宙》(2019年，圣地亚哥);《所罗门的智慧》(2020，在线)。由Emma Wasserman, Benjamin Wold, Bradley Gregory和Mark Giszczak撰写的前四篇文章发表在2021年9月号上。我们很高兴为大家介绍以下四篇研究，这是当前对这篇有影响力的文本进行批判性研究的好例子，我们要感谢JSP的编辑马蒂亚斯·亨泽，感谢他提供的机会以及他所提供的所有指导我们希望这些研究将对所罗门智慧的研究做出重要贡献。卡琳娜·马丁·霍根(Karina Martin Hogan)在她的文章《所罗门智慧中的托拉叙事的非历史解读》(a - historical Interpretation of Torah Narratives in the Wisdom of Solomon)中，解决了历史上对该文本的研究中一个更有争议的问题，即该书最后九章缺乏专有名词或精确的人物描述，令人困惑。霍根对传统上将这一部分称为“历史之书”的说法提出了质疑，因为《托拉》的叙述不是作为历史事件的记录，而是作为神话，作为旨在教育的范例故事。霍根仔细研究了三个例子——第一个反题(11:1-14)
{"title":"Introduction to December 2021 special issue of the Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha: The Wisdom of Solomon","authors":"J. Zurawski, K. Hogan","doi":"10.1177/09518207211058998","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09518207211058998","url":null,"abstract":"The following is the second special issue of the Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha (JSP) devoted to studies of the Wisdom of Solomon, edited by Karina Martin Hogan and Jason Zurawski. The collection of papers largely derives from three sessions of the Wisdom and Apocalypticism program unit of the Society of Biblical Literature focused on the important first-century text: “The Wisdom of Solomon at the Crossroads of Wisdom, Apocalypticism, and Philosophy” (2018, Denver); “Knowledge and the Cosmos in the Wisdom of Solomon” (2019, San Diego); and “The Wisdom of Solomon” (2020, online). The first four articles, by Emma Wasserman, Benjamin Wold, Bradley Gregory, and Mark Giszczak, were published in the September 2021 issue. And we are very pleased to present the following four studies, fine examples of the current critical study of this influential text, and we would like to thank Matthias Henze, editor of JSP, for the opportunity and for all of the guidance he has graciously offered in getting out and presenting what we hope will be an important contribution to the study of the Wisdom of Solomon. Karina Martin Hogan in her article, “Ahistorical Interpretation of the Torah Narratives in the Wisdom of Solomon,” tackles one of the more debated questions in the history of research on the text, the confounding lack of proper nouns or precise character descriptions in the final nine chapters of the book. Hogan calls into question the traditional designation of this section as the “Book of History,” as the Torah narrative is presented not as a record of historical events but rather as a mythos, as paradigmatic stories designed to educate. Hogan closely examines three examples—the first Antithesis (11:1–14), the","PeriodicalId":14859,"journal":{"name":"Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha","volume":"31 1","pages":"73 - 75"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45635551","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-12-01DOI: 10.1177/09518207211059484
K. Hogan
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.”
{"title":"Ahistorical interpretation of the Torah narratives in the Wisdom of Solomon","authors":"K. Hogan","doi":"10.1177/09518207211059484","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09518207211059484","url":null,"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.”","PeriodicalId":14859,"journal":{"name":"Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha","volume":"31 1","pages":"76 - 88"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43433438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-12-01DOI: 10.1177/09518207211059481
Ronald R. Cox
An analysis of personified Sophia’s soteriological role illuminates the interrelationship between eschatology and ontology in the Wisdom of Solomon. Read within the philosophical milieu of early imperial Platonism, Sophia functions similarly to divine intermediaries in the writings of Alcinous, Plutarch of Chaeronea, and Numenius of Apamea in how she leads souls from the earthly to the intellectual realm. In contrast to the temporal orientations in the treatise before and after, Wisdom 6:22–10:18 depicts Sophia’s benefit to humankind as ahistorical and ontological in nature.
{"title":"Along a marvelous way: The significance of Middle Platonism for understanding Wisdom of Solomon’s soteriology","authors":"Ronald R. Cox","doi":"10.1177/09518207211059481","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09518207211059481","url":null,"abstract":"An analysis of personified Sophia’s soteriological role illuminates the interrelationship between eschatology and ontology in the Wisdom of Solomon. Read within the philosophical milieu of early imperial Platonism, Sophia functions similarly to divine intermediaries in the writings of Alcinous, Plutarch of Chaeronea, and Numenius of Apamea in how she leads souls from the earthly to the intellectual realm. In contrast to the temporal orientations in the treatise before and after, Wisdom 6:22–10:18 depicts Sophia’s benefit to humankind as ahistorical and ontological in nature.","PeriodicalId":14859,"journal":{"name":"Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha","volume":"31 1","pages":"122 - 130"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42129850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-12-01DOI: 10.1177/09518207211042819
Jian Sun
The distinction between the good and the wicked is common in wisdom literature. Although the distinction can be viewed as ubiquitous, I would like to problematize it by considering the literary device deployed in constructing the archetypes of the good and the wicked. Specifically, I analyze the depiction of the wicked in chapters 1–6 in Wisdom of Solomon and argue that the construction of the wicked in Wisdom is indispensable in understanding how the righteous obtain wisdom through divine protection and acceptance of divine provision. First, I offer a close reading of the text, mainly Chapters 1–6, and parse out the ways of depicting the wicked in Wisdom of Solomon. In particular, I highlight the “collectivity” of the crowd, as opposed to a “single” righteous individual or group. Social theories of the crowd are critical to my formulation of the characteristics of the wicked. Second, I examine the relationship between the wicked and the righteous, and propose the idea of “a mirror effect” in these antithetical depictions. The mirror effect exhibits didactic values, as it instructs one to pursue righteousness and shun from evil. Third, I focus on the interaction between God, the righteous, and the wicked and suggest that divine intervention in helping the righteous stand firm among the wicked manifests both divine justice and divine mercy.
{"title":"Flowers of evil: Constructing the wicked in Wisdom of Solomon","authors":"Jian Sun","doi":"10.1177/09518207211042819","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09518207211042819","url":null,"abstract":"The distinction between the good and the wicked is common in wisdom literature. Although the distinction can be viewed as ubiquitous, I would like to problematize it by considering the literary device deployed in constructing the archetypes of the good and the wicked. Specifically, I analyze the depiction of the wicked in chapters 1–6 in Wisdom of Solomon and argue that the construction of the wicked in Wisdom is indispensable in understanding how the righteous obtain wisdom through divine protection and acceptance of divine provision. First, I offer a close reading of the text, mainly Chapters 1–6, and parse out the ways of depicting the wicked in Wisdom of Solomon. In particular, I highlight the “collectivity” of the crowd, as opposed to a “single” righteous individual or group. Social theories of the crowd are critical to my formulation of the characteristics of the wicked. Second, I examine the relationship between the wicked and the righteous, and propose the idea of “a mirror effect” in these antithetical depictions. The mirror effect exhibits didactic values, as it instructs one to pursue righteousness and shun from evil. Third, I focus on the interaction between God, the righteous, and the wicked and suggest that divine intervention in helping the righteous stand firm among the wicked manifests both divine justice and divine mercy.","PeriodicalId":14859,"journal":{"name":"Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha","volume":"31 1","pages":"108 - 121"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48628631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-09-01DOI: 10.1177/09518207211033522
Benjamin G. Wold
Similar ideas and tropes found in the Wisdom of Solomon and 4QInstruction (4Q415–418, 423; 1Q26) have considerable significance for the study of early Jewish sapiential literature. One feature shared by both compositions is teaching about “mysteries.” Previous studies on these two wisdom writings conclude that there are distinct differences in what these mysteries are and how they function in the thought world of each composition. This article argues for an alternative understanding of mysteries in 4QInstruction to those presented in previous comparative studies. In light of this reassessment of mysteries, the Wisdom of Solomon and 4QInstruction are seen to participate within an intellectual space much closer to one another than previously perceived.
{"title":"“Mystery” in the Wisdom of Solomon and 4QInstruction","authors":"Benjamin G. Wold","doi":"10.1177/09518207211033522","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09518207211033522","url":null,"abstract":"Similar ideas and tropes found in the Wisdom of Solomon and 4QInstruction (4Q415–418, 423; 1Q26) have considerable significance for the study of early Jewish sapiential literature. One feature shared by both compositions is teaching about “mysteries.” Previous studies on these two wisdom writings conclude that there are distinct differences in what these mysteries are and how they function in the thought world of each composition. This article argues for an alternative understanding of mysteries in 4QInstruction to those presented in previous comparative studies. In light of this reassessment of mysteries, the Wisdom of Solomon and 4QInstruction are seen to participate within an intellectual space much closer to one another than previously perceived.","PeriodicalId":14859,"journal":{"name":"Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha","volume":"31 1","pages":"29 - 48"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43700180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-09-01DOI: 10.1177/09518207211023249
Bradley C. Gregory
The theme of memory in the Wisdom of Solomon shows affinities with the conceptualization of memory in the ancient world generally. The book is written such that the more one has internalized the texts and traditions of the Jewish community, the more meaningful and persuasive its argument will be. To have shaped oneself according to the authoritative Scriptural texts is to perceive the true reality of how history is unfolding. Even if there is danger or suffering in the present, one can make sense of this in terms of a coming eschatological judgment because one will contextualize the present in the patterns of the remembered past. Thus, virtues like fortitude, self-control, justice, and prudence can be developed because God and Wisdom, from whom these come, have assured their eventual reward. In addition, the same pedagogical role of memory that Pseudo-Solomon describes through the plague sequence is evident in the author’s approach to his audience as well. They are expected to learn from the remembered, sacred past as well as from their own experiences. And when shaped by these memories, they will have the prudence to remain faithful because they perceive the intimate connection between virtue and immortality that has been evident throughout history. They will understand that wisdom provides eternal remembrance, both among people but even more importantly, in the mind of God.
{"title":"The role of memory in the Wisdom of Solomon","authors":"Bradley C. Gregory","doi":"10.1177/09518207211023249","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09518207211023249","url":null,"abstract":"The theme of memory in the Wisdom of Solomon shows affinities with the conceptualization of memory in the ancient world generally. The book is written such that the more one has internalized the texts and traditions of the Jewish community, the more meaningful and persuasive its argument will be. To have shaped oneself according to the authoritative Scriptural texts is to perceive the true reality of how history is unfolding. Even if there is danger or suffering in the present, one can make sense of this in terms of a coming eschatological judgment because one will contextualize the present in the patterns of the remembered past. Thus, virtues like fortitude, self-control, justice, and prudence can be developed because God and Wisdom, from whom these come, have assured their eventual reward. In addition, the same pedagogical role of memory that Pseudo-Solomon describes through the plague sequence is evident in the author’s approach to his audience as well. They are expected to learn from the remembered, sacred past as well as from their own experiences. And when shaped by these memories, they will have the prudence to remain faithful because they perceive the intimate connection between virtue and immortality that has been evident throughout history. They will understand that wisdom provides eternal remembrance, both among people but even more importantly, in the mind of God.","PeriodicalId":14859,"journal":{"name":"Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha","volume":"31 1","pages":"49 - 61"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"65691341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-09-01DOI: 10.1177/09518207211032890
Mark Giszczak
Historians largely agree that Hellenistic kingship was founded, not primarily on heredity, but on military achievement (MacDonald, 2015). The right to rule was thus militarily meritocratic, but philosophically unsteady, so kings felt the need to propagandize by commissioning writings peri basileias. Diogenes Laertius gives evidence that this type of kingship literature was widely produced in this era, though only fragments of these texts survive. The tracts attributed to Ecphantus, Diotogenes, and Sthenidas, along with the Letter of Aristeas, reveal that Hellenistic kingship was supported by a mythos that viewed obtaining kingship as a kind of moral achievement. The king’s virtues are emphasized as godlike and worthy of imitation by his subjects, as he embodies the law in his person. The Wisdom of Solomon reworks this kingship tradition by “democratizing” kingship (Newman, 2004) to all to call his readers to imitate Solomon’s choice of wisdom over folly. Solomon’s search for and embrace of wisdom (7:7; 8:2) takes the place of militaristic emphases and establishes a universalizable pattern for the moral quest of the individual. Wisdom domesticates a Hellenistic pattern of seeking wisdom and thus achieving kingly rule, which eventually allows one to be a benefactor of others. Wisdom is beneficent (7:23) and, rather than becoming a god, the wise Solomon benefits others with his wise and just rule (Wis 8:10–15; 9:12). Even the wise Israelites become benefactors to others (19:14). Thus, the quest of the king for wisdom follows a familiar outline of the journey of a king from obscurity, to conquest, to rule, to beneficence.
历史学家基本上同意希腊化王权的建立，主要不是基于遗传，而是基于军事成就（麦克唐纳，2015）。因此，统治权在军事上是精英统治的，但在哲学上是不稳定的，因此国王们觉得有必要通过委托撰写《巴西利亚》来进行宣传。Diogenes Laertius提供了证据，证明这种类型的王权文学在这个时代广泛产生，尽管只有这些文本的片段幸存下来。Ecphantus、Diotogenes和Sthenidas的小册子，以及Aristeas的信件，揭示了希腊化的王权得到了神话的支持，神话将获得王权视为一种道德成就。国王的美德被强调为神圣的，值得臣民效仿，因为他将法律体现在自己的身上。《所罗门的智慧》（The Wisdom of Solomon）通过将王权“民主化”（Newman，2004）来重塑这一王权传统，让所有人都能模仿所罗门对智慧而非愚蠢的选择。所罗门对智慧的探索和拥抱（7:7；8:2）取代了军国主义的重点，为个人的道德追求建立了一种普遍的模式。智慧驯化了一种希腊化的模式，即寻求智慧，从而实现国王统治，最终使自己成为他人的恩人。智慧是有益的（7:23），智慧的所罗门并没有成为神，而是用他智慧和公正的统治造福他人（智慧8:10-15；9:12）。即使是聪明的以色列人也会成为他人的恩人（19:14）。因此，国王对智慧的追求遵循了一个熟悉的国王从默默无闻到征服、统治、再到仁慈的旅程大纲。
{"title":"The quest of the king in the Wisdom of Solomon","authors":"Mark Giszczak","doi":"10.1177/09518207211032890","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09518207211032890","url":null,"abstract":"Historians largely agree that Hellenistic kingship was founded, not primarily on heredity, but on military achievement (MacDonald, 2015). The right to rule was thus militarily meritocratic, but philosophically unsteady, so kings felt the need to propagandize by commissioning writings peri basileias. Diogenes Laertius gives evidence that this type of kingship literature was widely produced in this era, though only fragments of these texts survive. The tracts attributed to Ecphantus, Diotogenes, and Sthenidas, along with the Letter of Aristeas, reveal that Hellenistic kingship was supported by a mythos that viewed obtaining kingship as a kind of moral achievement. The king’s virtues are emphasized as godlike and worthy of imitation by his subjects, as he embodies the law in his person. The Wisdom of Solomon reworks this kingship tradition by “democratizing” kingship (Newman, 2004) to all to call his readers to imitate Solomon’s choice of wisdom over folly. Solomon’s search for and embrace of wisdom (7:7; 8:2) takes the place of militaristic emphases and establishes a universalizable pattern for the moral quest of the individual. Wisdom domesticates a Hellenistic pattern of seeking wisdom and thus achieving kingly rule, which eventually allows one to be a benefactor of others. Wisdom is beneficent (7:23) and, rather than becoming a god, the wise Solomon benefits others with his wise and just rule (Wis 8:10–15; 9:12). Even the wise Israelites become benefactors to others (19:14). Thus, the quest of the king for wisdom follows a familiar outline of the journey of a king from obscurity, to conquest, to rule, to beneficence.","PeriodicalId":14859,"journal":{"name":"Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha","volume":"31 1","pages":"62 - 70"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46719863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：