Solomon and his retelling of the ancient israelite history: an examination of the literary structure of ch.7-9 and ch.10-19 in the Wisdom of Solomon

Thesis

Although the Wisdom of Solomon occurs with high frequency in scholarly discussions on the conceptual development of wisdom at different stages in early Jewish history, alongside an exploration of Hellenistic influence on the Jewish religion, monographs dedicated to the book are not many. It has been nearly a decade since the last publication of a monograph dedicated to Wisdom. In this regard, this present study aims to bridge the research gap regarding the Wisdom of Solomon and offers new insights into how scriptural interpretation shapes the intellectual and religious life of the sage in the Hellenistic world, and also the community to which he belongs.

This study explores the literary arrangement of the last two sections of Wisdom— the Book of Wisdom (Ch.7-9) and the Book of History (Ch. 10-19), and attempts to showcase how an interconnected reading between the two sections can yield a fruitful understanding of the role of a Jewish sage amidst his community in the Hellenistic world. By linking the two major sections in Wisdom, I present how Ch.7-9 critically shape the voice of the sage in the guise of Solomon, whose voice lends itself to the historical retelling in Ch.10-19. I argue that reading the last two sections in Wisdom interconnectedly enables us to see how the Hellenistic Jewish sage performs Israelite history through a mode of conversation. The conversation is directed both at the community to which he belongs, and God, to whom praises and thanksgiving for deliverances throughout history are ascribed (19:22). The central argument is that innovative and creative scriptural interpretation enables the sage to present himself and the nation of Israel as exemplary, by which the sage invites people to respond to their changing contexts in light of the acts of God in history.

Authors: Sun, J

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-yqm8bkgz2
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: Old Testament; pseudepigrapha; Solomonic tradition; wisdom tradition; Wisdom of Solomon; Hellenistic Judaism
• Subjects: Wisdom of Solomon; Hebrew Bible; Pseudepigrapha