📍 Chronicles of Other Biblical Traditions: What is the 'Book of Wisdom'?
📖✨ What is the Book of Wisdom?
The Book of Wisdom is one of the latest works among the 'Wisdom Literature' of the Old Testament (which includes Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes). While it praises wisdom under the name of King Solomon, it actually provides profound answers to the sufferings of life, justice, and the hope of existence after death.
📖✨ 1. Suffering of the Righteous and the Hope of Immortality
This is one of the most beautiful sections of the book. It addresses the timeless question: "Why do good people suffer and die young?"
The Souls of the Righteous: The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, where no torment shall touch them.
The Meaning of Death: In the eyes of the foolish, they seemed to have died, and their departure was taken for a misfortune, but they are, in fact, at peace.
Immortality: Wisdom brings humans close to God. It sings of the hope that a righteous life does not end in death but leads to eternal life.
📖✨ 2. In Praise of Wisdom
Wisdom is depicted not merely as simple knowledge, but as a 'Holy Spirit' that was present with God during the creation of the world.
Wisdom knows and can do all things; she enters into holy souls and makes them friends of God and prophets.
Those who love and seek Wisdom will surely find her, and obtaining Wisdom is emphasized as being better than any earthly treasure or power.
📖✨ 3. Wisdom in History (Reinterpretation of the Exodus)
The latter half of the book reinterprets Israel's history, particularly the Exodus from Egypt, through the lens of Wisdom.
It demonstrates how Wisdom became a path of salvation for those who believed in God, while their own evil deeds became instruments of judgment for the unrighteous.
📖✨ Why AI Explains It Was Excluded from the Canon
✨ 1. The Issue of the Original “Language” (The Most Significant Reason)
One of the key principles in determining the Old Testament canon in Protestant tradition is whether a text was originally written in Hebrew.The Book of Wisdom was written in Greek from the beginning.
At that time, Jewish scholars regarded the traditional Hebrew texts—such as the Law and the Prophets—as the core of Scripture. Therefore, a book written in Greek was considered a valuable reference, but not sufficient to be recognized as direct divine revelation.
✨ 2. The Difference in “Time Period”
The Book of Wisdom is estimated to have been written about 50–100 years before the time of Jesus.
This places it far removed from the era of the Old Testament prophets.
In Protestant understanding, the period between the prophet Malachi and John the Baptist is often called the “intertestamental period” or a time of silence. Since the Book of Wisdom was written during this time, it was not included in the canon.
✨ 3. Written in the Name of “Solomon”
Although the Book of Wisdom is presented as if it were written by King Solomon, it is widely understood to have been authored by a later Jewish thinker who wrote under Solomon’s name.
Regardless of the value of its content, this issue of authorship meant that it did not meet the strict standards required for inclusion in the canon.
😊 My Thoughts on the Book of Wisdom – Why It Was Excluded from the Canon
Based on the summary alone, it does not seem like a book that should necessarily be excluded.
However, after looking into the reasons for its exclusion, I found it understandable that it was not included in the canon—especially since there are multiple factors involved.
🔎 The fact that it was written in Greek rather than Hebrew
🔎 Its composition date, estimated around 100–50 BC—approximately 300–350 years after the time of Malachi
🔎 The fact that it was not included in the Jewish canon
These reasons together made its exclusion from the canon seem reasonable to me.
Based on the summary alone, it does not seem like a book that should necessarily be excluded.
However, after looking into the reasons for its exclusion, I found it understandable that it was not included in the canon—especially since there are multiple factors involved.
🔎 The fact that it was written in Greek rather than Hebrew
🔎 Its composition date, estimated around 100–50 BC—approximately 300–350 years after the time of Malachi
🔎 The fact that it was not included in the Jewish canon
These reasons together made its exclusion from the canon seem reasonable to me.
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