Goff, Matthew - The Book of Wisdom in Modern Research

8/2/2019 Goff, Matthew - The Book of Wisdom in Modern Research

1/5

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________Report Information from ProQuestMarch 12 2012 07:33

_______________________________________________________________


2/5

Document 1 of 1

The Book of Wisdom in Modern ResearchGoff, Matthew. The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 69.1 (Jan 2007): 180-182.

_______________________________________________________________AbstractThe author concludes that "the attitude defended by the Book of Wisdom with regard to the

problem of the rights of the Jews of Alexandria is that of a Judaism which is conscious of its

own individuality but which, at the same time, seeks a measure of integration" (p. 79).

_______________________________________________________________Full TextANGELO PASSARO and GIUSEPPE BELLIA (eds.), The Book of Wisdomin Modern

Research (Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature Yearbook 2005; Berlin/New York: deGruyter, 2005). Pp. xx + 363. euro91.59.

The Book of Wisdomin Modern Research is a stimulating volume that anyone interested in

this deuterocanonical bookwill find valuable. Along with an introduction by John J. Collins, it

comprises fourteen essays: David Winston, "A Century ofResearch on the Book of Wisdom"

(pp. 1-18); Maurice Gilbert, "The Literary Structure ofthe Book of Wisdom: A Study ofVarious

Views" (pp. 19-32); Marie-Franoise Baslez, "The Author of Wisdomand the Cultured

Environment ofAlexandria" (pp. 33-52); Luca Mazzinghi, "Wis 19:13-17 and the Civil Rights

ofthe Jews ofAlexandria" (pp. 53-82); Giuseppe Bellia, "Historical and Anthropological

Reading ofthe Book of Wisdom" (pp. 83-115); mile Puech, "The Book of Wisdomand the

Dead Sea Scrolls: An Overview" (pp. 117-41); John J. Collins, "The Reinterpretation of

Apocalyptic Traditions in the Wisdom ofSolomon" (pp. 143-57); Silvana Manfredi, "The Trial

ofthe Righteous in Wis 5:1-14 (1-7) and in the Prophetic Traditions" (pp. 159-78); Angelo

Passaro, "The Serpent and the Manna or the Saving Word: Exegesis ofWis 16" (pp. 179-93);

Rosario Pistone, "The Lyre and the Creation: Music Theory and Persuasive Strategy in

Wisdom19" (pp. 195-217); Giovanni Rizzi, "Hermeneutic Phenomena in the Translation of

the Peshitta Wisdom" (pp. 219-53); Roberto Vignolo, "Wisdom, Prayer and Kingly Pattern:

Theology, Anthropology, Spirituality ofWis 9" (pp. 255-82); Paolo lovino, '"The Only WiseGod' in the Letter to the Romans: Connections with the Book of Wisdom" (pp. 283-305);

Giuseppe Bellia and Angelo Passaro, "Infinite Passion for Justice" (pp. 307-28).

This bookcontains the proceedings ofa conference entitled "St. John the Evangelist" that

convened in Palermo, March 22-23, 2002, under the auspices ofthe Theological Faculty of

Sicily. This is their third Conference ofBiblical Studies, having held two previous congresses

on sapiential literature (Proverbs in April 1998 and Qoheleth in April 2000). The organizers

have produced an important contribution to the study ofthe Wisdom ofSolomon. The essays

in this volume address major themes and issues ofthis composition, including its history ofscholarship (Winston), its literary structure (Gilbert), its probable Alexandrian provenance

(Basiez, Mazzinghi, Bellia), its relationship to apocalypticism and the Dead Sea Scrolls


3/5

(Collins, Puech), and its theological concepts (lovino, Bellia-Passaro). Some papers are

devoted to the explication ofspecific texts (Passaro, Pistone, Vignolo). (The space allotted for

this review does not allow me to discuss every article in the volume.)

Baslez argues that the polemical aspects ofthe Wisdom ofSolomon reflect an orientation

toward "the social and cultural elite ofAlexandria" in order to counter their influence on the

Jewish community (p. 36). The author addresses other aspects ofthe work's Alexandrianmilieu, such as "clubs and other convivial associations" (p. 40) and Dionysianism, which, it is

argued, is attacked in texts such as Wis 12:3-7 and 14:23 (pp. 42-43). Baslez concludes that

the Wisdom ofSolomon is best understood against the backdrop "ofthe fiscal reform of24/3

rather than the period ofPhilo and Caligula" (p. 49), putting forward a date ofcomposition that

is earlier than that ofDavid Winston's authoritative The Wisdom ofSolomon: A new translation

with introduction and commentary (AB 43; New York: Doubleday, 1979) 23. Mazzinghi

examines how Wis 19:13-17 sheds light on the civil rights ofthe Jewish community in

Alexandria. This pericope compares the Egyptians to the biblical men ofSodom, who treatedtheir guests cruelly. The author concludes that "the attitude defended by the Book of Wisdom

with regard to the problem ofthe rights ofthe Jews ofAlexandria is that ofa Judaism which is

conscious ofits own individuality but which, at the same time, seeks a measure ofintegration"

(p. 79).

Puech's essay examines the Wisdom ofSolomon vis--vis the Dead Sea Scrolls. His

treatment ofthe theme ofthe afterlife concentrates less on the Greek conception ofthe

immortality ofthe soul than on the Jewish tradition. He argues that immortality is a "free gift of

God" that constitutes the annulment ofAdam's sin (p. 128). Puech suggests that the WisdomofSolomon never mentions resurrection because it is either a "known truth" for the ancient

author or he considered the idea "unacceptable" (p. 129). Puech sees the doctrine of

resurrection in a surprising number ofQumran manuscripts, including one fragment ofthe

wisdomcomposition 4QInstruction (4Q418 69 ii). For him, this text aptly illustrates "the

eschatological conception ofthe Book of Wisdom" (p. 135). Collins's essay also analyzes the

Wisdom ofSolomon in relation to late Second Temple Palestinian traditions. He reviews

apocalyptic tropes ofthe composition (e.g., eschatological judgment). Collins concludes that

"the apocalyptic motifs in the Wisdom ofSolomon do not ultimately shape the worldview of

the text," but they are rather "reinterpreted through the lens ofHellenistic philosophy" (p. 154).

Two novel essays in the collection are those ofPistone and Rizzi. Pistone examines the

ending ofthe Wisdom ofSolomon, which describes the exodus as a metamorphosis of

elements ofthe natural world (Wis 19:18-21). To depict this transformation, the pericope uses

a musical metaphor, which Pistone investigates in light ofancient Greek musicology, drawing

on material such as Aristoxenus's Harmonia and a treatise on meter and rhythm from the

Oxyrhynchus papyri (POxy. 9 and 2687) (p. 207). He concludes his technical discussion with

the assertion that Wis 19:18 "can and should be read as a musical allusion in terms of

rhythm, not sound" (p. 211). Rizzi contributes an erudite paper on the Wisdom ofSolomon inthe Syriac tradition. The Peshitta ofthis bookis a translation from the LXX (p. 229). There is a

limited degree ofengagement with the Syriac translation ofthe Wisdom ofSolomon by


4/5

medieval rabbis, including Nachmanides (p. 233). The author reviews instances in which the

Syriac offers a "Christianized" translation ofthe text, such as Peshitta Wis 2:12d (p. 235).

Rizzi concludes that the Syriac version ofsome Wisdom ofSolomon texts "could be less

confessional than what has been proposed" (p. 250).

The Book of Wisdomin Modern Research is a successful and learned volume. It brings

together, in an Italian context, some ofthe leading experts on the Wisdom ofSolomon. Theyaddress, often with sophistication and insight, some ofthe core issues ofthis composition.

AuthorAffiliation

Matthew Goff, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306

_______________________________________________________________Indexing (details)Subject Theology;

Traditions;

Conferences;

Nonfiction;

Civil rights;

Essays

Title The Book of Wisdom in Modern Research

Author Goff, Matthew

Publication title The Catholic Biblical Quarterly

Volume 69Issue 1

Pages 180-182

Number of pages 3

Publication year 2007

Publication date Jan 2007

Year 2007

Publisher Washington

Publisher Catholic Biblical Association of America

Place of publication Washington

Country of publication United States

Journal subject Religions And Theology--Roman Catholic

ISSN 00087912

Source type Scholarly Journals

Language of publication English

Document type Book Review-Favorable

Subfile Nonfiction, Essays, Theology, Conferences, Civil rights, Traditions

ProQuest document ID 220251174

Document URL http://search.proquest.com/docview/220251174?accountid=8013

Copyright Copyright Catholic Biblical Association of America Jan 2007


5/5

Last updated 2010-06-09

Database ProQuest Central

Goff, Matthew - The Book of Wisdom in Modern Research

Documents

Transcript of Goff, Matthew - The Book of Wisdom in Modern Research