The Wisdom of Solomon: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (The Anchor Bible, Vol. 43) [Hardcover]

David Winston (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 5, 1979

The Anchor Bible offers new, book-by-book translations of the Old and New Testarnents and Apocrypha, with commentary.  This volume on The Wisdom of Solomon as been prepared by David Winston, Professor of Hellenistic and Judaic Studies and Director of the Center for Judaic Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California.

The Wisdom of Solomon is a long and subtly poetic work placed in the mouth of "wise" King Solomon.  It blends biblical thought and Middle Platonism.  David Winston thoroughly analyzes the book, presenting the philosophical situation clearly and putting forth evidence to suggest that the work was written later than is commonly supposed, during the reign of Caligula (A.D. 37-41), and by a single author.

Because of its exclusion from the canon of scripture used by Jews and Protestant Christians, The Wisdom of Solomon has been neglected by biblical scholars in general.  Dr. Winston's commentary is the first to thoroughly cover both previous research and recent developments such as the Qumran scrolls, papyrus discoveries in Egypt, and new knowledge of ancient Iranian religion.  It is a major contribution to the study of the apocryphal literature of the Bible.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Greek (translation)

From the Publisher

The Anchor Bible offers new, book-by-book translations of the Old and New Testarnents and Apocrypha, with commentary. This volume on The Wisdom Of Solomon as been prepared by David Winston, Professor of Hellenistic and Judaic Studies and Director of the Center for Judaic Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California.

The Wisdom of Solomon is a long and subtly poetic work placed in the mouth of "wise" King Solomon. It blends biblical thought and Middle Platonism. David Winston thoroughly analyzes the book, presenting the philosophical situation clearly and putting forth evidence to suggest that the work was written later than is commonly supposed, during the reign of Caligula (A.D. 37-41), and by a single author.

Because of its exclusion from the canon of scripture used by Jews and Protestant Christians, The Wisdom Of Solomon has been neglected by biblical scholars in general. Dr. Winston's commentary is the first to thoroughly cover both previous research and recent developments such as the Qumran scrolls, papyrus discoveries in Egypt, and new knowledge of ancient Iranian religion. It is a major contribution to the study of the apocryphal literature of the Bible.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 359 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday & Co.; 1St Edition edition (September 5, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385016441
• ISBN-13: 978-0385016445
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,042,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best of the Apochrypha, well researched, September 8, 2007

By 

Bill Ross "Bacon" (Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wisdom of Solomon: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (The Anchor Bible, Vol. 43) (Hardcover)

This is the most fascinating of the apochryphal literature, I think, and Winston does a great job with it. I must confess that the Anchor series is my favorite commentary series. I would love to see an "Anchor Bible" - a whole Bible of these great translations, with great footnotes.
Winston sees a great deal of Neo-Platonism in the text. This might be debatable and might not sit with everyone but I think he may be at least partly on track. At any rate, the book will give you much to chew on. I quote him in my book Bible Shockers! (bibleshockers.com) where he gives the background of an obscure passage in Job 10:10.

5 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good scholarship on a not-so good text, July 22, 2000

By 

"dorianrex" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wisdom of Solomon: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (The Anchor Bible, Vol. 43) (Hardcover)

Of all the Apocrypha, I must say the most forgettable may be the Wisdom of Solomon. The Platonizing of Judao-Christian religion was VERY detrimental to it's spiritual growth, and sadly; this document was a big contributer. However, it's influence on the Catholic Church and Mariology is VERY interesting and so it deserves a look. Many points to the scholars who devoted great time and effort to getting to the bottom of this much misunderstood text.