Sapiential Values And Apocalyptic Imagery In The Wisdom Of Solomon

Abstract

Apocalyptic works had become increasingly more prevalent primarily in Judea but also in the diaspora of Greece and Egypt from the first century BCE until the first century CE. It would be surprising for the author of the Wisdom of Solomon not to employ certain apocalyptic elements in an exhortation to the Jewish community in Alexandria during times of crisis and political upheaval. What is more surprising is the manner in which the author clings to the values of the sapiential tradition even as the argument for justice becomes more acute in the final section of the book. In prophecy, as a worldview, God is the one who establishes a relationship with Israel and with the world. The Lord is the one with full authority. The sapiential corpus of the bible displays a worldview in which wisdom becomes the important interpretative key to human experience and to history. Keywords: apocalyptic imagery; Jewish community; sapiential values; Wisdom of Solomon