Wisdom - CEI (1974)

The Book of Wisdom was written about a hundred years before the coming of Christ. Its author, whose name is not known to us, was a member of the Jewish community at Alexandria, in Egypt. He wrote in Greek, in a style patterned on that of Hebrew verse. At times he speaks in the person of Solomon, placing his teachings on the lips of the wise king of Hebrew tradition in order to emphasize their value. His profound knowledge of the earlier Old Testament writings is reflected in almost every line of the book, and marks him, like Ben Sira, as an outstanding representative of religious devotion and learning among the sages of postexilic Judaism. - The primary purpose of the sacred author was the edification of his co-religionists in a time when they had experienced suffering and oppression, in part at least at the hands of apostate fellow Jews. To convey his message he made use of the most popular religious themes of his time, namely the splendor and worth of divine wisdom (Wisdom 6:22-11:1), the glorious events of the Exodus (Wisdom 11:2-16; 12:23-27; 15:18 19:22), God's mercy (Wisdom 11:17-12:22), the folly of idolatry (Wisdom 13:1-15:17), and the manner in which God's justice is vindicated in rewarding or punishing the individual soul (Wisdom 1:1-6:21). The first ten chapters especially form a preparation for the fuller teachings of Christ and his Church. Many passages from this section of the book, notably Wisdom 3:1-8, are used by the Church in her liturgy. - The principal divisions of the Book of Wisdom are: I. Reward of Justice (Wisdom 1:1-6:21) II. Praise of Wisdom by Solomon (Wisdom 6:22-11:1) III. Special Providence of God during the Exodus (Wisdom 11:2-16; 12:23-27; 15:18-19:22) with digressions on God's mercy (Wisdom 11:17-12:22) and on the folly and shame of idolatry (Wisdom 13:1-15:17) - (NAB)

Headings

SAPIENZA (CEI) I. LA SAPIENZA E IL DESTINO UMANO 1 Cercare Dio e fuggire il peccato La vita secondo gli empi 2 Errore degli empi 3 Confronto tra la sorte dei giusti e quella degli empi 4 La morte prematura del giusto Gli empi compaiono in giudizio 5 Destino glorioso dei giusti e punizione degli empi II. SALOMONE E LA RICERCA DELLA SAPIENZA 6 I re devono ricercare la sapienza La sapienza si lascia trovare Salomone si accinge a descrivere la sapienza 7 Salomone non era che un uomo Stima di Salomone per la sapienza Elogio della sapienza 8 La sapienza sposa ideale per Salomone Salomone domanda la sapienza 9 Preghiera per ottenere la sapienza III. LA SAPIENZA OPERA NELLA STORIA 10 Da Adamo a Mosè L'Esodo 11 Moderazione divina verso l'Egitto Ragioni di questa moderazione 12 Moderazione di Dio verso Canaan Lezioni divine per Israele La loro punizione è progressiva 13 Divinizzazione della natura 14 Origine del culto idolatrico Conseguenze del culto idolatrico 15 Israele non è idolatra Follia dei fabbricanti di idoli 16 Secondo contrappasso: le rane Terzo contrappasso: cavallette e serpente di bronzo Quarto contrappasso: la grandine e la manna 17 Quinto contrappasso: tenebre e colonna di fuoco 18 Sesto contrappasso: notte di tragedia e di libertà Minaccia di sterminio nel deserto 19 Settimo contrappasso: il Mar Rosso L'Egitto più colpevole di Sodoma Una nuova armonia Conclusione

Version

Revised Standard Version (1966) - English Nova Vulgata - Latin Biblia del Pueblo di Dio (BPD) - Spanish Vulgata - Stuttgart 1969 - Latin Bíblia Sagrada Ave-Maria (1957) - Portuguese La Sainte Bible (Crampon 1904) - French EinheitsÜbersetzung der Heiligen Sc - German