Wisdom of Solomon

Objective: 

• The Incarnation of the Wisdom
• The Divinity of Christ
• Solomon's Prayer for Wisdom

• Wisdom with the Old Testament Saints

Resources:

• Fr Tadros Y Malaty Commentary
• Catena Bible Commentary
• Fr Dawoud Lamie Bible study (Arabic)
• SUS Might Arrows

Reading:

• Chapter 2: 1-25
• Chapter 7: 26-30
• Chapter 9: 1-18

Key verse(s):

“For God loves none but those who dwell with wisdom” Wisdom 7:28

Reading can be from OSB.

Comments:

• The Book is one of the Deuterocanonical Books
• It has been canonized in our Church and it is one of the Poetic Books
• Solomon is the author and it can be testified from the Book for these reasons:
  • The same eloquent and profound poetic style found in Solomon's other books
  • It is placed in the same order as Solomon's other books
  • Mentioned himself in (Wisdom 9:7-12)
• The Book is found in the Septuagint
• Many Church fathers affirmed the Book's canonicity like: St. Clement of Alexandria, St. Augustine, St. Athanasius, and St. Irenaeus.
• The Book talks about the Logos and His incarnation, His work of salvation, and His passion
• Breakdown:
  • Chapters 1-9: Wisdom in life with people
  • Chapter 10-19: Wisdom in humanity with God's people in the Old Testament
• Chapter 2:
  • V. 1 The ungodly say that there is no eternal life. 
  • V.12-25: Talk about our Lord Jesus and how people viewed Him
    • V.13 Accurate prophecy on our Lord Jesus Christ
    • V.14 The Lord knew their thoughts like the incident of the Paralytic man
    • V.18: This was mentioned at the Crucifixion
    • V.19-20: Talk about the Crucifixion 
    • V.25 "The Same as the Reconciliation prayer in the Liturgy of St. Basil"
      • Proves the canonicity of the Book
• Chapter 7:26-30
  • Talks about the Divinity of Christ
    • V.28: God will not accept someone unless he is attached to Christ
• Chapter 9:
  • V. 1: God the Father created all things through His Son
  • V. 4: Solomon is not asking for wisdom (trait), but the Wisdom of God. This is the Logos to live in Him
  • V.6: No one is good or perfect except if he has our Lord Jesus Christ
  • V.7-12: Talks about Solomon
    • V.8: He built the Temple according to the pattern of the Tabernacle which Moses built as God Himself showed him
    • V.9: A Theological explanation that the Wisdom - God the Son - the Logos was present from the beginning of time. The Divine Timelessness of God the Son.
    • V.10: God's incarnation
  • V.16: Shows our limitations as humans. We can't understand everything on earth, so by default, we can't understand the heavens!
• Chapters 10-19: Talks about how the wisdom carried the Old Testament saints. Encourage the youth to read at home

Review/recap questions:
**Servant may add more questions

1. When did our Lord read the people's thoughts?
2. Show a verse that is mentioned in the Divine Liturgy.
3. Chapter 9: Show verses that mention God's Divinity

Homework:
**Servant may add more questions

1. "For she is the breath of the ..... of God, and a pure influence flowing from the glory of the .....: therefore can no defiled thing fall into her." Wisdom 7:25
2. "And hardly do we guess aright at things that are upon ........., and with labour do we find the things that are before us: but the things that are in ........ who hath searched out?" Wisdom 9:16