Worship and Holy Places in the Wisdom of Solomon
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Markus Witte
Abstract
In contrast to the book of Ben Sira with its strong focus on Jerusalem and the temple, the Wisdom of Solomon, written between the first century BCE and the first century CE in Alexandria, mentions the holy city in only two verses, both in the relecture of the prayer of Solomon (1 Kgs 3) in Wis 9. The temple and the sacrifices play only a marginal role in the book of Wisdom. This article provides an overview of the use of terms for “holy” in the book of Wisdom. It also analyzes its handling of holy places and its high estimation of prayer and of the interpretation of scriptures-two location-independent forms of worship-as typical of early Jewish diaspora theology.*
Abstract
In contrast to the book of Ben Sira with its strong focus on Jerusalem and the temple, the Wisdom of Solomon, written between the first century BCE and the first century CE in Alexandria, mentions the holy city in only two verses, both in the relecture of the prayer of Solomon (1 Kgs 3) in Wis 9. The temple and the sacrifices play only a marginal role in the book of Wisdom. This article provides an overview of the use of terms for “holy” in the book of Wisdom. It also analyzes its handling of holy places and its high estimation of prayer and of the interpretation of scriptures-two location-independent forms of worship-as typical of early Jewish diaspora theology.*
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter i
- Preface of the Editorial Board of Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature Yearbook vii
- Preface ix
- Contents xi
- How did Early Judaism Understand the Concept of ʿAvodah? 1
- The Garland: A Sign of Worship and Acknowledgement 17
- Temples and Sanctuaries within Their Apocalyptic Setting 41
- Solomon’s Temple and Israel’s Earlier Cultic Traditions in 2 Chronicles 1−8 63
- Sirach Chapter 2 and the Temple 77
- Ben Sira on the Piety of Men and the Piety of Women 107
- Word and Prayer in the Book of Ben Sira 117
- Worship in the Restored Second Temple in Sirach 50 141
- The Temple as a Place of Worship and the God of Heaven in 2 Maccabees 167
- A Narrative-Therapeutic Reading of the Martyr Narrative in 2 Maccabees 6 and 7 181
- Bodily Signs of Penitence in the Book of Baruch 197
- Piety without the Temple according to the Book of Baruch 215
- Babylonian Priests in the Description of the Epistle of Jeremiah 225
- No Place for Worship 247
- Gestures and Locations of Worship in the Book of Tobit 261
- Charity and Cult in the Book of Tobit 277
- Worship and Holy Places in the Wisdom of Solomon 289
- Aspects of Worship in the Letter of Aristeas 305
- Die kosmische Bedeutung des jüdischen Hohenpriesters im Denken Philos von Alexandrien 319
- Temple and Synagogue in Late Antiquity 341
- Worship in Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum 365
- Worship and Creation 389
- Contributors 421
- Index of References 423
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter i
- Preface of the Editorial Board of Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature Yearbook vii
- Preface ix
- Contents xi
- How did Early Judaism Understand the Concept of ʿAvodah? 1
- The Garland: A Sign of Worship and Acknowledgement 17
- Temples and Sanctuaries within Their Apocalyptic Setting 41
- Solomon’s Temple and Israel’s Earlier Cultic Traditions in 2 Chronicles 1−8 63
- Sirach Chapter 2 and the Temple 77
- Ben Sira on the Piety of Men and the Piety of Women 107
- Word and Prayer in the Book of Ben Sira 117
- Worship in the Restored Second Temple in Sirach 50 141
- The Temple as a Place of Worship and the God of Heaven in 2 Maccabees 167
- A Narrative-Therapeutic Reading of the Martyr Narrative in 2 Maccabees 6 and 7 181
- Bodily Signs of Penitence in the Book of Baruch 197
- Piety without the Temple according to the Book of Baruch 215
- Babylonian Priests in the Description of the Epistle of Jeremiah 225
- No Place for Worship 247
- Gestures and Locations of Worship in the Book of Tobit 261
- Charity and Cult in the Book of Tobit 277
- Worship and Holy Places in the Wisdom of Solomon 289
- Aspects of Worship in the Letter of Aristeas 305
- Die kosmische Bedeutung des jüdischen Hohenpriesters im Denken Philos von Alexandrien 319
- Temple and Synagogue in Late Antiquity 341
- Worship in Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum 365
- Worship and Creation 389
- Contributors 421
- Index of References 423
