The
Book of Wisdom is one of those books that is included in the Catholic Bible but
is not included in the Protestant Scriptures. Scripture scholars believe that the Book of Wisdom was probably written in the Greek language in the
century before Christ’s birth by a faithful Jew living in Alexandria,
Egypt. So, it
appears that the Book of Wisdom was the last book written in the Old
Testament. Alexandria was a great cosmopolitan city and center of learning in the ancient
world where many kinds of pagan beliefs and philosophies were seducing faithful
Jews in abandoning their beliefs and traditions. This
was not only happening in Alexandria, but in Jerusalem as well. In an
era where we see secularism luring so many Christian believers into abandoning
their faith, we see in the history of the Book of Wisdom that this is nothing
new. The
author of the Book of Wisdom wanted to show that true wisdom is found in God’s
revelation, not in pagan philosophies or religions or in the ways of the
secular world. The
Book of Wisdom talks about a good and virtuous man who is not respected or
revered, but rather condemned to a shameful death. Rather than wanting to follow his example of goodness, this virtuous man is seen as
being annoying and opposing the way of life. Not
only is this a prophecy of what Jesus goes through on his journey to the cross,
it speaks of those who are persecuted for their faith in the modern world
today. Do we
stand by the side of virtue and goodness, or do we justify the ways we turn our
backs on our faith? Do we make time for
so many different things in our lives, but have little time for God? Yes, where do we stand?
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