rakovsky
Well-known member
One explanation for the term "peace" when Wisdom of Solomon complains that the idolators perform sinful acts and call them or the situation "peace", could be that it refers to Jerusalem or Salem in the OT, since "Salem" (Shalom in Hebrew) means peace. Wisdom is complaining especially about the practices of the idolatrous Canaanites and mentions child sacrifice in its complaints. Another explanation could be that it refers to the Pax Romana (Roman peace), but the Romans weren't sacrificing children still anymore in the 1st century.
Melito (c. 165 AD) considers it canonical, and Melito otherwise seems to restrict the OT canon to the rabbis' Tanakh, so his opinion seems to suggest that its Jewish author wrote in the pre-Christian period or at least without accepting Christianity. For him to mistakenly think it was an OT-era scripture, it would likely have been written in the 1st century AD or earlier, since he would have been born around the early 2nd century.
The Muratorian Canon puts it near the list of its canon, which suggests to me that the author of the Muratorian Canon may have considered it to have been written by Christians or in the NT era. However, by including it in its canon, the Muratorian fragment's author implied that he considered it to be from the OT era. Further, the Muratorian fragment doesn't have an OT section otherwise, so its OT canon is lost from the fragment or else the Muratorian canon never included a comprehensive OT canon list.
The fragment includes:
Melito (c. 165 AD) considers it canonical, and Melito otherwise seems to restrict the OT canon to the rabbis' Tanakh, so his opinion seems to suggest that its Jewish author wrote in the pre-Christian period or at least without accepting Christianity. For him to mistakenly think it was an OT-era scripture, it would likely have been written in the 1st century AD or earlier, since he would have been born around the early 2nd century.
The Muratorian Canon puts it near the list of its canon, which suggests to me that the author of the Muratorian Canon may have considered it to have been written by Christians or in the NT era. However, by including it in its canon, the Muratorian fragment's author implied that he considered it to be from the OT era. Further, the Muratorian fragment doesn't have an OT section otherwise, so its OT canon is lost from the fragment or else the Muratorian canon never included a comprehensive OT canon list.
The fragment includes:
Moreover, the epistle of Jude and two of the above-mentioned (or, bearing the name of) John are counted (or, used) in the catholic [Church]; [7] and [the book of] Wisdom, (70) written by the friends [7a] of Solomon in his honour. (71) We receive only the apocalypses of John and Peter, (72) [7b] though some of us are not willing that the latter be read in church.
Notes:
7b Tregelles suggests that the Latin translator of this document mistook the Greek Philonos "Philo" for philon "friends." Many in ancient times thought that the so-called "Wisdom of Solomon" was really written by Philo of Alexandria. —M.D.M.