Texts in Conversation
The Christian theologian Cyprian uses the Wisdom of Solomon as an authoritative source for teaching, referring to it as scripture when he repeats its discussion about the futility of relying on pride and wealth.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Wisdom of Solomon 5:8
Deuterocanon
6 Truly we went astray from the way of truth. The light of righteousness didn’t shine for us. The sun didn’t rise for us. 7 We took our fill of the paths of lawlessness and destruction. We traveled through trackless deserts, but we didn’t know the Lord’s way. 8 What did our arrogance profit us? What good have riches and boasting brought us? 9 Those things all passed away as a shadow, like a rumor that runs by, 10 like a ship passing through the billowy water, which, when it has gone by, there is no trace to be found, no pathway of its keel in the waves.
Date: 50 BCE – 50 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
Cyprian, Treatises 2:10
Early Christian
10 You say that you are wealthy and rich; but it becomes not a virgin to boast of her riches, since Holy Scripture says, What has pride profited us? Or what benefit has the vaunting of riches conferred upon us? And all these things have passed away like a shadow. And the apostle again warns us, and says, And they that buy, as though they bought not; and they that possess, as though they possessed not; and they that use this world, as though they used it not. For the fashion of this world passes away. 1 Peter also, to whom the Lord commends His sheep to be fed and guarded, on whom He placed and founded the Church, says indeed that he has no silver and gold, but says that he is rich in the grace of Christ — that he is wealthy in his faith and virtue— wherewith he performed many great works with miracle, wherewith he abounded in spiritual blessings to the grace of glory. These riches, this wealth, she cannot possess, who had rather be rich to this world than to Christ.
Date: 245–260 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The most ancient of the Fathers to use Wisdom was Clement of Rome who quoted Wisdom 11:22 and 12:12 mixing both from memory (Ep. I ad Cor. 27:5). Eusebius (Ecclesiastical History 5:6) said that Irenaeus used Wisdom. From the time of Clement of Alexandria, the Fathers continually used Wisdom and often called it inspired. Athanasius, Eusebius, Cyprian, and Augustine (though not whole-heartedly) cited it as Scripture, that is, they regarded it as canonical and inspired (and written by Solomon), Origen, Didymus, Ephraem Syrus, Hippolytus Romanus, Chrysostom, and others referred to it in proof of doctrines in the same manner as they referred to the rest of the Bible. The views found in Wisdom are advanced beyond the Old Testament and contain many thoughts found in the New Testament. Perhaps its union of Jewish and Greek ideas explains its anticipation of doctrines and language found in the New Testament ..."
Phillip W. Berwick, The Way of Salvation in the Wisdom of Solomon (Boston University, 1958), 141.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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