Texts in Conversation
The Psalms of Solomon use the image of the children of the unrighteous as unhealthy roots on rock, echoing the same imagery in Sirach where the offspring of the wicked are compared to shallow roots that cannot endure. This language is found throughout Jewish tradition including the gospels.
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Sirach 40:15
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
13 The wealth of the unjust will dry up like a river, and crash like a loud clap of thunder in a storm. 14 As a generous person has cause to rejoice, so lawbreakers will utterly fail. 15 The children of the ungodly put out few branches; they are unhealthy roots on sheer rock. 16 The reeds by any water or river bank are plucked up before any grass; 17 but kindness is like a garden of blessings, and almsgiving endures forever.
Date: 195-175 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Psalms of Solomon 14:4
Pseudepigrapha
2 to those living in the righteousness of his commands, in the Torah that he commanded us for our lives. 3 The Lord's devout will live by it forever; his devout are the Lord's Paradise, the trees of life. 4 Their plant is rooted forever; they will not be pulled up as long as heaven shall last. 5 because God has reserved Israel for himself 6 But it is not so with sinners and criminals, who love the time enjoying their sins.
Date: 80-30 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The point is reinforced by a sequence of forceful metaphors. These traditions of Jesus as Christ and Lord provide for the new community both a root for the new plant and a foundation for the new building. The verb 'cause to take root,' only here and in Ephesians 3:17 in the New Testament) vividly images the preaching / teaching as an effective sowing that results in a well-rooted plant (perfect participle; compare Sirach 24:12 - of wisdom; Psalms of Solomon 14:4; Odes of Solomon 38:17-22). The importance of deep roots was well understood in Jewish tradition (e.g., Jeremiah 17:8; Ezekiel 31:7; Sirach 40:15). Naturally the image is complementary to the 'fruit-bearing' metaphor of 1:10, which allows the same emphasis on a 'walk' determined by reference to 'the Lord.' Equally it makes a natural partner in Jewish tradition ..."
Dunn, James D. G.
The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon: A Commentary on the Greek Text
(pp. 141-142) Paternoster, 1996
* 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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