Texts in Conversation
The Wisdom of Solomon and 1 Corinthians describe a future where the faithful are given authority to judge. In Wisdom, those who endure are refined and raised to positions of honor. Paul echoes this, saying the faithful will one day judge the angels.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Wisdom of Solomon 3:8
Deuterocanon
4 For even if in the sight of men they are punished, their hope is full of immortality. 5 Having borne a little chastening, they will receive great good; because God tested them, and found them worthy of himself. 6 He tested them like gold in the furnace, and he accepted them as a whole burnt offering. 7 In the time of their visitation they will shine. They will run back and forth like sparks among stubble. 8 They will judge nations and have dominion over peoples. The Lord will reign over them forever. 9 Those who trust him will understand truth. The faithful will live with him in love, because grace and mercy are with his chosen ones.
Date: 50 BCE – 50 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
1 Corinthians 6:2
New Testament
1 When any of you has a legal dispute with another, does he dare go to court before the unrighteous rather than before the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you not competent to settle trivial suits? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? Why not ordinary matters! 4 So if you have ordinary lawsuits, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame! Is there no one among you wise enough to settle disputes between fellow Christians?
Date: 55–57 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... When Paul said that the saints would judge the world (1 Corinthians 6:2), he may have thought of Wisdom of Solomon 3:8 ... However, Paul may have been thinking of Daniel 7:22 (LXX) where the Ancient of Days 'gave judgment to the saints of the most high'. Jesus said that the twelve disciples would judge the twelve tribes (Matthew 19:26; Luke 22:30) ... as in Wisdom, Paul's judgment of the heathen wavers between mild recognition of the heathen's lack of knowledge and crude and strong judgment of all their religion and ethics ..."
Phillip W. Berwick, The Way of Salvation in the Wisdom of Solomon (Boston University, 1958), 116–118.
* 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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