Texts in Conversation
The Wisdom of Solomon describes a future where the righteous dead are resurrected to condemn the unrighteous who remain alive, turning it into a moment of judgment. Matthew echoes this reversal when Nineveh is said to judge the present generation.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Wisdom of Solomon 4:16
Deuterocanon
14 for his soul was pleasing to the Lord. Therefore he hurried out of the midst of wickedness. 15 But the peoples saw and didn’t understand, not considering this, that grace and mercy are with his chosen, and that he visits his holy ones; 16 but a righteous man who is dead will condemn the ungodly who are living, and youth who is quickly perfected will condemn the many years of an unrighteous man’s old age. 17 For the ungodly will see a wise man’s end, and won’t understand what the Lord planned for him, and why he safely kept him. 18 They will see, and they will despise; but the Lord will laugh them to scorn. After this, they will become a dishonored carcass and a reproach among the dead forever;
Date: 50 BCE – 50 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
Matthew 12:41
New Testament
39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. 41 The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it because they repented when Jonah preached to them—and now, something greater than Jonah is here! 42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon—and now, something greater than Solomon is here! 43 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it passes through waterless places looking for rest but does not find it.
Date: 70–90 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
Search:
Notes and References
"... The final judgment in the Wisdom of Solomon emphasizes the eschatological vindication of the righteous by God. The backdrop is the apparent prosperity of the wicked, who not only abuse the righteous, but mock them for their eschatological hope. Chapter 3 first explains a special judgment, indicating that immediately after death the “souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them. In the eyes of the foolish they seem to have died ...” (3:1-2). However, a day of final judgment still awaits (3:7, 18; 5:1) a day when the continuing “hope” (3:4) of the righteous dead will be brought to fulfillment. On this day the righteous dead will be resurrected (3:7-8; 4:16; 5:1, 4) and will confront those among the ungodly who are alive face to face (4:16; 5:1). The Wisdom of Solomon blends trial imagery and warfare imagery in its depiction of the final judgment ..."
Brian Han Gregg, “The Historical Jesus and the Final Judgment Sayings in Q” (PhD diss., University of Notre Dame, 2005), 94–95.
* 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.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.
User Comments
,