Wisdom of Solomon
by Mark Giszczak
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Pub Date Feb 13 2024 | Archive Date Feb 27 2024
Baker Academic & Brazos Press | Baker Academic
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Description
Wisdom of Solomon, by Mark Giszczak, is the first Old Testament volume in the CCSS. The commentary offers a robust introduction to the historical and theological background of this often-overlooked book, the RSV-2CE translation of the biblical text, cross-references, Catechism and Lectionary references, and a detailed interpretation of each passage. It also includes helpful sidebars on biblical background and important references to the living tradition of the Church. The commentary guides readers in a thorough and faithful study of the Wisdom of Solomon.
Written from a standpoint of faith in the Holy Spirit's inspiration of Scripture, CCSS Old Testament commentaries are designed for preaching, teaching, and applying Scripture to Christian life today. Accessibly written yet substantive, they include quotations from Church documents, Church Fathers, and saints and are packed with features that make them particularly useful to those doing ministry in Catholic parishes.
General editors for the series are Mary Healy (Sacred Heart Major Seminary), Mark Giszczak (Augustine Institute), and Peter S. Williamson (Sacred Heart Major Seminary).
Advance Praise
“The Wisdom of Solomon was the last book of the Catholic Old Testament to be written. It develops Jewish belief in God for a new era, influenced by the ideas of Greek philosophers. Giszczak’s commentary offers a clearly presented introduction to this fascinating but enigmatic scriptural book, providing salient quotations from Jewish and Greek sources to illustrate the intellectual background. Useful features include sidebars making connections with Christian life, a glossary explaining technical words, and several illustrations. I commend this commentary to all who wish to understand the Wisdom of Solomon in light of Catholic teaching.”—Jeremy Corley, lecturer in sacred Scripture and director of research, St. Patrick’s Pontifical University
“This commentary is perfectly designed to make the Wisdom of Solomon comprehensible, accessible, and relevant to Catholic believers. It balances helpful background about the Hellenistic Jewish context in which the book originated with connections to the Catholic traditions of liturgy and theology, from the early Church Fathers to the twentieth century. The numerous ‘Reflection and Application’ and ‘In the Light of Christ’ sections make apparent the relevance of the Wisdom of Solomon to contemporary Christian life.”—Karina Hogan, associate professor of biblical studies and ancient Judaism, Fordham University
Praise for the CCSS Series
“The New Testament volumes in this series have served me as a constant resource: deeply scholarly, firmly in touch with the Catholic tradition, and impressively readable and teachable. But among Christians today, the Old Testament often is neglected or treated as unintelligible—with the result being a tragic impoverishment of faith. Giszczak’s inaugural Old Testament volume is evidence that the same qualities that have set this series apart will be on display in its commentaries on the Old Testament. All Catholics should have these trustworthy volumes at hand.”—Matthew Levering, James N. Jr. and Mary D. Perry Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781540963697 |
| PRICE | $24.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 208 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Kris L, Reviewer
This is a Catholic commentary on the [apocryphal] Book of Wisdom [of Solomon], which is organized on the three parts of the scripture: The Book of Eschatology, The Book of Wisdom and the Book of History. This is preceded by an extensive Introduction covering the history, structure and form of this scripture (with a summary of important connections with the New Testament). Each part is further divided into pericopes with references to the Old Testament, New Testament, Catechism and Lectionary (where applicable) before a brief summary and verse by verse [roughly] commentary. Where possible (as cited in the Introduction) there is a reflection/application or a discussion on the connections with the Gospel/New Testament to end a section. The commentary itself is fairly straight forward with few surprises, but it does a decent job of providing context as well as textual analysis. The Book of Wisdom is not really something a lot of folks spent much time on; probably why there were not a lot of commentaries for it … so given all that we get here along with the excellent organization, this work gets top marks.
The chapters and sections in this work are:
Part 1. Life and Death (1:1-6-21)
- Love Righteousness (1:1-15)
- Ungodly Reasoning Wisdom (1:16-2:24)
- The Just and the Unjust Wisdom (3:1-4:20)
- The Judgement of the Ungodly and the Reward of the Righteous (5:1-23)
- Honor Wisdom (6:1-21)
Part 2. Solomon’s Pursuit of Wisdom (6:22-9:18)
- Solomon’s Quest for Wisdom (6:22-8:1)
- Solomon’s Love for Wisdom (8:2-21)
- Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom (9:1-18)
Part 3. Book of History (10:1-19:22)
- Prologue: Wisdom from Adam to Moses (10:1-21)
- Water from the Rock versus River of Blood (11:1-14)
- Excursus: God’s Mercy toward Egyptians and Canaanites (11:15-12:27)
- Excursus: Against Idol Worship (13:1-15:19)
- Unappetizing Animals versus Delicious Quail (16:1-4)
- Lethal Creatures versus Saving Bronze Serpent (16:5-14)
- Storms of Wrath versus Manna from Heaven (16:15-29)
- Plague of Darkness versus Pillar of Light (17:1-18:4)
- Death of the Firstborn versus Israel’s Deliverance from Death (18:5-25)
- Drowning in the Sea versus Being Saved by the Sea (19:1-9)
- Epilogue: Summary and Doxology (19:10-22)
Some of the other points that really got my attention are:
TL P, Media/Journalist
I interviewed the author about this book on February 3, 2024. The interview can be found at https://www.outsidethewalls.com/e/ccss/.
Darlene O, Reviewer
This commentary on the Wisdom of Solomon is packed full of information. The structure is somewhat disorganized and disorienting. Overall, I found it difficult to focus on for long for more than a few pages. It is more just disseminating information than diving deep into the meaning.
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