The School of Solomon

Aristobulus and the author of Wisdom of Solomon conceived of wisdom in much the same way that earlier Greek, non-Jewish thinkers did: as knowledge of the whole—of things human, cosmic, and divine—which underlies, requires, and informs the life of virtue. Moreover, they readily identified sophia with wisdom as found in the Jewish scriptures, especially in the figure of Solomon and in the Pentateuchal narratives. Their engagement with the scriptures yields a wisdom program centered on rational monotheism, virtue, and the hope of immortality. This program, however, was also characterized by a strong emphasis on the national form of wisdom. In its capacity as ruling knowledge, wisdom must also belong to human leaders. Understanding wisdom in these terms, as that which brings the metaphysical, cosmic, social, and personal into harmony, Hellenistic Jews commended their way of life to the nations.