John J. Collins

JEWISH WISDOM IN THE HELLENISTIC AGE

© 1997 John J. Collins

Originally published in hardback in the United States by Westminster John Knox Press in 1997.

2011 paperback edition

Published by Westminster John Knox Press

Louisville, Kentucky

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Westminster John Knox Press, 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202-1396.

Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible are copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. and are used by permission.

Book design by Jennifer K. Cox

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Collins, John Joseph.

Jewish wisdom in the Hellenistic age / John J. Collins. — 1st ed.

p. cm. — (The Old Testament library)

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN 0-664-22109-2

1. Bible. O.T. Apocrypha. Ecclesiasticus—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Bible. O.T. Apocrypha. Wisdom of Solomon—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 3. Pseudo-Phocylides—Criticism and interpretation. 4. Wisdom—Biblical teaching. 5. Hellenism I. Title. II. Series.

BS1765.2.C65 1997

229′.306—dc21

97-20102

ISBN: 978-0-664-23842-1 (paper edition)

THE OLD TESTAMENT LIBRARY

Editorial Advisory Board

William P. Brown

Carol A. Newsom

David L. Petersen

In memory of my father, John Collins

1912–1996

כי כאל לאישׁ כו אבוהי

4Q416 2. iii. 16

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Chapter 1. Where Is Wisdom to Be Found?

Part One

Hebrew Wisdom

Chapter 2. Ben Sira in His Hellenistic Context

Chapter 3. Wisdom and the Law

Chapter 4. Ben Sira’s Ethics

Chapter 5. The Problem of Evil and the Justice of God

Chapter 6. The History and Destiny of Israel

Chapter 7. Wisdom in the Dead Sea Scrolls

Part Two

Wisdom in the Hellenistic Diaspora

Chapter 8. The Diaspora Setting

Chapter 9. Jewish Ethics in Hellenistic Dress: The Sentences of Pseudo-Phocylides

Chapter 10. Wisdom and Immortality

Chapter 11. Wisdom and the Cosmos

Chapter 12. Epilogue: From Hebrew Wisdom to Greek Philosophy

Bibliography

Index of Passages

Index of Authors

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to express my gratitude to Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., for graciously providing me with a copy of his manuscript on “Wisdom in the Dead Sea Scrolls” prior to publication; to Torleif Elgvin for giving me access to several unpublished articles on 4QSapiential Work A; and to Frederick Brenk, S.J., Gregory Sterling, and Gideon Bohak for bibliographic information on the status of the Jewish communities in Egypt. Shannon Burkes read the manuscript and made several helpful observations. Brenda Shaver prepared the bibliography and helped with the indexes.