The Influence of Wisdom Literature of The Apocrypha on The New Testament

Abstract

Abstract: The influence of wisdom literature of The Old Testament on The New Testament is quite obvious, whereas, in contrast, the influence of wisdom literature of The Apocrypha on The New Testament is somewhat obscure. The New Testament does not have any direct quote from the wisdom discourse in The Apocrypha, but it does borrow, rewrite and parody part of it. The famous sections of wisdom literature in The Apocrypha, The Wisdom of Ben Sira and The Wisdom of Solomon, draw heavily from the tradition of wisdom literature in The Old Testament, especially The Proverbs. Moreover, through a combination with Greek philosophy in the context of Hellenization, they bring up the concepts of “wisdom as teacher,” “wisdom as way,” and “wisdom as spirit,” thus exerting a direct influence on the notion of wisdom in The New Testament. The influence that the notion of wisdom in the Apocrypha exerts on The New Testament manifests both the development of the notion of wisdom in Judaism during the Hellenistic period and the evolution of the notion of wisdom in Christianity as a heretical sect. The transitional nature of The Apocrypha and its role as a bridge between Jewish and Christian wisdom literature should be fully recognized.

Key words: Apocrypha, New Testament, wisdom literature

Yang Jian. The Influence of Wisdom Literature of The Apocrypha on The New Testament[J]. Foreign Literature Studies, 2022, 44(1): 107-120.

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