Footnote on the Wisdom of Solomon
The deuterocanonical books, including Wisdom, were published in the original 1611 King James Bible. The deuterocanonical books was a part of the KJV for 274 years until being removed in 1885 A.D.
Many claim the deuterocanonical books should never have been included in the first place, raising doubt about their validity and divine inspiration. Others (including this writer) believe them valid, hence should never have been removed. These books were part of the Bible for nearly 2,000 years, and removed a little more than 100 years ago.
From St. Iraeneus alone there can be no reasonable doubt that the Canon of the Gospel was inalterably fixed in the Church by the last quarter of the Second Century. The Epistles, the Book of Acts, and the Revelation were authoritatively fixed in the canon during synods at Rome in the AD 382 and at Hippo in AD 393.
The authenticity of the scriptures was disputed by Reformers. Luther regarded Hebrews, James, Jude, and Apocalypse as altogether uncanonical. Zwingli rejected the Apocalypse as uncanonical.
Sixteenth Century scholars, consulting Jewish experts, could not find the deuterocanonical books, including Wisdom, in any survival original Hebrew manuscripts known to those times. However, the Dead Sea Scrolls, dating back to before AD 70 contained parts of the apocrypha books in Hebrew, including Sirach and Tobit [source], which calls this conclusion into severe question.
The deuterocanonical books were removed because in part for doctrinal reasons (a passage in Maccabees, for example, seems to support prayers for the dead, hence the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory) and it was convenient for reformers, despite their professed doctrine of Sola Scriptura , to look to extra-scriptural sources, such as the current Jewish scholarly opinion, to edit the scripture so as to remove inconvenient counter-arguments to their various heretical opinions.
About John C Wright
John C. Wright is a practicing philosopher, a retired attorney, newspaperman, and newspaper editor, and a published author of science fiction. Once a Houyhnhnm, he was expelled from the august ranks of purely rational beings when he fell in love; but retains an honorary title.
