Deutero Project

Exploring a Canon

Sep252015

Paul Starts Romans Quoting Wisdom of Solomon

Paul clearly paraphrased Wisdom of Solomon in the first chapter of his epistle to the Romans. He didn’t just make a passing allusion to a poetic quote, as he did with some non scriptural poets. Instead Paul made extensive use of the book Wisdom of Solomon. The church in Rome never forgot this.

First Romans 1:18-31 RSV

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse; for although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct. They were filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them but approve those who practice them.

Next Wisdom 13:1-10,14:22-31 RSV

For all men who were ignorant of God were foolish by nature; and they were unable from the good things that are seen to know him who exists, nor did they recognize the craftsman while paying heed to his works; but they supposed that either fire or wind or swift air, or the circle of the stars, or turbulent water, or the luminaries of heaven were the gods that rule the world. If through delight in the beauty of these things men assumed them to be gods, let them know how much better than these is their Lord, for the author of beauty created them. And if men were amazed at their power and working, let them perceive from them how much more powerful is he who formed them. For from the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator. Yet these men are little to be blamed, for perhaps they go astray while seeking God and desiring to find him. For as they live among his works they keep searching, and they trust in what they see, because the things that are seen are beautiful. Yet again, not even they are to be excused; for if they had the power to know so much that they could investigate the world, how did they fail to find sooner the Lord of these things? But miserable, with their hopes set on dead things, are the men who give the name “gods” to the works of men’s hands, gold and silver fashioned with skill, and likenesses of animals, or a useless stone, the work of an ancient hand.
…
Afterward it was not enough for them to err about the knowledge of God, but they live in great strife due to ignorance, and they call such great evils peace. For whether they kill children in their initiations, or celebrate secret mysteries, or hold frenzied revels with strange customs, they no longer keep either their lives or their marriages pure, but they either treacherously kill one another, or grieve one another by adultery, and all is a raging riot of blood and murder, theft and deceit, corruption, faithlessness, tumult, perjury, confusion over what is good, forgetfulness of favors, pollution of souls, sex perversion, disorder in marriage, adultery, and debauchery. For the worship of idols not to be named is the beginning and cause and end of every evil. For their worshipers either rave in exultation, or prophesy lies, or live unrighteously, or readily commit perjury; for because they trust in lifeless idols they swear wicked oaths and expect to suffer no harm. But just penalties will overtake them on two counts: because they thought wickedly of God in devoting themselves to idols, and because in deceit they swore unrighteously through contempt for holiness. For it is not the power of the things by which men swear, but the just penalty for those who sin, that always pursues the transgression of the unrighteous.

It is striking how completely identical this Wisdom passage is to Romans . The portion in Wisdom excluded with elipses simply makes the same point as what has been quoted but in more detail. Its the same continuous thought throughout.

Deutero Project

Exploring a Canon

Deuteroproject is devoted to exploring the canon of the Christian Scripture. Specifically the portions that became disputed in the 1500s.

Cross references are notes, often in the margins of a Bible, that connect a word, phrase or passage in one book with a word, phrase or passage in another book somewhere else. In modern times they also are found as footnotes

Cross references are generally not showing quotation of an earlier passage by a later writer. Sometimes they do but often they simply show a use of a common phrase or idea from another place. Perhaps a reference to a similar geographic term, theological idea, retelling of a similar story or event.

The cross references here have been found some in margins, some in published lists of references, etc. Each are more fully described when you follow the links above.

St. Vincent of Lerins

Quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est

St. Vincent Lerins is my patron. I find his Commonitorium to be an ancient yet modern work.

I wanted to use a protestant translation. I started my study of these books reading protestant translations, because I was very much a protestant then. In the cross references I use a high number of scripture passages. I ran into licensing and permission issues. There are not many protestant translations that include the deuterocanonical books which limited my choices. Both the RSV and the ESV include the deuterocanonical books, both are very good translations, but both have usage restrictions when you use large amounts of passages. The KJV is old enough I am not restricted in its use so it won by default.

I would have preferred the RSV. It reads easier. I think they focused on a more consistent approach to rendering things in the deuterocanonical books and the other books.

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