„Zróbmy zasadzkę na sprawiedliwego” (Iz 3,10 [LXX], Mdr 2,12). Księga Mądrości jako dramat klasyczny

Abstract

The Book of Wisdom is a book which describes God’s Wisdom in an extraordinary way. In the Bible, it belongs to the sapiential books and comes right after such books as: the Book of Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Canticle of Canticles), and before the Book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus). Chronologically the last book of the Old Testament, it was written in Greek with the use of not only Hebrew, but also Greek rhetoric. Apart from the main theme of the Book, which is the Wisdom, there is another topic, the relevant one today – namely the persecution of the righteous man. The author of the Book repeats Isaiah’s words (…..) (3:10 [LXX]) and in a camouflaged way presents the first pogrom in history of Jews in Alexandria ( AD 38) under the rule of Gaius Caligula. This is the historical background of the Book according to the contemporary exegetes. The exact description of the events is presented by Filon of Alexandria in his work Flakkus which was translated into Polish in 2012 and has become an ideal basis for the text of the Book of Wisdom. The author of the present article refers to the concept of German exegete Armin Schmitt (†2006) who discovered some elements of the classical drama in the first part of Wisdom. The concept has been extended here to the whole Book. The author has divided the text in such a way as to adjust it to the stage adaptation. The proposed staging makes the Book livelier, giving it some colour, sound and atmosphere. The Greek book of Wisdom has gained a new dimension, it appeals to us in a way different from the Hebrew books which were supposed to be received aurally, mainly because it contains the power of image. These constantly changing, lively images add a great dynamic to it, strengthening its power of reception and argumentation. Moreover, if we set the Book of Wisdom in the context of the events in Alexandria, it becomes a “cry of heart”. Thus, the author of the article invites us to “stage” the Book (at least by imagining it) as a classical drama depicting the real persecution of the righteous people in Alexandria in AD 38, which took place almost simultaneously with Christ’s Passion and death.