Wisdom of Solomon

The Wisdom of Solomon is a book that praises divine wisdom, showing its superiority over a godless, materialistic life. It contrasts the fates of the wise, who are rewarded with immortality, and the wicked, who are punished after their lives end. The book uses a Greek-influenced style and discusses themes of justice, righteousness, and God's guidance throughout Israelite history, particularly during the Exodus.

While not in the modern (after medieval) canon, the book was known in Jewish antiquity. The 13th-century Spanish scholar Nahmanides (Ramban) mentions a Hebrew translation. Wisdom of Solomon (like Sirach), were sometimes known in wider Jewish intellectual circles. Nachmanides (Ramban), a major Sephardic authority, mentioned a Hebrew translation of the Wisdom of Solomon in the preface to his commentary on the Pentateuch, suggesting some familiarity with its content. While most Jews for the last 1500 years do not read the Wisdom of Solomon, Mizrahi tradition, like Sephardic tradition, places high value on other non-canonical wisdom literature, especially the Book of Ben Sira (Ecclesiasticus).

Indian Jews (such as Bene Israel, Cochini, and Baghdadi Jews) generally do not read the Wisdom of Solomon as part of their religious canon. It is considered an apocryphal or deuterocanonical book. Examples include Ben Sira (Wisdom of Sirach), Sefer Toviya (Tobit), Sefer Hashmonaim (Books of Maccabees), Yehudit (Judith), Igeret Yirmiyahu (Letter of Jeremiah), and Hochmat Shlomo (Wisdom of Solomon). It is important to note that the word used for "external book" sefarim chitzonim refers to revised and re-interpreted texts between the 2nd century and 5th century to mean non-liturgical books due to potential errors in mainstream belief. The Mishna (Sanhedrin 10a) warns that reading Sefarim Chitzonim can lead to forfeiting one's share "in the World to Come." Despite the general prohibition, some Jewish Sages and later authorities (e.g., in Tosafot and Aruch HaShulchan) quoted from books like Maccabees.

In my opinion those "errors" are another word for Christian beliefs, as some apocryphal books have a tendency to represent a divine Messiah or a redeemed state of souls (1 Enoch, Wisdom of Solomon, etc). In other words Second Temple Judaism  (500 BC to 70 AD) was a collection of texts collected and/or written by Jews (such as Ezra the priest) but was reduced in medieval canon because they were not considered to be written with Ruach Hakodesh (Holy Spirit). They were deemed "external" to the sacred scriptures in the new age of Jewish literature (90 to 200AD, then 201-500AD, then 501-625AD, then 626-1050AD, then 1051-1500AD, finally 1501-2025AD). See the sequence of Jewish scholars from the Tannaim to the Acharonim. Another way to look at the various groups within Judaism is Alexandrian Judaism, Babylonian Judaism, Yemenite Judaism, and Spanish/Portuguese (Sephardic) or French/German (Ashkenazi), to name a few of the various Rabbinic traditions.

It is also important to note, from a Christian perspective, that the leadership in non-Christian Jewish spheres of influence resulted in specific and significant distinctions from some Christian Jewish communities. The collegiate - or conciliar - groups that trusted oral tradition resulted in the majority. Although some minority groups, such as Karaite Jews (or Karaites) are a distinct, ancient Jewish community that adheres solely to the written Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) as their supreme legal authority, rejecting the Oral Torah, Mishnah, and Talmud. In other words, Karaites consider all scrolls  as "external" or "non-canonical" books outside of the 24 scrolls used in their services. This group emerged in the 8th–9th century. They emphasize personal study and scriptural interpretation, resulting in unique practices like barefoot prayer, no Hanukkah, and strict Sabbath laws. The point is that Judaism is not monolithic, but moreso an umbrella with various groups, similar to the times of Jesus in the 1st century. Hence the Wisdom of Solomon was read by some Jewish Christians and included in their liturgy, but not read by other Jewish Christians and thus not included in their liturgy. Therefore, between 2nd century to 5th century, eventual collection, reproduction, and use (or fall out of use) of some Wisdom books and other Historical books was standardized...or de-standardized. The deciding factor was Councils, on the basis of Tradition.

An alternate (if not an opposite spectrum) is the development of lore (legends) and mysticism as a counter to rationalistic mindsets. Jewish Kabbalists, although formally formed in the 12th-13th centuries, have predecessors going back to pre-Christian era i.e. The Book of Jubilees, or The Angelic Liturgy (The Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice found in the DSS). A representative example from the 16th century is Isaiah Horowitz.

Jewish forms of esotericism existed over 2,000 years ago. Ben Sira warns against it, saying: "You shall have no business with secret things".[Sirach 3:21-24]. Nonetheless, mystical studies were undertaken and resulted in mystical literature. The first to appear within Judaism was the Apocalyptic literature of the 200-100 BC and which contained elements that carried over to later Kabbalah. According to Josephus, such writings were in the possession of the Essenes and were jealously guarded by them against disclosure, for which they claimed a certain antiquity (see non-Christian Philo, De Vita Contemplativa, iii., and christian Hippolytus, Refutation of all Heresies, ix. 27).

All in all, I recommend you read Wisdom of Solomon if possible. You will find much connection between its content and the Orthodox Church life. The Wisdom of Solomon is utilized extensively in Orthodox Christian liturgical services, specifically during Vespers for feasts of the Theotokos and feasts of saints, where it is read as part of the Old Testament lessons. Key selections are read during the Nativity of the Theotokos and other Marian feasts.