The Book of Wisdom is a very late book of the Old Testament, written in Greek, probably in Egypt, somewhere around 100 B.C. (It is not included in the Hebrew scriptures and, hence, the Protestant Bible.) The author writes to encourage the Jewish people who are living in an environment hostile to the values that they hold. Wisdom comes in heeding the commandments in the face of opposition. The book has a special resonance to our time. A generation ago there were many cultural supports in being a Catholic. Now, that is not the case. Like in the Book of Wisdom we must learn to hold onto the faith even as society moves further away from the Biblical teaching which form the basis of our ethics.
