The Wisdom of the Apocrypha

In The Wisdom of the Apocrypha, C. E. Lawrence provides a valuable introduction to and English translation of the Wisdom of Solomon and Ecclesiasticus. Even though these books are noncanonical, Lawrence nevertheless champions their importance in that they carry on the literature, and generally illustrate the ethical attitude, of the Jews during the gap of years which lapsed between the last books of the Old Testament and the Synoptic Gospels. For our purposes they have a necessary message. The truths they tell, the criticism of men and things they make, are as applicable to modern life as are the Proverbs. They spur, chide, stimulate, promise reward to, and inspire today’s readers as they did the people of the times during which they were written.