The Trial of the Righteous in Wis 5:1-14 (1-7) and in the Prophetic Traditions

The author of the Book of Wisdom prefers to move about in the cultural environment of Hellenistic Alexandria, but, as is well known, he is rooted in the deep soil of the Old Testament, understood as his basic traditional inheritance. This interacts with the typical contributions of other cultural data. We do not intend here to assess the merits of the discussion as to the unity of the book and the possibility of the various internal subdivisions that have been proposed. We assume as a starting point for our enquiry and reflection, the majority opinion concerning the unitary nature of the book. This, however, does not destroy or minimise the use of possible sources and it should not obscure the tripartite subdivision of the book: 1-6; 7-9; 10-19.1