The Paschal Role of πάσχω in the Wisdom of Solomon
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24193/sacrascripta.2024.04Keywords:
Wisdom of Solomon, Passover, suffering, πάσχω, Πάσχα, wordplayAbstract
The word πάσχω, “to suffer,” occurs several times in the Wisdom of Solomon, especially in chaps. 11-19, and specifically to refer to the final punishment of the wicked Egyptians through the last plague and the defeat at the Red Sea. Pseudo-Solomon creatively uses this term to subtly evoke a larger understanding of Passover (πασχα), with both temporal and eschatological implications for righteous and wicked individuals. The subsequent πάσχω / πασχα wordplay further illustrates three guiding principles that Pseudo-Solomon highlights in the second half of the book. Above all, the wordplay emphasizes that one experiences God’s unified just activity as either reward or punishment depending on one’s disposition and overall response to God.
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