Opening the text

The books of the Apocrypha : $b their origin, teaching and contentsOesterley, W. O. E. (William Oscar Emil)

Religion

The books of the Apocrypha : $b their origin, teaching and contents

Name: The books of the Apocrypha : $b their origin, teaching and contents
Author: Oesterley, W. O. E. (William Oscar Emil)

Oesterley, W. O. E. (William Oscar Emil)

Bible. Apocrypha -- Introductions

In the Book of Wisdom the point of interest is that the place of
angels is taken by Wisdom, or by the Word, the development of
doctrine having eliminated angelology altogether; thus, in x. 17, 18
it is said of Wisdom that:

      She rendered unto holy men a reward of their toils;
        She guided them along a marvellous way,
      And became unto them a covering in the daytime,
        And a light of stars through the night....

Here Wisdom has taken the place of the “angel of God” in Exodus xiv.
19. Again, in xviii. 15, 16 it is said:

      Thine all-powerful Word leaped from heaven down from the royal
            throne,
        A stern warrior, into the midst of the doomed land,
      Bearing as a sharp sword thine unfeigned commandment,
        And standing, filled all things with death;
      And while it touched the heaven it trode upon the earth.

Here the Logos has taken the place of the avenging angel, for it is
evident that the writer had 1 Chronicles xxi. 15, 16 in his mind:
“... And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord
stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his
hand.” This allegorizing is what one would naturally look for in
Wisdom.


(_h_) _Demonology._

It is doubtful whether there is any reference to demons in
Ecclesiasticus; possibly, however, xxxix. 28-31 contains such a
reference.[342] In Tobit iii. 8 mention is made of Asmodeus, “the
evil demon,” who slays men; the angel, however, has power to
“unbind” him from people (iii. 17, viii. 3), though apparently the
most efficacious way of getting rid of him is by burning the liver
and heart of a fish on incense which drives the demon away (vi. 17,
viii. 3). The only other reference to demons is in Baruch iv. 35,
where it is said that they are to inhabit the desolate city “for a
great time.” It is worth pointing out, finally, that in the Book of
Wisdom, while there is no demonology in the ordinary sense, there is
a belief in the devil:

      But by the envy of the devil death entered into the world,
        And they that belong to his realm experience it (ii. 24).

       *       *       *       *       *

Regarding the importance for the study of the New Testament of the
doctrines which have been considered see the respective sections of
the different introductions to the books of the Apocrypha in Part II.


SUMMARY

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

The books of the Apocrypha : $b their origin, teaching and contentsOesterley, W. O. E. (William Oscar Emil)

Religion

The books of the Apocrypha : $b their origin, teaching and contents

Oesterley, W. O. E. (William Oscar Emil)

Bible. Apocrypha -- Introductions

In the Book of Wisdom the point of interest is that the place of
angels is taken by Wisdom, or by the Word, the development of
doctrine having eliminated angelology altogether; thus, in x. 17, 18
it is said of Wisdom that:

      She rendered unto holy men a reward of their toils;
        She guided them along a marvellous way,
      And became unto them a covering in the daytime,
        And a light of stars through the night....

Here Wisdom has taken the place of the “angel of God” in Exodus xiv.
19. Again, in xviii. 15, 16 it is said:

      Thine all-powerful Word leaped from heaven down from the royal
            throne,
        A stern warrior, into the midst of the doomed land,
      Bearing as a sharp sword thine unfeigned commandment,
        And standing, filled all things with death;
      And while it touched the heaven it trode upon the earth.

Here the Logos has taken the place of the avenging angel, for it is
evident that the writer had 1 Chronicles xxi. 15, 16 in his mind:
“... And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord
stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his
hand.” This allegorizing is what one would naturally look for in
Wisdom.


(_h_) _Demonology._

It is doubtful whether there is any reference to demons in
Ecclesiasticus; possibly, however, xxxix. 28-31 contains such a
reference.[342] In Tobit iii. 8 mention is made of Asmodeus, “the
evil demon,” who slays men; the angel, however, has power to
“unbind” him from people (iii. 17, viii. 3), though apparently the
most efficacious way of getting rid of him is by burning the liver
and heart of a fish on incense which drives the demon away (vi. 17,
viii. 3). The only other reference to demons is in Baruch iv. 35,
where it is said that they are to inhabit the desolate city “for a
great time.” It is worth pointing out, finally, that in the Book of
Wisdom, while there is no demonology in the ordinary sense, there is
a belief in the devil:

      But by the envy of the devil death entered into the world,
        And they that belong to his realm experience it (ii. 24).

       *       *       *       *       *

Regarding the importance for the study of the New Testament of the
doctrines which have been considered see the respective sections of
the different introductions to the books of the Apocrypha in Part II.


SUMMARY

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The books of the Apocrypha : $b their origin, teaching and contents

The books of the Apocrypha : $b their origin, teaching and contents

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