Three Characters in the Wisdom of Solomon 3-4

Abstract

There are three righteous characters in the Wisdom of Solomon 3-4: the sterile woman, the eunuch, and the youth who died young. Each description of them stands in antithesis with that of the wicked family members: the wicked husbands, their wives, and their progeny. The three righteous char acters have been selected as a literary device to indict wrong thoughts and deeds of the wicked rather than to praise those three figures themselves. It is difficult to relate the socio-political situation of the author to the description of the sterile woman or the eunuch. However, it is possible that the descrip tion of the righteous youth reflects his socio-political context of persecution.