Psalms of Solomon

1st-century BCE set of 18 Jewish poems

The Psalms of Solomon is a group of eighteen psalms, religious songs or poems, written in the first or second century BC. They are classed as Biblical apocrypha or as Old Testament pseudepigrapha; they appear in various copies of the Septuagint and the Peshitta, but were not admitted into later scriptural Biblical canons or generally included in printed Bibles after the arrival of the printing press.[1]

## Name

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The 17th of the 18 psalms is similar to Psalm 72 which has traditionally been attributed to Solomon, and hence may be the reason that the Psalms of Solomon have their name. An alternate theory is that the psalms were so highly regarded that Solomon's name was attached to them to keep them from being ignored or forgotten.[citation needed]

## Reception history

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The Psalms of Solomon were referred to in early Christian writings, but lost to later generations until a Greek manuscript was rediscovered in the 17th century. There are currently eleven known 11th- to 16th-century manuscripts of a Greek translation[2] from a lost Hebrew or Aramaic original, probably dating from the 1st or 2nd century BC. However, though now a collection, they were originally separate, written by different people in different periods.[citation needed]

There exist also four Syriac manuscripts.[2] The earliest historical evidence of "Eighteen Psalms of Solomon" is in the list at the beginning of the Codex Alexandrinus (fifth century).[2] According to James H. Charlesworth, "it has been calculated that the Psalms of Solomon would have fit into the twelve missing pages of the Codex Sinaiticus.[2]

## Content and authorship

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Politically, the Psalms of Solomon are anti-Hasmonean, and some psalms in the collection show an awareness of the Roman conquest of Jerusalem under Pompey in 63 BC, metaphorically treating him as a dragon who had been sent by God to punish the Hasmoneans.[3] Some of the psalms are messianic, in the Jewish sense (referring to a mortal that seems to be divinely assisted, much like Moses), but the majority are concerned less with the world at large, and more with individual behavior, expressing a belief that repentance for unintended sins will return them to God's favor.

There have been attempts to link the text both to the Essenes of Qumran, who separated themselves from what they saw as a wicked world, and alternatively to the Pharisees in opposition to the Sadducees who generally supported the Maccabees.[citation needed]

## See also

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* List of Old Testament pseudepigrapha
* Odes of Solomon

## References

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1. ^ "NETS: Electronic Edition". Ccat.sas.upenn.edu. 2011-02-11. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
2. ^ a b c d Wright, R. B. (1985). "Psalms of Solomon (First Century B.C.)". In Charlesworth, James (ed.). The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. Vol. 2\. Doubleday. pp. 639–650\. ISBN 0-385-09630-5.
3. ^ Beale, G. K. Book of Revelation. p. 633. (Eerdmans: New International Greek Testament Commentary, 1998).

## External links

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* Charles, Robert Henry (1911). "Solomon, Psalms of". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). pp. 365–366.
* Drum, Walter (1912). "Psalms of Solomon" . Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 14.
* Toy, Crawford Howell (1905). "Psalms of Solomon". The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 10\. pp. 250–251.
* Psalms of Solomon: text and discussion
* English translation by G. Buchanan Gray (1913): at Wesley Center
* English translation by Kenneth Atkinson (2009), from the New English Translation of the Septuagint — Psalms of Salomon
* Septuagint Psalms of Solomon in Greek
* An Introduction to the Old Testament in Greek[permanent dead link], Henry Barclay Swete, Cambridge University Press, 1914, page 282
* Psalms of Solomon entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith

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Jewish apocrypha

Apocrypha in the Torah|

* Genesis Apocryphon
* Life of Adam and Eve
* Testament of Qahat
* Visions of Amram
* Book of Jubilees
* 1 Enoch
* 2 Enoch
* 3 Enoch
* Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs
* Testament of Abraham
* Apocalypse of Abraham
* Assumption of Moses
* Joseph and Aseneth

Apocrypha in Nevi'im|

* Letter of Jeremiah
* Ascension of Isaiah
* 1 Baruch
* 2 Baruch
* 3 Baruch

Apocrypha in Ketuvim|

* Book of Wisdom
* Psalms of Solomon
* Testament of Job
* 1 Esdras
* 2 Esdras
* Psalm 151
* Psalms 152–155
* Additions to the Book of Esther
* Additions to Daniel
* Prayer of Manasseh

Other apocrypha|

* Book of Sirach
* Book of Judith
* Book of Tobit
* 1 Maccabees
* 2 Maccabees
* 3 Maccabees
* 4 Maccabees
* Letter of Aristeas
* Sibylline Oracles
* Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum

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Psalms

By number
(Septuagint
numbering
in brackets)|

* 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* 5
* 6
* 7
* 8
* 9 (9a)
* 10 (9b)
* 11 (10)
* 12 (11)
* 13 (12)
* 14 (13)
* 15 (14)
* 16 (15)
* 17 (16)
* 18 (17)
* 19 (18)
* 20 (19)
* 21 (20)
* 22 (21)
* 23 (22)
* 24 (23)
* 25 (24)
* 26 (25)
* 27 (26)
* 28 (27)
* 29 (28)
* 30 (29)
* 31 (30)
* 32 (31)
* 33 (32)
* 34 (33)
* 35 (34)
* 36 (35)
* 37 (36)
* 38 (37)
* 39 (38)
* 40 (39)
* 41 (40)
* 42 (41)
* 43 (42)
* 44 (43)
* 45 (44)
* 46 (45)
* 47 (46)
* 48 (47)
* 49 (48)
* 50 (49)
* 51 (50)
* 52 (51)
* 53 (52)
* 54 (53)
* 55 (54)
* 56 (55)
* 57 (56)
* 58 (57)
* 59 (58)
* 60 (59)
* 61 (60)
* 62 (61)
* 63 (62)
* 64 (63)
* 65 (64)
* 66 (65)
* 67 (66)
* 68 (67)
* 69 (68)
* 70 (69)
* 71 (70)
* 72 (71)
* 73 (72)
* 74 (73)
* 75 (74)
* 76 (75)
* 77 (76)
* 78 (77)
* 79 (78)
* 80 (79)
* 81 (80)
* 82 (81)
* 83 (82)
* 84 (83)
* 85 (84)
* 86 (85)
* 87 (86)
* 88 (87)
* 89 (88)
* 90 (89)
* 91 (90)
* 92 (91)
* 93 (92)
* 94 (93)
* 95 (94)
* 96 (95)
* 97 (96)
* 98 (97)
* 99 (98)
* 100 (99)
* 101 (100)
* 102 (101)
* 103 (102)
* 104 (103)
* 105 (104)
* 106 (105)
* 107 (106)
* 108 (107)
* 109 (108)
* 110 (109)
* 111 (110)
* 112 (111)
* 113 (112)
* 114 (113a)
* 115 (113b)
* 116 (114–115)
* 117 (116)
* 118 (117)
* 119 (118)
* 120 (119)
* 121 (120)
* 122 (121)
* 123 (122)
* 124 (123)
* 125 (124)
* 126 (125)
* 127 (126)
* 128 (127)
* 129 (128)
* 130 (129)
* 131 (130)
* 132 (131)
* 133 (132)
* 134 (133)
* 135 (134)
* 136 (135)
* 137 (136)
* 138 (137)
* 139 (138)
* 140 (139)
* 141 (140)
* 142 (141)
* 143 (142)
* 144 (143)
* 145 (144)
* 146 (145)
* 147 (146–147)
* 148
* 149
* 150

Apocrypha or
Deuterocanonical

* 151 (Eastern Orthodox)
* 152–155 (Syriac Orthodox)
* Psalms of Solomon

People|

* David
* Ethan
* Heman the Ezrahite
* Asaph
* Achish

Types of psalm|

* Psalms of Asaph
* Communal lament
* Imprecatory
* Invitatory
* Laudate
* Penitential
* Royal
* Song of Ascents

Terminology|

* Psalter
* Hallel
* Hallelujah
* Leviathan
* Miktam
* Rahab
* Selah
* Shoshannim
* Queen of Psalm 45

Psalm phrases|

* Beatus vir
* It is time to work for the Lord
* My cup runneth over
* They have pierced my hands and my feet

Psalmody|

* Exclusive psalmody
* Gaelic
* Gelineau
* Responsorial

Related|

* Kathisma
* Perek Shirah
* Pater Noster cord
* Tikkun HaKlali
* Zabur
* Midrash Tehillim

Manuscripts|

* 4Q448
* Great Psalms Scroll
* Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 5101
* Vindobonensis Greek 39777
* P. Lond.Lit.207
* Taylor-Schechter 16.320
* Ambrosiano O 39 sup.

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Solomon

Family and
reputed relations|

* David
* Davidic line
* Menelik I
* Solomonic dynasty
* Naamah
* Pharaoh's daughter
* Queen of Sheba
* Rehoboam

Occurrences|

* Judgement of Solomon
* Solomon and Marcolf
* Solomon in Islam
* Solomon's shamir
* Solomon's Temple
* Throne of Solomon
* Valley of the ants

Reputed works|

* Protocanonical
* Ecclesiastes
* Proverbs
* Psalm 72
* Psalm 127
* Song of Songs
* Deuterocanonical
* Book of Wisdom
* Apocryphal
* Odes of Solomon
* Prayer of Solomon
* Psalms of Solomon
* Testament of Solomon
* Grimoires
* Key of Solomon
* The Lesser Key of Solomon
* Magical Treatise of Solomon

Related articles|

* Boaz and Jachin
* Goetia
* King Solomon's Mines
* Seal of Solomon
* Solomonic column
* Solomon's knot
* Solomon's Pools
* United Monarchy

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Norway
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* Poland
* Vatican
* Israel

Other|

* IdRef

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