The
Wisdom of Solomon or The Book of Wisdom, an apocryphal book, was
composed in Greek by an unknown Hellenistic Jew probably during the latter part
of the 1st century BC. Its unifying theme is the "praise of wisdom" in a Jewish
sense rather in terms of the surrounding Hellenistic culture. In Article VI of
the "Articles of Religion" Wisdom is listed among the apocryphal books
to be read "for example of life and instruction of manners" but not "to
establish any doctrine." (Prayer Book, p. 868) A further clarification:
"Lutherans and Anglicans ... decided that while no doctrine of faith could be
based on a teaching that appeared in one of these books but
nowhere else in the Bible, the books were nevertheless worth reading."
[source: The Bible For Today's Church, p. 36] However, the Roman
Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches accept Wisdom and the other
apocryphal books as an integral part of the Old Testament.