The wisdom of the Apocrypha by L. Cranmer-Byng, C. E. Lawrence, and S. A. Kapadia
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"The wisdom of the Apocrypha" by L. Cranmer-Byng, C. E. Lawrence, and S. A. Kapadia is an anthology of Jewish wisdom literature from the biblical Apocrypha, with an editorial introduction, written in the early 20th century. The volume presents and contextualizes selections—especially The Wisdom of Solomon and Ecclesiasticus—emphasizing righteousness, duty, discipline, and practical conduct, and framing their ethical insights for modern readers and East–West understanding. The opening of the volume sets out
the series’ aim to foster goodwill between East and West, notes editorial choices and omissions, and offers an introduction that revalues the Apocrypha as vital human documents. It argues that “wisdom” largely means disciplined duty under God, surveys its relevance to everyday character and leadership, and frankly flags Ecclesiasticus’s harsh views on women while praising its shrewd maxims. The text then begins The Wisdom of Solomon (1–9): a call to righteousness; a critique of nihilistic “ungodly” reasoning; a promise that the righteous rest with God; warnings to rulers; a soaring portrait of Wisdom as God’s radiant effluence; and Solomon’s prayer to receive her. It follows with the opening of Ecclesiasticus, which strings together compact counsels on fearing the Lord, endurance in trial, honouring parents, humility, charity and justice, choosing friends, guarding speech, shunning pride and lust, prudence around the rich and powerful, repentance, and reflections on creation, human faculties, and God’s mercy and judgement. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Editor | Cranmer-Byng, L. (Launcelot), 1872-1945 |
|---|---|
| Author of introduction, etc. | Lawrence, C. E. (Charles Edward), 1870-1940 |
| Editor | Kapadia, S. A. (Shaporji Aspaniarji), 1857-1941 |
| LoC No. | ca14000291 |
| Title | The wisdom of the Apocrypha |
| Original Publication | London: John Murray, 1910. |
| Series Title | The wisdom of the East series |
| Note | "Owing to rigid limitations of space, some deletions have been necessary." --Note |
| Contents | The wisdom of Solomon -- Ecclesiasticus. |
| Credits | Carla Foust, Brian Coe and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | BS: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: The Bible, Old and New Testament |
| Subject | Wisdom literature |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 77250 |
| Release Date | Nov 16, 2025 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 345 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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