J. Vermeylen – författare

The Wisdom of Ben Sira and the Wisdom of Solomon are included in the Septuagint, but not in the Hebrew Bible. For a long time, these books were little read and studied. Today, however, there is a growing interest in them, stimulated not only by the discovery of Hebrew manuscripts of Ben Sira but also by the awareness that both books provide a privileged witness to the judaism in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Both books invite the reader to recognise that authentic wisdom consists in fear of the Lord and in loyality to the Torah. In addition to this common feature, both express different points of view in the debate in which the Jewish communities of Jerusalem (Wisdom of Ben Sira) and Alexandria (Wisdom of Solomon) were engaged in the face of the rise of Hellenistic culture. These books contain an essential key to the understanding of Judaism at the time and the beginning of Christianity.Professor Maurice Gilbert s.j. has devoted most of his scientific work, first, on the study of the Wisdom of Solomon and, later, on the Wisdom of Ben Sira. The present volume is dedicated to his honour on the occasion of his 65th birthday. It includes thirty-two studies by some of today's authorities on wisdom literature, and may be considered as a major contribution to the understanding of two important books of the Greek Bible.

Reprenant à frais nouveaux la question de la formation du livre de Job, J. Vermeylen en propose une analyse approfondie. Selon lui, à partir d'une vieille légende de l'époque royale le livre a connu quatre éditions successives, situées entre le Ve et le IIe siècle. Chacune d'elles développe sa propre théologie et sa propre vision de la détresse de Job. Mais, contrairement à une lecture sapientiale et individualisante largement répandue, aucune ne cherche à mener une réflexion de type théologique ou philosophique sur le problème du mal en général ou sur celui de la souffrance du juste innocent. Bien plutôt, les rédacteurs successifs du livre ont cherché à répondre à une situation socio-historique concrète d'une communauté en butte à l'opposition et cela à des fins de propagande: chaque fois, il s'agit de convaincre les lecteurs de se rallier à un nouveau régime politique et de montrer que Dieu, en lutte permanente contre les forces du chaos, ne veut pas la souffrance inutile de ses fidèles.