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Which later writings were attributed to Solomon after his death?
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Solomon
The Judgment of Solomon, oil on canvas by Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1617; in the Statens Museum for Kunst (National Gallery of Denmark), Copenhagen.
Postbiblical tradition attributed several later works to King Solomon, honoring his reputation as a sage and poet. These writings include:1
- The Wisdom of Solomon: An apocryphal work written in Greek by a Jewish author in Alexandria during the 1st century BCE. It defends Judaism by incorporating Hellenistic philosophical concepts and depicts Wisdom as a personification of an attribute of God.23
- The Odes of Solomon: A collection of religious poems attributed to Solomon as a tribute to his wisdom.1
- The Psalms of Solomon: A pseudepigraphal work consisting of 18 psalms written in Hebrew around the mid-1st century BCE. While the title suggests Solomonic authorship, the author likely did not intend to deceive readers; the work instead reflects the political and religious climate of Jerusalem following the Roman conquest by Pompey.45
Additionally, while the Book of Proverbs and the Song of Solomon are included in the biblical canon, they are also traditionally associated with him, though scholars note these attributions are often based on his posthumous fame rather than direct authorship.61