Catholic comments on a verse please?

Hi guys,

I just started reading Wisdom of Solomon and I'm kinda confused.  I have a New Revised Standard Version of the Catholic Bible.  And so I found chapter 2, verse 3 a bit confusing.  Here's what it says:

"when it is extinguished, the body will turn to ashes, and the spirit will dissolve like empty air." (Wis 2:3, NRSV)

Now THAT sounds like it contradicts Ecclesiates 12:7...

and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. (Ecc 12:7)

Also what do you think about Wis 2:10?

"Let us oppress the righteous poor man; let us not spare the widow or regard the gray hairs of the ages" (Wis 2:10)

It looks like it's contradicting James 1:27 and Proverbs 19:17:

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (Jas 1:27)

"He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord , and he will reward him for what he has done." (Pro 19:17)

Can someone help here?  I'm confused....

-Jason

Uhm....nevermind...I just realized I forgot about something:  Verse 1 has the answer:

For they reason unsoundedly saying to themselves, "Short and sorrowful is our life, and there is no remedy when a life comes to its end, and no one has been known to return from Hades" (Wis 2:1)

they refers to the ungodly (Wis 1:16) and based on context, Wis 2:1-20 is all the things the evildoers say =)

Might as well disregard the entire post =)

-Jason

Originally posted by VOW
To Hoonbaba:

I pulled out my Bible and checked out Wisdom, chapter 2. According to the breakdown of chapter sections, the last verse of chapter 1 begins that section, and it turns out that part is about the actions and thinking of a wicked man. From what I gather, chapter 2 is a list of the dirty, rotten things a wicked man does.

At death, the spirit vacates the body completely. It would indeed be "empty air." As far as the physical world, the "here and now," the spirit is GONE.


Hope this helps.


Peace be with you,
~VOW

Click to expand...

Hi VOW,

Thanks for the help =)

I got the impression that Wis 2:3 was referring to some sort of annihilationism, which Catholics do not teach.  In any case, there's 2 safe conclusions to make:

1)  Either the wicked man was claiming something that isn't necessarily true

or

2)  The spirit leaves the body =)

God bless!

-Jason