"Conoscerti è giustizia perfetta" (Sap 15,3)

The theme of justice is amply developed/ treated by the Book of Wisdom, which deals with both God’s and man’s justice. The last occurrence of the term δικαιοσύνη is in 15,3, at the end of a long excursus onidolatry; in this passage the author gives a sort of summarizing “definition”, according to which knowledge of God and justice are nearly identified. The theme of knowledge is recurrent in the Book, and this is due to the cultural context in which it originated (the Jewish diaspora to Egypt), and the close relationship with the Jewish tradition of wisdom. The work highlights the passage from wisdom based on experience to one granted by inspiration and revelation; consequently, this is the way by which God reveals Himself, works and transforms the human being; moreover, wisdom is not only a series of notions, but it is firstly the possibility of knowing the will of God. Drawing upon the proclamation in Es 34,6, in 15,1-3, the author evokes the main traits of the God the covenant (15,1), God is alive and a real person, and is contrasted with the powerless and lifeless idols worshipped by the heathen; once the sovereignty of this God is acknowledged, it is possible to adhere to his will (15,2); thus that perfect justice which is the root of immortality is fulfilled (15; cfr. 1,15). Knowledge of God is synonymous with a virtuous life, from which immortality can germinate, as a plant or tree grows out of a root.