Copyright ©2011 by Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute
Distributed under an Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.
The Odes of Solomon consist of 42 short lyric poems, of which the Syriac
version is preserved almost complete, while Ode 11 is also known in Greek,
and five Odes in Coptic (including 1, lost in Syriac). At least some of them
seem to have been composed in Greek. The editio princeps was by J. R. Harris
in 1909 (2nd ed. 1911, after F. C. Burkitt had discovered a second, even
more incomplete ms.). In both Syriac mss., H and N, the Odes of Solomon are
followed by the 18 Psalms of Solomon. It should be noted that one and the
same Syriac term (viz. zmirtā) is used for both,
‘Ode’ and ‘Psalm’. Before the discovery of the Syriac texts of Odes of
Solomon 3–42 (H) and 17–42 respectively (N, sometimes labelled B) our
knowledge of these enigmatic poems (also described as hymns, psalms, and
songs) was restricted to the Latin quotation of Solomon’s ‘ode’ 19.6–7a by
Lactantius (early 4th cent.), the listing of ‘Psalms and Odes of Solomon’ as
OT
antilegomena in the so-called ‘Synopsis’ of
Pseudo-Athanasius (7th cent.) and the ‘Stichometria’ ascribed to Nikephoros
(8th– 9th cent.), and the Coptic version of Solomon’s ‘odes’ 1, 5, 6, 22,
and 25 quoted in the Gnostic work ‘Pistis Sophia’ (3rd cent.; Codex A, 4th cent.). These five pieces were taken
from a Greek collection in which the Odes of Solomon were preceded, not
followed, by the Psalms of Solomon. In 1959 the Greek text of Ode 11 was
published by M. Testuz (Papyrus Bodmer, XI [3rd– 4th
cent.]). In the Syriac version of this very ode we find the only verse (viz.
11.23a) which has left a clear trace in Syriac literature (cf. Ephrem, ‘On
Paradise’, 7.21). The author(s), date, and place of origin are unknown. It
is, however, probable that the anonymous odes later attributed to Solomon
were composed and used by gnosticising Christians in bilingual Syria as
early as the 2nd cent. In form and content they appear to be strongly
influenced by biblical language and show some connection with texts from
Qumran. The Saviour is also called Lord, Son, and Messiah, but never appears
under the name of Jesus. Dominant theological terms are Spirit, God, Lord,
Most High, and Father. Among the most important soteriological concepts are
grace, joy, knowledge, life, light, love, rest, truth, and word.