A Letter from God

By Pinchas Shir

July 21, 2025

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The Odes of Solomon  is a joyful poetic hymn penned by a Jewish writer around the turn of the first century CE. The anonymous poet was well-versed in Jewish literature of the day. The Odes allude to it, use it for inspiration, and build upon it. But even more so, we can see that the author was a Jew who believed in Jesus the Messiah. As far as scholars can tell, the text was most likely composed in Aramaic and was preserved in both Aramaic and Greek for some time. Some church scribes of later generations likely augmented the texts of Odes of Solomon over time, but most experts who read them recognize a distinctly Jewish way of expressing faith in the Maker of Heaven and Earth. The 23rd Ode of Solomon reads:

Joy is for the holy ones. And who will put it on but they alone? 2 Grace is for the elect ones. And who will receive it but they who trusted in it from the beginning? 3 Love is for the elect ones. And who will put it on but they who possessed it from the beginning? 4 Walk in the knowledge of the Lord and you will know the grace of the Lord generously; both for his exultation and for the perfection of his knowledge. 5 And his thought was like a letter, and his will descended from on high. 6 And it was sent from a bow like an arrow that has been forcibly shot. 7 And many hands rushed to the letter, in order to catch [it], then take and read it. 8 But it escaped from their fingers; and they were afraid of it and of the seal which was upon it. 9 Because they were not allowed to loosen its seal; for the power which was over the seal was better than they. 10 But those who saw the letter went after it; that they might know where it would land, and who should read it, and who should hear it. 11 But a wheel received it, and it [the letter] came over it. 12 And with it was a sign of the Kingdom and of providence. 13 And everything which was disturbing to the wheel, it mowed it and cut it down. 14 And it restrained a multitude of adversaries; and bridged rivers. 15 And it crossed over [and] uprooted many forests (i.e., the nations), and made a wide way. 16 The head went down to the feet, because unto the feet ran the wheel, and whatever had come upon it. 17 The letter was one of command, and hence all regions were gathered together. 18 And there appeared at its head, the Head which was revealed, even the Son of Truth from the Most High Father. 19 And he inherited and possessed everything, and then the scheming of the many ceased. 20 Then all the seducers became headstrong and fled; and the persecutors became extinct and were blotted out. 21 And the letter became a large volume, which was entirely written by the finger of God. 22 And the name of the Father was upon it; and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, to rule forever and ever. Hallelujah. (Odes of Solomon, Ode 23)

God sent a letter, but can we open it and read it? The author does not use the name of Jesus or quote directly any of the Apostolic works (New Testament), but the writer's faith is, without a doubt, similar to that of many Jews described in the New Testament. Is the idea of a letter issued from God similar to John’s Logos coming into the world and becoming flesh (John 1:1-3; 16), being the origin point of the world? The message of the letter in this Ode is about the Head, who inherited and possessed everything. Is this Head meant to be another representation of the "Son of Man" (Dan 7:13-14) with whom Yeshua identifies? Is the Son's "inheritance" in the Ode related to Matthew 28:18, in which Jesus is given all authority and power? The poetic stanzas keep us guessing.

Consider the similarities between this “Letter from God” and Zechariah 5 or Revelation 5. According to the Ode, this revelation from God turns into a large volume that is written by the finger of the Most High. What else was written by the finger of God in Jewish tradition? The commandments. The nature of the Odes of Solomon is not to answer questions objectively, but to cause us to see something we might be missing. In this ancient Jewish poetry, readers can discover both recollections of God's eternal will and the kinds of revelatory insights that reverberate throughout the New Testament.