The Book of Wisdom or The Wisdom of Solomon 2:17 Commentaar

Joseph is sent by his father to visit his brothers and the sheep. Our Joseph, as well, Christ the Lord, says, “I have been sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” It is said, “The brothers hated Joseph because of his dreams.” And our Joseph, too—Christ—cried out concerning his brothers the Jews, “They hated me without reason.” Seeing Joseph, the brothers said, “Here comes the dreamer. Come, let us kill him, and see what becomes of his dreams.” The godless, as Solomon says, said about our Joseph, “Come, let us kill the righteous one, because he is displeasing to us.” And they continue, “He claims to possess knowledge of God and declares himself a son of God. Let’s see if his words are true, and let’s find out what will happen in the end.” He confirms what is in the Gospel, when he says about the son sent to the vineyard workers, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” After seizing Joseph, the brothers stripped him of his many-colored tunic and threw him in a ditch. Our Joseph, by the mouth of the prophet, says the same of his passion: “They threw me in the outer ditch, in darkness and the shadow of death.” By the Gospel’s authority we are told how he was stripped of his tunic, which was woven from top to bottom and which the soldiers refused to divide among themselves, thus confirming the unity of the church. Heretics are excluded from this casting of lots, because it was to be that only one would possess it, that is, unity. “Taking,” Scripture says, “a kid from the goats, Joseph’s brothers dipped the tunic in its blood” and took it to their father, falsely saying that a wild beast had torn him to pieces.