Wisdom of Solomon 6-9, Proverbs 8, Romans 1 & 10-11, John 1, Colossians 1, Hebrews 1
In the first episode on the Wisdom of Solomon, we saw that the author is appealing specifically to rulers, warning them of the Fall of humanity, and commending to them the righteousness and wisdom of God, as they fulfill their responsibilities in a complex world. The book was written after the time of Solomon, but takes on his character, as a wise ruler, urging those who hear him to also seek wisdom. From this point on, we will speak of “Solomon,” knowing that he is not the actual author, but that he is the inspiration for this great book. Chapters 5 and 6 close this first section of the book that we considered last time, and juxtapose the opposition of God to evil (when God wears the whole armor of a righteous breastplate, an impartial helmet, a holy shield, and a wrathful sword, 5:17-22) with God’s invitation to acquire wisdom and so be brought near to Him (6:12-20). Though Solomon is speaking specifically to “kings, judges, and rulers,” and warning those with tyrannical tendencies, as we read we get the impression that the warning and the invitation are for everyone—for the “ungodly man” (5:14) and for anyone who loves and desires wisdom (6:12, 17). Even before we get to chapters 7-9, where Wisdom is described in detail as a kind of spouse or lover for the righteous, we hear these welcome words: “Wisdom is radiant and unfading and is easily perceived by those who love her, for she is found by those who seek her” (6:12); “Wisdom goes about seeking those worthy of her, and she appears to them favorably in their paths, and meets them in every thought” (6:16).
Not only can Wisdom be found, but “she”takes the initiative in seeking for us. As St. Cyril of Alexandria reminds us in his Catechetical Lectures 16.19, this is like the Holy Spirit, who desires to give us His gifts. In the same way, the blessed Augustine stresses these verses, expressing wonder over the Wisdom of God who “benevolently appears” to those who love her, both in as they go about their lives, and as they think (On Genesis 5.20.41—21.42). But what are we to make of this figure called “the Wisdom of God” who is so celebrated and desired in this book? Didymus the Blind (fourth century, Alexandria), sums up what many of the fathers say: “This wisdom [of God] is our Lord Jesus Christ, who is called the power and the wisdom of God. But the Holy Spirit is also proclaimed to be wisdom.” (On the Holy Spirit 1.21) As we read through the fathers, and especially their interpretations of Wisdom 7-8, we will see that sometimes they liken this mysterious female figure to Christ, and other times to the Holy Spirit. After all, it is the second and the third Person of the Holy Trinity who show forth the secret nature of the Father, displaying to us, first in the person of Jesus, and then in the life of the Spirit-filled Church, who God really is. It is through the Son and the Spirit that we come to understand the hidden mysteries of the world, of ourselves, and of God, and thus come to gain true wisdom, seeing all things in perspective.
Chapter 7 of Wisdom begins by reminding us that even Solomon, though a great king, was mortal like every one, born in the same way, nursed in the same way, sustained by the same air, and then finally dying as we all do. Though human, when he prayed, God sent to him the Spirit of Wisdom, whom he had the good sense to prize above everything—above wealth, health, beauty, and even light. To gain wisdom, he declares is better than anything else one could possess:
For it is an unfailing treasure for men
Who, when they get it, obtain friendship with God,
For they demonstrate her gifts that come from instruction (7:14)
There are many beings and created things in this world, from human beings to the animals, to the winds, to the seasons—things both visible and invisible (7:15-21). It is by God’s Wisdom, who is the “Artisan” of these things, that we come to know about them. Indeed, a deep contemplation of God’s creation can lead us, as St. Paul says, to see the glory of God himself, whose “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived” in the things that He has made (Romans 1:19). The great Origen comments on this that “the one who created everything in wisdom created all the species of visible things on earth in such a way as to bear within them a principle of the knowledge of invisible and heavenly realities” (Commentary on the Song of Songs 2.9). This “sacramental” quality of the created order has been stressed in our day by Father Alexander Schmemann, who in his For the Life of the World speaks of the inherent ability of those things that God has created—oil, wine, bread, water—to speak to us about God. To seek to understand the creation, then, is a stepping stone to Wisdom herself, and Solomon begins here.
The book then goes on to expand on what we may also read about Wisdom in Proverbs 8, where we also hear about how Wisdom was “working beside [God]” when He created the world (8:23-31). In a hauntingly beautiful and deeply thoughtful piece we are drawn to seek Wisdom, as Solomon did:
In Herself, Wisdom is a spirit that is rational,
Holy, only-begotten, manifold, subtle, easily-moved, clear;
Undefiled, manifest, invulnerable, loving what is good, keen,
Unhindered, beneficent, man-loving, steadfast, unfailing,
Free from worry, all-powerful, all-surveying,
And penetrating all spirits that are rational, pure, and most subtle.For Wisdom moves from one place to another
More easily than motion itself,
And because of her purity, she penetrates all things,
So she is the exhalation of the power of God
And the emanation of the pure glory of the Almighty;
Therefore nothing defiled enters her.For she is the radiance of eternal light,
A spotless mirror of the operative power of God
And the image of His goodness.
Though she is one, she can do all things:
So while remaining in herself, she renews all things;
And in every generation, she passes into holy souls
And makes them friends of God and prophets.Thus God loves nothing as much as the one who lives with Wisdom.
For wisdom is more beautiful than the sun
And more than every constellation of stars.
Compared with light she is found to be superior,
For night succeeds the light, but evil cannot overcome Wisdom. (7:22-30)
This passage possesses both the beauty of poetry and the profundity of philosophy, and indeed is echoed in various parts of the New Testament. At first it reminds us of descriptions of the Holy Spirit who is “everywhere present,” and the divine character of that Spirit. In refuting the heretics of his day who were denying the divinity of the Holy Spirit, St. Ambrose pointed to these verses, reminding us of this:
The Holy Spirit has not sinned, as one reads of the Son that he has not committed sin. And [the heretics] should accept that we teach with the authority of Scripture, since it is written, “Because in wisdom there is a spirit intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, penetrating, without blemish.” The Scripture calls him “without blemish.” (On the Holy Spirit 3.18.134–36)
We might, however, be a little confused by the language that the Wisdom of Solomon uses, telling us both that Wisdom is stable, and that Wisdom can move to all places easily. In explaining this, with reference to the Holy Spirit, St. Gregory the Great (7th century), reminds us that even in the Scriptures we hear both about the Spirit being everywhere present, and moving as He wills. Here he is referring to God travelling by means of the moveable chariot of angels to be with the exiles in Babylon, as he interprets Ezekiel’s great vision of the wheels:
Because the Holy Spirit is God and coeternal with the Father and the Son from before all time, we must ask ourselves why it is said that He moves. In fact, one who moves goes to a place were he was not and leaves a place where he was. Now, why do we say that the Holy Spirit moves, given that He contains everything and there is no place where He is not?… Now, it says that the all-powerful Spirit is both mobile and stable, to indicate His universal presence. (Homilies on Ezekiel 1.5.9–10).
In trying to understand God, we of course have to use metaphors of action, like stability and motion, but we know that God is not like us—these are contrasting ideas, placed in collision together in order to suggest the omnipotence and omnipresence of God, as He shows Himself to be in relation with His creation. So we say both things, as does this beautiful passage, when it describes Wisdom both as penetrating all things and moving easily from one to another. St. Augustine reminds us of God’s presence with us when he expounds the beauty of Psalm 147, where we hear about His W/word running swiftly to make a mark upon human beings:
If we think of God in the form of God, of the Word equal to the Father, he is the Wisdom of God of which it was said, “She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other.” What speed! “She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other.” (Expositions of the Psalms 147.22)
With this we come to see that the mysterious figure of Wisdom points forward not only to the Holy Spirit, but to Jesus, the Word of God. A major idea here is the “oneness” of Wisdom, which mirrors the oneness of God. “Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is One.” St. Paul also speaks of God’s oneness as being displayed in the new covenant, since Jesus, and not an angel, is the mediator of our new covenant with God. Jesus stands both in the place of man and of God, and is one with his Father, and so this is very different than the giving of Torah, where an angel had to give the Torah as a link between God and Israel, who are two different parties. St. Paul says regarding our new situation in Christ, “Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one,” (Gal 3:20) a mysterious saying that sounds very much like the verse we read in Wisdom: “Though she is one, she can do all things” (7:27).
And it is not only the oneness that links Wisdom to God. We also hear about her radiance, her being the image of God’s goodness, her purity, her showing forth the glory of God, and her making us friends of God (7:24-26). This celebration of Wisdom is closely echoed in both Colossians and the book of Hebrews when they introduce the reader to God the Son:
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible…. [A]ll things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Col 1:15-17)
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. (Hebrews 1:3)
Wisdom, then, is an Old Testament way of picturing both the mystery of the Son and the Holy Spirit, who were to come into this world in a dramatic way. Just as the light cannot overcome the darkness (as we hear in the gospel of John), so this book of Wisdom tells us that “evil cannot overcome Wisdom” (7:30). God is victorious.
Chapter 8 and 9 then go on to speak of the way that Wisdom can be intimate with a human being, giving discernment to one who has responsibilities, and preparing that one for an eternity with God. Solomon tells us about his friendship with Wisdom, how he was affected both in his body and his soul by knowing her (8:19-20), and how he was led to pray that his entire rule be guarded by the wisdom of God. That prayer is found in chapter 9:
O God of our fathers and the Lord of mercy,
Who made all things by Your word
And in Your wisdom built a man
That by you He might be the master of what is created…
Do not reject me…but send [Wisdom] from your holy heavens…
and guard me with her glory.
Those of us who read the prayer know, of course, that Solomon was not always wise, as with his many wives. But in his many accomplishments we still perceive the wisdom of God, and can emulate his desire to know the truth and beauty of God. His prayer finishes with words echoed by the apostle Paul, who knew indeed that God had sent his Word into the world, and things would never be the same.In Wisdom of Solomon, the king prays, “Who has known Your counsel, unless You have given him wisdom and sent him Your Holy Spirit from on high?” St. Paul is even more expansive when he asks, “Who will ascend into heaven (that is, to bring Christ down)…But…the word is near you in your mouth and in your heart…For who has known the mind of the LORD or who has become His counselor? For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever, Amen.” (Romans 10:6-8: 11: 34-36).
What King Solomon sought, what the writer of Wisdom of Solomon expressed mysteriously in the person of Wisdom, St. Paul, the evangelist John, and Hebrews declare openly—Wisdom has come to us in Christ and in the Holy Spirit, making us friends of God, showing us secrets known only to God’s children, and giving us hearts of adoration and gratitude. We have received the One who is the true Light, the One who is the great Counselor, whom the ancient fathers saw from afar. We seek Him because He first sought us.
Edith M. Humphrey 