Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Sophia


The Book of Wisdom is the most recent book in the Old Testament, probably written in the century just before Christ in Alexandria, Egypt.  It was written originally in  Greek, not Hebrew, and as such is one of the books that Catholics have and Protestants don't.
Wisdom is personified in this book and in a few others almost to the point of sounding like God.  In the New Jerusalem translation that I often use, Wisdom is capitalized as are other names for God.  In 7:7-11 Solomon praises Wisdom extravagantly, "I loved her more than health or beauty, preferred her to the light, since her radiance never sleeps."  Further on (25-26) he says, "She is the breath of the power of God, pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty....She is a reflection of the eternal light, untarnished mirror of God's active power, and image of his goodness." 
The Greek word for Wisdom is "Sophia." Though the Jewish author of the book did not see her as divine, some modern writers are using "Sophia" as a name for God the way John in the beginning of his Gospel uses "Word" to refer to what we call the Second Person of the Trinity.

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