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nus CONCEPT OF j-\UMAN WISDOM AND ITS RELATION TO SPIRIT
IN
OLD TEST~\ENr wlSOOM WRITING
by
Sister Elaine Marie Prevallet .• S. L. t A. B.
A Thes.1s submitted to the f~eulty of the Graduate S~hGolt Marquette University in
Partial fulflllJnfilnt of the Requirement&; ft;>r the Otgtee
of Master of Arts
rUlwaukee. Wisconsin May, 1963
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I ntroduction. ~". ".'"" ••• ' ••••••••••• , .; ....... ' •.•.••••••• ,.P age 1
General Trends in Israel's Wisdom Writing., •••••• ". 4
Proverbs ••• Ii.· •••••••• ••••••••••••. • ' . ' •• ' e,...... 4
Coheleth •• ' •••••••••• ' •••••••••••••• "....... ••• 9
Job •••••••• .- ti •••••• '.· •••••• ' •••••• '............. 11
S1rach •••••••••••••••••••••••••• ~ ........... 13
The Book of Wisdom ................ '. ....... . .... 18
Wisdom and Spiri t •••• ' .............. '... •••••••••••••• 46
Conclu5 ion •••••••••• ., •••••.• • ' •••••••••• ' " ••• ' ••• e,.... 81·
Bibliography...................................... 8~
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INtRODUCTION
h is probably tl'U$ that of 8,11 areas of Old T'f;lstament studies,
the wi'srlom ~i ting has least attra<;ted ,th~ entbus.1asUc attention Qf
bibl1cal scholal's.fiea$oi'lS for this< are. ho\~vel't not difficult to
find. fo],' the gteat figures whe guided brad's 4e$:tiny, the great
themes of salv&tion histo:ty .. ;awh~ch would quite na,turally d~atl the mOst
lnte,re$~".-do not $e8m tQ dominate, the $apil:tntial Vlri ting41 Indeed,
I~atl-s w$..$dom traditions arB SQ scandalouslY' silrlilar to those of
pagan nations that they often seem openly ,syncretistitJ tn'f;lY are so
embauas$1ngly rat;lq,na3,imd human 11'\ the!, metnQq and dotq. tba.t they
seE!m prepondarantly ,seCuhi', "of the earth. eathy." further; such
deutero-oanonical works as Si:raeh and the Book of Wisdom would un ..
de:standably not eowfland tne full attention of Prot(111rt,ant $cnolars.
It is perhaps only recently, in the l1ght of arCheological dis ..
eoverhli, that the wisdom booksJ. precisely be.cause of t heir similar! ty
to th~ w1$dom wri t1ng Of other nation$" have salned more attention.
And the l'e$ult has been a new' appreciation of the typically lsra.eUte
element whiCh pervade$ them. i'iliCh tnakes them indeelli d1 fferent despite
st.iX'hee 're$elllblan4eh From ast.ri4;tlyraUonal viewpolot. th$ dis.
tinctlveMes cap be attributed to Israel ' sgen!us as borrower-adapter ..
v ,ansfome:; but f:rom a faith Viewpoint, this wri tin9 h unique he"
~aUSe it beat~ the ~evelation vmioh it is the function and glOrY of
israel to transmit. For it is the whole life of thh nation-.her
people. her history, her <;ult'Ut'e., her writing, her moraUty and her
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men tali ty, all influencing and inter"'penetrating one another .... which
is the vehicle chosen by God to reveal Himself to OlE;in .
It is our PUrpose 1n this study to trace the development of Is
rael's concept of human wisdom. We Shall first simply give a broad
over .. view of the u,nds which predom:lnatlll in each of the wisdom booh
as they come in ehronological $equeneet Proverbs, Cohe1eth. Job • . 61-
rach and the Book of Whdo!ll , pointing up tOe eUments which relate
tOam to one anotbe.t'. The Book of Wisdom will receive the most d~ ...
taHed consideration, for it appears to be a CUlmination of much that
has preceded it; and alsQ to complete the ussif'lUation of wisdom
val t1n9 into a religious pe:rsp~ctiv~.
Them, since there is an underlying a_ssociation of hUillan wiSdom
wi th "wol'd" throughout wisdom Itf.!."i ting; we shall attempt to $ummarhe
the relationShip between thE! two, .and finally. since the identHiea ..
tion of w1sdolll as a sp!ri t appe~rs to be the climactic development;
we shall. t,;-y to detel"ml.ne its significanoe in the light of 1 ts bib
Uca! precedents and its apparent meaning.
The development of a concept 16 fr,quently m9flHest in a ohange
in word usa9~ .. for such chan9~ inevitably 1nc;U.eate$ a ehange in tM
mental! ty undedying1 t$ use. Hence our method has been to trace the
Use of the words tlwisdom" and "'spirit" in the sapiential writing, to
categoriae and relate theil' uses. a.nd thus to chdfy the ooncept of
human wisdom which emQrges. Because of the bl"eadth of its scope, the
oonoept of wisdom resists faCile. succinct defini tion , we shall at.
tempt only to point to what! t most cOtilmonly denotes ~nd connotes,.
A stUdy of Israel·s tnotion of wisdom is complioated by the ques ..
tion of the hypostathQi;ion of wisdom, adequat~ treatment of which
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would de.mand the txa$ing of '! t$ odgin and its relation to such !:ry,PQ<i!r
'statizCliion $ll1Ong htael's neighbors.. SUGh $tud!.es have been done by
tt. RinggreJ'lJ W,F. Albl'19ht haa also ma~ ¢Qntributicn.s in this area,
while P. v~ tmsohoot and A" ilobert h4V~ treateq 1. ts bibUcal pre"
Ced~nt$ anq. pa;l;alleh.* The WQ;tksof thQ$8 $¢holars hav~ been noted,
but ou.r eotlsldf1ration of wisdom has P'fQ"$c1noed bom so v~st and Qorn"
plelC a topic, Wl$dom belongs both to God 40d to man,our study wUl
lim! t itself to thf) 4evelopment of .hUlnanwi.$dc;m, ~eaUn9 divine w1s"
dc;m only insofat as iteluc1dite$ the flllm$.X'.
lbe impeetof Jemsh reli91ou$ tt~dit1Qn$ upon the vJrHing of
ti)eS8Qes be-comes 1nctl'eae:iogly ev!denta&one ·moves thr.ough the Old
l'e:stalnent w'hdQmhooks. llecau$El of their human , ratJ;Qi'\al apprQ,aeh,
andtheit' appeal to a broad audhnc;e.the $.ages. did much to !ntu",
nationalh$ the Hebrew ethic and m~nta1it¥. and to "popular12)e" it
Qmong the Jew$ them$dves~ Their influ0nee and. the penetl'atien of
theb idea~ ffil::\$t, thelrefol'o, not be Underestimatf)d., aut 'V·en more
impol'tant is theiact that the w1$dQll'l: lHerature :refh¢t$ the men ..
tal!ty Qf the JewS of an age which is relativelY very el.ose to the
coming of Ohrist. Hene~s it provides .exGeUent ba¢Kgl'Ound fol' un4er ..
l'tandtn9 the mental. and :rel.i91o\ls ~Ueu into whhh Hewss bO::rrit and
is a vallJabl& tool fQr penetrating with 4.e$peruid insight lnto the New
testament ~it1ng~ and into tbe meaning ~t the ChrisUan message.
* H .• Rin9~en •. Word ang _li~d2:'l1 (I,un<h Hak~ OhlssORsBokttyc.ked; 1947) ;. W"f. A1Q1'l911tt Fl'Om._tb3{§l9,e.A99 ;W Cb&;is1;.unity ~GiU'd~nC1ty. N, 'I,. p¢Ubl«lay Anehor <BoOk$,1957 , p .• :¥l7 ffil J P. Van lllls.ehoot. th!Q19st,e. de 1 t t\nshn nstam@n.:!i. tomel tPa,.hl l)escl..e etGie •• l.~h p. 226 U.s A •. Rober't.·Le$ . e.ttaehja$ 1itt~.aii'e$ bibHques de Prov.l.IX." igw2 BibAiQY$t 43 (1934). 1',,42.068; 112.204; 3"14.;0841 44 (l9~ ) , 344-.65; ~02.2;) •
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GENERAL TRENDS IN I.SRAEL!S WISOOM WRITING
The earli.st writings of the sapienti.l books (Proverbs 10 ff.)
sellm to consider wisdom from two upects. First, the" ~s a strong
though not eXolusive connection ~tween wisdom and speech, indic.ting
that whdom was thought of as somtthingspobn, communicated by the
words of one reputed to posse8$ it. In thh way, it ~came also the
posseuion of an auditor, frequently addressed as "my son" (Pro. 22.17-
24.34). the wiae man exhorts hb "son" or pupil to listen to, to heed
hh word. (22.17). the implication being tip.t if he reoeives them and
makes them a part of himself, he too will become wise. l In this reg.rd,
it is intel'8S1U"9 to notice how often wisdom is related to mouth or
lips, and the frequency 0 f this conneetion would indicate an underlying
mentality. wisdom 1, oral or verbal 1n it. nature and communication.
lhus texu state that wisdom is found on the lips of the intelligent
(10113) and yielded by the mouth Gf the just (10.31). lhe wise run's
teaching is • fountain of Ufe (13414.)a the Ups of the wise preserve
him (14.3). lhe lips and tongue of the wise m.n disseminate knowledge
(1~~2,7). His mind maku him eloquent and persuasive (16,23,21).
Wise lips are a precious ornament (20.15), the ideal wife opens her
mouth in wisdom (31.26).
1 Tuts iuoh IS 17.16 and 4.7 prob.bly .rt indieations that sohools of wisdom edllted, but little is known of them. (Cf. E. Jacob, Theo}.09Y pf the Old 1851;.!!!!ot. tr.ns. A. W. Heathcote and P. J. Allcock New York. Harper Brothers, 1%8), p. 252.) This WOUld, however, be an obvious reason for the connection of wisdom with speech •
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But this is quite. obviously not a question simply of acquiring
a certain amount of knowledge which it> paned on from one ma.n to
anothu. ihis wisdom 'is n.ot Just theoretical, but quite practical,
and it seem$ ufe to infer that one who "knew" and did not practice
would not be considered wise, but rather the greUest of fools.2
5.
Thus, besides its first connotations. accorcUn9 to which wisdom would
appear r.ther external, there is a $econd. wisdom exists within man.
directing his way (14.8, 23.19). When a man walks "in wisdom," he is
ufe (28 •. 26). It.bides in the heart of the intelligent (14,33) I
the heart is spoken of as it,ulf being wise (23.H». Wisdom is honey
to the soul. &nd gives a hope of the future (24.13-14). It is fear
of th. Lord, religious humility, which is the besttrlining for wisdom
(15.33). and all true wisdom, ur:ldersttndlng or counsel lJIust be in
agreement with the Lord (2h30) •
. But the r.ha1.'acteristics which are uplici tly attributed to
the wise man are for the IIIOst part charact,ristics of cOllllllOnplacf,
natural int~9ritys expediency is often the motive, and frequently.
though not always, the qualities of wisdom .eem morally "'neutral."
The wise man 1s one who s.ak. and stores up knowledge (10.14, 18.15,
21.11)1 he heed, commands (lO.S). attends to and profits from
correction (Uu31, l.:hl; 29.15), take. counsel (13.10,1 ~9.20). is
2 In this connection, it, is interesting to notice the facUe transition IIlIde in several texts betwe.n " .1' and heart or between heart and lips (cf. 22.17, 23.12, 19, 1·51 17.20, Si. 16.24, 21a26). Pedersen points out that because of the intrinsic relation between idea and action, " ••• words _.ning 'h.ar', "observe' may often be more suitably rendered by 'obey' ••• J" a.nd that beciu,e of the "connection between the soul and ill that originates in it." the word is the ~b9dUy expression" of the contents of the soul. (J. Pedersen, Itrael. Its Life and Culture I-II. (London. Oxford University hess; 1926) .• p. 131-2, 167.}
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prudent and shuns evil (14.16). He is resourceful (14.24), humble
(11,12), discerning (16.21), discreet (17.27). He can appease anger
(16.14, 29.8), is strong against the mighty (24,5), cautious in his
use of wine (20.1).3
It is interesting, then, to notice the progression which has
taken place by the time of the final editing of these portions in
the fifth century B.C. The author of Proverbs 1-9 places himself
6.
3 This does not mean that the bulk of Proverbs 10-31 is a-moral. Many proverbs explicitly mention the Lord or give at least implicit religious motivation. Though there is much that resembles Ugaritic, Canaanite and Phoenician lit81'ature, one can certainly say that there is nothing which would not be consonant with the morality of Isr.el's covenant with God. W. P. Albright m.kes a much stronger statement. M ••• while Proverbs may contain a very high proportion of matter origin.ting outside of Israel, it 1& saturated with Iareelite theism and morality." ("Canaenite-Phoenician Sources of Hebrew Whdom," W'iadom in Israel and in the Ancient Near East ("Supp. to Vetus Testamentum," Vol. III, ad. M. Hoth .nd D. W. Thomas, Leidena E. J. Brill, 1~5), p. 13.) On the contrary, Rylaardadam assetts that there is little difference between the morality of the wisdom literature of Egypt, Mesopotami •• nd Isr.ell the "good citi2en of one is 11ke either of the others." (J. Cout Rylaardsdam, Revelation in J,WiSh Wisyom Littr.ture (Chic.go. Universi.t y of Chica. go Press, 1946 , p. 14. Discussing the lack of typically Hebrew religious concepts and motivations in Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes, he concludes, nthis striking neglect of Jewish history .nd religion by the canonical wisdom writers cltlrly indic.us that the Hebrew wisdom movement h.d not yet been integrated into the national religion" (p. 20), though there is evidence th.t the writers were "touched by 1 ts spirit and shared its pr.ctioes or, at least, were aw.re of them. M (p. 23) Thiasame lack of reference to national traditions le.da Jacob to oonclude th.t Isr.el's early wisdom writing is more closely related to the God of creation than to the ooventnt God. (S. J.cob, ~. s11., p. 119, 148, 252.) One c.n conclude that the "God" of the e.rly writing 1s indeed Israel'. V.hweh, but that the distinotive •• pects of covenant morality are not cle.rly emphashed until later in the wisdom move.nt.
The conclusions noted above were from a consider.tion of only those texts in which a oertain line of conduct is specifioally denoted by the word "Wisdom." This procedure could not pretend to be exhaustive, for every directive contained in Proverbs purports to be "wisdom," whether or not the word is used. The method used here is useful in pointing up a certain limited 'SPlct of the ment.lit~ underlying the use of the word •
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more solidly and explicitly within the l1tfjrary and doctrinal streams
of Israelite tradition. 4 Wisdom belongs first to the Lord, and comes
from His mouth (2.6). If one is to be wise, he must begin with fear
of the Lord (1,7, 9.10). the first step, then, is to reeognile one's
relation to God, and all true wisdom must be built on this foundation.
PersoniUed,~ wisdom now assumes the tone of a prophet, appealing
to men to listen and be doc.ile to her, promising life to those who
heed her, death and destruction to those who do not (1420-33, 8.1-21,
32-36). Here again can be noted the al8ociation 0 f wisdom and speech,
for wisdom is pleading with men to accept her words, her counsel and
reproof (1.2l-~1 8.6-10).
It is by virtue of her relation to God that wisdom can demand
this response from men. She pre-exists creation, working with God i
as His oraftsman when He establishes the world (8.22-311 3H9-20).
It is evidently because she has intimate knowledge of the governance
of things, sharing, as it were, God ", knowledge of tiis creation, that
4 Cf. the detailed study by A. Robert, "Les attaohes lit~rair .. bibliques de Provo I-IX," Bl 43 (1934); p. 42-68, 172-204, 374-84, 44 (19~). 344-.6!'), ~02-~1 but its Canaanite souroes .eem unquestiona.ble in view ·of th.many ''Canaanitt reminiscences," especially in eh. a-9. Cf. W. P. Albright. Ope 91t., p. 7-9.
5 for biblical correlations of this personification cf. A. Robert. ga. ill., 172-204. Can .. ni t. and Ugari tic sources are however most likelYI Albright asoribes this appearance of hypostatl~.d Wisdom to a "remarkable gnomic dooument which haa been incorporated into the Book of Proverbs (ch.ps. 8-9), but which is now known to be of Oanaani te origin, sinoe it swarms with words and expressions otherwise found oni y in suoh Canaanite texts 88 the Ugari tic tablets a.nd the Phoenicia~ inscriptions." (from the Stone Age to Christitoity (Garden City, N.Y. " Doubleday AnchOr Books, 19~7), p. 367 If.) H. Ringgrenanalyzes .uchhypo.t.ti~ation inlo*l,nd Wisdom (Lund. Haxan Ohlnons Boktryokel'i. 1947). Duesberg and Auvray (U faso., Pro. 8, note b) note that it is difficult to separate poetic artifice from new intuitions in revelationJ the perlonilication seems to be more than a divine attribute or a pure abstraction, and to resemble the biblical usage 0 f word or spirit •
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men must turn to her for instruction as to tne })tat way of Hving
their lives. She it is who can give to .an what he needs 11'1 order
to conform, his life to God'. design, aCQ ... ib1e to men if they seek
her, she will reward them with prosperity, honor and 11fe (8,18-211
3,13-18).6
A moral tone predominate. in th"e chapters f moti vatioo 0 f
8,
an explicitly reUgious nature is frequ.ntly given (3.5 ... 12; 32-34,
6,16-19). The words of the wise thn are not now themseives wisdem7
but more frequently words which set th, young pupil on the path of
wbdo. (4.2). directing him to seek whdol'A, and to seek it p):ecisely
from God (2.1-8). Then wisdom will enter his heart, al'\~ will guide
him in just p.aths (2.10-20); the way of whdom 1& equated with
",ustic., and opposed to the way of wickedness (4.11 ... 19). He must
trust in the Lord and always be mindful of Him (3a!>--6), the Lord
must bt hh confidence (3a26). Th. teacher's instructions are now more .
clearly moral, one must not ~fuse kindn ... to his neighbor, plot
evU, quurel or envy, for the perverse man is an abomination to
the Lord, and only the upright His fri.nds (3.27-32, dr. 6116-19).
On •• ust follow the way of justice and {orsak. all evil. Wisdom
is, then, fear of the Lord (9110), regulating OIan's conduct in
line with a Il!Ote cleuly reeognhed: relation to God.
6 The llIJny texts of this kind (cf. also 3.3~J 8.3~. 91lh 13,14) give evi.dence of the faeUe connecting, characteristic of early Heb~w uplential writing, of good conduct with earthly prosperity and Ii long 11f., bad conduct with temporal misfortune. This tradition will be probed and found wanting In Job and Coheleth, and finally ,eplaced in the Sook of Wisdom by the notion of reward or punishment in an afteflife.
7 Though the latter is still present, as in &H •
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Coheleth
Written in a different vein, the Book of Coheleth is an attempt
to disoover the scope of human wisdom, in determining its scope, the
wise man fixes it in its most severe limits. Coheleth uys at the
o.utset that he has acquired a considerable amount of wisdom, more than
any of his predecessors (1.16). It is with the help of wisdom that
he has set out to discover the reasons for things (1.13). And he has
found that it is a futile; frustrating task (1.17-18).
He can see that wisdom has some value in direoting conduct
(2.14. 10.2). It is a good thing to have, somewhat like money
(7.11-12), its advantage is success (10.10). It makes a man's words
plea. ant (10.12) so that people listen to him (9.17). He can resolve
p~oblema and relieve people' I minds, so that they can be happy again
(8.1). Wisdom gives great strength (7.19) t and ia actually far more
valuable than force or arms (9.16, 18).
This much Coheleth can understand. But he wants to go deeper
than the,e so_what superficial observations. is there really any
lasting advantage to it? A min may work and aocomplish much, but
he cannot count on keeping it, nor oan he count on his successor or
his posterity to continue it (6.1 .... 3. 2.18-21). There is one fate for
the wiseman and the fool (2.1!), even, likely enough, for man and
~ast (3.19-21h there is one fate for .11 (9,2-3). Coheleth c.n
observe, but he "annot explain. He has studied all the ' areas of
human 11le--m8n's work and his deeds, hiB loves and hites, hh life
and death. But even with all hia wisdom, he cannot fathom the
reasons. It is God who gives wisdom, knowledge, plea.ure and success
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(2s26, ~a18h8 God is in heaven, man is on earth (~&l). There is
nothing to do but fear Him (~16). adheleth has sought the answers,
haa pretended to be wise; and finds that it is beyond him. "What
exists is far-reaching, it is deep, WIry deep. who can find it out?"
(7&23-24)
10.
If God knows the reasons for thing" man dc>es nota human wisdom
i, here sharply e*posed in all its limitationa. Through observation,
man can discern certain evident pattern" this is human wisdom--i t
can penetrate no deeper. But behind the regular, the predictable
and the empitically explicable; there looms the specter of all that
is apparently fortuitous, arbitrary, capricious. If man oan probe
the former, he stands helpless and humiliated beside the latter,
hete he is faced with the inexorable limi tao f tlis cre.turehood.
Cohaleth', thought has Nached its climax in the lines cited above
from chapter ~ (!)ll, 6). By expoaing the bankruptcy of purely human
efforts; he has lndir.ctly and somewhat tentatively groped his way
towards the position that human wisdom, 1n the f.ce of an omnipotent
and omniscient God, cannot be anything but faith.
8 It it possible that tha,e expressions may not be indicative of deep ·faith but rather, as Bent&en holds, point to a certain whimsy and capriciousness about the gifts of God, it seems too strong, however, to .. y that Coheloth reguds God as a "whimsical despot." (Cf. Aage Sentzen, 10tlOdl'0\1on to tr Old Ttuarnt. Vol. I-II (CQphenhagena G.E.C. Oad Publisher, 19~7, p. 189-90. The faith-attitude of Coh.leth and the nature of hi' God are topics much discussed by scholarsl W. Baumgartner' summarizes the positions in "The Wisdom Literature,'· The Old Teat,ment and Modern Study, .d. K. H. Rowley (Oxford. Clarendon Press, l~l). p. 224-226 •
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11.
Job
The Book of Job and that of Gohel.th are comparable in th.t
both give evidence of the rather incisive probing into wisdom and
its traditions which was taking place. But the spirit and viewpoint
which penetrate the books dUfer ra.dloally. If Coheleth emphashes
the lilll! tation of human wisdom, Job points up the transcendenc.e of
the divine. If Cohtleth's recognition of the need for faith is
implicit, Job's is not only explicit butpitrcing.
Here. 100ft shu-ply than in any other book of the Bibla, there
S8ePlS to be • dichotomy between hWJl8n and divine wisdom. 9 True
wisdom, indeed the only real wbdom. is O<>d's. In questioni,ng the
tradiUonal position of the relation between the righteousness of
man and the justice of God. or the righteousneu of Alan and God's
"blessing" 1n it$ full Hebrew aense lO , the author of the Book of
Job is impliei tl y throwing traditional hU.man wbdom into the balance,
to be weighed against the wisdom of God-and found wanting.
9 A general · con91deration of biblical texts which speak of wisdom points to the fact that in the Hebrew mentality there is a certain tension between the transcendence and the availability of wisdom. Texts which indioate that w18do/l 18 God's exclusive knowledge of His creation (e.g. Jb 28a23. 12.12 Hi 51 h~ .. 7) aN balanced by thOle whi.ch apeak of wisdom as given to men by God (e.g. to Solomon, 1 Kg 3.11, 28, to the messianic king, Is. 11.2); yet it il alway$ coltlpletely subjeot to Him (Is. 29H31 44 .. 21'>1 Jb ~.13). Finally wisdom personi fied shares her .ecret a with men (S1 4.18), herself dwell1ng among thelil (Bro. 8.31), loving them (Ws 116), ooncretized especially in larael's 1.,w (Sl 24.8 ff.). Bar. 3.l~-4.4 demonstrates both poles of thought. The dichotomy 80 ev1tt.nt in Job seems intrinsically related to, if not a dir&ct result of, this tension. Proverbs had verY e.rly hinted at the .ame thing. WOod has glory in what he oonceall I kings have glory in what they f,tholll. It (~.2)
• 10 Cf. the analysis of J. Pedersen, ~. i!1., p. ~8-74 •
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12.
We have already noted that human whdom, ~n1festin9 itself in .
good conduct was considered to "create" earthly prosperity. This is
a very stron9 trend, especially in the 800k of Pr~v.rbs.11 It is
i nteresting to nota that at lust three passages in the Book of Job
seem to identify human wisdom with this position. 8aldad (aaS-l0)
and El i phu (1~.18) purport to pass on the wisdom of the ancients,
Elihu too. though i n a somewhat different manner, proposes to speak
wisdom (33.3). It is this theory which under various upevts all
three maintain.
B1ipha~ says that a wise man's words ought to encourage devo-
tion and pi.ty (1511-4). but Job finds their words "like a mighty
wind" (8.2, 16.3). The reaotion: of Job--and h1l author-to this
brand of human wisdom is unmistakable and vehement. "No doubt you ., ar. the intelligent folk, and with you wisdom shaH di,eP' (1212).
"Oh, that you would be a1 together s Hentl This for you would be
wisdom. Ii (13a~) "But turn now. and come on again, for I shall not
find. wise m.n among youl" (17&10) Th18 "wisdom" is patently felse.
But there is no questioning the wi. dam of God. Sever.1 passages
in the Book of Job, unparalleled a!TKIng biblioal texts for their
clarity of expression, give valuable insight into the Hebrew con ..
ception of that wisdom which is exclusively God's. His wisdom i8
related to His power over oreation, man 18 powerless to contend with
God, for He is "wise in heart end mighty in strength, t. doing "great
11 Cf. the discussion by Walthu Sichrodt., Min 1n the Old Te.ta!!l!!nt, tra'ns. K. and ~.Gregor Smith (London. SCM Press Ltd •• 19!'H). especially p.,es 45-66. Such. formula. which would subject the divine governance to a hUmanly comprehensible principle! of order, would effect "the enslaving of mao and the stultifying of his re-lation with God through a petty legaUstic theorY of retribution." (p. 23)
•
13.
things past find~ng out, marvelous things 'beyond rtclton'ing.·' (9(4,. 10)
His are the "$eo1'e1;$ of wisdom," .nd no m.n can penetrate His designs
, (11 1'5-12) • "Witth hiM are !/isdorn and might .• " power o'VU , all things,
natural fnd human (12.13-25.). His designs are inev~tab1y fu1,(111ed. 't
The famous t~nty .... i9htl'l ohapter, asking frOm whenee wisdom comes
(2S112, 20) answers that she is hidden frolf) the eyes of all the Uvin~
(2B.~ti) and kno~n to God /Uone(2Sa2B-21}. Having risen i.n great
orescendo, the 'movement re-aches i t8 cl1i1ia:u God says to man, "The
fUr of : the Lord, that is 'wisdo.m." (28128) findly, God appears in
.. tempest, and asserts His sovereignty and the absolute supe.r1ority . .
of His w,isdom (38--42)'. Man oannot .nd should ~ot hope to pro~ God's
Wisdom, which ."rpau .. and utterly tranlcendl the reach&s of the
human spirit. \1iuman wisdom is found only in 8 HUtton of subjection
to God, .nd its v.l1dity .deUrrnined solely by its corrtspondence to
His de~19ns"l2 '"
Sdlrach
The 800k of Siraeh, orRQt>lesiasUc;us, represents 8 tr.nsit,lon
stage in Israelite wisdom l1ter.ture. 13 Much of the collnsel proferred
12 This conclusion in relation to wisdom $'e" equally valid as the conclusion to the pr<;>blem prestnted 1n the Book of .Job. Gpd h not unjust;" but tiis justice transcends the justice of man .and cannot ,be tathomttd by 'or subjected to the cOQf~ne$ of hUlUn ruson • . It should be noted that thh does not Mny the reality of either man's wlsdoll\ , or hhju8t~c.. 'We ,would not agree, with tbe position which holds thlt tht answer of the Beok of Job is to "pulverbe'" hlJ!llan just~ce ,t "reduce 1t to zero," "annul" 1t entirely. (~$ P. HUmbert, "Le Modernbmct de Job,." .boom in hrael and in tht Ancient NUrE.st, p. 1!>O-161.) Wbile divine and. hutnan justicdl-and wisdom-are incom.nau:rablt. both art red. Manis justhe and his wisdom 8:1;'8, howitver, ,ntir.Iy subject to th."laws" (jf God, ane! these a~ not always able to be j"Udged or known by human standudl,f If. dlohotomy between human and divine wisdom appear$ in the Book G-i Job, it isk1dged by that relation which h ·fear of the Lord. ' .
'13 Cf 0, J. C. Rylaardsdam, QQ.. (;i t., p. 27-39 •
•
~y Ben Sh'aeh is in the tredi tiona1 vein, aphorisms deriVed from
observation of the events and demands of daily living. Ther~ is
14.
sUU the identification of wisdom and speech. wisdom is known through
speech and those trait'led in wisdom's words should spuk when the
occasion demands. for he r proverbs are 11ke life-giving waiers(4a22-3,
1Sa28-9).One must listen, must hQed the elders and wise roan, be
attentive to their sayings if one would become wise (6c32'-3!»; one
must not spurn their discourse, but learn their proverbs (e&a). So
that his pupils may gain wisdom, Siraeh opehs his l1lOuth 8.nd sp.eaks
of her (~1a2r>); the scribe too will pOUr forth his words of wisdom
(39.6) •
The wise man knows when to spukand when to keep silent
(20 14 ... 7 , 21126). lit need not speak much, but what he says will be
p1~aSi-n!il (20.12, 26), e10qlJllnce is one of the benefits whieh wisdom
confers (l~.~). Charm is on the lips of the wise (21116). When
an intelligent man hears wise words, he accepta them (211H». The
discClurses of the devout 1%'6 dWlYs wise (27.11) I ~nd perfect wisdom
is found in the mouth of the faithful man (34IS).l<4
aut the Book of Siruh represe.nt5 a development. wisdom
wri ting has cleni y and upliGi tl y incorponted the re ligious and
historical traditions of Israel. Wisdom 1s most properly and fully
the attribute of God, who knows and thoroughly understands everything
He has made and who has pOWfr over all creation (lal-7. 15118-19),
14 It is difficu1 t to determine the .x.ct meaning of "fli thful" in thh context. It seems feasible that 1 t be synonymous with s :~. i1 cere, and therefore (like the L.aw, which is always fulfilled) worthy of trust. This is the meani ng suggested by P. Auvray <U fas c •• J11Qt.,e :: b . ) .
•
l~.
we have already found tl'\iB ' a cIo",inant the. in the Book of Job. As
the Lord in His wisdom ha. ordained a cycle of seasons and feasts, so
tie ha$ ordained d1fference~ 0 f hQUness, stat ... s and function, among
men (33&7-14). He ha~ , no ~eed of, a coun.ellor, nor is ,anything ever
added to or taken from Him. He ' is alwaY' the same, and H1$ total
knowledGe of all things, pas t, present and future t endures (42d8-22).
,Equally, it is Gi>d who gives' wisdo'm taman (lhl~J 17.6)r He
haa poufttd her forth upon all Hill works, and dis trlbuted her 8mong
His friends (la8). Sirach prayed for her, and the Lord granted his
request (~h22h so also. when it ple .. es the Lord, the scritMt will
be fUled with the spirit of understanding and will pour forth his
wofds of wisdom (39a6). Wisdom is particularly God's gift to Israel.
She Ci!Jlt forth from God, presided over creation) and God ,col1llllantt.d
th.t she take root in braeland make it herspec1al dwelling (24.3-8).
It b to the man who fears the Lord that God gives wisdom
(43135). Therefore, if one deaires it, one must keep the commandments,
and God will bestow it (1.23). Pear of the Lord 1& suc:ceu1v.ly
caUed the beginning (i,12), the root (1.18), the fullness (lal .. ),
.nd the garl.nd (1,16) ~f wi,dom. ' hence the two seem practically
synonymous. It is • great thino to find wisdom, but not greeter than
fear of tbe Lord which .u:rp ...... 11 (2~.lO-ll). Wisdom ia' given to
men and they '1'8 shown good and evil (17a6)1f1 but the wise ... n is
drcumspeet and avoids sin (18'27).
I!) "Knowl.dp 0 f good and .vil" is a rather co_n biblical uprenlon. So_ti._ it was ••• n as reserved to God alone (a.n. 3a22). In other passageS-II here-it is sh.red with _n& with SolOlllOn 1n III ICg 3a9-11, • sillliler endowment wa" attributed to David (though probably
•
16 • .
, But In $itach, the lMnwhO fure· tNt Lord is the man who keeps
the Lawo' Wisdom" feel' of the LGrd. keeping the ' Law. these three
t$rms converge into · a $1n91e concept • . Thu& the men who , fear·s the
l.ord will meditate on wisdom end diligently lee.1e dter her; · and h~
who 1& pl'act1ced, in the Law will find bel' (l4.20-l!h2). All wbdom
is fear of the LordJ perfut whdom is the fulfillment cf the L.aw
(19.11" GOd will enlighten the mind wi tb divine wisdom if one but
tefle.ct. upon His preeepts and His CXliMlandments (6,37).
11'1 a single verse. Sinoh can say that to · keep the Law ' demands
tn.at one control his impulses, and tnat he who ie perfect in the
fear of the ,Lord, ha's wisdom (21111) • . Again combining the $ame
j:deas, he says thatno .nll can ~hll a man whalen. the Lord,
if 'he hates ' the Law he h not wtse, ' for to the prudent INn the Law
is as , divine oracle (33:1 .... 3)!' Having stated that · rellwisdom b
fear 0,'-the Lord .(10112-18), Sirach goes on to i"ot1ly fear of tho
Lord with the, keeping of the Law (2.1$ .. 16). Whdom, law end fear
of the i.Dl'd SGem tobt a COmplex of which one idea inexorably suggests
and lnw lvu the other. '
In the beautiful praia. of wbdom which 11 th.twenty-fou~th
chapter o'fthe Boolc oISb"h, IU the Un •• which., b.ve noted in
not wltholJt 50111e flattery) by th' wolll.n of Thecua 1n II Kg 14117, 20. Wherel. 11'1 SOlIS passages wickedness can ~ .caU.d ilwise,'; (e.g. t , J.r. 4.22. ftthey are_1S. to do evil", 1n II Kg 13.3 Jon.dab it called • wi.. AII.nbut ,1 ves ev11 counsel J in &st. 13.3 Aman h called wile), Slrach is quite clear th.t ·know1e'CIge of evil is not wisdolll (19J18). In this u.e t knowledge Must be eonUdered in its ·biblical sense. connoting not tMoretical knowledge, but • certain uperienttal familhrity and even love. This WIt be distinguish.d from that knowledge which would: imply siJllply • recognition of the diff.rence between what 1, good and what Is evil •
-
sapientill writing converge and finally fOGIl& in Israel "s Law. 16
Wisdom 1s personified and spealts, but she herself has come forth
from the mouth 0 f God (24~ 3). Thus the verbal or oral nature 0 f
wisdom is continued. , Reigning with God Himself (24,4), present
to all of oreation and governing all (24,5-6), wisdom sought and
found her special dwelling in israel (24.7-12). Strong. swee,t,
penetrating, desirable (24~l3-l9); she urges men to partake of her
fruits (24,18), to be insatiable in seeking her (24,20), to obey
and serve htl' (24,,21).17 And this wisdom is the Law (24.22) which
can never be completely , fathomed (24426-7).18
Wiadom is still, then, as 1 t has been, pr11'/1,arily God"'sand
from God. It. nature 1s oral on the one hand, but on the other,
it exists with,in man and regulates his conduot. for the Hebrew,
coriduct is determined by his relation to God, the 9r8$pin9 of this
relation and conduct corresponding to it 1s fear of the Lord.
Pinally, in the Book of Sinoh, that re,laUon is embodied in the
Lawi, which at once symbolhes end conorethea God's covenant with
16 Rylaudsdam (~cit., p. 30) says ,hat the contribution
17.
of Den Sira was to bring I'the hitherto almost completely independent wisdom movement under the domdn 0 f the I.aw.'~ "The accumulated lore of human experience muat all be brought under the L.aw's jurhdiction, and this single conorete code at Int becomes the arbiter of all right aetlon.~ (p. 33)
17 Elsewhere wisdom equate's her own service with the service of Qod, and uys that God lows those who love her (4&14).
18 A similar synthes is could be made 1n ehapter la l-lS, realizing that just a few verses farther on, Siraeh makes the identification offen of the Lord, wiisdolih and the keeping of the commandments (It,2$-4). ,The element of spoken w1sdo~ is laGking here, however. ' ,
j
•
18.'
lsra~lt and which, for Sirach, is the very epitome of wlsdom. 19
The Book of Wisdom
The Book of Wisdom seemS to open upon new horbans. No , longer
do we find the pedantic tone of Proverbs and 51-rIch, no longer do we
experience the anguished clash of human wisdom with the mysterious
divine omniscience, lIS 1n Coheleth and Job. With this book. the Old
Testament wisdom writing fIttingly comes to a cloSel the turbul~nt
period of development past, it has gained maturity and rests now Of!
a note of tranquillity, harmony and confidence. Retrospectively,
one .ees that it is in quiet expectancy of fulfillment.
I f wisdom 1$ seen in new perspectives,' it is not without deep
roots 1n the heritage of the past. It seems true to say that this
19 An interl,tsting Hmi'tation upon wisdom is set in ch. 38,24-39.11. Sir.ch begins by saying that anyone who is free from toil can b'teollle. a, wise m.n. ,nd in subsequent verses shows that a m.n whose heart is occupied with some taak cannot master wisdom, "his care is for ,plowing furrows" (38.26), "his care is to produce a vivid Impression" (27). "his care is to finish his work" (28), "his c.re is for proper coloring" (29). Sirach is far from depredating 6uch skill (31-34), but re.l wisdom is not found among such men. This passage is of interest for two reasonsa first, because in several biblical pasuge. prior to this one (b. 26,31-33 • . 36 .• 1-2, 8, I Ghr 22~l5) end in subsequent thought in the ~ok of Wisdom. the tetm wisdom is used to describe artistic skill. Sir.ch evidently rejects such usage. Secondly, while heretofore wisdom has been mUGh broader in its scope and its appeal, here it is applied almost exclusively--at least it h epitomhed-in one olass. na.ly the soribes. Sirach would not. ofcourae, deny that the .rtis.n who fears the Lord and keeps the commandments can be wise in some mannerJ but he virtually identifie.s l!.!l wisdom with skUl in tM Law, obviously limi ting its possession to the scribes.
Though the restrictiveneas of 9iraoh 6eems to represent a sort of dess ioation 0 f whdom, it mus t be ieen at 1001'8 than its flce value. A oritical change is in process, which will eventually trans fer wisdom from the area 0 f empirical observ.tion to the area of faith, from the area of human datum to that of divine gift. This will prove to be not a delimitation but an invaluable refining or sublimation. which actually expands the whole concept •
•
19.
book includes almost every trend which haa appelred in previous upi
e,ntial writing, blJt that these .trends Ire now represented in the new
and. deepened awareness resulting from a more fully-developed revela
tion • . There is no single, univocal concept of wisdom, and yet it
seems th,t one oan trace a pattern of mo'Atlll8flt. Wisdom has I110ved
more and more out of the reelm of merely hUJllan counsel, and even out
of the realm of purely divine omnisoience. It is, 18 it were,
suspended between God and manl it is God apting in history, it is
God's judgment of man's actions, it is .. n'l judgment or action
according to God', will. It should be Mted that none of these is
without foundaiion in the traditions of the pastl but neither is it
a mere repetition of previous coneepts. Wisdom has moved-is moving-
more and more toward unity, lin.s conver" into I fluid notion of a
world permeated with the presence of God, who through the instru
mentality of wildom, is aotively concerned with the affairs and events
of men and history. It lIay be that the introduction of "sphit" into
wisdoOI will prove to be the greatest I1ngle unifying faotor. 20
Two pas.ages in particular are reminiscent of past wisdom
writing. In the first Pseudo-Solomon says
To you, therefore, 0 princes, are my words addressed .that you may IUrn wisdom and that you may not sin. (6.9)
.20 The question of the unity of the Book .of Wisdom does not concern us here, for our purposes it is suffieient to notice that there are no contradictions invo~v.d in the notions of wi~dom which are presented. for I full discussion of its unity, cf. Johanne. Fichtner, "Die Stellung der Sapientia Solomoni • . in der Llteratur-und Geistesgeschichte ihrer Zeit," it!! 36 (1937), p. 113-32, especially p. 113-124, for I summary position d. S. Osty, ILl. fasc., p. 10-11 •
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2<D •.
T.he tone here reminds one of P~overbs 4 •. 10-11 or f),1-2'. . Now addressed
to royalty, the ume impl1e1t identification 1& made between word and
wisdom, one "receives'" wbdom by being attentive to the words of the
wi$e mana
Des ire there fo r~ my WO rds I long for them and you shall be instructed •. (6,11)
The teaehin9 which he wishes to ialpa'rt, however" has gone beyond
the mere expediency or natural virtue which appeared in Proverbs.
the author might have reflected upon the teac;:hing of Siraeh. and in
this passage applies it to kings and magistrates.. whdom is necessary,
for themao that they judge justly and live holily •. Their authority
coMS from Ood (6131 efr. , 5i 10,4-5), their judgment and their .actions
must be in accordance with His Law (6.4). It is by k •• p;lng the "holy
prace,yts" and being learned in them that the rule~s will be holy .and
will know how t() prOOQunce correct judgments, judgments according to
God'. will (6110) • . One who seeks wisdom can find her (6,12, , 17),
but love 0 f her demands obedi.nee to her laws. , This author does not
seem to eont ider wisdom u ''The Law" f as Sir.en saw it. but somehow
above the Law. wisdom has her own laws, which certainly (from the
context of 6.4 and Hi) include lhe Law. , aut the Law does not .eem
to e)(haust the content of wisdom ..
One who keeps her laws has the basis for incort-uptibili ty •
. this 8.ems to .an simply that a king will not become dhhonest,
corrupt in his gov4trningl this would make him a ruler who is pleasing
to God (6118-19). Itnd so "the desire for wisdom leads up to a
kingdom." (6.20)
These consid.ratio~ suggest a .ec!!>nd passage with roots deep
in the past, which follows shortly upon the firsts
•
21 •.
A great number of whe men h the nfety of the world, and a prudent king, the stability of his people. (6.24)
This verse bears close resemblance to SiraQh 10.1 and 3.
A wise magistrate lends stability to his p'ople, and the government of a prudent man is well ordered.
A wanton king destroys his people, but a city grows through the wisdom ot its princes.
This 1& no new idea in wisdom wri ~ing I due to the association 0 f
oriental sages wi th the courts, the concept 0 f wisdom was 0 ften con-
nected with roy.l governing.
8y me kings reign, and lawgivers est.blish justice,
By me princes govern., and noblesl .11 the ruler. of the earth. (Pro. S.15-16)
Sirach .1&0 had spoken 0 f "wisdom 0 f heart to govern his people
with justice." (45.26) Moreover a reward of royllty has frequently
been connected with the pursuit of wisdom (Pro. 4.9, 5i 6.30-31, .
Is. 6121). Hence in addressing hi_elf to royllty, in connecting
wisdom with kingly judgment and in promising ~a kingdom" •• a reward
for wisdom, Pseudo-Solomon is simply continuing the tr.ditions of
the past. 21
In the first lines of the Book of Whdom, the author speaks of
wisdom as entering the soul of the just man, and dwelling in his body
(1.4),22 if there is wickedness and deceit sh. cannot stay, but must
21 for a fuller disoussion cf. Norman W. Porteous, "Royal Wisdom," Wisdom in Isr •• l and in the Ancient Near East, p. 247-261.
22 A certain tension Ilas existed throughout wisdom writing. At one pole, wisdom is given only to tho .. who I.ek her, and only when they seek her. So in Pro. 2s3-12, when • man seeks wisdom, !bin God giv.s it, the disposition is pre~requilite. Wisdom ent.rs his soul and guards hilll, rather keeping than ma(ing him just. In Slr.ch, it i6 to his friends that God gives wisdom laS), the predisposition for wisdom i! gained by keeping the Law and fearing the Lord (1a23,
•
22,
withdraw. He~ fun~tion within man is not here delineated, one can
conolude only that wisdom is incompatible with evil. 23 Wisdom s.ems
to be synonymous wit\) the holy spirit of disCipline (1I5h the whole
parallel would seem to i ndicate a sort of inner sense, directing man
in conformity with truth and justice.
Vetse 6, however, presents wisdom in a modality which has not
appeared in sapiential writ1ng. 24 Wisdom is a judge, and judges
precisely with the judgment of God. Although she is kind, she cannot
acquit the blasphemer, because God has oomplete and profound intelli-
genee of man, and even the most hidden 9lJil t cannot escape IUs obser-
vation. The causal ~onnection here is revealing, wisdom must aocuse
6.37, l~'l). If in Wisdom la4 wisdom will not come to a wioked man, thEt obverse i s that she comes to one ('lready) just. Those who love her find her (Pro. aa17, Ws. 6.12).
But one cannot overlook the other aspect of wisdom as eng.ging in a kind of pre-disposing activity. as calling to men, appaaling to them, s.eking them (Pro. 1.20-24, ed-10, 32 .. 36, 9.1-6). This trend is sQlJIewhat obscured in the Book of Sirach bec.use his thought 1s dominated by Law. The description of wisdom as s.eking a dwelling among men (24.7) i s a possible exception. But it is taken up again in the Book of Wisdom (6,12-16) which even describes her as "hastening to make herself known in antiCipation of ments desire" (6,13). The tension is beautifully illustrated here. "He who watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate ... (6.14)
23 The lut part of verse ~, "when wickedness occurs it is rebuked," cannot be given muoh weight, as it is somewhat ambiguous in the original.
24 At least it hIS not appeared explicitly, thougb some notion of judgment must certainly be implicit in the idea of moral conduct, knowledge of good and evil, etc. As director of manta condUct, wisdom would have had 8 part to play in guiding his judgment. But the notion of wisdom p~6ented here aeems QIIOre likely to be the result of reflection upon such wisdom as that of Solomon (whom the writer purports to be) which wit in large part a question of kingly judgment (cf. III Kg 3). The writer hag perhaps "theo'logized tf the notion, and here portrays wisdom as mediating Godta judgment of men •
•
23.
bec.ause God knows. Hence 'sh, is a sort of infallible mediatrix of
God's judgment. That her function is not to be seen as predominantly
a, judgment of condemnation is implied in the first line, in which the
author says that wisdom 16 kindly. It seems that almost in spite of
herself. she 1s bound to render God's judgment.
Verses 7-ll do not use the word wisdom but change to "the spirt t
of the Lord." It seems, however, that the author's mentality has not
changed. and that it is still wisdom the spirit (ali in 116), with her
function now enlarged to a pervasive, cosmic judgment of the words of
men. It 15 interesting to notice the preponderance of terms connected
wi th speechi utterance (7). speaks (8). sound of his words (9), grum
blings (10). grumbling, tongues, utterance and mouth (11). As 1n
verse 6 \dsdom indicted the blasphemer for his guilty lips, 50 her
function here seems to be to hear (v. 10& "a jealous ear hearkens to
everything") all that is uttered by men, to perform this "listening"
function within the world and ~diateGod's judgment. That wisdom
does not act independently of God is clear from verse 9, "the sound
of his words shall reich the Lord," the implication being that it is
because wisdom has heard them. If the judgment is passed on men's
words, 1 t is because speech betokens what is in the heart, and all is
known to God (v. 6).
Suoh words as "chas tis 1ng condemnation" (8), "chastisement of
his transgressions" (9), "does not go unpunished" (11), indicate
that we are in the area of a "hearing" which is effective of the
judgment of God. It 18 death that the wioked man inours (11, 14, 16),
death for which God is not responsible (13-14) but which is the
,. ';'
... ~~ ..
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24.
inevi table result of his words and the works of his hends (12, 16). 2~
The idea of wisdom which is pr9sented in 3: 11 diffe rs greatly
from the preceding. He~ t ha autho r is concerned with the l ot of
the just and the wicked. The latter, who hl6 Rdesplsed wisdom and
instruction is doomed." Obversely, than, to cherish wisdom and
instruotion is charaoteristic of the just.
That the wise man is the just man is also a'ffirmed i n 417.
The luthor has been discussing the death of a jus t man while ne is
still young, a tragedy which would be inexplicable if t he formula
"justice t: long life and temporal blessing" were accepted. Hie
position made easier by belief i n retribution after death,26 the
author explains that 5 ince he had "become perfect in a short while,"
2~ This passage (espech11y v. 13-16) gives beautiful evidence of the fact that the God of the Israelites it the God of life, and death is not His domain (cf~ also 11.24.-26). If "the wicked" of v. 16 refe~s to unflithful Jews and pagans (as B. Os ty, !l fasc., not~ fa of. the ·'IIlml complete discusSion by J. P. Weisengoff, "The Impious of 18. 2," glg 11(1949), p. 40-6~), it is possible that the autho.r of the Book of Wisdom i s mentally ' contrasting Israel's covenant with God, which is life- giving, and the covenant of these "impious" with death . The cosmic function attributed to wisdom in 1,7 and the inclusiven~!! of "the creatures of the world" of v. 14 might incline one to think that here, as noted previous 1 y in othe r sapiential writing, it 1s the aspeot of God the Creator rather than the God of the Covenant which 1s emphasized. But they are obviously not mutlully exclusive, and other passages (the whole of ch. 10-19) certainly attest to 8 strong consciousneSll of the action of the covenant God 1n the history of His chosen people. In the Book of Wisdom, then, a fusion of the two aspects has taken place.
26 Gf. E. Osty, .u fase., p. 2~-26, "The doctrine of the immortality of the soul appears here precisely expressed for the first time in the Bible. Israel's faith had been growing in t his direction •••• To attain it, 1 t needed to bridge the distance which separates the ardor of desire from the certitude of flith." M. Delcor concludes that the doctrine of the immortality of the soul as presanted in the Book of Wisdom is e "pure gift of God," not founded on philosophical ./ speculation. "In a word, it is religious and biblical." (RL' immo rtalite de l'jme dans Ie livre de 1. Sagesse et dans les documents de Qumran,"
•
2~.
the Lord "sped him out of the midst of wlckedness," (4&13-14) and
"made him secure" (4.17). The equivalent use of "Just man" (4c7, 16).
"h. who pleased God" (4.10. l4), "his holy ones," "hit elect" (4.15)
. and · finally the "wise man" (4,17) in explaining thh problem shows
how much the terms are synonylll)us in the .ind of the author. further
evidence of this is seen 1n the aspect of reward. if royalty is. the
reward for wisdom, it is also the reward for justice" "They (the just)
shall judge nations and rule over peopl ••••• ," but with the Lord as
their true Klng (3.B).
It is interesting to notice that there 1& no mention here of
the Law, though the thought i, familiar to the author I it i. also
remarkable that "fear of the Lord" no longer occup1es a prominent
place. Juatice-which is wisdom-is for this author not a legalized.
formalistic relationship. for him, it bears aU the ill8dhcy and
loving familiarity of the prophetic cry "Know God. II He has se.n,
far lIIOre deeply than Siraeh, the IlIOre lnteriort.ed dynamici of • very
positive, perlonal relation with God. tte give. beautiful expression
to this in chapter 1~.
But ~\.I, our God, are good and true, .low to anger, and governlng all with mercy.
'or even if we lin, we are yourl, 'nd know your might, but we will not sin. knowing that we belong to you.
Por to know you well 1& co~lete justice, and to know your might 11 the root of immortal1ty.
(l~al-3)
H!l 77 (J\.Ine, 195~). p. 615.) The author make. no clear allusion, however. to the resurrection of the body. Cf. the d1scullion by A .... M. Dubarle in ~&-Sa9ls d'Israel (Parls. Ed. du Cerl, 1946), p. 190-97. (Translation. mine.)
I
, ~"'I
•
26.
The linking of wisdom with discipline or instruction27 is no
new thing in windom writing. 28 POI' the author of Proverbs, discipline
is frequently connected with ac~ept1n9 reproof or reprimand, from a
sage (~all; 12.:J., 10:17; 13,1) or from God Himself (3111-12). If as
a youth one embrac/!s discipline, as an old man one will be wise (Si.
6a18). Discipline includes self-mastery, which is (!ssential to the
pursuit of wisdom as the wisdom writers describe it. One must, for
example, keep careful guard over one's hurt {Pro. 4.23-27); one must
know when to speak and when to be silent (5i. 2011-7 ) . cf. 18.30-33).
SUCh examples could be multiplied. Sirach, connecting wisdom with
Law, sees self·control as necessary in keeping the Law (21111).
Relating wisdom and diSCipline, he says that wisdom
••• walks with him as a stranger, end at first she puts him to the test,
Fear and dread she brings upon him and tries . him with her discipline,
W1th her precepts she puts him to the proof, until his heart 1& fully with her. (4.17)
This is evidently a thought quite . fam11iar to the author of
Wisdom. He has considered discipline synonymous with wisdom, char-
acterizlng it aleo 8S a "holy spirit," which cannot abide 1n company
with deceit or foolishn@ss (l.~). A certain "training" or education
in the way of wisdom has been traditional, and the author of the Book
of Wisdom is not unaware of it (2.12). He reoognizes that in the
pursuit of whdom, one must desire and love discipHne, and this
27 The Septuagint uses the same wort:!, paidela. which is equivalently discipline or instruction.
28 Cf. Pro. 1.2, 7, 12.1, 8.33; 19.20, S1. 4.17; 6.18; 21.21, 23.2; 24127. Sirach describes it thus. "Put your feet into her fetters, and your neck under her yoke. Stoop your shoulder and carry her and be not irked at her bonds." (6.2!l-6; cir. M 126)
•
21.
demands the keeping of her laws (6:17-18). One receives certain benefits
from discipline, which recommend him to God (7:14).
There 1s a discipline which is self-m~$tery. which il)lplies reg
ulation of one is instincts and \\ctions in accordance with the Law,
and this requires a certain training (2,12-15). aut the author also
speaks of c-oa~s "discipline" of the just: God must try them "as gold
1n the furnace ," they must be "chastised a little" (paideuthentes).
proven (3:~~, cfr. 11:9-10) .29 Tbis idea seelllS closely related to
that of the Book o·f 'Proverbs:
The discipline of the Lord, illy son, disdain not; spurn not his reproof,
for whom the Lord loves he reproves, and he chastises the son he favors. (3:11>.12)
Hence it seeins that the pursuit of wisdom. whioh is also the pursuit
or. justice according to God's will. involves an active disciplining
of self and a passive "being disciplined" by God.
It is interesting to notice the close similarity between the
royal reward promised for wisdom in the Book of Proverbs ("e graceful
dhdem, 8 glorious crown" 4a9), for dbcipline in the Book of Sir.ch
(8 throne of majesty, purple cord, robe of glory., splendid crown
6.30-31). and finally for justice in the Book of Wisdom ("the
splendid crown, the beauteous diadem" ~'16). This gives further
evidence 0 f the convergence 0 f ideas whioh seems to charaeterbe the
Book 0 f Wisdom.
29 But chastisement 1s not punishment. "Us, therefore, you Chastise, and your enemies with a thousand blows you punish, that we may think earnestly of your goodness when we judge , and, when being judged,may look fOr mncy. "(12&22) Or, "The litter you tested, admonishing them as a father; the former as a stern king you probed and condemnld." (11.10). Ii. lesson has perhaps been learned since the Book 0 f Job •
'j; • f ;-'
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28.
In the passages which follow, it will" seen that wisdom is
a multi-nuanced expression, but that all of it$ uses are closely
related to each other. and flow into uch other. No really oiur-cut
distlnc~ion$ in ua. w.ould be. valid here, hence it seems best to attempt
to group together the idea$ wh.1Gh a.re sil1liler, . and l\imply to indioate
how naturally one idea suggests another. The result will obviously
not be a defihitioA so much as an impression or an . atmosphere, more
dynamic and fluid than statio and delimited.
Since the author of . the Soak of WisdoM describes himself as
Solomon (eh. 7-9) he has naturallY derived soma of his thought from
the acoount of Solomon and hls wisdom which appears in the Third Book
of Kings. We may point out the folloWing characteristics of the
latter account.
1) Wisdom is associated with kingly judgment. Immediately
after recounting how God gave wisdom to SololllQll, the writer tells the
story of Solomon's judgment in the cue of the two wOQlen, eeeh of
whom claimed the same cQild a~ her own (3.16-27). The story is
evidently intended as an example of the exercise of that gift of
wisdom which would put it in the Il'U of practical judgment for
purposes of governing. The writer says in conelusion that all
Isra.l recognhed that "the wisdom of God WIS in him to do judgment. to
(3128) It is aho note-worthy that 5010lllOn had asked God for the
power of judgment in distinguishing between good and evil, so that
he might be able to gove~n God's people (3.9), and it was wisdom
which God gave him. a qua il y , it S8eDlS to bebeeause he 1& gifted
with wisdom that Solomon 'succeeds so well in hh dealings with Hiram
of Ty~ (5,1-12). After de,scribing their transactions, the author
't , .~,
•
29.
concludes, nAnd the Lord gave wisdom to So lomon, as he promised him.
and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon. and they two made a
league together." (5.12)
2) But along with wisdom God also give. riches and glory (3.13).
These do not here seem intrinsically connected with wisdom as such,
but rather an added gift, perhaps denoting that God was pleased with
Solomon's request and so giv.s him over and above what he asked. In
the account of the visit of the Queen of Saba, however., there seems
to be an impl1d t connection between wisdom and riches. The Queen
first tries SolollOn with "hard question .... and he answers ·jall the
things she proposed to him' there was not any word the king was
ignorant of, and which he could not answer her." (1014) But the
following sentence reads,
And wh.n the queen of Saba sawall the wisdom of Solomon, and the house which he had built, And the meat of his table, and the apartments of his .ervants, and the order of his ministers, and their apparel, and the cup-bearers, and the holocausts. which be offered in the house of the Lord. she h.d no longer any spirit in her, And .he said to the king. The report is true. which I heard in my own country, Concerning thy words and concerning thy wisdom. And I did not believe them that told me, till I came myself, and saw with my own .yes, and have found th.t the half hath not been told mil thy wisdom and thy works, exceed the fame which I heard. (10.4-7)
Hence .t le.at implicitly, hi. riches are included in the concept of
his wisdom.
3) We noted that in this .pisode, So lomon first displayed
hi. wisdom by solving riddles and an.wering questions. Wisdom is
th.n .till in the traditional oral mode. Similarly, the queen says,
"Bl .... d are thy men, and ble .. ed are thy .ervanta, who stand before
the. always. and hear thy wisdom." (1018) A later verse say. that
•
30 •.
everyone wanted to be received by Solomon to "hear his wisdom, which
God had give.n in his heart •. " (10.24) The intrinsic connection
between heart and word, which we have indicated before, would make
this usage comprehensible.. A similar s t atement is made in chapter
4, verse 34. "And they came from all nations to hear the wisdom of
So 10mon •••• u So lomon "spoke three thousand parables." and "d18-
couraed" on a great variety of subjects (4t32-33). Whdo-m seems
chtirly thought of as somethi ng spoken.
4) If Solomon'S wisdom is pri marily kingly jud9~nt exercised
on behalf of God's people, it i s also wisdom of the same nature as
that of the neighboring nations. He Wei wiser than anyone else,
and the names which follow are probably the sages of Canaan (4131).
His whdom here is knowledge of all things. 30 e.l(tendlng to plants,
animals, birds, reptiles and fish (4c33).
These same characteristics , adapted to the author's own
mentality, are found in chapters 1 ... 9 of the Book of Wisdom. Wisdom
comes first bom God,. who is the "guide of Wisdom and the dh'ector
of the wise. f' (7.15) "Solomon" tells of praying for the gift of
wisdom (7.7), and how he preferred her to all riches and good things
(7.9-10). This was certainly a correct choice, for
••• if riches be a desir.ble possession in life, what is more rich than Wisdom, who produce. all
things? (8.~)
And the choice receivel its reward •
•••• 11 good things together came to me in her company, and countless riches .at her hands I
And I rejoiced in thlitm all, because Whdom is thdr leader, though I had not known that she is the mother of
the.e. (7.11-12)
30 efr. II Kg. 14,20, fl ••• but thou, my lord, 0 king, art wise, according to the wisdom of a~ angel of God, to understand all things upon earth. II
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31.
In vi.ew of the text (rom the Sook of Kings, one might say that Pseudo-
So 10mn has here de.parted f1;OIl\ the text .nd put 1,t into bis Own pn
spective and that of traditio!)al wi,sdom. Whez;ea8 th!'l former, sees the
riche. simpl,y 'as the gift of, QQd whi,eh Ke (reely bestows upon $0101001'1"
perhap$ as a sort of rew~rd,. the htter .e.s wi,adorn as IOOt~er to them,
h~nce II being a dh:ect result ,of wisdom •. 31
Though it is not a predominant note here,,' the .ssoe1aUon of
worQ ~nd wisdom still appears. God direots wi,sdom" and "W(t and our
words are in his hand. ...... (1.16) Once poseened of wbdom, Solomn
would be held in esteem by the elden.
They wo.uld .bide my silence and attend my utterance,
And a. I spoke on further, they would place their hands upon their mutb,. (8.12)
An,. orllmde is also indicated by the st.te.nt that "there is fair
renown in .haring her discourses. u «(hlS)
Thh notion of wisdom as oral seemato bt subordin.ted in the
autho~t. thought to the ID)re predolllinant one of kingly judglj)ent,
or perilaps ID)re correctly, it (lows inte that notion.. God in Hb
wisdom has est.bl18hed m.n to rule ., govern and render judgmant over
all oreature. (9.2 .. 3). SololD)n is only a man Uke other men (7.1-6,
9.5)., "l.ck~ng in eornpx:ehenaion of ju~g_nt and of law,'! (9.5, cf.
9,a14 ... 16)..8.ut incumbent upon 1'11.111 are the dI,lU., of bh kingsblp
(9.7-8). ~n o;rder the' he DIn judge justly. 5010l1lOn aske that God
.end wisdom from Hb throne (91,4 .. 10),. whlch may indicate that the
31 The fact that wisdom should be preferred to riches is not a new thought. Cf. P~. , :hl4 ... 15, 16&16, EhlO-ll" 19, Jb 284,15-19, but it is alao generally conceded that wbdom and riche,s . go together. Pro., 8.21, 3',H>, S1. ~h28.
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32.
authOr mentally re.laUs wisdom to God's own activity as ruler of Hh
creation. He prays that ~ildom may guide him, so that he meyjudge
His people with justice (9110-12). With this gift, Solomofl will
become "keen in jud9ment, ~t and be ". mar:vtl b9fore . l'ulers" (6hll).
It i$ when he renders such judgment that the eld~r. will be silent
be fOl:8 his words (Eh 12). Anq wh.t is noteworttw here, the gift of
wisdom will evideoUy en.bl. him to render Go.d's own judgll)enta
For what lIIan knows God'. coun •• l. . or who can coneeive wh.t the Lerd intends? (9,13)
Or who ever knew your coun •• l. except you had given Wisdom and sent y.our holy spirit from on high?
And thus we1;'8 the paths of tnose on earth made straight, and men lelrl1.a whet w.s your pl.lSure, and were saved by Wlsdoll!. (9.17-18)
We h.ve already seen in one of the first passages of tht Book o.f
Wisdom th.t wisdom seems to render God's jUdgment in relation to
men. Here wisdom is given by God to the ruler 0 t His people, but
it is nonethele .. 10 that he may judge in accord.n.c. with God's
judgment, God sha~. with him what nema to be His own fa~ul ty of
governance.
The wisdom of God is. IS it consistently has been, connected
with Hla power over and His knowledge of His creation. Wisdom is
"dl":,,powerful. aU-Sfeing" (7.,23), Ihe h ",n aun of the might
of God" (7'2~). "the spoUeu mirror of the power of God" (7.26h
Ghe "can do .11 things" (7.27). "Ind •• a. she reaches from end to
end mightily and governs all things well~" (8.1)
She is the artificer ·o·' all the works of creation (7.22» she
"prod~ee& all things" (a.e>; ' d. l41~) I "who in the wOfld is a better
craftsman tll.n sh.?~ (8.6) Sht 18 the selector of the works of
God (8.4>' she knows all His works and was present when He IUd. the
•
33.
world (949); indeed, . she know$ and understands all things (9.11).
It is consonant with this view of wisdom that Solomon should
receive from her "knowledge of existing things ," " ••• the or9an1-
zation of the universe and the for.ce of its elements," times, sel5ons •.
years, stars, animals, plants and men (7117-20). , The writer is
evid.ntly bringing the lurning attributed to 8010mon in III Kings
4.33 up-to-date. Wisdom is the artificer of til things (7a22),. and
she sheres her knowledge with men. If a man desire!l great learning.
she knows the things of old, and infers those yet to come.
She understands the turns of phr .... and the solutions of riddles.
signs and wond.rashe knows 1n advance and the outcome of times and ag.8 .(8 :8-9)
In · this connection, we might note that the author includes
techn1cill skill 1n the notio n of wisdom, God i s the director of the
wise because "all prudence and knowledge of crafts" is in His hand
(7.16). It is "Wisdom the artificer·' who construc ted the boet in
which. rnan sails (114:2). In the .same context, the luthor says that
God wiUs that t he products of His wisdom serve Him by serving man,
and that thus His just designs are fulfilled (l4:~-7). This is a more
inclusivft concept than previous writers have explicitly adillitted.
even those things normally considered products of human skill are in
reality products of God's wisdom, both in their construction and in
the governing principle according to which they serve some divine
purpose. 32
32 The pervasiveness of God 'so providence and mercy is perhaps on. of the most outstanding characteristic. of the Book of Wisdom. We have noted already that wisdom pervades the universe as a judge (la6-11h "she is all-powerful, all-seeing. and pervading all 'Pirits" (7.2'3h she "penetrates Ind pervades all things by reason of her
•
34.,
It is inte-resting to- notice that there is a "knowledge of all
things \I which is real wbdom and one which is not. This knowledge
comes from God, and must be recognized as such (7115-17); it is
evidently true wisdom only when one sees the relation between all
things and their Creator. Por in chapter 13. ,the author speaks of
the "vanity" of those
who from the good things seen did not succeed 1n knowing him who is,
and from studying the works did not discern the artisan I
aut either fire or wind, or the swift air, . or the circuit of the stars, or the mighty water,
or the luminaries of heaven, the governers of the world; they considered gods.
Now if out of joy in their beauty tMY thought them gods let t hem know how hr more excellent is the Lord
than these, for the original source of beauty fashioned them.
purity." (7.24) She "renews everything while herself perduring" (7127), "reaches from end to endmightlly and governs all things well." (a&l) Ev.il Qr punish_nt Gerves God's merciful purpose, to chastise or condemn (11110), to teach and adllOnish (lld5-16, 12.2. 19» s19nifteantly, His mercy is universal and includes also the Canaanitesa condemning "bi t by bit. you gave them sp.ce for repentence" (12110, clr. 12112). The author expresses his thought in such phrases as tI ••• for the universe fights on beh.lf of the just" (16.17), or "For your creation, serving you ••• grows tenn for punishment against the wicked, but is relaxed in benefit for those who trust in you." (16124) He describts a "compulsion" pushing the Egypthns to pursue the hraelites so that the for.r aight die and the latter be saved (l9.4-5). There is always a strong sense of divine purposiveness, events .erve to teach men of God, "That your son. whoft! you loved might learn, 0 Lord, ... it is your word that preserves those who . be l1eve you I" (16.26), or again, "So that men might know that one must give thanks to y.>u before sunrise, and turn to you at daybreak." (16&28)
Whatever might be said about his disregard for accurate historical detail and his tendency to exaggerate or allegorize (as 16.21& the bread from heaven which "was blended to whatever flavor euh one wished") there is no doubt th.t the author has a cosmic view of the action of the liying God within .. world in which everything is working together to accomplish His plan. On his use of hhtoJ'Y, cf.R. T. Siebene.ck. ItThe Midrash of WiSdom 10-19," CRQ 22 (April, 1(60), p~ 176-82, A. Pubarle, 2.Q.. ill., p. 215-19. .
•
Or if they were struck by tneix might and energy, let them from these things rea11ze how much more
powerful h hi who made them. Pol' from the greatness and the beauty 0 f created things
their original author, by analogy, is se~n .
for if they so far succeeded in knowledge that they could speculate about the world,
35.
how did they not more quickly find its Lord? " (l3:l-5, 9)
The author does not call such knowledge "wisdom, II but the type 0 f
learning involved does not differ essentially from that which
"Wisdom, the artificer of all t' taught Solomon (7&17-22). Or rather,
it <11 tiers lnonl y one respect, whic:;h underlines also the difference
between true and false wisdom, the wisdom of Solomon bear5 an inti-
mate relation to God (7&25-6) anG comes only from Him; Solomon knew
that he . "could not otherwise p08seu her except God gaw it--" (8.21).
Bwt the knowledge of the "Sgyptians .. 33 fails to discover itt> true
origin and signifi cance, fails to see itself in proper perspective.
If the account in the Book of Kings points up the like nature
of the wisdom of Solomon and that of other Canaanite s.ges, indicating
that Solomon's differs only in its superiority and its extent (III
Kg 4a31-33), the author of Wisdom has rltcogniaed at least implicitly
that there is one faotor Which changes mere lenowledge of thingl into
true wisdom as he conceives it. True wisdom cannot exist without a
recogn1 tion of the living God. Israel's God. for He alona has fash-
ioned and sustains all that is, and hence He alone possesses an
intimate knowledge of things and their workings I
33 The author is here engilgQd in anti-Hellenistic polemic, .ehing upon the Egyptians as an opportunity to expound the folly of idolatry or thE'i cult of nature which was currently popular. Cf. the commentary by E. Maly, The Book of Wisdom (NY; Paulist Press. 1962), p. 28-29 •
•
lndeed,before you the whole universe is 16 a grain from a balance,
or a drop 0 f morning dew come down upon the earth.
Por you love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made, for what you hated, you would not have fashioned.
And how eould a th'ing remain, unless you willed it. or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you?
(lls22, 24-25)
Wisdom, given to man, is primarily .. sharing in that very knowledge
which is God's, for wisdom is the "aura of the might of God," the
"mirror of the power of God, the image of His goodness.'" (712~-6).
And it is because of her unique and intimate assooiation, (which
seems to verge upon identity in the words "aura," and "effusion"
36.
(7.2~), "mirror" and "image" (7126)J)with God that she can competently
instruct men as to the nature of created things.
In the passages whioh we have consideJ'ed, the author seems to
have adapted the general lines of the tr .. t,.nt of Solomon's wisdom
to his own mentality and idiom. But· there is a last element which
appears 1n these S8_ passages of the Book of Wisdom, which does
not seem to have its roots in the Book of Kings, it seems rather to
be a development which stems from the applioation of the writer's own
broad concept of wisdom to a trend which has existed from the .arliest
wisdom wlli ting.
Wisdom has from earliest times be.n considered as direetive of
man's conduc:t, and at least in some instanees in Proverbs and
Sirlu:h. seemed to be a sort of "conscience" or inner sense which
indic.ted where the right"pith" lay. It is true that in the Book
of Proverbs this was often along the linfs of simple expediency
rather than an obviously religious mOrality, it is also true that the ,
llneswerQ blurred in the Book of Sirach by the concretization of
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37,.
wisdom into Law. Nonetheless, the trend remlined, it is perhaps
well summarized in the "fear of the Lord" which has aptJured in
every work which we have considered. rear of the Lord is wisdom,
it is an inner sense which tells man that God i& Creator and, he is
a creature. end which impela him to live and aot the w,y God would
have him act, in accordance with the nOrml or 1,Wi which God has
given for his conduct.
If the relationship between God and man seemed to become some
what ossified in the Book of Siraoh, it 1& re-v1.talhed in the Book
of Wiadom. Wisdom is a spirit who dwells within man, enabling him ·
to live virtuously •
••• if one loves justice the fruit 0 f her works are virtues;
for she teaches moderation and prudence. jus ti es and fo rti tude.
and nothing in life is more useful for men than these. (8a7)
But it 1s not 50 much a matter of usefulness in I purely human
sen •• , but rather, wisdom is the means by which men can know God'.
will.
That she may be with me and work with me, th •. t I may know what is pleasl.ng to you.
lior she knows and understands all things, and will guide me disereet1y in my affairs ••• ,(9,1l)
When God sent His holy spirit, the paths of men were made straight,
••• and men learned what was your pleasure and were saved by Wisdom. (9.17-18)
Pseudo-Solomon speaks of wbdom II of one beloved, with whom
one dwells in happy intimaoy.34
34 This is not unfamiliar language in wisdom writing. In the Book of Proverbs, wisdom ' is addressed II -my sister" (7.4), end in Sirach. tttAotherlike she will rn!!et him, like a young br~de she will embrace him ••• n (Uh2), spoken of one who 1s "practiced in the Law" (1511). Cfr. Sl ~lsl3-15, 18-21 •
, .. j
•
Herl loved and sought after from my youth; I sought to take her for my bride 8nd was enamored of her beauty., (8,2)
, Within my dwelling, I should take repast beside her, for association with her involves no bitterness end living with her no grief but rather joy 'and gladness. (Be16)
38-.
He could depend upon her to counsel him when things "'lent well, and
to comfort and console him in trouble and grief (8:9).
Wisdom is desirable, then, for her own sake, but she also
subserves another higher purpose: " ••• those who gain this tre asure
win the friendship of God" (7:14). "Sheadds to nobility the splendor
of companionship with God; even the L.ord of 811 loved her." (8:3)
We have seen that wisdom is inUmately 8,ssociated with God; in thh
verse, it woulcl seem that because 0 r lnso far as she 1-5 God's cOlllPan-
ioth !lhe also makes those in whom she dwells friends or companions
of God. Because God loves wisdom, He must also love thon in whom
she dwells. The sa~ idu is even more strongly expressed:
And passing into holy souls from age to 8ge , ,he produees friends of God and prophets.
Por there is nought God loves, be it not one who dwells with Wisdom. (7127-28)
Yet, though she is chancterhe(l by • . penetraUng and pervuive
activi ty, she is one, and do .. not lose her identity (7124, 27).
Hence it is wisdo,m whO by her in-dwellin9, Q18ke, man a friend
of God. It does not snm to be pushing the tfxts too far to say that
suoh .passages suggest a sharing on the part of min in something which
is God's and which. because of its close association with God, unites
a man in a bond Cif friendship, of love, with God, sets him in a new
and intimate relation with God. 35
3~ In this, the wise man would obviously be the just man i!I. !XoeU,pce •
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39.'
We h.ve seen that the .uthor has explicitly attributed to wisdom
8 ulvific function, that of instructing IIIIn .s to wh.t was God's
plelSure (9.10). this would contextually •• em to ha .... been II matter
of individual guidance or direction, related to the nation .1 such
only inasmuch a6 it W88 .n endowment pos ••••• d by t be king as rul.r
of God's people. In this, the writer hal not dep.rted from the tr.
dition.l trend, for wi.dom h.s .lw.ys be.n individu.list in its
apprQ.ch. 36 We have noted that it relates its.lf to Creator rather
than to cov.nant, .nd in a p.rallel manner, to the individual rather
than the peopl.. It is the individual's reaponsibility,37 his happi
ness .nd well-being which are here emphasized.
'. 36 With the exc.ption of the writing of Sir.ch, who obviously . "naUonll1&., It the posseSSion of wisdom (24tO-12), .nd identifies it with the tonh. But even here, the .ppeal to live .ccording to the Law, .s well I •• 11 oth.r .dvice .nd direction, i. address.d to the individu.l, w1th no app.rent ov.rtone. of Isr •• l's task aa • n.tion.
37 though the word "responsibility" seems .lmost too atrong to be predic.ted of the diet. given 1n wisdom writing, its use .eems nec •••• ry bec.us. religious mer.lity 1s inevitably. responsibiUty of man IS cre.turea "fell' of the Lord" could not be anything .lse. It 18 true, however, that wisdom writing hIS never str .... d 1t .s such. In the over-.ll view of the Old Teat.mtnt, responsibility for .n lar .. Ute involved not only himself .nd his own relation to the God of the Coven.nt, but the whole life of the people. " ••• the divine demand, which was laid with such exclusive power on the iodividud, WII from the beginning ... dded in • h~UOry of thh God with hhpeople." (Slchl'odt,.2Q.. ill., p. 16 ... 17 ...... God' s .ction 11 directed towards ' . communi ty and seeks the individual a8 a IMmber of this community." <.!W., p. 37) ..... It was in the n.turd community that the unconditioned divine Ought showed him hi' duties .nd rude him aware of • great divinely-w1l1ed task. It was in hct for the 8ake of this task that the individual posseased the right of free .cc ... to the God who h.dcho.en Israel." (aii .• p. 40-1) Wisdom writing in general h •• not atresaed thia perspective, and equ.lly a.ems to have underphyed the whole idea of reapona1bllity •
•
40.
A last and unique develop!YIent in wisdom thought DeC(lm8S apparent
in Chapter 10 of the Book of Wisdom. Here it is wisdom wl10 performs
within the wor ld those &lYing acts of God which make up the history
of Israel. It was wisdom who pr0tected Adam when he was the only
existing man. who raised him after bis la11 38 and gave him power to
rule all things (10,1-2). Here again tha author relates wisdom to
govetning power. There is no apparent biblical connection between
wisdom's help in re$toring Adam. and Adam's position as head of aU
things created. for in the Genesis aceount, God allows man to name
all the creatures (indicating' his rule) before he sins (Gen. 2419-
3,6).0, It lDay be rathtr that the author has inserted this 11ne here
silllp1y because i,t f~te in with his general notion of whdom as related
to governance.
When Cain in anger withdrew frOID wisdom he perished I hence
wisdom lDue t have served a 11 fe-maintaining Or preserving function
which, when withdrawn, leads to death (lO,a). It was wisdom who
piloted the Ark (10.4), again performing a ulvific, life-preserving
function. That she "knew" the just man Abraham39 indicates perhaps
that ,he had a key role in his elec;tion, iha kept him just and
worked in him to prevent his te,ndarnen toward his son from over
ooming his will to f~lfill God's comand (lOa~). This would seem to
38 Th.t wisdom protects or guards tht individual 11 not a new idea (el. Prov.2all ff. J 4.61 ~122) , but here she is functioning with regard to the nation. Evidently wisdom alao has a H.,ul'ative function. though it is not here explicitated. The .uthor does not explicitly mention wisdom in relation to Adam's attempt to possess "knowledge of good and evil" though such a connecUon could be made.
t
39 As Gad by "knowlng" Jeremias (Jer. 1d) elected him for his mission. a knowing whleh causes him to be God's prophet •
•
be an interior activity. of the moral order, differing from a sort
of physical oausality in the case of Noah and Lot. In the latter
episode, wisdom actually seems to save him physically (10J6-7, 9),
but also has activity in the monl sphere, as with Abrahalrlt it was
41.
wisdom that had given the people '-knowledge of the right," so that
when they forsook her, choosing the way of wickedness, they left a
"memorial of their folly" (1o.a). Their abandonllllnt of wisdom also
led to death, "a smoking desert," nfrui t that never ripens," the
" tomb of a disbelieving soul ••• " (10.7).
She guided Jacob when he fled from eseu, was responsible for
his dream at Bethel, and "gave him knowledge of holy thingslfI she
de fended him and made him prosper (lOa 10-12). She it was who "g,,'.
him the prbe" in hia struggle with God .,w18hin9 to teach him that
"devotion to God is mightier than all ehe" (10,12). This meaning,
seen by the author 1n Jacob's "forcing" a blessing frOIll God, is
perhaps signifiunt of his understanding of the relation between God
and lIIan. devotion to God makes one, as it were, stronger than God
Himself, giving man an apparent power over God, 1n some (restricted)
sense, o,bligating Him to man. How ~ch this ootion hll advanced in
the direction of a spirituality more positive than "fear of the Lord"
is eas 11 y seen in this verse.
Wbdom stayed with Joseph when he was sold into slavery, and
eventually made him ruler, exposed those who had defamed him40 and
40 In the early passages 0 f the Book 0 f Wisdom, we have seen that the author depicts wisdom a. in some •• n.e exposing blasphemy, lying, grUlllbling., etc. ' This activity of "exposi,ng those who defamed him" .eelllS clearly related to that conoept of wisdom .s judge. One is i_diately reminded of the activity of the Advocate promised by Christ in In. 16.8 •
• J , ~.
•
"gave him eternal glory ... 41 (10113 ... 14) e~ally, it was she who
delivered the Israelites from Egypt (1011~). She .nt.red into the
42.
soul 0 f Moses , so that he became the Lord's spokesman and ~ns trument,
and performed His signs and por~ent& (10116, 1111).42 She it was
who led them, shel tared and protected them (10.17-18); but she over
whelmed their enemies (10119).
In the passages which have been con8i~ered, one notices that
it makes little difference to the author whe ,ther wisdom performs a
function which is interior to man, or e~terior, .s through the events
of Israel's history. This is quite consonant with his ,noUon of
wisdom IS all-pervasive, and with his ~neral view of hhtory as
fulfilling a divine design. 43 All things are equally permeated by
the activity fjf God, ,activity which is in a real sense pedon.l to
Him, and personally accomplished by Him, and yet which is also
accomplished through the ins tlMllentali ty 0 f His wisdom. I t seems
s~gnHlcant that though the author seems to hiJVe a clear notion of
instrumentality, that is, that God y!!!. something to fulfill His
41 "Eternal glory" need be given no stronger int.rpretation her. than a renown or esteem which hsts through ~neration8. (Cfr. 8.10. "for h.r uke I should have glory alllOng the mass.s, and esteem from the .lders •••• n ) The connection of wisdom ah4 honor or glory has app.ared in past wisdom writing. cf. Pro. 3.35, 4.8, Si. 4113, 15,1)-6, 39.11.
42 Moses is called a prophet (11,1)1 it wa, wisdom that had mad. him able to perform his tnks(10,16). Wisdom makes "friends of God and prophets" (7.27). Th. always-underlying current of the oral nature of wisdom make, it feasible that these notions should come together in the Luoan concept of wi tn.asingl in the disputation of Steph.n, ..... th.y were not able to withstand the wisdom and the SpirIt who spoke ... (Ac. 6.10) ' Similarly Lk. 21113-15. " ••• 1 myself will give you utterance and wisdom ..... for the purpose of their bearing witness. <
43 Cf. supra, p. 33 ; n. 32 •
•
43.
designs within history, this "something" (i.e., wisdom) is eonce1ved
of as so personally and intimately related to God Himself that one
can never lose the impression that it il God HiinSelf at work. There
is a strongly bi-valent tendency reflected here. moving with eqt.lal
emphasis between identity and distinction; the author is not oon-
earned to resolve it. He is content to observe that the divine
pU:J;'posiveness manifests itself within the lives of men and the events
of history.44
In the concluding verse 01 chapter 10, the luthor writes,
and they sang, 0 Lord, your holy name and praised in uni son your conquering hand-
Becaute Wisdom opened the mouths of the dumb, and gave ready speech to infants. (10120-21)
This thought is given no speci.l prominence, and is not reiterated,
but it contains pe.rhaps one of thQ deepest insights into the workings
of wisdom.
We have seen th.t wisdom's concern throughout the sapientia1
wri tings has been to establish proper re lations I bet.en man and all
of creation, between man and his fellow men, and. more intensively
as the revelation develops, between man and God. As I $ =a~l's knowl-
edge of her God has progress'ed and deepened, so h.as her awareness of
man's relation to Him. A rather consistent climax has seemed to be
that man must "fear the Lord," which involv~s a sense of creaturely
subjeotion before the inscrutable Omnipotence and Omniscience.
But revelation does not stop there I it inSistently caUs man
on to reverent admiration, to adoration, to love. Never is man
44 "If this transcendent figure 18 .ome way j)x-epax-es for the Christian dogma of the Trinity, it is not by insinuating a plurality of persons in God, but by showing that God .is infinitely close to his work, and de.irous in some fashion of communicating himself." A.-M. Dubarle, ~. ~., p. 204. (Tr.nslation' mine.)
,',.!
", ' .
. 1,
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44.
orushed and destroY'td by the divine power, but more and more opened
up to a vital relationship. lhe relationahip must always be solidly
founded on an ontological basis I God is always the Creator, man is
always creature. But there is more, for God has bent toward man and
offered him an incredible new relationship. God has made a covenant
with man. Precisely for this reason, consciousness of his creature~
11nesa dots not stultify man, but thrills. him with the wonder of his
own existence. And so his reaction is one of prahe and thanksgiving •.
This i, perhlps what the writer of the Book of Wi.dom has
.e.n. 45 God is the Creator, the Author of all life; and of the life
of Israel. He is at work wittUn the univerae IGcomplhhing His
designs through the ins trulll8nta U ty of His wisdom. All thlt Israel
is, Ind all that man is, is not only from the Lord, but also for Him.
Wisdom, working in man and in the universe to clarify the relationship
of man to God, to enable man to "Ili,e the relationship, teaches
lII.n who is "dumb" and an "infant·' to prahe and give thinks. Without
her offices. min might never be capable of anything more than a
servile fear or a child's unreasoned suba.l'vience. Hence wisdom b
always God's gift, in-forming man so that he can meet God 1n freedom
and dignity. Her dynamic relational activity opens man to the joy
of thanks and praise. Wisdom is already revealing to Nn that God
is Love.
After chapter 11, wisdom dis.ppears from the seene, the role
which she played in the dram. of Israel 'a history, IS de~cribed in
4~ This is not to uy that he is the first to have aeen it. Sir.ch makes. clear atate.nt in 1~.9-l01 of. also 39.6 •
•
chapter 10, is now taken over by other Characters.40 God's hand or
arm functions to £ash!1on the unlven~ {llll7}, to guide (14,6). to
s.helter (19.8), or as the instrument of His ,suength (16.15"}.6; 11:21).
God's word is the instrument by v.rhich He heals (16112) ,. pl.'El$etVes
(16,26). destroys (12&9),01' executes His jud9fflfmts (Hh15)f
Rylaatdsdam observes that "intelligenct:e seems to be the deepest
thing in Wisdom. .In the Worcl it is power~it47 This is, howeveir, a
question only of a certain predominance , (inc not of any e*C!usive . .
pr erogative of the one or the other. The author has no intention of
deliml ting the nature afone · power" or Bnothel'. He is complet ely
abr:;orbtd by the lessons Vln loh can be drawn frClD the historyot his
nation. and eve1fY oth~r consideration subserves this purpose.
A sl:.llnmary statement is difficult. For this author, wi sdom is a
supple notion, comprehensive in Us scope, defying definition or de'"
lind tation, Certain themes recur, however . which mak~ synthesis pos"
sible. Con$onant with the authort$ pseudonym; the notes of judgment
and governan(;estem to p:rtdom1nate.&ut wisdom belongs both to God
and man; if it is primarily an attr-ibute of God" it is also the means
by which the diVine des.igos are accomplhhed througnout the universe
and within hi.story. Fu:rther. it is shCll'edwt th man a.s an interior
means by which he can recogoi2:e and ac.complbh the will of God. It
\vQuld$eem that the introduction o·f th~ phrase "wisdomh a kindly
spi rit- .has magnified and 1n some sen$e inte~iorized the notion of
vr.i.sdom. and made it the vehicle of the dhine intention, the bridge
46 Various atternpts ,have been ,made to ~xplain this b:reak. Cf. the opinion of E. Osty, ~. cit., p . 10 .. 11.
47 J . C~Rylaardsdam, ~. W. t P. 43 •
45.
•
between God and m~m. It. is now the means of a sort of personal in
tel;'communic:~tion between Cre&tor anQ ereation.A further study of
the Significance of the term spirit may the.refor e prove useful .
At theri'sk of oVer"simplification, we should first, perhaps,
attempt to summarize the development which has taken place in the
concept of human wi$dom. We have$een that; beginning with the
Book of Proverbs, wisdom is lSI-gely "natural;" an individual. prac
tical ethliQ governing a mao ' s rolaff!Qn$ With his fellow men. It is
exterio~ to man-... it is a word .• asaying-.. and yet it is. dynamically
oriented to action, and as such exists within man as a guide or clio,
rector of conduct. In the lat-er strata of Proverbs. it has acquired
the overtones of genuinely religious morality. Cobeleth and Job, each
.in his own way, question the value of human wisdom. probe its nature
and expose :l.ts limits, they find it ineffectual 1n i tseH, inexo:;-ably
dwarfed by the divine inscl'utabUHy. Sirach complem-ents their view
by showing divine wisdom given to m;an in the Law, by clearly identi
fying human wisdom as fear of the LQrd, a dght relation to Israel's
God which is Uved by keeping the Law, Finally, in the Book of Wis"
clem,. the wise man is the just man$' wisdom is a spi.ri t. op~ratin9 \'n th ..
1n man to conform him to God ' s intentionJ it is a SOft of Law which
is at once interior, person~l and dyn~c. Wis<1om is individual, but
it abo has had a social context; here it is related to Solomon's
govel-nancE! of the ohosen peoph. In the diVine sphere., it is reli;ltecl
not just to creati on, but to salvation history. Hence wisdom has fi
na,lly become a fully integrated portion of Israel's reli gious heri-
tage •
4~a.
•
46 .
WISOOM AND SPInIT
Before attempting to qeline~tc the relation betw~en wisdom and
spirit.i t v-lill be\Jseful first to ,consideX' bdefl y the relation
between wisdom and the word.48 1t ha$ been seen that wisdom is 1n
SOUle degree oral. or at least that it h cOmlm.m1cated ora 11 Yt thi s
modality has rernai.ned fairly constant in wisdom v.a:iting. We might
therefore m.ak<:l the follovJing generalbations concerning the relation
bet\v,en the two concepts~
1) It is natvital that there b, a relation between word and
wisdom for two reasons. first, because "wisdom" in Israel and among
her neighboJ.'$ was taught. and hence formulated inwordsj seoondly,
becau$El tract! tionall y \'Jl.sdom involved the posing ano answering of
riddles. the ma.king of proverbs,etc. In this sense, then. the
vrord i .s the ins'b-ument f.'mi ch bears vasdom wi thin hself and communi ..
estes it. This association remains in some degree thili'oughout wis ..
dam 11 t'lrature. seemingly movihg into the are. of the pronouncement
t Y.1ngly judgment.
48 fClr data on the biblical usago of Aword" we lean heavily on the synthetiQ study of Jit , L~ MeKen~iet "The Word of God in the Old Testament," ~ 21 (1960l, p . le3 .. 20t> •
; ~.
-
47 ..
2) But wisdom is never identifiable. 2!ll:t as word, or even
essentially as word. If there is o. tendency to equate them 1n
early wisdom writing, ,it grows less strong as the writing develops.
It would not be valid at any point in the wisdom writing to look ·
upon word as expressing the full content of the cOnoept of wisdom.
3) Wisdom is from. the beg i nning pr,act1cal and relative (i.e ••
conoerned with man in his relatiQns with his world and with God.)
It is not 1n this sense objective, external. nor complete in itself.
Inev1 tabl y it demands iii 11 ving out for its own completion. This is
elenl y exempli tied in ., fear 0 f the Lord· which is wisdom, and whioh
can be understood only 'IS a relation and as lived. This partiouhr
"wisdom," then, exists only within man, IS he stands in relation to
God. On the other hand t'ward" in its biblioal usage posits and
e flect!; anuternal and independent reality. 49
4) There are both simihrities and differences between the
prophetiC word and the word of the wise man. The prophetic word
is something g1ven by Ood which the prophet pronounclU .Ii GRdtU
on the other hand, although wisd6m is frequentlytonsidered to be
God's gift, the wiie man does not feel hill'l$elf pouesud of. the
word 0 f God. He does not say with the prophet, "Thus says the I.oI'd, It
but rather I' Po. 110'1'1 m:£ counsel." Further, the ,prophetic word has
~d'spoweq not only does it express and exw,rnally effect 'His will,
but it tUO reved! and. in this sense externalhes God HiJ!l$elf.~O
The words of tllCt whe man in themselves seem to possess no such divine
49 ll!.!9. •• po 188. 'Mcl(en,de uses the e~pr.ssion "word-thing, tt which he says h the basic concept of the word. (p. 20~)
~O . ~., p. 191-200.
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48.
power, but if given in accordance with God ' s will, can work to
"internalhe" it, that is, to direct man from within , so that he
will live in accordance with God' s will.
5} It may be observed t hat both word and wisdoll'l came .at one
point to be i~ntified with jiorah. 51 Yet we have seen that wisdom
does not remain so identified, but moves into the area of identifi-
cation with spiri t. becoming again (IIore interiorind. Even when
illCi,st identified with Law as in Sirsch, it still retains a dhtinc-
tively subjective aspect through its equation with fea r 01 the Lord.
6) Word and wisdom perhaps come closest together when wisdom
i .5 predicated of God, or descrU)ed as the instrument of the orliative
or historical activity of God . In some instances (notably Wis. 10)
,' !,.t\' would seem that wisdom is "an agent with distinct reality; it "
aecompl1shes the will of Yahweh 1n nature as it does in history"
a st.tement which McKenlie makes with reference to the word.~2 In
others, this simllarity is so strong th.t Jaco)) oan write that it is
evident that the role attri buted to wisdom can be literally proper
only to the word or to the spiri t.~3 This should not, perhaps, be
surprising. i n view of the Intenst monotheism ·of the Jews, it is
reasonable that t hose things whieh seem to be identi fled with God
should also tend to bee.orne identified with one another.
7) 1n conclusion, it is interesting to nClUe., that many of
the forego ing po ints 0 f comparison apply as we 11 to wisdom and spirt t
51 ma., p. 202-200 discusses wOl'd IS identified with Law.
~2 ll?id •• p. 202. .
53 E. Jacob. m. ill., p. 134. The etatement is made with referenee to 5i. 24_3 and Wis. 7,25 •
•
as they do to wisdom and word. Van Imschoot notes that for the
Hebrew J:Y.f!l and word are not olearly distinguished, for both ue
ooncrete, aotive and efficacious, and both are appUed to the
49.
creative power of God.:)4 By way of contrast, Neher points out the
objective nature of dIY" as opposed to the subjective nature of
mll. 1n relation to the work of the forllllr, the prophet apeaks in
the third person, of an "it", the word of God. etc. In relation to
the work of the latter, he speaks in the first persona "I saw,"
etc.~~ McKenzie notes that Spirt t seeilS to inspire to action rather
than to speech. 56 Finall y,Guillet conclude. that word seems to be
impo •• d from the outside, ",heft .. the Spirit 11 flui'd and infiltrates
without being $8en. that the word is revehtion, but the Spirit is
interior trans formation.t'>7 The latter "tate_nt could with few
quaU fications be applied to the word a8 cOlJId)Unlcatlng wisdom.
W1&dom and spirit would seem, then, to stand 1n so_what the seme
J;'elation to the wordl in this perspective, their 1dent1fhation
would be " natural developa.nt.
Having thu& brie-fly pointed up the relation between wOl"d and
wisdolll, we can proceed to a cOO$ldera.tion of wisdom and spirit. It
is beyond the scope of this paper to do • thorough study of · the Old
~4 P.ul Van la.choot. tt Ltespri t de Jahve', source de vi. dans LtAnci,n Testa .. ot," .8i 44 (193f), p. 491. Van 1lllSGhoot ,lso gives bibliographical data a. to the origio of this equival,nce.
~~ And~ ~hert LMsss.n, gu fropbetl,. (PariSi Pre .. es Unlverlitai1"ts de France, l~~ • p. 110-11.
t)6 J. MeKenc!., 2Q.. W. t p. 19~.
~7 Jacque8 Guillet ,' lh ••• of the 8tbl" trans. A. J. Lamothe (Notre Oa .. , Ind •• Fidee Pub11.h.1"S, 1960 , p. 271~
\ .. ,
•
:;O~
Testament usage of wlt, the ISpirit or breath of Yahweh. Many studies
have been done 1n this area by Van IlIISchoot,58 Guillet59 also devotes
a chapte;r 0 f his book to it. We wi 11 limit ourse 1 vts ta a consider, ..
tion 0 f only those te/Cts in wt\ich spirit is used in connection with
wisdom, or those which seem to provide the b.ckground for suoh a
cons idention.
Perhaps the oldest of the text.a which Wf!I wiU consider is that
in the look of Genesl$ " chapter 41. The .tory is familiart P!laraoh
having had dre.ms whiCh none of ~is sages or magicians could interpret,
c.lls the young Hebrew Joseph from prisQn. Joseph makes clear to
Pharaoh that it is not he, but his God who will give the answer, and
proceeds to expla.in the dream. Pleased with hla ability, Pharaoh
recognizes th.tGod has given this int.llig~tnoe and wisdom to the
young m.n, that the "spirit 0 f God" is in him. and this lawh,at has
made hill.-he (41.38-9). He appoints him ruler over alllJgypt.
The "wisdom" wh1eh Joseph employs is evidently related in kind
to that of the Egyptian sages. Though Egypt Wit renowned for i t8
wiseman,· Joseph pro"es sup$rior to them. The writer is oootras ting
the limitations of purely human wisdom with the true wisdom th.at
(,lomes from God, hence Joseph's insistence that it was God who gave
the respotlse (4h16). In this Gise. it seells that the "spirit of
18 Paul Van IllISenoot,"t. 'espri t de Jah"", souree de vie dans l·A.T •• fI g 44 (1935). 481-501, "L'esprit de Jah'" et 1'alliance nouvelle dans ItA.T ... ' ~ 13 (1936). 201 ... 220, "Sage~se at esprit dans l·A.T .... !!l47 (1938). 23-49, "t'esprit de Jahve. principe de vie morale dans l' A. T •• t' Il:!Ut 16 (1939), 4~7-6 7, IO'glgqie de l'Aflelen Test,.ot, T. 1. -(Tc)urnlif Desc1'. et Cie •• l~). 183-200.
59 J. Guillet, ~. iii., p. 2~-279 •
\.:',.~,
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51.
God" is God's own knowledge, His "mind" as it were. which Joseph
shares. It is a wisdom which exceeds human wisdom, through which
one can know things which only God knows, it is obviou&l y then •
divine gift.
The use of spirit in this context is unique in the . Book of
Genesi.~ A cQnsideration of other texts in which the term is
used reveals that it most often refe·rs to the breath of life, which
s •• ming1 y be Idngs to Qod and animates men.60 This use, "spiri t 0 f
004. to however, differs from the latter, it is some special endowment,
through whi~h Joseph shares in knowledge which is God's, and which
places him .bove the category of "wise man." But it should perhaps
be noted that the words are phced in Pharaoh's lIIOuth, .nd therefore
might indicate little more than that Ph.r.oh ' reco9ni~ed something
"super-human" in Joseph's abili ty--which $8ems to be the point which
the author wbhes to make.
It would not seem valid to place great stress on this passage.
Joseph has e.lsewheH interpreted dreams (40,5-23) and no _nUon 1s
made either of his wisdom or of the spirit. It 'eems that it is
only beoause the situation involves the interpreting of dreams and
Egyptian whe-men that Joseph comes here to be assoclated wi to
wisdoml it is not emphasized by the .author, Ind Joseph is not referred
to as wiSe in Iny other pasuge. In itself, then, it is an 1$olated
60 Cf. Gen. 6.3,' 17, 7Jl!)J 45.27. For a discussion of thi-s . /
usage Ind its origin ,cf. p~ Van Imschoot. "L'es.prlt de Jahve ••• " !Y!. 44 (l9~).p. 492-97. W. will not take up the controverted question of the $8lning of ,D!Ih dohie (Gen. la2hVan lmacnoot discusses this text and !lives sUlllllllry bibliography of the history of its exegesis on p. 488-9., He also comments that this is the only biblical text in which the divine ~ seems to have I cosmic vivifying function. (p. ~Ol)
•
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incident and seems to have nothing to support it. It will remain
to be seen whether i thiS IIny greater Significance when it is
picked up again in t he Sook o f Daniel.
Two p'8ssages in the Book of ixoduslX'e of interest, both stem
from the priestly tradition. 61 In t he first, GoQ says that He has
filled Baseleel with Ita divine spirit of skill" so that he could
conceive and execute the works necessary for the building of the
unctuary (31.3).62 In another text, God gives Moses instructions
for the building of the sanctuary and for the priestly vestments,
and says that He has endowed the artisans with an exceptional skill.
so that they will be apt in making Anon' 6 vel tments (28.3). The
word ".1sdom" is not used here, but the genu'a! context is the same
IS the first. The workers seem to be men who already possess skill
(3116), God gives them a spechl increase, t diyine skill, which
alone, in the thinking of the priestly writer, could mike their
human ability commensurate with the task before them. Both texts
involve a special endowment, I gift of the spirit, so that the
artisans could produce works worthy of the s8fietuary.
This kind of augmentltion of naturd powers by the spirit,
suiting I man for a divinely-appointed mission is also characteri8tic
of the Book of JudgeSi Othoniel (3110), Gedeon (6&34), Jephte (11.29)
and Simson (13.I~1 14,.6, 191 15.14) all have such an endowment. A
similar gift is given to Siul (I K 11.6) and to Dlvid (I K 16.13,
II K 2312), Moses (Nb. 11.17 andDt. 34.9) and Josue (Dt. 34.9)
, 61 Cf. Ill. Gen. 25; note c.
62 This w .xt 1& repeated lImos t ex.ctl y in ~. 31, except for a change of p~rson. Henc~ it adds nothing for our consideration •
II ! .~
",
•
!:>3.
evidently also P9ssessed it.6~ In their conte)C:t ,these relate to
ability to carry out the duties oian cUt.eein Isr$el, and g·eem to
be ' rightly described as manifestations ci f God's beneficence toward
.nd protection -of: briel,and as working to implement God'scovena,nt
with His people.64
While the artisans of the temple a.re given a skill-.... which would
seem to 'be of a more physical or technical nature than the charism
given to the leaders of Israel t both manifest God's special guidance
of Bh pt)opljt. the ~se of wisdom in thh connection seems to have
no real Significance within the wisdom tnov9ment. The artisans already
possessed the whdom which is skill in their craft, the ~plrit is not
responsible fo r that natural gUt" but only fOr meldng it commensurate
with the. task at hand. It would be difficult to find any clear con-
nection between this pasugeaod the later equation of wisdom with
spirit.
R.!ab. appears mol'e , 0 Iten in the Book of haias(I-Il) than in
any other prophetic book. 51n.<:e the writer of the Book of Wisdom
appears to have been infl~nced by tbe Septu8gin,t translation of the
Book of Isaias6!) it will be to our purpose to examine some of the
texts in which the term appears.
6~ The gift of the spitit 1s also related toprophecyi Nb. lhl7, 24,2, U K 10.6, '10, 19t20. 23. Pol' a IIIOre complete discussion of these charismatic endowments of. P. Van IalSchoot, m1. 13 (1936), p. 203-4. .
64 ~., p. 20$.
65 Cf. the article byP. Skehan, "Isaias and the Teachin9 of the Book of Wisdoll," gg 2 (Oct •• 1940). p. 289 ... 99. SqUally, Isaias shows $trains 0 f lnfluenc;e by the wisdom Wfri tars, c f.. the study by J. Lindblom, "Wisdom in the or Prophets, It Wbdom 1n ISNd and in the Anc.i!Qt Nut hat, p. 192-204. LiAdblom notes that 'iehtner goes so far as to maintain that Isaias belonged to the group of &ages •
-
!;4.
A certain number of the text$ fall into rather broad eategories
which do not concern \IS here. In some passages, ru,h is used as
parallel to soul or heert~66 to denote the essential inclination
or direction of a man, or his feelings (2619, 29:24; 5'7.16, 65114).
111 8.nother text, it refers to the life-breath. which Van I1II,schoot
desoribes ill the vitll force which manifests itself through .nd
resides 1n the breath67 (4215). Others represent ~ 8S wind (7.2),
but more commonly breath or wind which is executive of God's judg-
metlt and punishtllent. Such are 4.4, U.l!)l 27.8, 30.28, 33&11.,
68 34·.16.
Of greater interest for our purpos8s are the texts which
present the messianic figure or messianic times .s endowed with.
gift of the spirit. Such is the famous passage
But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots 8 bud shall blonom.
And the spirit of the Lord sh.ll rest upon him • • spirit of wisdom and of understanding.
A spirit of"eounnl and of strength, ' a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord •••• (142)
This gUt will enable him to judge with discernment and with justice,
and to effectively execute his judgmnU (lh3-4); unheerd-of peace
and tranquility will accompany hls reign. and "the earth shall be
filled with knowledge of the Lord •••• II (11.6-9)
.In I slightly different vein,
Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom 1 am pleased,
66 Cf. the discussion by J. Pedersen. 2R,. ill,., p. 102 If.
67 P. Van Imschoot. !m 44 (1935). p. 484; ci. also J. Guillet, Q.Q.. ill., p. 234-24!'>.
68 Pol' fuller discussion cf. 121£., p. 225-234.
•
~~.
Upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nat10ns •••• (42'1)
Again. it is a question here of one cho.en and gifted by God to
execute His justice. and it is the spirit which enables him to do so.
A gift of the spirit is also involved in the anointing of the
prophet (61,1) to bring the good news of the end of Israel's captiv-
lty and lOOurning, and to announce a new period of gladness and joy.
Lastly, a gJ'oup of texts points to a gift of the spirit as
related to the pelce and happiness of the messianio era. God promises
Israel that He will pour out His spirit "upon your offspring and my
blessing upon your descendents." (44'3) The covenant which He has
made is one in whioh
My spirit whioh is upon you and my words that I have put il'lto your mouth
Shall never leave your mouth •••• (~9121)
In another passage, Is.aias says that when the "spirit from on high"
is poured out upon Israel,
Then will the desert become an orchard and the orch.s4. will be regarded as • forest.
Right will dwell in the desert and justice abide in the orchard.
Justice will bring about pen_. right will preduce calm and security. (32al~17)
And lastly,
On that day the Lord of hosts will be a glorious crown
And a brilliant diadem to the remnant of his people,
A spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
And strength ' to those who turn back the battle at the gate. (28.!)-6)
'"
•
5{,'.
In the perspective of the Book of Isaias, then, the gift of
the spirit seems to be a characteristic of Messianic times.69 It
will be noted that many of the texts direotly relate to the practice
of justice-in the just judgments o f the king, or in the living out
of justice in the land. From a general consideration of texts, it
would seem true to say that justice and salvation are parallel terms.
Hence it 1& valid to infer, in viewespeohlly of some of the stronger
texts cited, that the gift of the spirit is, in the laaian tradition,
closely a,sociated with justice, not only are the two concomitant,
but the g1ft of the spirit seems to be the source or cause of the
justice.
It might be well to consider briefly the texts of the Book of
Isdta which relate to wisdom,70 to determine whether there 1& any
conneotion here with the gift of the spirit. Wisdom is conneoted
with. certain shrewdness in governing (10.13); but such human
device. cannot prevail against God. Por as an axe or a saw is but
an instrument in the hand of him who uses it, 60 is man in rehtipn
to God (10,1.61 cfr. 29a16). God's wrath is enflamed agains t those
who are wise in their own flight, but spurn His law (5.21). They
demand to see the execution of God's plan at once (~.19). they
"call evil good and good evil," darkness light and sweet bitter
(~'20). They do not see wh.t the Lord doesl "therefore my people
go into exile, because they do not understand" (~'ll). The revelation
69 This is not to ~ay th.t it 15 found 1n every messianic text. There are many in which it does not appear, but it seems significant that it does appear in th1e many passages.
70 Cf. the more complete discussion by Oliva A. Blanchette. "The Whdom of God 1n Isail," A5R 14~ (1961), p. 413-23 •
.... ,!
\ ." .. '
•
of God's plan becomes ". sealed scroll" which they Q.~tnnot read . , I ,
(29.11-12), be~ause they do Him only lip servic~,
though . their hearts are far from me, And their revererjce for me hu become
routine obs~x:vance of the precepts of men, Therefore I willag.in deal with this people
in surprising and .wondrous fashion. The wisdom of its wise men shall perish . and the unders tanding () fits prudent men be hid.
(29 .• 13-14)
57.
For a man--for .Isnel-to trust in his own devices is blindness"
ignorance, stupidity.. God knows the future .. and .all things take place
according to His p\,lrpose. Even Mis plan of destruotion is wise and
is inevitably fulfilled (3la2). l5r8el's true wisdom is confidence
in Him, "1n quiet and trust your strength Ues." (30.15) Her sa1va-
tion li.s in fidelity to Yahweh an.d trusting sl<lbmission to His will;
whe.n she recognhes this and lives accordingly,
No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Tucher,
While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears I "This is the way, walk in it ...... (30,20-21)
Hence wisdom, the "right path" is genuine service of (Sod. One
senses here the i_dia.cy which is characteristic of prophetic wr1 ting,
and which is somewhat lacking in wisdom wri ting. This is the typic
ally prophetic mes&age-- ttknow God"--with all that it implies. With
the wisdom wrl tars. Isaias sees that true wisdom demands that one
live in accordance with God's law, and the instruction of the wise
men must be directed towud that end; but he adds that urgenoy and
demand ~or person~1 commitment which is typically prophetio.
God is fre que ntl y exto Hed as Greator 0 f all things I in His
great wisdom He has control over the workings of His creation
(40.l2-l4128 .. ~3-29), and also over the wisdom of the wise (44.25) •
•
58.
Isaias recognizes the wisdom traditions of Egypt (19:3); against them
he ju~t.poses the omniscience of God.
Where then are your wiseman? Let them tell you and make known
What the Lord of hosts hiS planned against EgVpt. (19.12) ,
God's knowledge of future events is I frequent argument for the va-
lidity of His claims to divinitYI the inability of false gods and
idols to predict the , future is proof that they I.re sham (e.g. , 41;21-
291 44.6-8). It is .lso that inability which proves the futility of
human wisdom (19.12), the prophets. God's true servants, are the
beaJ;'efs of His words for the future, and tho&e words "Ire- affective
(44,25-26). One might ask, in view of this juxtaposition of the
empty predictions of purely human wisdom over against the effective
prophetic message, whether the prophet is not the authentic wise
JUn. for the inference is that God's knowledge of the future, com-
munic,ted to the prophet, is the really valid wisdom.
The true riches which save Isreel are wisdom and knowledge;
fear of the Lord is her treasure (3316). Wisdom, knowledge and fear
of the Lord are expressions commonly used by whdom writers, this
text could well take its plaee in the wisdom writing. Yet here too
one can point to the communitarian view which is not generally
characteristic of whdom writing. lhe Book of Isai,. does not seem
to have introduced any essentially new ideas into the traditional
notions of wisdom, but hal "' enhanced them with prophetic directness
and absorbed them into the prophetic mentality.
W. have found, however, no explicit connection between the use
of spirt t and that of wisdom. If later the two notions are to fuse,
it will seemingly not be directly attributable to the Book of Isaias •
•
59.
Yet the use of spirit in 8 messianic context, especially the
III&ssianic endowment of the "spirit of wisdom" in 1112, and the
implicit de-valuation of purely human wisdom in favor of the prophetic
mesuge may eventually play their pnt 1n giving new perspective to
the concept 0 f wisdom.
A passage in the Book of Nehemias ltlust also be mentioned. In
recounting the story of thebodus, Nehemias writes that GQd gave
the chol.n people His good spiri t to make them wise (9s2O). If one
parallel. this passage with a very similar one which closely precedes
it, one sees that this passage fits in where the. previous one has
spoken of the Law. (Cfr. 9.l2 .. l~ and 9s19-20) The latter may be
reminiscent of the first verses of Deuteronomy 4, which instructs
the people to keep the laws and customs given them by God through
Moses, they wi11 thus be wise and recognhed as such (Dt. 4.6). In
Neh.mils 9.30, God gives His spiri.t to the prophets te warn the
people, "'cause they were not observl1'19 the Law. In this latter case,
. the spirit would seem to be the organ by means of which God cOlMlunl-
cates with His people through the prophetsl to speak of the prophetic
charism i n this manner is obviously not unusual.
But the meaning of the first passage cannot be determined with
any certainty. It is possible that the writer equates God's spirit
, with the Law. since it is the L.awwhich is involved here. But it
seems rat~!' "to bean interior gift to the people through which they
are enabled to keep the Law, since the Deuteronomic instruction to
which the passage seems related would e!llphashe the tatter aspect.
It would not be simply the possessio,rl of such just laws which would
impress the people. they would encounter, but the living af them •
•
60.
That the living of the Lew makes one wise is a common thought by the
till» of Sir.eh, but this work is obviously later than either Nehemias
or Deuteronomy. No definite conclusion Ctl1 be drawn either to the
prov~n4nee of this Plfiuge or to its exact significance.. It is perhaps
the first passage to relate wisdOM, spirit and Law, but it QQes not
do so in any definitive or emphatic manner.
Before moving to the use of spirit in the e.apienttal writing
itself, we must take note of the Book of Daniel, for here wisdom and
spirit seem to be associated. It will be ,well to examin& first the
underlying concept of wisdom, and then its relation to spirit.
The close similarity between the general outlines of the first
Paniel episodes end those of Jos.eph (Gen. 41) st,riku one immediately.
Daniel is ca.st 88 a young sage. whose wisdOM is set in oppoai tion to
that of the Babylonian magicians and enchanters, as was that of
Joseph in Bgypt.. When the king has a dreal'll which none of his own
$ages can interpret, the young Hebrew is given the ability to explain
itl this ability COI1)8& frol'll his God. The king recognizes the superi
odty of the Hebrew God only in the D.nid story, .but in both the
young men are generous! y rewarded and placed in pos! Uons 0 f some
importance in the kingdom. (Cir. Gen. 41140-44, On. !).29-6.4) Thue
same incidents are found in the Joseph st.orYJ the Book of Daniel
adds only more details and more literary embellishments.
Wisdom is first the attribute of God, as ioother texts which
we have noted, it is related to His \(nowledge of and His power over
creation (2,20-23). It is God who gives Oaniel and his friends their
wisdom, which is "knowledge and proficiency in all l1.terature and
soience" {hl7h they were superior to all of the magicians and
•
61.
enchanters i n t he kingdom (1:20). To Daniel is also given the power
to interpret dreams and visions (1:17; 2123). It is clear that the
wisdom 0 f Oanie 1 and his friends is 0 f the same genre as that 0 f
the Babylonian sages, except that that of the Hebrews comes from
God, is therefo~e superior, and succeeds.
It. bde f glanoe at the texts in which $piri t is used reve'als
that the usage is no different from what we have found in pre,vious
books. In some texts it refers simply to the wind (2135. 3.50,
3a6!>. Bel 36). In two it is the br8lth (~.231 10.17), and in 5everd
it is the human spirit or heart as center 0 f the emotions (2,1, 3;
3.39, 3.86, {H20, 7,lf».
But another series 0 f texts connects Daniel's wisdom, his
ability to interpret dreams and visions toa gift of "the spirit of
the holy God" (445, 6, 15; 5.11, 12. 14. 6&3). Thus the king says
to Daniel, ttl have heard that the spirit ·of God is in you, t hat you
possess brilliant knowledge and extraordinary whdom. 1l (t>H4) Or,
'1Although none of the wise men in my kin9domc~n tell me the muning,
you can, because the spirit of the holy God is in you." (4:15)
It seems almost certain that the write.r of Daniel has borrow.d
the expression directly from the same source from which he has al so
Gulled his story, we have already diseusud its presence there. But
wherel$ it appears only once in the Genesis account and seems to hive
no great Significance, it is here repeated stvtral times. To interpret
the first of the Icing's dreams, Daniel has a vision (2.19), the epi
sodes which follow chapter 6 are also a series of visions. But for
the king's second dream a(nd for the interpretation of the handwriting
on the wall, Daniel's ability seems to be attributed to the spirit of
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62_
the holy God which is in him. It seems significant that the structure
of these two episodes most alosely resembles that of the Joseph
account. It may be objected that these words are spoken only by the
Icing and the queen; .nd never by Daniel. Yet the repetition of the
statement would seem to indicate that the writer sees some vaHdity
in it.
As further corroboration, one might point to the passage in the
story of Suzanna, "God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy
named Daniel ••• " (Su. 4~). in this episode,Daniel assumes the role
of a wise judgt, who executes il tria 1 and renders 8 juggmtnt worthy
of Solomon himself. It is true that the word wisdom is not used in
this .ccount, but Daniel is clearly performing a function which would
be recc:>gnized as requiring $olomonic wisdom. Here the wri ter is no
longer borrowing from the Genesis account. and eviMes what seems
to be .n independent use of the term in relation to wisdom. Hence
one might conclude-though obviously with no absolute certitude-
that the writer of the Book of Daniel does see a relation between
wisdom and spirit. 71
The spirit is here I gift of • charismatic nature, like that
possessed by the prophets and kings who have led Israel in the past,
though Daniel does not stand in the same relation to the actual history
71 This presupposes th~ unity of the book's composition, a co~plic.ted question upon which SCholars are oot agreed. C. Lattey sWlllllu1.ze. many of the o.pinions and arguments in the introductory Plges of The Book of Daniel (Dublin: Browne and Nolan Ltd., 1948), xvii-1, P. J. de Menasce (SJ hsc., ~ ed. ~evue) concludes that texts differing in their brigin might have been put together by a Single author into a work which is more profoundly unified than would be a simple compilation. (p. 8)
•
63.
of brael as do the king9 and prophets. 72 I n some respects he is a
wise man, and in some respects a prophet. Some of his characteristics
may have been modelled upon Out &l. the ancient wise man of Ugaritic
texts; on the other hand. he fulfills the role of prophet, in which
category the book is claased. 73 Hence the figure of Daniel may rep-
resent a u O&5 ing of two strains; and yet, the idi om of the book is
neither that of previous wiadolll writing. nor of prophetic writing.
but dbtinctly apoealyptical. One can conclude only that 11 the
author con$iders 'Daniel ~8 a wise IIIIn simUar to his contemporary
Oriental &ages. he presenta him n the wi .. man au. nclllence,
72 POI' the historical exiatence of the figure see the brief comments o f Raymond ! . Brown, commentary on Ibq Book of 0loiel (New York' Paulist Press, 1962). p. 9.J H. H. Rowley states that Daniel is 8 figure known only from this book; he 1s not the same
,.\ person II the Daniel of the Res ShaWl and Ezechiel texts. ~' ••• This book created the reputation of Dani el, and did not come in under the wing of an already established reputatian .... " The Reley.nG! of the Apocalyptic (Lonoons Luttel'WOrth Press, 1952), p. 38 n. 2.
73 Though not in the Hebrew bible. P. de Menasce states th.t the prophecies in this book give a good illustration of the diversity which characteri~e$ the prophetic charisma purely imaginative visions, the hearing o f mysterious words, apparitions. i ntelligence of visions, etc., and Hnall y "juGgment"-. synthetic view of tranacendentreali ties or contingent facts 0 ·( which the meaning 18 i nterpreted. .(Qa_ ill., p. 16-17) It should of course be unders tood that prophecy is at leait as mueh concerned with interpreting t he meaning of the preunt as it is wi t h foretelling the future. Thh 1& true of the Book of Daniel. whose author ..... tells the story of the past so that t he persecuted Jews may see their s ufferings In the pe1'lOpec:t1ve of God's purpoae in history." (B. W. Ahderson. Upditstanding the Old Testament (angle. wood Cliffs. N. J.a Prentic.~all, Inc., 1957), p. 528. Rowley points out that there is a dUference in the forlll of prophecy i n th!3l prophe ts and the apocalyptists. Whereas the prophets speak from the standpoint of the prfJunt, the apocllyptists "threw themselves back into the past ••• and put in the guilt of prophecy things that were past in their own oay 1$ the prelude to their unfolding of the grand denouelDeot of his tory which they beHeved to be i mmi'nent. " (S,Q.. m. t p. 36)
•
M.
because charismatio.l1y endoWfd by God witn that gift of t\1e spi~1t
which Was seen to function in the divinely-chosen lucien and rulers
of hra.lt
We might noteanothn possibility. The author o( Dini.l lays
gre.t stress upon ·f.t thful observance cH the Law, this h the opvi
o~s _suge of the trills and rewards of Daniel and his fd.nds in
the fhst six chapters~ Since Oanlel is thought to have been composed
at the tim;! of the Mach.bean uprhinSj,14 and since its al.lthor may
have been a member of the Huidim, 15. group known for its devotion
to the L.w, it is pouibl& that the note of wisdom appears because
a relation was cOlMlOnly seen between wisdom end ~.YOt1on to the l..w.
The relation is clearly seen by Siraoh, for instance, who may have
been roughly contempol'$neous with the author of Oaniel. One cO\;lld
not pretend to find direct influence in ei thn direction, but the
existence at the time of the Scribal tendenoy to identify wisdom
with keeping the Law mayhava had an effect on the thought of the
man who composed or who compiled the Daniel stories. One would 1n-
cline to find the Genesis account a sufficiently plausible origin
for the appearance of wisdom in Dan1el. obvio\;lsly keeping the Hebrew
Law ha. no place in the Book of Genesis. But there is a possibility--
however relllOte-th,t the reasons behind the use of wisdom in the con-
text of the Oaniel stories may have been IRQre cogent and _.n1ngfu1
than in the Jouph story, due to the thouOht-milieu current in Scribal
Circles.
74 Cf. B. W. A;ndel'80n, 22. ill., p. M~l6. ~19-28, de Menasce, 2.2,. m., p.8-15.
7!:» Anderson, ~. cit., p. ~H~, 520, asserts that ht "undoubtedly" was •
•
65-. \. • Jj
The sapiential 11 terature. 9i ves 11 ttl. hint 0 f the deve lop_nt
in the direotion of spirit, it seems safe to say that in no wisdom
text p.rior to the Book of Wisdom does such usage ocCUr with any
olarity. It is true that wisdom thought was beCloming more religiQus
and in thataense more "spiritualized;" but a study of the use of
"spirit" in sapiential writing shows that it was the writer of the
Book of Wisdom who accomplished the identification., and seemingly
wi th 11 ttlt! help from his fe llow sages.
The term is used only once in the Sook 0 f Proverbs. in which
tu.t 1t seems to refer to the humin emotions or feeUngs (1~.4). 76
The word h used several times in this lame sense in the Book of
Cohel.tht. the author speaks of the patient spirit, the lofty spirit,
the discontented 1n spirit (7.8-9), the "humor" of the king (Uh4).
By far the mst frequently used sense is that expreued by the
leitlllOt.1fl all is Vi.nity and ohase afte~ win,d (l.l":t, 17,. 2.11, 17,
26J 414, 6, 16. 6,9). Here it would seem to be the elusive,
76 We must note another possibility. In his study of the bib.Hcal "souroes" of P1;'ov. I-IX, (22,. ill., p. 181-9), A. Robert states that one finds no difference between Wisdom per$oniUed in Proverbs 8 and the Spirit of Yahweh in Isaias 11,2. He argues here tnat Wisdom 15 presented "d'une fa~on lndiscutable" as • divine Being, and that the passage from metaphor to hypop,tasis was fleil! tated by the coming together of "Wisdom" with the very real and concrete person of the Isaian messias. (p. 363-4)
It seems unquestionable that . there are parallels between this seotion of Proverbs and the Book of haias. But whether or not they are sufficient to prove that the author of Proverbs has consciously substituted Wisdom for the Spirit of Yahweh, and has with some deUberateness attributed the divine prcerogatives of the Spirit to the hypostasisWhdom seell\$ in Urge meUure closely bound up with the bl'Qlder question of whether one Iccepts the hypothesis which liobart is trying to, establish. Since this text is so closely related to its Canaanite sources (cf. supra. p. 7, note 5), only a careful oomparison of . texts could determine whether the alleged Isaian "inspiration" has really been decisive on this point •
•
amorphous, unsubstantial element in the wind which Cohe1eth uses as
analogue .•
In several tuts the term refers to the life-breath (3219, 21;
8,8; 12t'7») in the last, Coheleth says that "the life breath returns
to God who gave it." In another ~a$98ge, Coheleth observes that
Just as you know not how the breath of life fashions the human frame in the motherfs womb,
80 you know net the work of God which he is accomplishing in the universe. (ll.~)
This comparison points up the mysterious nature of DWl,17 as well
as the mystery of God's des'igns within the universu neither can
be subjected to human scrutiny, both work with hidden purposivaness
and e.ffectiveness. Though it stands so.whatalone, this text is
perhaps of more interest than any other. We have seen that in later
wisdom wri Hog, it is the spid t of wisdom which accomplishes the
hidden designs of God within the universe. This passage from
Coheleth seems to demonstrate that the author recognilel a certain
parallel or analogy between breath and God's providential activity,
sees certain intrinsieally compatible features in the two. There is
no mention here of spirit or I.Y.ib. in connection with God's activity;
it is the underlying mentality, perhaps indicative of a certain
openness for such a connection, which is of interest to us here.
66<.
77 The question of the original language of Coh.leth does not concern us here. H. L. Ginsberg, S udie loKo e .eth (New Yorlta Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 19~() argues for an Aramaic original, M. Oahood on the contrary ho Ids that the author wrote in Hebrew but used Phoenician orthography and wu strongly influence d by Caneanite-Phoenic1an vocabulary, style and background. Cf. his detailedstudy, "Canaanite-Phoenician Influence in Qoheleth," 1U.Ql.. 33 (1952), jh 30...;52, 191-221; and his summary article in CSQ 14 (1952), p. 227-32. W. F. Albright (ollows the latter opinion, 22,. ill. t Wisdom in Isreel and the Andent Near flU. p. 14 •
•
67.
The term .DWl is frequently used in the Book of Job, In some
texts; it would seem simply to refer to the wind (1.19; 13.25, 30.15,
41.?); in on~y one text is it the ~ Yahweh, the ~bla5t of his
wrath" by whioh the wi,oked 8re dest;royed (4.9). I n one text it is
the _ffective part of man wh i oh is expressed in the, term "anguish
of my spirit" (1all, cfr. 17al). in enother it seems to be a mental
operation (20:3).78 The term is, frequently appUed to the life breath
(10.12, 12,10; 2n3; 3314, 34.14), and it is interesting to note
that in most cases it is God's breath, lent, as it were; to man,
which anilllates him; we have remar ked this use also in the Book of
Genesis. In other texts, the usage most resembles that of Cohelethl
"my Hfe 1s like the wind, I shall not see happiness ag8in" (7.7.
cfr. 7.l6)s "the words from your mouth are like a mighty wind!"
(8,2, dr. 15,2, 16.3). In these passages, it is the transitory,
hollow element i n IY1h which is underscored.
A somewhat different use of the term is found in the passages
which relate to the wisdom of Elihu and one with ref&rence to l: liphu.
In the latter (4.12-21), the "wise man" had a vision during the night.
a spirit passed be·fore him and the hair of his flesh stood up. The
message which he received was that no man could be righteous when faced
by God. Elihu proposes to speak from 8 sort of interior compulsion
(32,8. 18) much as a prophet. 79 These do not seem to be evidence
78 It should not seem contradictory if both emotional and intellectual elements are pre dicated of spirt t, and if it also expresses simply the .l.U!. of man. The Hebrew does not make distinctions of powers, etc., but regards the totality. Gf. J. Pedersen, 22. ill., p. 99-109. •
79 Cfr. Jer. 20;9. There is something of a contradiction involved in this. Both Elihu and E1iphaa claim a sort of charismatic
•
that the wiSdom of th.se two men is genuinely c::harismatio, for
while · they purport to teach true wisdom, they are censured by God
for not having spokim well of Him. Job, who has opPosed their
position throughout, is vindicated (42.7). Thue is of course evi
dence 0 f "bad Sj;i)iri ts" i n the Bible. 80 but nothing pGints to theit
68.
presence here. It would seem erroneous, however, to try to connect
these passages with any genuine inspiration for the cogent reason
that what they propound is stamped, if not .. false, at least as
patently insufficient, \"ithin the book itself. A.nd it h constant
in the tradition of Israel that God "confirms the words of his ser-
vents." (Is. 44,26)
Israel's wisdom has been traditionally a human institution,
its procedure t hat 0 f human reasoning. We have po i nted out that the
wise man never pretended to speak God's word in the saine way io
which the prophet did. This tradition remains constant. On the
other hand, it is true that t he oriental wise men in general were
often called or connected 'with magicians, diviners, ~nchanters.al
There is biblical evidence that they concerned themselves with dreams
and even with ghosts.82 It is perhaps pertinent for the present
wisdom. yet Bl1hu is qUite clear in rejecting what the other sages have expounded (32H3-14). The situation is of course complicated by the fact that he says nothing which differs substantially from what they have said. On the authenticity of theSlihu sequenee cf. A. Lefevre, "Job, (Livre de)" SDB 4 (1949). col. 1019-80. " ••• c'est en tout cas une retouche", d. also A. Larcher, l2R. (it fasc.), p. 12. Baumgartner (2.Q.. ill. ,p. 218) summarizes some of the current positions.
80 i.g. 11( 16.14-16, 23. 19.9. lIIK 22.21-3; II eh. 18.21-3.
81 Gen~ 4laS. Ex. 7~,1l1 Is. 44.2!>1 Dan. 2.10-12, 27.
82 .. Gen. 4la8; Pan. 2; Is. 19.3 •
•
69.
diacuuion that the Book of Job bears marked simihritlesto Egyptian
literature, and that the author shows himself well inform$d about
Egyptian culture, ·legtnds and tradition •• 83 For the.e reasons, it
seems likely that the Hebrew who wrou the Book of Job wa. trying
less to portray thtse wis.men as possessed of any genuinely charis
matic gift84 than to portray them in tht, gui.t of typical oriental--
or IaraeUt1c-wise-mitn who •• wisdom doet not really come from God,
though they might make a pretence of clalming that it has divine
origins. In his encounter ~lth God, Job prove,. the purely human
wisdom tr.dl tion. false. ht alao proves that such an encounter is
the only really valld source of human wiadom, including his own.
The term spirit is only infrequently used in the Book of
Siraeh. In one text, it i& the l l fe.breath (38123). and in another
the human heart (9a9). In two texts it refera to wind as the
instrument of God~s punishment (39a28 •• 3.17). In writing of EU.eu.
(048112). the author attributes to him a "two-fold portion" of the
spirit of Ellas. in idea which he takes from IV K 2.9. More sig-
nlfieant 18 the fact that he speaks of IUl88 too as possessed of
a powerful.pitH through which he could foretell future events (48a2.).
The text which seems to be most per:t~nent to our .tudy 18 in
chapUtI' 39. Here Sirach describes the diligent Scribe, who dedi
c.tes hilllStlf to the study of the Law and to the pursuit of w1sdom
83 A. LarcheI', ~. £!i., p. 1., B. W. Ande~son, ga. ~ •• p. .89-90.
84 P. Van Imsanoot cite. the dtscription of EUhu's wisdom and the reference to a .plrl~ as proceeding from Balded (26.01) .s texts whicn ind1cete that the spir1 t h.s become Itl' apanage des eage8." (§.I.blr. 16 (1939). p. 460.) The ,taU_nt .,e/ll$ too strong. Gf. also the more detailed discussion of th ••• passages, 1i.7 (1938). p. 32-4.
•
10.
(39~1-3). · He associates with rulers, he travels widely, but his main
concern is to seek the Lord, to pray and uk pardon for his sins
(39,4-6). Having done this very sincerely,
if it please. the Lord Almighty, he will be filled with the spirit of unders t anding.
(39.6)
Then he will pour forth words of wisdom. and give thanks to God who
directs his learning and his meditations (39.7). It is difficult
to determine what exact interpretation might be given to this phrase,
but the characteristios of the g1ft can perhaps throw some light
upon its meaning. It is obviously a g1ft which comes from God, as
a sort 0 f reward for man's di ligenc. and • inceri ty in seeking Him.
It is related to wisdom, for "words of wisdom" are its result. God
will evidently now enlighten the scribe so that he can better under
"'.:sUnd Htl mysteries and His Law, and so that the instruction which
he gives will be truly wise-that is, conformed to what God knows
end wills. This gift will give him great renown, he will be praised
for gen9rations to come. Evidently, then, it is a gUt suited ~o his
office, that of studying the Law and interpreting it to the people.
It is possible that Sirach has borrowed this phrase from
Isaias 11.2, since he i8 evidently acquainted with the work of the
prophet (48.22-~), however, there is no other textual indication
which would point in that direction. A second possibility would be
to consider this a gift of a psychic nature, not unlike the kingly
or prophetic gift of the spirit, which would enable the scribe to
perform his office a& the king and the prophet ,re thus enabled to
perform theirs. Sirach himself says that he pours out instruction
"like prophecy,"'nd bestows it on future generations (2~31h it
•
71.
is not unlikely, therefore, that hQ sees the office of the scribe as
closely approaGblng that 0·1 the prophet.
We must notice, however, that thi s gift is not called the "holy
spirit." nor t he "spirit of Yahweh ,I' and its meaning may be closer to
that which attaches to the human spirit IS the "distinctive essenceHS!)
of an individual. It is a g1ft which COcne8 frolll God, but it lacks
any notion of being God's, it converts the natural "essence" of the
scribe, transmutes it $0 that its whole dl"ction lies now in pene
trating and understanding the Law.
The expression undoubt.dly approach •• the charismatic gift of
the spirit as the leader. of Israel po ...... d it. yet one would
h.sitate to positively identify it "such. We cannot, however,
discount the poss1bili ty that Siracn might be lOOking in that direc
tion. AlthOugh the expression 18 here making its fint appearance in
biblical writing. it must be remembered that it i, with the Book of
Siract) that wisdom first really integrally incorporates the national
religioul traditions o.f Israel. Because he attach •• such great
importance to the office of scribe,86 h. might regard it as altoget~r
fitting that secne such divine endoWll8nt be thus conferred upon the
devotee of the Law. While such In interpretltion is poulbl. , it
s.eeu to go too far beyond the Ictu.l dlta of the text to be stated
with any certainty.
Th. final question to be trelted is the identificltion of
wisdom IS a spirit in the Book of Wisd03. Th. us. of spirit in most
8~ Expression used by J. Peders.n, ~ • .£U.., p. 102.
86 Cf. supra, p. l.8', note 19 •
.l
-
72.
cases seems to remain quite close to traditional Hebrew thought. S7 ~
In 13.2. 1718. and 7.2088 the word seems simply to re fe'r to the wind.
and In two other texts. it i s the wind as the instrument of God's
des.truotion or punishment (!u23; 11:20). In one text it is the heart
or the feelings of man (~.3). In others it is the life breath (2.3,
16.14). which has be(tn lent to him by God (5111, 16), a concept
which gives an imp~~ssion of both transienoy and responsibility with
regard to this 11fe.89 An interesting .~ression which must belong
in this .category is the following.
But you Spl~ all things. because they are yours. 0 Lord . and lover of souls,
for your imperishable spirit 18 in all things. (11.26-12&1 )
In vi.w of the texts noted above which speak of man's life breath a6
lent to him by God (and we have seen thh expression in many biblical
texts), it should not be necesury to look to such COMftpts as the
world soul of the Stoics for its explanation. It is true that the
87 We recogni2e the probability that the book WaS originally wri tten in Greek. Joseph Reider summarhe. the arguments IS to the original language in IheBook of Wisdom (New Yorkt Harper and Brothers, 1957). p. 22':'29.
86 B. Osty <!.at tasc. nate k) notes that this passage refers to demons, whom the Jewish and pagan ancients recognized as being very activ. within the wo~iaJ Van Imsch04t points out that 1n popular belief demons were often associated with ''fUd beasts. he also gives bibliographical data for the exegash of this passage. Cf·. Rl 41 (1938), p. 36, note 2. 'fhQ English translates it simply as "poW9rs of the winds."
89 It is int.resting to notice that texts which would stress the transiency of lif ..... -that it is !1!l1 by God and will be demanded back (l!>aS) are balanced by the note of permanence. God formed man to be imperishable (2123); death 1s connected only with evil (1113-16). experienced only by those who belong to the devil (2,241 cf. also 3.1-9, 5al~).
•
73~
autho~ has not here specified living things as alone possessed o f
God's "imperishable spirit," nor has he specified precisely what he
means in using this phrase. aut we should perhaps be slow to demand
such careful distinctions and to look for such explanations, the
writer has obviously no intention of writing a philosophical treatise.
If he seys in another passage that "OOd formed man to be imperishable"
(2:23) end if he has spoken of God as "inf\.lsing a vital spiri t" (15.11)
and lending a s pi rit (1~:16), then it would seem that we need not
look further afield to find his meaning. The expression fits per
fectlywell into typical Hebrew thought of the 11fe-breath as origi
nating from God. The author perhaps simply pushes the traditional
concept a little further to try to express what he sees so clearly,
that God 18 the source of all existen~e. (Cf. 15.24-25, 1114)90
90 We should not wish to underplay the importance of the question of Stoic influence upon the writer, it is a probllJm which is not easily explained away. One cannot discount obvious Alex~ndrain expressions and clnnot ignore nUlnac •• whUh have not appeared in previous biblical writing . We would, however, obje ct to the state-ment tha-t the theology of the Book of Wisdom is "thoroughly Alexandrian, a coordination of He llenis tic thought with Hebrew re ligion. It (J. Reider. SR.. sll., p. 29) It does not seem to be at all a co-ordinetion, but clearly a sub-ordina.tion of philosophical terminology to Hebrew religious ideas. The author is certainly acquainted with Greek philosophy and its terminology, but he is far from being I philosopher, Simply because he uses philosophical terms to try to express things in an idiom which his contemporaries will understand, it does not necessarily fo llow that his own unders tanding 0 f them need be the technicd, nuanced understanding of the philosopher. One must be cognlunt of the purpose of the worle,and therefore careful to distinguish form from content. There is far more that points to traditional biblical orientations and orthodoxy than to Stoicism. the author's God is unquestionably the transcendent but personal and loving God of the Hebrew., and not the immaMnt pl'inciple of the Stoics I though He is pM sent to and ac;tive wi thin His ctreation through His wisdolll, He 1& never identified with it 1n any pantheistic sense. The discovery of the lIIany similarities bet~een the Dead Sea documents and the Book of Wisdom has given n,ew persp~ct1ve and new impetus to studies in thh area. P. Heisisch studied the Greek influence on the Book of Wisdom
•
74.
The IIIOst significant' texts-those in which the author has
identi ned wisdom with spirit-now remain to be treated. for purposes
of d1scussion, we shall consider them in the following broad groups I
l} We have observed that in the opening chapters of the book,
wisdom is identified as a spir1 t which dwe Us in man, she performs
a judglllntal function both within lIlan and throughout the universe.
2) In chapters 7-9 wisdom is pe"onU1ed as a spirit who
comes to Solomon. She knows all things because of her close 8580-
chtion with God (712~-6J 9.9-10) J she .eelll8 to perform a govern
mental function with regard to the world (8.1) and so is eminently
suited to help Solomon in his tuk of governing God's people. It is
predolllnantlybecau.e ahe knows God's will Ind designs that she works
in run to ' teach him the ways of God and to conform him to God's will.
The spirit of wisdom 1s identified, lIIOr8over. as the gift which has
been granted to the prophets and leaders of brad (7.27. 10U6).
3} Whdolll functions as the instrUlllent of God'8 salvif1c
ac~~1l.n with regno to Hit chosen people (10.1-11.1).
It aust beemphasi,aed. hOWVU't that there 8eelll$ little poui
bil1ty of 111111tin9 the use of wisdom-apirit to one univocal l1188nin9.
and even le .. possibllity that textual &imilnity or aim11arlt1es
W111 so 1 va the probleill of 1 ts s1gnifi cance.
in Pit Grie,cbluh,PbUo.ophi. 1m BWphe del' Weish.it (ATAbhandlungen. 1), Munster 1. W •• 1908. for 80me of the reGent scholarship con-cerning th8 relation between Wbs!o!!lt b1blical re11gious ide .. end/or H.llenistic influences s.e M.o.lcor, 2R.. £11., p. 614-30. A. M. Dubarle, "Una Sourc. du Livre de la Sagend" RSP! 37 (1~3)t 425.43. J ,. Fichtner. 2R. • . ~. ,p. 113-32, J. Finan. "Hellenistic hUlllnism in th. Book ofWhdom." ITO <27 (1960) * 30-48, lie Otty, 21.. ill .• p. l~ ... 26j P. Sk.han. 21. • .£U,., alao "Borrowings from the Psalms in the Book 0 f WhdoM, If gg 10(1948), 384-97, G. 21ener. pl. th.ologische Btgrifhspraqhe im Buche del' 'w.bbeit, BBB 11 (Bonn, Peter Han.teln Verlag G.M.B.H. 1~) •
•
75.,
1) Wisdom as judging within man aod the unlversea
It is hardly surprising to find wisdom used in relation to
judgmentl we have seen that this is" a common notion, since wisdom
15 so 0 ften associated with governance (especie 11 y 1n So 10mon1ln
traditions) and also with moral conduct. The new modality is its
cosmic fUnction (ci. also atl) and its virtual equation with the
spirit of the Lord (117). That God is omniscient is. not a new ide'l
Proverbs says that "the eyes 0 f the Lord are in every place" (l~'3h
Job describes iiim as the "watcher of IDIn" (7.201 cf. 7il8-20).
Perhaps the closest parallel 1n thought is Psalm 138. "0 Lord you
have probed me ••• with all my ways you are familiar •••• Where can I
go from your spirit? From your ,presence where Gan I flee?" In this
text (138.,) God'. spirit is used as a parallel to His preseMe In
the world, the organ of God's knowledge Qf the ways and works of
man. We might set beside this the text of Strech 24.3, which speaks
of wisdom as coming forth from the mouth of God, and "mhtlike"
covering the earth, as havin, sway over "every pGople and nation"
(24.~), indicating a certain govern.nce. HeH, then, we have
separate bibliCial te,xta which attribute to spiri t or to wisdom a
cosmic function of knowing and 3udging. W. are not sU9gest!n9
textual borrowings, and even less th.t the writer has consciously
combined the two. We wish s1q>ly to point out that lueh ideas .re
not foreign to biblical mental1tYJ because of the similarity under .. '
ly~ng the two concepts, their fusion presents itself sililply as.
piausible develop.nt. 91 the text suggests that the spirit of wisdom
91 In f.ct they are so similar that Rlnggren, studying hypostathation, finds that " ••• Spirit and Wisdom are similar as to nature and substanee. to (Q2.. ill., p. 168.)
~
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76.
specifically judges the words of men. This idtamay be the result
of the rather constant a$Sociation 0 f wisdom with the spoken word,
maxim or judgment. Wisdom as spirit has clearly become at once the
inner arbiter and the divine judgment of man's heart, manifested as
it is in his words and his actions.
2) In chapters 7-9, the writer re-presents the story of
Solomon and his gift of wisdom. The outline. are the same as those
of III Kings ., enhanced with personal details and described in more
subjective fashion. The account in t,he Book of Kings does not
suggest a gift of the spirit to 50101OOn. The Sook of Wisdom, on
the contrary, has Solomon say·, "I pleaded, and the spirit of Wisdom
came to me." (7&7) Again the context is purely biblical; we have
6een that the spirito f the Lor!i spoke through David (II K 23,2),
when SoloPlOn was to be .nointed; Banahs prayed that the Lord would
be with 50101000 as He had been with Pavid (III K 1.37). Solomon as
the king of Israel might easily be said to possess the charismatic
gift of the spirit enjoyed by lauel's prophets and kingsl throughout
biblical wri Hng he hu also been associated ,with wisdom. We have
seen that this writer also attributes to whdom the function of
making friends of .God and prophets (7127); it was she who gave Moses
the power to lead Israel (10.16), and through him, wisdom guided
them (11,1). The writer has perhaps simply fUSld >lhe two notionsa
the $pirit of Yahweh as a charismatic endowment itl hOW combined
with 0= inolusive of the gift of wisdom as related to governing.
Nor ·does it seem that we must limit this notion to that of
a certain orientation of the human spirit. The identification of
spirit .. something intimately associated with divinity (7125-6,
. 1
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77~
9.4. 9-10) is too pronounced not to siva evidence that this is
indeed "the spirit 0 f the Lord, II made more ethereal. more "spiritual"
than ever before by meani of philosophical expressions such as "subtle,"
"pervading." "effusion" (7&22-26).9~ The terminology in noway de
tract. from the $ssential no'tion willch underlies the idea of the
spirit of Yahweh; it i& a mysterious divin. gift which in some manner
dispo6ls 'and causes the recipient to act under the aegis 0 f God.
80101llOn's wisdom, which has traditionally been a gift of God, is now
seen to be the sarw charismatic endowment which has performed a
guiding and enlightening function throughout Israel's history.93
One wonders if there is not evidence here of a certain broad-
ening of t he accessibility, if not of wisdom (since wisdom has been
from its beginnings available to all) at least of the gift of the
spirit which bifore has bee n l i mited to Israel's leaders. The
pauage in the first chapter (H4-6) dots not &eem to limit the
possess ion 0 f the spirito f wisdom to rulers J though the opening
lines are addressed to rulers, the Hnes and chapters wtlich follow
seem to speak of men in general and not only of kings. In chapters
7-9 it is of course Solomon who reoeives the spirit of Wisdom, yet
he says "to men ih~is an unfailing tren-ure, and those who gain this
treuura win the fEiendship of CJ0d" (7.14'). And in another place,
92 There does not .. em to be any substantial difference between the expression. "wisdom is a spirit" (as la6) and "in her is a spirit" (7822), for lDO$t of the qualities of this spirit-intelligent, holy, loviny the good, kindly, omnipottnt, omniscient, pervasive, are also predicated of wisdom here.H. There is aho a variant reading. estin gar aute pneuma. Ct. the commentary by J. Reider, 2£. ali., p. 114.
93 One thinks of the messianic figure of Is. 1112, with the gift of the "spirit of the Lord, a spirit of wisdom and understanding," and the e.erci.e of justice which will ch.racteriae his reign •
•
Or who ever knew your counsel, exoept you had given Wisdom and sent your ho ly spirit from on high?
And thus were the petns of those 0 .1'1 earth made straight, and men 1earl'led what ~.s your pleasure, and were saved by Wisdom. (9118)94
78.
These , texts are not of course decisive. Yet we know that the spirit
was heretofore the possession of a privileged few. wisdom, with the
eKception (j)f some partieularidng tendendes in Sirach. could be
ponessed by the many, provided only that they fear the Lord and act
accordingly. In this text. wisdom, now identified as God's holy
spirit, teaches men God's w111. and thus sa'itS them. In combining
the two notions, it would seem that the writer must almost inevitably
make the spirit also available to every man who lives in accordance
with God's will.
3) The last significant texts are those which speak of wisdom
as performing a guiding and salvilie acti vi ty wi th regard to the
community of Israel (10-1111), a function which in previous writings
wa' the prerogative of God Himself. However. one finds in Isahs 63
passa~, in which the spirit seems personified II God Himself, or 1n
whieh His presence alllOng His people or His ulv1fic acts are .udbed
to the spi:rit. If ••• theyrebelled. and grieved his holy spirit" (63dOh
God "put his holY!lpirit in their midst" (63t11) during their exodus
from Egypt. He led them through the waters of the sea,"the $p1%'1 t of
the Lord guiding them" (63.14). 9~ Having tlready identified the spirit
94 Again reminiscent of Isaias; "Until thesplrH frot\\ on high is poured out upon us," and the description of right, justice and peace which follows (32.1!)-lB). .
~ Van Imschoot states · that the para11efilm between Is. 63'11-14 and Ws. lO.1~-11'2 is sucn that one can conclude that the wisdom writer is dependent upon the prophetic;: te.xt. (g47 (1938), p. 43~)
79.
bf the Lord with wisdom" it is an easy step for the author o f the Boo k
of Wisdom to thus transpose the history of salvation into this new key.
It has been a fat.rly colll£OOn notion that wisdom ao ts as . the moral
ins tEuctre9S of individual men; wisdom hu a t least implicitly therefore
been attributed a ;alviUe activity . Now the larger proportions of
salvation history are opened · to her, so that it would seem that wisdom,
Godts spirit , has become the agent o f salntion, tM instrument which
Cod uses to accomplish His salvino designs . This represents a develop'"
ment of what has been ~xfa.nt al l along 1n wisdom writing' wisdom has
always been associated with Godts univerul plan for crution , with
His governing of His crea tion; now it in.cludes that governanc:.e which
is God's 581vifio plan to choose Israel as His own, and thus to draw
manlc1nd to Kims·elf. But there is elso judgment involved in governance;
the spirit of wis-dom is at wo'rk within man end throughout toe universe
rendering Oodf.s judgment .on the words end actions of men.
The connecting of wisdom with spirit ha, then served a purpose.
God ' s judgmental, 9Ove~runentaland salvific activity artt united as the
function ofa single ag.ent, divine in its origin and ite purpose, and
reflecting the presence of the Living God within the world. Man ' s
individual tooral Hfe is. now clearly part of the same plan, operated by
the same BalviHc agenu God ts . spirit 1s med i ati ng His judgment ,nd
His salvation, both interiorly within man and exteriorly in events .
Wisdom is now totally enveloped in the hhtory of salvation, securely
within the ambit of the religion of Israel . Having passed from purttly
human · rationalization into the sphertt of faith , her spiritualhation
has moved her in the direction of divlnl~ation.
Wisdom h penetrating, energetic. personal as never before. it
is more interio r to man and his world, and abo more intimately God's
80.
than ever before. The resolut~on o f the notio ns of wisdom and spirit
i nte) one dynamic entity seems somehow to have personalh;ed and made
more immanent the relation of God to Kia orea tion; the 8gent is clearly
God Himself, at work in the world, and yet very close to man and
personal to him.
-
CO~lUSIQN
It hl:1$ been the pUl"pOEit of this study to uaCe the developm~nt
of the concept ,of human wisaom in the saphntial Wl"iting .(ili the Old
T&stamt':!nt, We attempted to deteJ;f.iil.t!le 1 ts meaning by s~udyi,n9 Vat'ia ..
~!l .
tions in the usage ·of "WiSdQlll". its 6$$oeiaUon W3- th other Words or
ideas, Sln~ethe introduciio00f the notion 0·£ wisdom ~sspi;t1 t ap.
peal;ed to be oJsomed9nH!canee.~ the lilt-tel' coneept w~$sin91ed !)lui;
for f~ther $tudy..a~~ause of the cornphJC1ty 0·£ the topic. we con'"
eentrated only on hul'lU~l'l Wisdom. Pre$,etnd~n9 ftom i det:ailed eoos1dera"
tio\,,! of Wisdom as an at1;rlbuteofGod, O;rr wiSd0tn ~$ divin.ehypostas:ls.
Development &eemt1O cUHll:ly to be moving in a Qt1rtain dirottion .•
Very similar to that Qf nelghbodng naUon& • . Israel- $ wl$dom flr$t . .
appearS, in the ea:ttly stl'at$¢f !'lroverbs, in the fotm of diotates
of e~edj.Qney, ,pl'actical .in$~uctions ~nd counsels del.'iVed fi1'Olll the
observation and elq)E!dences of numan Uv1n9~ B:y t.he time of thQ
writing of the 1look of Wisdom, if; has taken its place wi thin tl'lespe'"
",e1:fitaUy z-el1gious hal'itage of ,l~li'ael. In thi s u-ansition. the wf- ·s""
oom \'ifX'tting nevel' loses Hs identity or dhtinc.tivenessa$ ,a Utetary
g.et'lt'e 'l born th~ bfilginning, tlles6gElS pu:rpoJ>teo to teach men how to
live. and they do so to the .tnU, But the cQncepth giv.en foit'n'I by
the roattb j,n which 1t df)velops# U ttle by little, wisdom 1$ en ...
dewed with typically Heb$'6w ~eU9iou.$ meaning and value. t
in a broad over ... view, the development Qf human wisdom €laO be
seen from two perspectives. 10 the first, wt$d~ h eoooerned vdth
•
the individual, with bis conduct and his success. It hcharacter
istlc of tho vdsdom wd t~n9 i n geoer~l to adopt t his viev1pQint. aod
t o neglect t o a large extent the corporate vie\~oint~·Israel as a
people ... ""Often char.scteristit of otheJ;' Qld Testament lI'Jl"iting_ But
wisdom is aho connected wi th governing, and thereby J't10Vf.lS into a
second. a so<::ia1 per$pE)~tive. We can vi ew the development of the
concept of human wisdom 1n each of these perspectives.
tn the first, wisdom is a oo~ of conduct for t he individual. a
norm which directs and governs his acti ons. io the Book of Proverbs
it is the norm Ot natural virtue anu earthly suc~essf but later, in
the Book of Sirach. the norm is GOd t s ... aw for His . chosen people. In
the Book of Wisdom, the norm is intedofhech it is the spirit of
wisdom within man. judging with Godts judgment and directing man in
conformity \lath God ' s will.
"Suceess"-.the reward fer wis.dom--hs$ simultaneously undergone
a transvaluation. The wisdom of Provel'OS professed to effeot a long
and prosperous Ufe; Coheleth and Job destroy the illusions of such
p*,agm~tic sanctions .• and implicitly push the reward into the ~rea of
faith. It is the goal of eternal lUe in God's kingdom micp is fi ..
nally rath~r clearly suggested in the Book of Wisdom.
A simileX' development is Geen in this wayt the early portions of
wisdom val Hog are concerned wi th a mao ~ & rel a tiona wi th his nd gh ..
bcr, but even by the time of the final ,41 Ung 0·£ Proverbs, these
relations ate seen to. be based upon one ' s relation to. God. Fear of
the Lord thEin beComes an almost constant companion to wisdom; 5.0
closely are the t1.'l0 assoc~ ated that th,~y Sl;em to be alternate sides
of one same coin. Siraoh contributes to this the notion of Law~
wisdom. fear of the Lord and keeping the Law now' form a trio of 10-
82 .
•
timately relate(i concepts , Gradually this gives way to the more sup
ple !d~a ·of j ustice, and the V4$8 man is identifhd by Pseudo-Solomon
as the jUst man, the pious, the holy one. Henca the concept of lmman
wisdom has li t tle by 1;1 ttle unde;r;-gone the transformation so character
htically pe:dormed by Israel in her encounteJl'S with the ideas and
.ideals of fOJ;'eign nationst she has adopted , adapted and developed the
concept of wisdom to mak~ it consonant wi til her own religious faith .
aut besidl\?s the individual viewpoint, there is evidence of a
social pe:t>spective. for wisdom has been connected with governance.
It is an attribute of God; related to His governance of creation, en
compassing His omniscience and omnipotence with ~&gaxd to all that is
HH. This notiQn, present in the l.a·~er portions Gi p:roverbs, strik
ingly emphasized in the Book ,of Job. continues into the Book of Wis ..
dom.'· aut wisdom is equally the concern of earthly rulers. This is
an ancientcon(lept, perhaps OCCa$loned by the preSence of sages at
oriental courts. and borM through the Ol d T~stal!l€i'nt by the strong
SoloInonian tradition. Pas$ages in th~ late:r portions of Proverbs
and i n the Book of Sira(;:h indicate that the sages saw thati t is
wisdom which makes a J;uler succeSSful, whi ch enz.btes him to l'onder
just judgments . In this per$p~ctive , wisdom is viev/ed in Proverhs
as a more or less natural quality whi c,h a k~ng should c Et;rtainly pos
sess; but Si;rach pushes :it fu;rthe:l\_ He suggests that it is a gift of
God tean individual, a scribe, and may perhaps be rdatin9 it to
the charismatic gift M the spirit posses$E!Q by the le.ader-s of Israel.
Finally, the aut hor of the Book of Wisdom, clearly identifying \'oIis"
dem as aspiri t. seems to t/l0ve further toward i .dentHying wiSdom as
the spirit of Yahweh, llklich had been the agent of God t s election and
spechl guidance .of (lO individual l eader with a function to perfor m
$30.
•
6'il -lo
for the chosen people. This gift of the spi:t:.:t t had been li.rd ted to
the leaders of lS]'d~l; but by the ~ll1d oii the wi sdom writing , the
spirit of wisdom seems to be a means of salvation wl'lich every wise
man--which is t o say every just man .... po$sesses.
I f \lIe relate these t wo perspectives, ~ve can see a rather clear
point of juncturet the communal qod the individual have fused in the
prerogative of the wis~ or just man. The movement of wisdom into a
religious context, its identification as spirit, and finally its
apparent ;relation to the notion of the spidt of the Lord- .. this move-
ment seems to haVe? joined the individual and the social perspectives.
An individual moral judgment and an individual governing of one ' s life
in accordance vri. t h Ood ' s will, a kingly j udgment and the governing of
God ' s people ;jlccording to His wi U; these have come togethG~' in t he no"
ti~h of the spirit of vJi sdom. It can be inferred that with this gift
of the spirit of wisdom each man ha$ a ruling and j udgmontal function
in relation to his own li fe~ and a sha:red function of r uling and judg-
iog in relation to God ' s people, Beth 10v01 ve the living ano working
out of God ' s v1ill, and are t herefo;re directed t o sanctification ; both
aJ;'e perfo.rmed through the .lnner <i>P~:cation of th~ spirit of Wisdom.
God ' s wisdom has moved closer 'to r:'len, man ts wisdom has moved
closer to God, In the Book of Wisdom, the culminating point of Old
Testament sapiential writing, human wis<,:lom is e ffected t hit'ough posses"
sion of the spirit of wisdom, which is also God ' s own ~gent of eroa"
tion and salvation" His own atttibute of governance . % The spirit of
96 Since it h <lS not ' been our' purpose to treat the question of hypostathatioo, it will be su fficiont to note t hat a marked personal .. hation seems to hnve bNm accomplished through the characterhation of wi$dom as spid t . One could not yet say that thi s wi sdom is a dis .. tinct oivine Person, bu t ooe can say t hat we are on t he threshold of
•
wisdom is an i nt exior means by whiCh man can r eal.b:e his relation to
God as God sees it, and by whi~h his l ife will be conform(1)d , to Goo ' s
intention. This wisdom iS t then, a pa~ticlpation in God's O\VO view
of things, a participation which is, as wi sdom has always been, dy
namically oriented to aG>tion. ft. me~ns of communitation between God
and man, wisdom has thus becomes means of sanctification and $al ..
vation for man.
aut the l'(Jvabtion r~9U'ding nwnan Wisdom is not complet e; the
design is not yet seen in its fulness. Th~ relation bet\'~en human
wisdom ~nd divine wisdom mU$t be fUrtiler cladUedj the means by
which man is to $ha;te in the wisdom of G,od mu&t be better defined .
Wisdom as regulating conduct has been .set 10' relation to the Law, but
the latte!t concept has not exhaust.ed t.he rich pot$nthl of the fot-
mer. The p;recise relation b&tween 'theBe two concepts must thUefor6
be more cl~arly drawn. How the spirit of wisdom. 8$ agent of sal-
v?tion, 16 related to God end to msnt how w'lsdom fuo,ct ions red~.mptive ..
ly to OVel'COOle folly and viee ..... tbes$contouxs must yet be filled in,
The complete d~$1gn is reveale€l only in the unveUingof tithe
Inystery wnlch nas beeR hidden rOli ages and generations, but 110W is
Clearly shown to his s.sints," "the mystery of God thEt Father QfChrist
Je$us, 10' whom ~e hidden all the treasu.l'es or wi$dom and knowledge,"
(Col ,. h~f 2:,2 ... 3)
$ r evelation of the Holy Spirit. f.or it is Ht mom Cnristians address 8S the "lumen cordiumfu "hpspesanimae." and whom we ask to "teach the he-~ts of the fal thful," granting them a "right judgment in all things." He is the agent of sanctification, dwelling wi thin the souls of men,. cooforming their judgment and t heb U.ves to the divine intent. draw .. ing them into union with the Godhead.
c.4a .
•
85.
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CORntad" '
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__ ~'. "Th •• idruh of Wisdom 10-19," Catholic 81bUul QuartU1y, 22 (1960), 176-82. .
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• "Borrowings from the Ps.l_ 1n the Book 0 f Wisdom," --~C-.tb~ o11c 8lblictlQuuttr1y, 10 (1948), 384-97.
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__ --::-:-:"":""!"',..,. "S age ss~ at esprit dans l"Ancie n Tes t ament , " Revue Blb119ue, 41 (1938 ) , 23-49.
_ _ --:~_-. "t 'esprit de Jahv/. prinelpe de vie morale dans 1 ' Ancien Tes t ament, "Ephemerides Iheolggicu Lovaoienses , 16 (1939) . "'~1-.61.
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•
ACKNOWLEOOMENTS
I wish, to expHas my gratitude to my thesis committe. and
especially to Rev. Bernard J. Cooke, S.J •• for his aid in out
lining the material to be treated and for his many helpful
suggestions •
