Wisdom 7:21-8:12
New Catholic Bible
21 All that was hidden and all that was manifest I learned,
22 for Wisdom, who fashioned all things, instructed me.
Reflection of God’s Light[a]
[b]Within Wisdom is a spirit that is
intelligent, holy,
unique, manifold, subtle,
mobile, clear, unstained,
certain, invulnerable, benevolent, shrewd, irresistible, beneficent, 23 kindly,
steadfast, secure, tranquil,
all-powerful, all-surveying,
and penetrating all spirits
that are intelligent, pure, and very subtle.
24 For Wisdom has more mobility than any motion;
she is so pure that she pervades and penetrates all things.
25 She is the breath of the might of God
and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty;
therefore, nothing that is defiled can enter into her.
26 For she is the reflection of eternal light,
the spotless mirror of the active power of God
and the image of his goodness.
27 Although she is only one, she can do all things;
while unchanging herself, she makes all things new.
Generation after generation she enters into holy souls,
and turns them into friends of God[c] and prophets.
28 For God loves nothing more
than one who dwells with Wisdom.
29 She is more beautiful than the sun
and outshines every constellation of the stars.
In comparison with the light she is far superior,
30 for light is supplanted by the night,
but evil cannot overpower Wisdom.
Chapter 8
1 She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other,
and she governs all things exceedingly well.
A Companion in Life[d]
2 I loved Wisdom and searched for her from my youth;
I resolved to have her for my spouse
and was in love with her beauty.
3 She manifests her noble birth by union of life with God,
for the Lord of all has loved her.
4 She is privy to the secrets of the knowledge of God
and chooses his works.
5 If riches are deemed a desirable possession in life,
what offers greater wealth than Wisdom who fashions everything that exists?
6 If understanding is at work,
who is a more effective fashioner of whatever exists than she?
7 And if one prizes righteousness,
the fruits of her labors are virtues.
For she teaches temperance and prudence,
justice and fortitude,[e]
and nothing in life is of more value for men than these.
8 Or again, if one yearns for great experience,
she knows the things of the past and foresees those of the future.
She understands the subtleties of speech and the solutions of riddles;
she has advance knowledge of signs and wonders
and can predict the outcome of times and ages.
9 And so I determined to take her as my life companion,
confident that she would counsel me in times of prosperity
and comfort me in times of anxiety and sorrow.
10 Because of her presence I will receive glory among the multitudes
and honor among the elders, even though I am young.
11 I will be considered wise when I sit in judgment,
and I will win the admiration of rulers.
12 When I remain silent, they will await my utterances;
when I do speak, they will listen carefully.
And should I speak at great length,
they will put their hands over their mouths.[f]
Footnotes
- Wisdom 7:22 Scholars will recognize herein the questions and the vocabulary of Greek philosophers, astounded by the inexhaustible mystery of the human conscience. But our author goes so far as to admire the source that gives rise to the spiritual condition of human beings—which is divine.
In this description of Wisdom, the reflection is oriented toward a new understanding of the divine mystery: the New Testament would eventually reveal the existence in God of the personality and action of the Holy Spirit, and above all, of the Son, image of the Father and creative Word (Jn 1; Rom 8; Col 1:15). Subsequently, Christian tradition has almost always recognized in Wisdom (Greek, sophia) the second Person of the Trinity. - Wisdom 7:22 The attributes given for Wisdom are twenty-one in all, which constitutes a most perfect number (three times seven).
- Wisdom 7:27 Friends of God: like Abraham (see 2 Chr 20:7; Isa 41:8; Jas 2:23; see also Jn 15:14-15).
- Wisdom 8:2 Wisdom is, for our author, a word and a symbol that evokes the supreme goods of private and public life. Certainly, his mentality and his vocabulary appear to us to be poetic speculations very far from our way of saying things, yet these pages are precious to us. They guard us from shutting ourselves up within the limits of what we know, what we can do, and what we have. There is for human beings a greater horizon that breaches the threshold of the divine. Those who claim to master science are well advised to reflect on this.
- Wisdom 8:7 The four cardinal virtues. They are already found in Plato and Aristotle.
- Wisdom 8:12 Onlookers will put their hands over their mouths as a sign that there is nothing to refute and nothing to add (see Job 21:5; 29:9; 40:4; Prov 30:32; Sir 5:14; Mic 7:16).
