WISDOM, AND A LITTLE SOMETHING ABOUT FAITH
This paper concerns faithful searching and wisdom, but not the wisdom of Wisdom literature, whether in the Bible or elsewhere, nor is it about Wisdom in the sense of applied knowledge. It is more about connecting with wisdom as an aspect of God, the Wisdom referred to as having personality in Proverbs chapters 1-4.
That Wisdom is gendered as a she, gracious and nurturing, teaching and leading, constant and loving, though she is not at all bashful, as she shouts out her truths in the street!
Some people may find this difficult, but can be re-assured that some leaders teach that Wisdom is an aspect of Holy Spirit, to whom we in the West have ascribed the male gender, but who in some languages could be rendered in the neuter gender. It is our language’s weakness that we must attribute gender in order to confer personality.
Others point out that Wisdom is present and active during Creationi so that she is an aspect of both Father and Son.
As ever, our concerns over such matters tell us far more about ourselves and our limited perceptions and comfort zones than they do about God!
Of what use is theologising if it produces no fruit in our lives and our behaviour?
This paper is therefore about connecting with the Divine, who created us male and female, and but also created asexual beings, and who therefore encapsulates and exceeds all genders and modes of existence.
Let us look at some Wisdom teaching drawn from three Bible passages.
Form-criticism, redaction, and the usual tools of exegesis and hermeneutics will not avail us here. Let us allow the words to speak to us and ingest then, so that Wisdom is embodied in us.
In fact, words only take us so far in this endeavour, whether written or spoken, so this paper can only be a taster.
There is a path: let the Light of the Word lead us to Wisdom, if only we have eyes to see.
Indeed the first lesson of Wisdom is to awake from sleep, for only if our eyes are open can we see anything at all!
....and now read the whole essay as a Word Doc