In the beginning was Sophia, and Sophia was with God, united with the Logos.
Sophia was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through the Logos and Sophia
And nothing that was made was made without the Logos and Sophia.
Sophia is Wisdom,
And Wisdom is the light of creation.
The light shines in the heavens
and the angels radiate it forth.
DIVINE WISDOM
She will come out to meet him like a mother;
She will receive him like a young bride.
For food she will give him the bread of understanding
and for drink the water of wisdom.
(Sirach / Ecclus. 15:2-3)
In the Old Testament book of Proverbs and the apocryphal (extra-Biblical)book of Wisdom of Solomon, Wisdom is personified as a female figure, one who was created before time, who works to create the world and who counsels God, sharing the throne as God’s beloved. Because of Her role in creation, She mediates between God and humanity, coming from God and leading those who heed Her advice back to Him.
Wisdom is our Mother and Teacher, as well as the Bride of God. As one Hebrew writer puts it, “Like a fine mist she rises from the power of God, a clear effluence from the glory of the Almighty…She is the radiance that streams from everlasting light, the flawless mirror of the active power of God, and the image of his goodness(Wisd.7:25-26). She is one with God, yet, at the same time, exists as a separate being, as a divinity in Her own right.
She calls out to us at all times and from all places, bringing us all into intimacy with our Divine Creator, Her Heavenly Spouse. She speaks directly and forcefully, asking us to give up our simplicity and complacency in spiritual matters so that we might be “filled with the spirit” and showered with Herriches, which are “more beautiful than the sun” and “better even than fine gold.”
While the importance of the Divine Sophia, Woman Wisdom, has long been obscured by the sexist theologians and priests of the patriarchal Church, there is currently a resurgence of interest in this mysterious figure. More and more thoughtful Christians and Jews are working to return Sophia to Her rightful place in the lives of all faithful people. For too long, the exoteric Church has failed to heed Her call to renewal. Perhaps, as we enter the new millennium,Wisdom’s voice will finally ring out over the din of self-righteous God-talk and political posturing that so characterize our troubled age. Perhaps, it is the Second Coming of Sophia that will help to heal the wounds inflicted on our souls, bodies, and on our planet Earth by patriarchy.
For a Christian feminist take on Sophia, please click on this linkhttp://www.cnwe.org/Sophiaspirit.htm,read the article, and then answer the following questions.
Questions. Please Send your answers to the Mystery School with Sophia 1 from ________ (your magikal or clergy name) in the subject line.
1. In which books of the Hebrew Scriptures and the apocrypha does Sophia appear?
2. T/F Wisdom theology is inspired by a positive attempt to integrate elements of the cult of Ashera into Jewish monotheism.
3. Why, according to Elizabeth Schussler Fiorenza, did Wisdom literature come into being?
4. Sophia bridges the gap between feminist spirituality’s need for _____images and the demand of the biblical traditions that such images be congruent with their _____ and ______.
5. How can the image of Sophia bring power to women if they incorporate her symbolism into their lives?
6. Name the variety of models Sophia presents which women can claim for their own growth.
7. Personified Wisdom describes herself as God’s ____ ____ who played an intermediate role in the creation of things.
8. What is the name of the sacred set of Hebrew Scriptures with which Sophia is identified?
9. ESSAY (from the web site)
What would it be like for women (and men) to begin to emulate Sophia, finding aspects of themselves that are worthy of praise, and glorifying what they find in one another?
10. ESSAY
Think about the qualities of Sophia described on this page and in the article.Can you think of any ways in which Sophia is like Mary, the Mother of Yeshua and/or Mary Magdalene?