Texts in Conversation
The Christian theologian Ambrose treats the Wisdom of Solomon as an authoritative description of how divine presence moves through the world. By repeating its language that the spirit fills all things and perceives every word, he uses the text to illustrate how moral speech and hidden thought are subject to divine awareness.
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Wisdom of Solomon 1:7
Deuterocanon
5 For a holy and disciplined spirit will flee from deceit, and will leave foolish thoughts behind, and will be ashamed at the approach of unrighteousness. 6 For wisdom is a kindly spirit, but will not free blasphemers from the guilt of their words; because God is witness of their kidneys*, and a true observer of their hearts, and a hearer of their tongues. 7 Because the spirit of the Lord has filled the world, and that which holds all things together knows what is said, 8 therefore those who utter unrighteous things will not escape notice, and justice, when it punishes, will not pass them by. 9 For inquiry will be made into the counsels of the ungodly, and a report of their words will come to the Lord, to convict them of their lawless deeds;
Date: 100-50 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Ambrose On the Holy Spirit 1.7
Early Christian
But lest they should object that this was said according to the flesh, though He alone from Whose flesh went forth virtue to heal all, was more than all; yet, as the Lord fills all things, so, too, we read of the Spirit: For the Spirit of the Lord filled the whole world. And you find it said of all who had consorted with the Apostles that, filled with the Holy Spirit they spoke the word of God with boldness. You see that the Spirit gives both fullness and boldness, Whose operation the archangel announces to Mary, saying: The Holy Spirit shall come on you.
Date: 390-395 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... While the nineteen chapters comprising this work provided a well of wisdom for the Fathers to plumb (Augustine alone refers to Wisdom of Solomon more than eight hundred times), Wisdom of Solomon 7:22-8:1 in particular proved to be a favorite text for early Christian writers. In this passage wisdom is personified and characterized by twenty-one attributes, including such theologically provocative statements as “For she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness” and, “For she is a breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty”. On hundreds of occasions early Christian writers linked Wisdom 7 with such christologically significant New Testament passages as Colossians 1:15, 2 Corinthians 4:4, Hebrews 1:4, and John 14:9, 10. This christological correspondence became especially important in the fourth century with the rise of Arianism, and the Arian debate also raised pneumatological questions to which the Wisdom of Solomon could speak. For example, Ambrose linked Wisdom of Solomon 7:22-23 with 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 to explain the Holy Spirit’s role in dispensing and developing wisdom and discernment within the Church. The Donatist theologian Tyconius, a contemporary of Ambrose, made this same textual connection as well ..."
Kannengiesser, Charles
Handbook of Patristic Exegesis: The Bible in Ancient Christianity
(pp. 305-306) Brill, 2004
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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