Wisdom of Solomon 7:23

Deuterocanon

21 I learned both what is secret and what is manifest, 22 for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me. There is in her a spirit that is intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, clear, unpolluted, distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen, irresistible, 23 beneficent, humane, steadfast, sure, free from anxiety, all-powerful, overseeing all, and penetrating through all spirits that are intelligent, pure, and altogether subtle. 24 For wisdom is more mobile than any motion; because of her pureness she pervades and penetrates all things. 25 For she is a breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her. 26 For she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness. 27 Although she is but one, she can do all things, and while remaining in herself, she renews all things; in every generation she passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God, and prophets; 28 for God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom.

Hebrews 4:12

New Testament

10 For the one who enters God’s rest has also rested from his works, just as God did from his own works. 11 Thus we must make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by following the same pattern of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account. 14 Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.

 Notes and References

"... When we begin to bring together the various strands of thought which we have thus far explored, a coherent image of the Son begins to form. The author of Hebrews appears to use some terms as a way to recall aspects of the Biblical tradition, most notably ἀπαύγασμα “radiance” and δόξα “glory”. The term ἀπαύγασμα “radiance”, hearkens back to the Wisdom tradition as seen in Wisdom of Solomon 7:26 and it stresses the close, even inseparable relationship which exists between the Father and Son while the term “glory” hearkens back to theophanic expressions of God’s being. The author of Hebrews however also appears to have avoided / altered some of the terms found in Wisdom of Solomon 7, for example ἀγαθότητος “goodness” and εἰκὼν “image”. The replacement of “image” with the term χαρακτήρ “character” seems to be an attempt to express the accurate nature of the Son’s representation while also stressing that the Son’s representation is different than man’s reflection of the divine as given in Genesis 1:26 - Christ is more than an image of God like other human beings, as the Son he bears a unique relationship to the Father which the author of Hebrews describes as the “stamp of his being”. The replacement of “goodness” by ὑπόστασις “substance” seems to clarify that the Son reflects not simply one aspect of God’s being but His whole being. Finally, we saw certain terms, for example χαρακτήρ “character” and ὑπόστασις “substance”, while not channeling the Biblical tradition, do not appear to be endorsements of philosophical thought either ..."

Langenkamp, Peter A. God’s Word to Man, Wisdom Personified and the Christ of Hebrews 1:3 (p. 47) Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West, 2017

 User Comments

Do you have questions or comments about these texts? Please submit them here.