thediscerninglife

O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High,
and reaching mightily from one end of the earth to the other,
ordering all things well:
Come and teach us the way of prudence.
– O Sapientia Antiphon

The “O Antiphons,” or responses to a psalm or other sacred text, are used during Vespers, or as the alleluia verse in the Roman Catholic Mass, for seven days, from December 17th to the 23th.  Each antiphon begins with the interjection “O” – hence the name – and refers to an aspect of Christ found in Scripture.  Their origins are hazy, but their use at the Benedictine Fleury Abbey, founded in 640 AD, is well-documented.  Interestingly, the first letter of each title taken backwards forms a Latin acrostic, spelling out “Ero cras,” or “Tomorrow I will be.”  There is an alternative English usage, in which the antiphons are begun on December 16th, with an additional one added on the 23rd.  This last antiphon is addressed to Mary – “O Virga Virginum – and makes the acrostic “Vero cras” or “Truly, tomorrow.”

In accordance with the oldest usage, the antiphons begin today, with the first singing the praises of Wisdom.  Wisdom is personified as a woman in the Old Testament, called “chokma” in Hebrew and “sophia” in Greek.  I call her the best-kept secret in scripture.  There is more written about her than Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Solomon, Sarah, Miriam, Adam, and Noah put together, yet, most Christians not aware of her.  What a surprise.

Woman Wisdom rarely shows up in the Sunday Lectionary readings, and I have never heard her mentioned in a homily other than my own.  Of a very powerful passage about her, Proverbs 8:1-31, only verses 22-31 are used in the Roman Catholic Lectionary on Trinity Sunday, Year C.  Stripped of its context, it is impossible to know the identity of the speaker, or why she is speaking without talking the time to read the entire chapter. The Revised Common Lectionary does a little better by including verses 1-4, also on Trinity Sunday, Year C, but without some mention or expansion in the homily, those four short explanatory verses are likely to sail by unnoticed. A few verses from the other great “praise of Wisdom” passage, Sirach 24, are used on the Second Sunday of Christmas, Year B in the Roman Catholic Lectionary, but with Epiphany now a movable feast in the U.S., this Sunday no longer occurs.

Although still revered in Eastern Orthodoxy as Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom), Woman Wisdom was sidelined in the West over the centuries.  Until recently, biblical scholars ignored her on the grounds that her portrayal was clearly influenced by Near Eastern goddesses, calling her a pagan influence that was unfortunately adopted by the Israelites.  Of course pagan influences can also be seen in the scriptural portrayal of YHWH, but somehow, these scholars didn’t find that so terribly problematic. Again, what a surprise.  Christian feminist efforts to heighten awareness of Woman Wisdom have been similarly dismissed in some quarters as an attempt to contaminate Christianity with New Age paganism. In 1993, I was working on my MA in Theology at the Graduate Theological Union, when I read some outraged Letters to the Editor in a Roman Catholic publication following an article about a “Sophia Celebration” in the Bay Area. I decided then and there to make her the subject of my thesis, focusing on her earliest portrayal in Proverbs 1-9.  The blatant sexism evident in the dismissal of such a prominent biblical figure juxtaposed with the significant theological implications of such a personification to our understanding of God fired me up, and I’ve been talking about her ever since whenever the situation presents itself.

Woman Wisdom is portrayed in Scripture in both earthly and cosmic dimensions.  As such, she transcends gender stereotypes, being both mighty and meek.  She is the architect of creation in Proverbs 8:22; in Sirach 24:3 (Ecclesiasticus) she “came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and covered the earth like a mist.” Yet, she came to dwell with us, seeking a resting place in which to abide (Sir 24:7), and delighting in the human race (Prov 8:31).  She calls out in the street to everyone to learn from her. Sound familiar?  That’s why Wisdom is included in the O Antiphons as a title for Christ.

In this antiphon, both dimension are celebrated. Woman Wisdom is the dynamic Word of God, through whom all that exists was made, bringing stability to the explosive energy of creation by “mightily and sweetly” establishing cosmic order. At the same time she stands on the heights, at the crossroads, beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals, and calls to humanity to learn prudence (Prov 8:2-4). We praise her today, and ask to participate in in God’s holy order through the gift of prudence, through which we temper our impulsiveness through discernment, orienting our longings rightly towards God, our deepest desire.

Thomas Merton wrote a great deal of poetry about Holy Wisdom.  Here is an excerpt from “Hagia Sophia III, High Morning, The Hour of Terce” from Collected Poems of Thomas Merton. The masculine language for God is his, and I quote him without attempt at modification.

Sophia is Gift, is Spirit, Donum Dei,
She is God-given and God Himself as Gift…

Sophia is God’s sharing of Himself with creatures.
His outpouring, and the love be which He is given,
  and known, held, and loved.
She is in all things like the air receiving the sunlight,
In her they prosper. In her they glorify God.
In her they rejoice to reflect Him. In her they are united with Him.
She is the union between them. She is the Love that unites them.
She is life as communion, life as thanksgiving,
   life as praise, life as festival, life as glory.