Divine Wisdom - Sophia

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There are a few references to Sophia (the incarnation of divine wisdom) in the Old Testament, particularly in the wisdom books. Matthew reflected Jesus as the incarnation of Sophia (Matthew 23:34) and Luke reflected Jesus as the prophet (who who speaks for) of Sophia (Luke 11:49). The early Gnostics were very interested in Sophia and there are some Orthodox references to Sophia. The Orthodox teachings on divine wisdom seem to indicate it is based in humility.

Although I have read occasional references to Sophia in early Church history and some apocryphal early Christian writings, I have not seen much about it in current literature. Sophia was mentioned in “The Shack”. That reference surprised me and drew much criticism from some sections. I have been hard pressed to find any Roman Catholic teachings on divine wisdom, which is personified by Sophia. What are the Roman Catholic teachings on Sophia?
 
This might be a good one for “Ask An Apologist.” I’d be curious to know myself. I have seen some materials pertaining to Sophia which seem a little New Agey or almost like nature goddess type stuff. The connection to Gnosticism sounds possible - and makes me concerned. But I don’t know all the background to this as yet so I don’t want to parade my own ignorance…:o

Definitely something worth finding out how the renewed interest in Sophia fits (or doesn’t fit) orthodox interpretations of Scripture. :bible1:
 
I can’t find any modern Church teachings on Sophia. All I could find was references to St. Sophia and Some passages of Against Heresies mentioning Sophia. It’s a good question, I think you should keep asking around.
 
I entered the title of this thread in Google and came up with traditional Scripture scholarship and also some gnostic sites - pagan goddesses and tarot cards and stuff - from soup to nuts. So it’s an area that needs some solid Catholic clarification on what the Church teaches as opposed to what some would want to conflate it into.

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is a group I started about these and similar issues where feminism has co-opted or distorted Judeo-Christian beliefs to serve a radical agenda. Come check it out.
 
I am so glad someone asked this question. I am new to Catholicism, but I understand that passages from the Bible such as Proverbs, Wisdom, and Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) are used for the feast days of the Virgin Mary. She is closely associated with Wisdom (Sophia in Greek), especially in the Eastern Orthodox Church. I have been writing on the topic of Wisdom and her associations to the Blessed Mother and Jesus in my blog, Maternal Indigo. Please check it out! I do know that the Gnostic and mythic versions of Sophia are different from the wisdom traditions of Judaism and Christianity. My personal studies and meditations have led me to believe that Sophia is the feminine, motherly aspect of God, an aspect the CCC clearly recognizes (though does not specifically name as Sophia). I believe that Ecclesia (Mother Church) and Shekinah (the “glory cloud” presence of God) are aspects of Sophia, and that Holy Wisdom is the feminine dimension of the Holy Trinity–not a separate person, but rather, part and parcel of the 3 persons of God. Study of the wisdom books I have mentioned should give you a strong idea of who Sophia is.
 
While not terribly modern, but still more recent than ancient Christian literature – St. Hildegard von Bingen wrote about Sophia from a Catholic perspective. She’s the only Catholic I can think of off the top of my head that wrote about Her.

In the 19th century, Vladimir Soloviev wrote about Her as well, but he was Eastern Orthodox, and was basically considered a heretic by the Orthodox Church. Still, some of his writings are very beautiful and poetic!
 
Gaelwynn said:
There are a few references to Sophia (the incarnation of divine wisdom) . . .

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I don’t have time to get into this in detail right now, but we need to clarify the terminology. Jesus was God incarnate, i.e., God in the flesh. Sophia was wisdom personified, or wisdom portrayed as a person, not in flesh and blood (“incarnate”).
 
The Catholic Church gives Jesus the title, “Wisdom Incarnate” and Mary is called the “Seat of Wisdom.” Wisdom in the Bible is characterized in many ways, sometimes as a personification of an attribute of God. Other times as a divine being from God but separate from Him. She is called an emanation, she is said to be created, and she is said to be eternal. If you read all of your Wisdom Books in the Catholic Bible, and read the footnotes, you will see all of these descriptions of her. And yes, Jesus was also God incarnate, leading me to believe that Wisdom is integral to the Trinity. St. Augustine wrote extensively about Wisdom/Sophia, and he believed there were two Sophias–one uncreated and one created.
 
Just to note, Sophia is the Greek word for Wisdom. They mean the same thing, so Sophia is not a personification of Wisdom; she is Wisdom.
 
**She lost no time in seeking out the clergy of the community and announcing plans to dispense her wealth among the poor, keeping enough to maintain her house, which she hoped would shelter underprivileged or orphaned children. In a span of twenty years, Sophia’s house became a haven not only for little wanderers but for the dispossessed on any age as well.

She actually adopted over one hundred children in this period, raising each of them as though it were her own child and sending them out into the world full of the love of Jesus Christ and quite prepared to make a useful place in society. She came to be known as the “Mother of Orphans Saint Sophia of Suzda
lhttp://www.antiochian.org/1

Lulu**
 
In her XVI Revelations of Divine Love (also called Showings), Julian of Norwich referred to God as Mother, specifically as Mother All Wisdom, and to our Lord as Mother Jesus and Mother Christ. While she did not have visions of Sophia in the way Hildegard of Bingen did, the association of the maternal aspect of God to Wisdom is clear. This book by a Catholic anchoress was possibly the first book published in the English language by a female.
 
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