Wisdom 7, Hebrews 1, Colossians 1

[CatholicSoxFan]

I have been very interested in the issue of the Trinity, particularly as it relates to the Old Testament, since many non-Trinitarians say that the Trinity is utterly foreign to the Old Testament. However, as I have learned, that is patently false. In my investigation of the subject of Wisdom (regarded by many as either a type of Christ, or as Christ Himself), I ran into this verse in the Book of Wisdom:

“For she is the reflection of eternal light,
the spotless mirror of the power of God,
the image of his goodness.” (Wisdom 7:26, NAB)

Does that sound familiar to you? Well, to those who have also investigated these issues, it should:

“who is the refulgence of his glory,
the very imprint of his being,
and who sustains all things by his mighty word.
When he had accomplished purification from sins,
he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3, NAB)

“He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation.” (Colossians 1:15, NAB)

A bit more evidence of the NT writers referring to the deuterocanon. If you want to learn more about how the NT writers refer to Holy Wisdom (many times referring to the deuterocanon), here’s a good resource from J.P. Holding; although he isn’t Catholic, he can sound like one at times:
tektonics.org/jesusclaims/trinitydefense.html

 

[TimothyH]

The first four verses of Hebrews is called the Exordium. It is a summary of the rest of the work to follow, an overview of the themes which the author intends to address.

[1]In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets;
[2] but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
[3] He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
[4] having become as much superior to angels as the name he has obtained is more excellent than theirs.
(Hebrews 1:1-4 RSV)

Where the NAB says refulgence, other translations use reflection. Either way, the noun is apaugasma and it is reserved for Wisdom. Alan C. Mitchel in his Sacra Pagina commentary on Hebrews cites Wisdom 7:6 at this point as the most likely basis for the third verse of the Exordium. So you are exactly correct. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews refers to the Book of Wisdom several times.

You should be aware that tektonics.org/Tekton Apologetics is not Catholic. The owner of tektonics.org states that his statement of faith mirrors that of the Campus Crusade and simply links to theirs which opens with the following line.

***The sole basis of our beliefs is the Bible, God’s infallible written Word, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. ***

This alone is enough to tell you that it is not an authentic Catholic apostolate.

There is a whole cottage industry around refuting what the website says and there seems to be some real hatred of the guy who runs it. I really don’t know what the deal is with all that but it is not a Catholic website and it does not teach orthodox Catholic doctrine.

-Tim-

 

[CatholicSoxFan]

Yeah, one should be aware that J.P. Holding is NOT Catholic, so keep that in mind; not everything he says on that website will be Catholic doctrine. I think the hatred has to do with the way he goes about responding to “fundy atheists” on YouTube (his channel is TektonTv.) He doesn’t cuss them out, but he uses cartoons of atheists being dumb, and is, in general, less charitable than one should be when defnding the Christian faith. However, he does quite soundly refute things like the Jesus myth theory, and a lot of the Bible difficulties that atheists often talk about.
The reason why I said he often acts like a Catholic is because he defends the Church on issues like the Inquisition and other things. He also reads the Fathers quite a bit, so one foot’s already in.

 

[RPRPsych]

Yeah, one should be aware that J.P. Holding is NOT Catholic, so keep that in mind; not everything he says on that website will be Catholic doctrine. I think the hatred has to do with the way he goes about responding to “fundy atheists” on YouTube (his channel is TektonTv.) He doesn’t cuss them out, but he uses cartoons of atheists being dumb, and is, in general, less charitable than one should be when defnding the Christian faith. However, he does quite soundly refute things like the Jesus myth theory, and a lot of the Bible difficulties that atheists often talk about.
The reason why I said he often acts like a Catholic is because he defends the Church on issues like the Inquisition and other things. He also reads the Fathers quite a bit, so one foot’s already in.

I think this is quite a fair critique. Holding is a moderate Evangelical Protestant who, unlike, many of his peers, has actually bothered to study some of the Fathers, Church history, and Ancient Near Eastern history. This gives him a perspective that your average sola scriptura author lacks. However, his views are certainly not Catholic (his ideas on Hell, loss of salvation, and faith - though interesting - are unorthodox), and he does seem to come across as a satirist rather than a serious apologist. (Some of his satires are quite funny, though.) Because he spends a lot of time in quixotic crusades against “Internet atheists”, he has generated a fair deal of backlash. Read him with caution.