Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Humanities
First Advisor
Michalson, Gordon
Area of Concentration
Religion
Abstract
Early Jewish and Christian texts speak about Wisdom, but not all texts treat Wisdom the same way. Wisdom begins as an abstract concept that evolves into a feminine personification and an aspect of God. Due to the breadth of biblical references to Wisdom, this study includes a brief overview of a number of Hebrew Bible sources in order to situate Wisdom in her earliest narratives. However, this study focuses on the apocryphal Greek text, the Wisdom of Solomon, as a primary source of information about Wisdom. The text presents a different picture of Wisdom than its Hebrew Bible predecessors and serves as a catalyst for the changes she undergoes in later Jewish, “Gnostic,” and Christian traditions. Though Wisdom, as she exists in the Hebrew Bible, seems to fall out of favor after the Wisdom of Solomon, she continues to exist in modern Jewish and Christian traditions with different names. Additionally, the presence of a powerful feminine divinity in ancient sources presents the possibility of reconceptualizing current understandings of God in relation to gender.
Recommended Citation
Mansfield, Falon, "PERSONIFIED WISDOM: ISSUES OF GENDER, POWER, AND DIVINITY IN EARLY JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN WISDOM LITERATURE" (2020). Theses & ETDs. 6495.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/6495