In other passages, Sophia is the primary source of Jesus’s revelation and wisdom. Sometimes Jesus appears as if he is Sophia’s son and final prophet.
In the New Testament, Sophia’s relationship with Jesus fluctuates. The word seems to lose its meaning, but nonetheless, Sophia (Wisdom) remains a key character in the story of the Secret Revelation of John. Maybe we can understand that evil came into the world through willful disobedience, arrogance, or ignorance, but from Wisdom? Lack of wisdom on the part of Wisdom/Sophia? Not surprisingly, her offspring is a grotesque creature who ends up creating havoc and anguish for all humanity. This act is contrary to the order of creation where male and female agree on the idea of creation together. This picture of Sophia (Wisdom) fits with the Jewish writings showing that personified Sophia was present when God created the world, and that she is able to assure humanity of the continued existence of this order.īut, what happened?! In the Secret Revelation of John, she does the most un-wise thing imaginable! She contradicts the will of the Infinite Spirit and wants to beget an offspring without her male partner’s consideration. Wisdom is so highly valued in the Secret Revelation of John, she is part of the original order of the divine creation established for the purpose of glorifying the invisible Spirit. ‘Lady Wisdom,’as she was sometimes known, is not really a divine attribute of God or a distinct goddess on her own, even though she appears to take on the function of God or express God’s active involvement in the world. To be clear, sophia is a Greek word usually translated in English as ‘wisdom.’ At least in some form, Sophia may be known as far back as the Hebrew Wisdom writings, where ‘wisdom’ ( chokmah in Hebrew) appears in Proverbs in a personified context. Second-century readers of the text (or those to whom it was read) would have been familiar with Sophia from her long history in Hebrew scriptures and frequent references to her among Christ people as well. In a way, I think the book ought to be named for her because she plays a bigger role than John or anyone else. The topic I want to address today is the character of Sophia.
The ancient text, the Secret Revelation of John, is one of those writings found in the Nag Hammadi collection in 1945, and scholars are just now grappling with the depth and scope of this remarkable writing.
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