THE NATURE OF WISDOM
Classical Views
[From The Old Testament-Wisdom Books: Ecclesiastes, Sirach, The Wisdom of Solomon, The Proverbs]
1. In her [wisdom] there is a spirit that is intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, clear, unpolluted, distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen, irresistible, beneficent, humane, steadfast, sure, free from anxiety, all-powerful, overseeing all, and penetrating through all spirits that are intelligent and pure and most subtle.
2. For wisdom is more mobile than any motion; because of her pureness she pervades and penetrates all things. For she is the breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her. For she is a reflection of eternal life, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness.
3. Though she is but one, she can do all things, and while remaining in herself, she renews all things; in every generation she passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God, and prophets; for God loves nothing so much as the man who lives with wisdom. For she is more beautiful than the sun and excels every constellation of the stars. Compared with the light she is found to be superior, for it is succeeded by the night, but against wisdom evil does not prevail. She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and she orders all things well.
4. Kinship with wisdom there is immortality, and in friendship with her, pure delight, and in the labors of her hands, unfailing wealth, and in the experience of her company, understanding, and renown in sharing her words, I went about seeking how to get for myself.
5. Wisdom is a kindly spirit.
6. Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her. He who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty for he will find no difficulty, for he will find her sitting at his gates. To fix one's thought on her is perfect understanding, and he who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care.
7. The beginning of wisdom is the most sincere desire for instruction, and concern for instruction is love of her, and love of her is the keeping of her laws, and giving heed to her laws is assurance of immortality [being in touch with one's immortal being], and immortality brings one near to God; so the desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom.
8. Happy is the man who gains wisdom, and the man who gets understanding, for the gain from it is better than gain from silver and its profits better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy.
9. I learned both what is secret and what is manifest, for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me. I loved her and sought her from my youth, and I desired to take her for my bride, and I became enamored of her beauty. She glorifies her noble birth by living with God, and Lord of all loves her. For she is an initiate in the knowledge of God, and an associate in his works.
10. If riches are a desirable possession in life, what is richer than wisdom who effects all things? And if understanding is effective, who more than she is fashioner of what exists? And if any one loves righteousness, her labors are virtues; for she teaches self-control and prudence, justice and courage; nothing in life is more profitable for men like these. And if any one longs for wide experience, she knows the things of old, and infers the things to come; she understands turns of speech and the solutions of riddles; she has foreknowledge of signs and wonders and the outcome of seasons and times.
Therefore I determined to take her to live with me, knowing that she would give me good counsel and encouragement in cares and grief….
11. When I enter my house, I shall find rest with her, for companionship with her has no bitterness, and life with her has no pain, but gladness and joy.
12. I prayed and understanding was given to me; I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. I preferred her to scepters and thrones, and I accounted wealth as nothing in comparison with her. Neither did I liken to her any priceless gem, because all gold is but a little sand in her sight, and silver will be accounted as clay before her. I loved her more than health and beauty, and I chose to have her rather than light, because her radiance [pure light bliss] never ceases.
13. All good things came to me along with her, and in her hands unaccounted wealth. I rejoiced in them all, because wisdom leads them; but I did not know that she was their mother. I learned without guile and I impart without grudging; I do not hide her wealth, for it is an unfailing treasure for men; those who get it obtain friendship with god, commended for the gifts that come from instruction.
Augustine
1. Wisdom is the knowledge of divine things
2. Wisdom is the charity of God.
St. Gregory
Wisdom is a remedy against folly.
Heraclitus
1. Wisdom consists in speaking and acting the truth, giving heed to the nature of things.
2. Wisdom is one and unique; it is unwilling and yet willing to be called by the name of [God, the Creator of all being]
3. Wisdom is one -- to know the intelligence by which all things are steered through all things.
Plato
1. The virtue of wisdom more than anything else contains a divine element which always remains, and by this conversion is rendered useful and profitable.
2. When a man is always occupied with the cravings of desire and ambition, and is eagerly striving to satisfy them, all his thoughts must be mortal, and as far as it is possible altogether to become such, he must be mortal every whit, because he has cherished his mortal part. But he who has been earnest in the love of knowledge and of true wisdom, and has exercised his intellect more than any other part of him, must have thoughts immortal and divine, if he attain truth, and in so far as human nature is capable of sharing in immortality, he must altogether be immortal; and since he is ever cherishing the divine power, and has the divinity within him in perfect order, he will be perfectly happy.
Cicero
Wisdom is the knowledge of things human and divine and of the causes by which those things are controlled.
St. Thomas Aquinas
1. The wisdom which is called a gift of the Holy Ghost, differs from that which is an acquired intellectual virtue, for the latter is attained by human effort, whereas the latter is descending from above.
2. It belongs to the gift of wisdom to judge according to the Divine truth. Hence the gift of wisdom presupposes faith...
3. It belongs to the wisdom that is an intellectual virtue to pronounce right judgment about Divine things after reason has made its inquiry, but it belongs to wisdom as a gift of the Holy Ghost to judge aright about them on account of connaturally with them."
4. Wisdom which is a gift, has its cause in the will, which cause is charity, but it has its essence in the intellect, whose act is to judge aright..." Wisdom (sapientia) takes its name, insofar as it denotes a certain sweetness (saporem)
5. The intellect exercises a two-fold act, perception and judgment. The gift of understanding regards the former; the gift of wisdom regards the latter according to the Divine ideas,