A Mother's Wisdom: The Virgin Mary in the Old Testament Wisdom Literature

Part II: The Text

Chapter 3:Rhetoric

Literary Devices

The Book of Wisdom is obviously in the genre of wisdom literature common to the Ancient near East, which imparts knowledge about God and virtue through pithy sayings. The figurative language employed in Wisdom 7 includes metaphor and hyperbole. One metaphor is in verses 25 to 26: "She is a breath, ...a spotless mirror." Whether these verses refer to wisdom itself, to Jesus, to the Holy Spirit, or to Mary, none of these options are literally a physical breath or a mirror. Rather, these words are used for comparative purposes because there are ways in which a person could be like an emanating breath or a reflective mirror of God's glory. Hyperbole, or exaggeration for the sake of emphasis, is scattered all throughout this chapter. It is employed in all the praises of wisdom to display the exalted status of this beloved attribute (verses 8-14; verses 27-29). Hyperbole is also used when Solomon lists all the areas in which he has gained wisdom and understanding (verses 17-22). This list seems to simply indicate that Solomon knows all things and is extremely wise. The hyperbolic effect of many of these texts, however, is lessened when they are applied to the Trinity because no hyperbole can match the infinitely glorious attributes of God Himself. In this case, the "hyperbole" would not be an exaggeration but may even be an understatement of the beauty of God. Furthermore, the frequent use of words related to wealth and treasure serve to emphasize the preciousness of wisdom. One allusion is mentioned in verse one ("a descendant of the first-formed child of the earth"), referring to Adam, the first man created by God in the Book of Genesis. This is significant because Christ is the New Adam who conquers the sin and death which Adam and Eve brought upon the world through their disobedience (1 Cor. 15:22-23, 45-47; Rom. 5:14). Also, in verse 4, when Solomon speaks of being wrapped in "swaddling cloths" as a baby, this brings to mind the swaddling cloths as a sign of how the shepherds are to identify the baby Jesus in Luke 2:12. In verse 30, which says, "...but against wisdom evil does not prevail," there could be both an allusion and a foreshadowing taking place. It is an allusion inasmuch as it could refer back to Genesis 3:15 which is the first prophecy of the "seed of Eve" crushing the head of Satan, but it could also be foreshadowing the victory of Christ over evil on the Cross. This chapter, beginning with Adam and ending with Eve, forms an inclusio. The prominent symbolism used in this chapter is that of the sun, constellations, and light in verse 29, which displays the awesome creative power and ruling majesty of the cosmic God who formed the universe. This would not imply that Mary personified as Lady Wisdom is a goddess, but rather that her honor and authority come as a gift from the Lord of the Universe. There is also parallelism in almost every couplet in the entire chapter, in which the second line echoes and expands on the first. However, the primary literary devices used in Wisdom 7 are anthropomorphism and personification. Anthropomorphism would be present if the text is read with the human characteristics (such as physical or feminine attributes) being attributed to the God or more specifically to the Holy Spirit, whereas personification would be present inasmuch as one reads the text as simply the virtue of wisdom being portrayed as a woman (Wisdom 7:8-13, 22, 24-27,29).

Structure of Wisdom 7

The basic structure of Wisdom chapter 7 is as follows:¹

I. Solomon's prayer brought him wisdom (7:1-7:21)

A. Solomon's meditation on his own mortality (7:1-6)
B. Solomon's prayer for understanding (7:7-14)
C. God grants Solomon's request (7:15-21)

II. The nature of wisdom (7:22-7:30)

A. The characteristics of wisdom (7:22-23)
B. Wisdom as "ruah" (7:24-25)
C. Wisdom as a "spotless mirror" (7:26)
D. Praise of wisdom (7:27-30)

Typology in Wisdom 7

The Son of David & the Queen Mother as Advocate

Since the typology and detail is so extensive in these verses, it will be beneficial to do an analysis of some of the key verses and sections of the chapter. The first two-thirds of the text of Wisdom 7 (7:1-7:22) include Solomon seeking and then being granted wisdom and understanding. This pleading for the "spirit of wisdom" (verse 7) has an association to the Law as noted in the similar language of Sirach 39:1-11 (especially verse 6). Solomon, the prototypical wise man, is a type of Christ. Jesus Himself even makes this assertion in Matthew 12:42 when He says, "The queen of the South...came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here." An important Solomonic term for this treatise is that of the Queen Mother or "Gebirah" ("Great Lady") cited in 1 Kings 2:19 in reference to Bathsheba. This is the title given by Davidic kings to their mothers. Since Jesus is the ultimate "Son of David" and the everlasting Davidic King (Luke 1:32), a new Queen Mother also arises in the person of Mary. ² This fact makes Solomon's references to his mother as well as all the feminine references in wisdom literature all the more telling. With this in mind, Wisdom 7:1 ("in the womb of a mother I was molded into flesh.") can also point to Mary who St. Augustine calls the "Mold of God" since Christ, who is God, was formed within her. ³ Mary as the New Queen Mother also points to her role as "Advocate," just as Adonijah asks Bathsheba to intercede for him to King Solomon because "he will not refuse you" in 1 Kings 2:13-20. It should be clarified that Mary's role as Advocate is secondary to and dependent on the advocacy of Jesus Christ. For without Christ's winning our Redemption on the Cross and becoming our Advocate before the Father (1 John 2:1-2), there can be no secondary advocacy by the Blessed Virgin. ⁴These verses also imply the queenship of Mary, as the Mother of Christ the King. This becomes more evident when comparing 1 Kings 2:19 and Wisdom 9:4. In 1 Kings, Solomon has a seat (or throne) brought for his mother to sit on his right side, and Wisdom 9 says, "give me wisdom that sits by thy throne." The actual word here is "throne-partner," which is only used one other time in the Bible in Wisdom 6:14. ⁵

Mediatrix of all Graces

Verse 11 says, "All good things came to me along with her, and in her hands uncounted wealth. I rejoiced in them all, because wisdom leads them: but I did not know that she was their mother." The word "uncounted" here is translated as "too great to be counted" in Wisdom 18:2. ⁶ This phrase has strong allusions to Mary as Mediatrix of all Graces and also states explicitly that wisdom is the mother of this wealth. At the very least, Mary is the mother of the greatest treasure of our faith: Jesus Christ, the source of grace. Echoing this imagery, de Montfort sees Mary as "the treasurer of His treasures" and "dispenser of His graces" (see also Prov. 8:21). ⁷ Mary as Mediatrix of all Graces is further emphasized in verses 13 to 14 when it states, "I do not hide her wealth, for it is an unfailing treasure for men; those who get it obtain friendship with God." What kind of wealth or treasure being given out by Lady Wisdom can draw one into union with the Lord? The answer is quite plainly grace, or, better, Jesus Christ who is the source of that grace. Verse 15 says that "[God] is even the guide of Wisdom." What is interesting about this statement is the contrast which it places between God and Wisdom, suggesting that God is superior to Wisdom. In this case, Wisdom could be a created person, or at the very least someone other than a divine person. But, how are the texts which describe the divine characteristics of wisdom to be interpreted? For, wisdom is also described as the "fashioner of all things" (verse 22), as "all-powerful, overseeing all," as one who "penetrates all spirits" (verse 23), and as one who "can do all things" and "renew all things" (verse 27). While these verses would certainly be applied to God Himself as Creator, there is a sense in which they could also apply to the Virgin Mary. All of God's greatest works in which He demonstrates His omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence are done through her, the foremost of these works of course being that of the Incarnation. One can prove this to be true because if God entrusted His very Son to Mary, what would He not entrust to her maternal care? Since God does not change (James 2:17), we can expect Him to continue to effect all of His most sublime actions though the Blessed Mother. This leads de Montfort to comment, "All that is fitting to God by nature is fitting to Mary by grace." Therefore, Mary could be said to be "all-powerful" by grace, as paradoxical as it may sound. ⁸ It should be emphasized again that although Mary is God's most perfectly docile instrument through which He carries out His most spectacular acts, He does not have a strict need for her. Her position is only in consequence of God's will and design. Stating Mary's role succinctly, one could say that God chose to "need" her. ⁹For no matter how favored and exalted a position our Lord gives her, compared to God the Creator, Mary remains a mere creature.

The Ten Virtues of Mary

Beyond these observances, the ten virtues of Mary listed in True Devotion (humility, faith, obedience, prayer, mortification, purity, charity, patience, sweetness, and wisdom) display a striking parallel to the characteristics of wisdom in verses 22 to 23 (intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, clear, unpolluted, distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen, irresistible, beneficent, humane, steadfast, sure, free from anxiety, [also all-powerful, overseeing, all, and penetrating all spirits which were already mentioned]) ¹⁰Humility is like "subtle" and "free from anxiety;" faith, prayer, mortification, and patience are linked with "holy;" obedience is similar to "steadfast" and "sure;" purity reflects "clear, unpolluted, [and] invulnerable;" charity could be rephrased as "loving the good," "beneficent," or "humane;" "sweetness" matches up with "irresistible," and "wisdom" corresponds with "intelligent" and "keen."

Mary & the Holy Spirit

Verses 24-25 say, "For wisdom is more mobile than any motion...For she is a breath of the power of God." The word "breath" in this passage is the Hebrew word "ruah" (חור) which literally means "wind" or "spirit," but is seen by many as the Holy Spirit (the Third Person of the Trinity) because the same word appears in Genesis 1:2 as "the Spirit of God" moving over the face of the waters just before Creation (see also Wis. 9:17). ¹¹The mobility reference of this passage can refer to the omnipresence and constant action of God in the world by virtue of His infinite simplicity, omniscience, and omnipotence. For God must be present in all things at all times to hold creation in existence (Acts 17:28). ¹² However, an interesting detail about the word "ruah" is that it is a feminine noun. While this can and does still refer to the Holy Spirit, one must remember that the Holy Spirit does not have a certain gender or even a physical body, regardless of the anthropomorphic language of the Bible in various places. What is interesting about this passage is that it expresses wisdom as a spirit, whereas verse 22 says that "in her there is a spirit." This shows that it is possible, in certain respects, for these passages to be interpreted both as the Holy Spirit and as Mary who has the Holy Spirit within her. ¹³The distinctions are blurry because of the profound intimacy between the Blessed Mother and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, even when these verses are read as referring to the Holy Spirit, they also have an implicit connection to Mary, as she is the Holy Spirit's "dear and inseparable spouse." ¹⁴ St. Maximilian Kolbe even goes so far as to say that the Holy Spirit is "quasi-incarnate" ¹⁵in Mary, that is to say that if the Holy Spirit were incarnate (which He is not), the closest similarity would be His union with the Blessed Virgin Mary. Kolbe is going to the farthest possible extreme within the limits of the human language and then pulling back simply to exhort us to ponder the great mystery of the Holy Spirit's intimate relationship with Mary. ¹⁶The Holy Spirit, by virtue of the Immaculate Conception is with Mary from the very moment of her conception and certainly remains with her now in heaven. It was also the Holy Spirit who overshadowed Mary to conceive Jesus, making Mary the only person in whom the Spirit is so tangibly fruitful. In short, Mary is closer to the Holy Spirit than any other human person to the point that where the Holy Spirit is, there also is Mary, and vice versa. This truth is clearly made manifest in the ancient iconography of Mary's presence in the Upper Room at Pentecost (Acts 1:14), which always displays the Blessed Mother as the central point from which the fire of the Holy Spirit is radiating.