Proverbs 8 · The Lantern

The Excellence of Wisdom

Does not wisdom call, and insight give her voice?

At the head of the heights, along the way, at the house of the paths she has taken her stand.

Beside the gates, at the mouth of the town, at the entrance of the openings she sings aloud:

“To you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of man.

Understand shrewdness, you simple ones, and you fools, understand heart.

Hear, for I speak noble things, and the opening of my lips is uprightness.

For my palate murmurs truth, and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

All the sayings of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.

They are all straight to the one who understands, and upright to those who find knowledge.

Take my discipline and not silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold.

For wisdom is better than corals, and no delights are equal to her.

I, wisdom, dwell with shrewdness, and I find the knowledge of discretion.

The fear of the LORD is hating evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and a mouth of perversities I have hated.

Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding; strength is mine.

By me kings reign, and rulers decree righteousness.

By me princes rule, and nobles — all the judges of righteousness.

I love those who love me, and those who seek me early will find me.

Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness.

My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver.

I walk in the path of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment,

to give substance as an inheritance to those who love me, and I will fill their treasuries.

The LORD acquired me at the beginning of his way, before his works, from then.

And now I shall again recite the words which I have spoken in proof of this point. When Scripture says, "The Lord rained fire from the Lord out of heaven," the prophetic word indicates that there were two in number: One upon the earth, who, it says, descended to behold the cry of Sodom; Another in heaven, who also is Lord of the Lord on earth, as He is Father and God; the cause…

The Lord is God's true and natural Son, and he is known to be not just eternal but one who exists concurrently with the eternity of the Father.

"The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his ways." The ways of the Lord are his works, by contemplating which man comes to faith or knowledge. For his invisible attributes are clearly seen, understood by the things that are made, from the creation of the world. His ways are the very illuminations by which he shows himself to angelic spirits and to human minds.

From everlasting I was poured out, from the head, from the beginnings of the earth.

Since the heretics, reading the next verse, take a perverse view of that also, because it is written, "He founded me before the world," namely, that this is said of the Godhead of the Word and not of his incarnate presence, it is necessary, explaining this verse also, to show their error.It is written, "The Lord in Wisdom founded the earth; if then by wisdom the earth is founde…

[Solomon] says, "He laid down both the cause and foundation of creation." Also it is written, "He created all things in himself, and he is before all things." And the Lord says as well, "I am the beginning of the creation of God." Indeed, desiring to be the foundation of the church, he submitted to becoming human so that the church might be constituted firmly in him.

When there were no deeps I was brought forth, when there were no springs heavy with water.

Before the mountains were sunk, before the hills, I was brought forth,

Let us consider [that] our Savior is a "reflection of glory." The reflection of glory has not been begotten just once and no longer begotten. But just as the light is an agent of reflection, in such a way the reflection of the glory of God is begotten. Our Savior is the wisdom of God. But the wisdom is the reflection of everlasting light.

But now, lest the terms 'creation' and 'establishing' should be an obstacle to belief in the divine birth, these words follow, "Before He made the earth, before He made firm the mountains, before all the hills He begat Me." Thus He is begotten before the earth, Who is established before the ages; and not only before the earth, but also before the mountains and hills.

Whether he is eternally begotten or not, I do not yet say, until I have looked into the statement, "Before all the hills he begets me" more accurately. But I cannot see the necessity of their conclusion. For if, as they say, everything that is to come to an end had also a beginning, then surely that which has no end had no beginning.

while he had not yet made the earth and the open places, or the first of the dusts of the world.

When he established the heavens I was there, when he inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,

Learn also that the Father was with him, and he with the Father, when all things were being made. Wisdom says, "When he was preparing the heavens I was with him, when he was making the fountains of waters." And in the Old Testament the Father … showed that the Son was to be worshiped with himself as the maker of all things.

This Wisdom uttered made the sky, The sky and light and all besides; All by the Word's almighty power Were fashioned, for the Word was God.

For in the beginning when He created the world and all that therein is, and when He was establishing things, wisdom worked with Him, even as Solomon saith, "The Lord by His wisdom laid the foundations of the earth, and He constructed the heavens by His understanding; and by His knowledge were the depths broken up, and the clouds distilled water." And again wisdom saith, "When H…

when he made firm the clouds above, when the springs of the deep grew strong,

when he set his decree for the sea, that the waters should not pass his mouth, when he inscribed the foundations of the earth —

then I was beside him, a nursling; and I was delight day by day, playing before him at every time,

We can therefore imagine no moment whatever when that power was not engaged in acts of well-doing. Whence it follows that there always existed [in God's wisdom] objects for this well-doing, namely, God's works or creatures, and that God, in the power of his providence, was always dispensing his blessings among them by doing them good in accordance with their condition and deser…

We have that general seemliness; for God made the beauty of this world. We have it also in its parts; for when God made the light, and marked off the day from the night, when he made heaven, and separated land and seas, when he set the sun and moon and stars to shine upon the earth, he approved of them all one by one.

"And I delighted every day," etc. Saying "playing," he means rejoicing. Therefore, he was playing before the Father every day, because, as the prophet says, "From the beginning, from the days of eternity" (Mic. 5), he was rejoicing to be one with the Father.

playing in the world of his earth, and my delight was with the sons of man.

And now, sons, listen to me: happy are those who keep my ways.

Hear discipline and be wise, and do not let it go.

Happy is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, keeping the doorposts of my openings.

For whoever finds me finds life and draws out favor from the LORD.

But whoever misses me does violence to his own soul; all who hate me love death.”

Proverbs8

The Excellence of Wisdom