Wisdom and Understanding

Most people don't realize that much of the biblical of Proverbs is mostly told through a female voice, that of Wisdom -- which, in Greek, is Sophia.

This is one of the symbolic underpinnings of my books, Daughter of God (1999) (and its predecessor, Linz Testament , 1985) and The Da Vinci Legacy (1983). Certain believers in Gnosticism see Sophia as the Great Goddess.

Mary Magdalene is also seen as Sophia and the embodiment of the Great Goddess by Gnostics and a number of more contemporary worshippers of The Magdalen/Sophia/Great Goddess. This is also the same symbolism used in The Da Vinci Code where the heroine (and offspring of Jesus and Mary), is called Sophie -- the diminuative of Sophia.

Following is one of my favorite passages:

"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her."
-- Proverbs 4:7-8 (King James Version)

The Jewish Publication Society has a slightly different translation of the same verses:

"The beginning of wisdom is: Get wisdom; yea, with all thy getting get understanding. Extol her, and she will exalt thee; she will bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. "

For more enlightenment and context, head to The Internet Sacred Text Archive.

The same principles (but without the divine female involvement) can be found by searching the Holy Qur'an

Perhaps even more significantly, a search for "wisdom" in the Qur'an, reveals the following:

3. The Family Of Ìmrán (Al-Ìmrán)
003.048 And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel,


5. The Table Spread (Al-Máída)
005.110 When Allah saith: O Jesus, son of Mary! Remember My favour unto thee and unto thy mother; how I strengthened thee with the holy Spirit, so that thou spakest unto mankind in the cradle as in maturity; and how I taught thee the Scripture and wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel; and how thou didst shape of clay as it were the likeness of a bird by My permission, and didst blow upon it and it was a bird by My permission, and thou didst heal him who was born blind and the leper by My permission; and how thou didst raise the dead by My permission; and how I restrained the Children of Israel from (harming) thee when thou camest unto them with clear proofs, and those of them who disbelieved exclaimed: This is naught else than mere magic;