Relationship between Mary and Wisdom?

[Nephi]

So what is ultimately the connection between Mary and Wisdom? I remember reading that Slavic churches dedicated to Wisdom (Sophia) often have Marian feast days, which is not insignificant. Also, I recently read this interesting hymn from the Lamentations of the Dormition of the Theotokos:

7. Wisdom now has moved
from her dwelling place on earth to heaven.
and has filled her heavenly mansion there
with the glory that has come from God above.

Which clearly relates Mary with Wisdom - either identifying her person with Wisdom, or saying that Wisdom dwells within her. Do the non-English original(s) also refer to Wisdom in the feminine? If so (depending on the language, of course), that might mean the former is the case rather than the latter. Regardless of which, it's still a significant association.

 

[Minnesotan]

I wonder if there's any relation to Proverbs 8 (which personifies wisdom as a woman), as well.

 

[Alpo]

Interesting. I've always assumed that Wisdom in the OT is Christ as that's what I was taught in my childhood church.

 

[LBK]

Christ is the Wisdom of God. This is clear from any number of hymns and prayers of the Church.

As for the supposed feminine character of Wisdom in Proverbs, it is about grammatical gender. Most languages use the feminine gender for the word, and Greek is no exception. It is only in genderless English that meanings are ascribed to such things which do not exist elsewhere.

 

[Nephi]

Interesting. I've always assumed that Wisdom in the OT is Christ as that's what I was taught in my childhood church.

It's my understanding that Wisdom=Christ did indeed become the standard view within the first few centuries of the Church, but interesting relations between Wisdom and Mary (e.g. the feast days, the hymn in the OP, etc.) have always continued to exist.

 

[Nephi]

Specifically, as I've read, the churches to Wisdom in Kiev celebrate their patronal feast on her Nativity, and in Novgorod on her Assumption.

 

[LBK]

Interesting. I've always assumed that Wisdom in the OT is Christ as that's what I was taught in my childhood church.

It's my understanding that Wisdom=Christ did indeed become the standard view within the first few centuries of the Church, but interesting relations between Wisdom and Mary (e.g. the feast days, the hymn in the OP, etc.) have always continued to exist.

The hymn in the OP might be a clue as to why the Lamentations service is one which is actively discouraged by the bulk of Orthodox hierarchy. Moreover, while the Mother of God is described in a myriad of poetic terms, wisdom of God is not one I have ever encountered in any of the services and prayers to her.

 

[minasoliman]

[kidding]What would Fr. Sergius Bulgakov say?[/kidding]

 

[Nephi]

[kidding]What would Fr. Sergius Bulgakov say?[/kidding]

WWFSBS?

 

[Regnare]

So what is ultimately the connection between Mary and Wisdom? I remember reading that Slavic churches dedicated to Wisdom (Sophia) often have Marian feast days, which is not insignificant. Also, I recently read this interesting hymn from the Lamentations of the Dormition of the Theotokos:

7. Wisdom now has moved
from her dwelling place on earth to heaven.
and has filled her heavenly mansion there
with the glory that has come from God above.

Which clearly relates Mary with Wisdom - either identifying her person with Wisdom, or saying that Wisdom dwells within her. Do the non-English original(s) also refer to Wisdom in the feminine? If so (depending on the language, of course), that might mean the former is the case rather than the latter. Regardless of which, it's still a significant association.

As I understand it, the hymns for the Nativity of the Theotokos quote the OT "Wisdom has builded herself a house", Wisdom being Christ, and the house being Mary.