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Atlas of Saints

Wisdom

Chapter 7 · Douay–Rheims / Challoner

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Chapter VII · Location 7 of 19

Chapter 7 · Open to read

From Wisdom · Douay–Rheims / Challoner (1749–1752)

What does Wisdom Chapter 7 say, and which statements belong to its speaker?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The mortal speaker recounts a common birth and preference for wisdom. He describes gifts of knowledge and the complete qualities of wisdom’s spirit. Images of divine brightness and goodness remain within their local wording.

Chapter breakdown

Wisdom 7's speaker calls himself mortal like others, descended from earth's first-made man, formed as flesh in his mother for ten months from blood and a man's seed. He entered common air and earth crying, swaddled with care; kings share everyone's entrance and exit. He wished and received understanding, called upon God and received wisdom's spirit, preferred her to kingdoms and thrones, and counted riches nothing. Precious stones do not compare; gold is little sand and silver clay. He loved her above health and beauty and chose her instead of light because her light is unextinguished. Good things and riches came with her, and he rejoiced without knowing she was their mother.

He learned without guile and communicates without envy, hiding no riches: wisdom is infinite treasure and her users become God's friends through discipline. God has given speech and worthy thought, guiding wisdom and the wise; people, words, wisdom, works and knowledge are in his hand. The speaker lists knowledge of the world's disposition, elements' powers, time's beginning, end and middle, changing seasons, years and stars, animals, wild-beast rage, winds, reasoning, plants and roots' virtues, hidden and unforeseen things taught by wisdom. Roots are not specifically called medicinal here.

Wisdom's spirit is understanding, holy, one, manifold, subtle, eloquent, active, undefiled, sure, sweet, good-loving, quick, unhindered, beneficent, gentle, kind, steadfast, assured, secure, all-powerful and overseeing all intelligible, pure, subtle spirits. Her purity penetrates all things. She is vapor of God's power, pure emanation of glory, brightness of eternal light, unspotted mirror of majesty and image of goodness. Remaining one and unchanged, she renews all, enters holy souls through nations and makes friends and prophets. God loves those dwelling with wisdom. Her beauty exceeds sun and stars, preferred to light because night follows light but evil cannot overcome wisdom. No additional identification with a Trinitarian person is asserted.

The story inside

Opening: The mortal speaker recounts a common birth and preference for wisdom. Development: He describes gifts of knowledge and the complete qualities of wisdom’s spirit. Conclusion: Images of divine brightness and goodness remain within their local wording.

Lessons worth keeping

  1. 1
    The mortal speaker recounts a common birth and preference for wisdom.
  2. 2
    He describes gifts of knowledge and the complete qualities of wisdom’s spirit.
  3. 3
    Images of divine brightness and goodness remain within their local wording.

Test your recall

Which images and requests does the speaker use, and what does the chapter leave unresolved?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

  1. Lines 72003–72005

    I myself also am a mortal man, like all others, and of the race of him, that was first made of the earth, and in the womb of my mother I was fashioned to be flesh.
  2. Lines 72020–72021

    Wherefore I wished, and understanding was given me: and I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came upon me:
  3. Lines 72042–72043

    For she is an infinite treasure to men: which they that use, become the friends of God, being commended for the gifts of discipline.
  4. Lines 72068–72070

    For in her is the spirit of understanding; holy, one, manifold, subtile, eloquent, active, undefiled, sure, sweet, loving that which is good, quick, which nothing hindereth, beneficent,
  5. Lines 72083–72084

    For she is the brightness of eternal light, and the unspotted mirror of God’s majesty, and the image of his goodness.
  6. Lines 72086–72089

    And being but one, she can do all things: and remaining in herself the same, she reneweth all things, and through nations conveyeth herself into holy souls, she maketh the friends of God and prophets.

Location: chapter 7 of 19 · 37%

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