Wisdom at a meal with the world

I have two obsessions: the Wisdom tradition, and the diverse tradition of meals in early Christianity.

(You will, I am sure, laugh at me later that I said I have merely two obsessions ... and I will welcome that).

But let me tell you about these two to start with, as they are the ones that commanded the forefront of my mind when my friend, the author of "Lost and Found in the Sacred Temple," assumed I had a blog when I commented on hers. So I began to think, is it not time to start one?

Wisdom (or Sophia, in Greek) is sometimes understood as the Holy Spirit and sometimes as the eternal Logos. Both of these positions are controversial, but interesting. Before I get to them, this is what is absolutely true about Wisdom: she is portrayed as "she" in the Old Testament.

By the way, I'm not an early Christian scholar; if I must be a scholar, I am a scholar of the Reformations era, and even there I hesitate to call myself a scholar. I am, if anything, a contemplative who loves to sap up knowledge in order to run it through a sieve, leaving the essence of what is important ... and giving the details to someone else who has the gift for this.
So know that as I relate something of Sophia as the Holy Spirit.

Consider these ... (which I cannot take credit for finding; thanks to a prof I had in Tuebingen)

Wisdom 10:1 Wisdom protected the first‑formed father of the world, when he alone had been created; she delivered him from his transgression,

Sirach 1:4 Wisdom was created before all other things, and prudent understanding from eternity.

Wisdom 7:25 For she is a breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her.

"Wisdom" doesn't neatly fit into the category of the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit - sometimes she runs through all, precedes all, feeds all. She is the fine thread weaving through the Trinity; she is the Trinity in herself. I have become fascinated with her since learning more of her last summer while in Tuebingen. There, the director of the Institute of Christian Origins gave a sermon about Wisdom ... asking those unresolved questions about her feminine nature, her eternal presence, her place in the making of the new covenant. The language used to describe Wisdom is mesmerizing. See for yourself in the Wisdom of Solomon ...

... and the Symposium term in the title of my blog. A "symposium" was one of many forms of ritualized meals in the early Christian era. These meals went by many names, had all sorts of customs and traditions. Another time I will write some more of these. What captures me about them is their diverse customs, the way they opened up the tradition and made it their own with their quirks, joys and local habits. This is how I believe tradition should be: alive. But also deeply revered. It is our place to reach into the complex web of tradition and pull on that one thread that is holding it together. It is that thread that will make the tradition ours and keep us grounded in wisdom's peace.

So, come join me in this continuing meal. Let's make it ours.