Lecture 2 — Where wisdom is found

^28:12^ But where is wisdom found and where is the location of intelligence?

^28:13^ No man knows its place, nor is it found among soft-living men.

^28:14^ The deep says: It is not in me, and the sea says: it is not with me.

^28:15^ One will not trade the gold of Ophir for it, nor can one give its weight in silver in exchange.

^28:16^ She cannot be compared with the sparkling color of India; nor with the most precious sardonyx and sapphire.

^28:17^ Nor will gold equal her, nor will glass or large vessels of very fine gold be exchanged for her.

^28:18^ Though they are exquisite, none are thought anything in comparison with her, for wisdom has its source in hidden things.

^28:19^ The topaz of Ethiopia is not equal to her, nor are the most elegant dyed things comparable to her.

^28:20^ Where, then, is the origin of wisdom and the place of understanding?

^28:21^ She is hidden from the eyes of all the living and she is concealed from the birds of the air.

^28:22^ Ruin and death have said: We have heard of her fame with our ears.

^28:23^ God understands the way to her and he knows where wisdom is found.

^28:24^ He sees the ends of the earth and he sees everything under heaven.

^28:25^ He gave the winds their strength and the waters he holds suspended in measure,

^28:26^ when he made a law for the rain and the way for the gates which roar.

^28:27^ Then he saw her, he made her known, he prepared her, he inquired of her,

^28:28^ and said to man: Behold, the fear of the Lord is wisdom and to withdraw from evil, understanding.

385. But where is wisdom found. Since he had shown that what is in corporeal bodies is found to be contained in a determined place, which, though they are unknown to men, are still known to God, he shows the eminence of wisdom by first proving that it is not contained in a determined place, and so he says, but where is wisdom found? This is as if he says, “Wisdom is bound to no corporeal place because it is not something corporeal. However, not only precious things themselves in corporeal bodies, but also their principles, are bound in a corporeal place.” But one cannot say this about wisdom, and so he says, and where is the location of intelligence? For intellect is the principle of knowledge and wisdom. Just as wisdom, then, is not bound in a place, neither is intelligence, which is its principle.

Second, he shows the dignity of wisdom, because the price of wisdom cannot be reckoned, and so he says, no man knows its price, for there is no price known to man which is a sufficient price for wisdom.

386. He clearly shows the consequences of both these premises.

First, that wisdom was not found in a local place. Those things which are esteemed as valuable among men are partly found among soft men, who strive to collect precious stones and metals, and so he says, nor is it found among soft*-*living men, that is, weak men, because they are greatly impeded from the perception of wisdom, since their hearts are preoccupied with pleasures. Valuable things of this kind are partly found in deep, dark places, but it is not so with wisdom, and so he says, the deep says: it is not in me; that is, what is hidden in the depths of the caverns of the earth is especially hidden from human wisdom. They are partly found in the sea, both because they are generated there, like pearls in sea shells, or because they are lost there in sunken ships, but it is not so with wisdom. This is so because valuable things are usually transported by sea from place to place, and so he says, and the sea says: it is not with me. On the contrary, things in the sea are often completely hidden from human wisdom.

387. Next, he explains what he had said about the fact that wisdom has no price, and he enumerates those things which are thought most valuable among men, saying, one will not trade the gold of Ophir, that is, the most pure gold, for it, because the price of wisdom cannot be valued in gold. After gold, silver is esteemed the most precious among metals, and so he continues speaking about it, nor can one give its weight in silver for exchange. Besides these metals there are some very precious stones of different colors which are cultivated in India, he then says about these, she, wisdom, cannot be compared with the sparkling colors of India, the precious stones of diverse colors and natural hues in India. He continues with precious stones found in other lands, and so he says, nor with the most precious sardonyx, which is composed of two stones, from sard, which is red in color, lighting the soul up with joy and inciting cleverness of spirit, and of onyx, which is joined to it as having some harmful powers, like exciting sorrows and fear. This harm is restrained by the sard. So it is said to have the property of expelling lust and rendering a man pure and chaste. So it is called the most precious stone. He then adds, and sapphire, which is the color of heaven, and is valuable because it has many powers.

There are still other very precious stones, but the value of these stones differs according to place and time, and so he does not refer to them. He then speaks about things which have a value because of their beauty, saying, nor will gold equal her, which has beauty from splendor, nor glass, which has beauty from its transparency, although it is not highly priced. He then speaks about the beauty of works of art when he says, nor will large vessels of very fine gold be exchanged for her, in quantity, which are also exquisite, in composition. Just as they cannot be exchanged for wisdom, so also all these things are accounted as nothing in comparison to wisdom, and so he then says, none are thought anything in comparison to her, because they are not even worth remembering for an instant when one calls to mind the excellence of wisdom.

388. Because he had said that some corporeal things were precious because they were hidden from us, he consequently shows that wisdom does not lack this value when he says, wisdom has its source in hidden things. For the origin of human wisdom is hidden in two ways. In one way, on the part of the light of the intellect, which is derived in us from the most hidden cause of all things, God. In another way, on the part of things known. Wisdom seeks the hidden properties and essences of these things, and by these, ascends to the knowledge of divine things, which is especially ascribed to wisdom. Thus, he concludes that nothing can be compared to wisdom by reason of value or by reason of mystery. Precious stones cannot be compared to it either, and so he then says, the topaz of Ethiopia is not equal to it, which takes its name from the place of its discovery, or because it has a resemblance in color to gold. As to costly garments, he then says, nor are the most elegant dyed things, any sort of silk or wool cloth, comparable to her, to wisdom.

389. Therefore, since he had said that wisdom has so incomparable and so mysterious an origin, he inquires where the mystery of wisdom lies, saying, where, then, is the origin of wisdom? where does it come from? And where is the place of understanding; from what beginning do men participate in the light of the intellect? He shows this beginning excels all human cognition, and so he then says, it is hidden from the eyes of all the living, because the fount of wisdom is the word of God on high (Eccl 1:5). Some augurs of omens believed that certain birds of prophecy participated in an action of wisdom above men, and as a result, they believed men could know the future from them. But he shows that wisdom exceeds this interpretation of omens, saying, and she is concealed also from the birds of the air. Therefore the origin of wisdom exceeds the heavenly bodies which move these birds.

There are also some who seek knowledge of the future from the dead, but this does not attain the origin of wisdom either, and so he then says, ruin and death said: we have heard of her fame with our ears. He rightly attributes the fame of wisdom to death and ruin, because ruin and death imply the end and withdrawing of the goods which attain wisdom. Moreover, these three things already discussed can be metaphorically referred to the three kinds of rational creatures. Thus when he says, she is hidden from the eyes of all the living, he refers to men; when he adds, she is concealed from the birds of heaven, he refers to the angels. When he further continues, ruin and death said: we have heard of his fame with our ears, he refers to the demons, who are removed from God by damnation, in that they have knowledge of divine wisdom only by its reputation from afar.

390. To show the root of wisdom he then says, God understands the way to her, the whole procession of wisdom, since he is both the origin of wisdom and the place of understanding (Job 28:20). Because God knows himself perfectly, he then says, and he knows where wisdom is found, since he knows himself in whom wisdom is perfectly found as in its first origin. Wisdom proceeds from him in all creatures which are made by the wisdom of God, as art proceeds from the mind of the artist in his work, and so Sirach says, God showers wisdom on all his works (Sir 1:10). Thus, the very universe of creatures is like the secondary place where one finds divine wisdom. So to show that God knows the place of wisdom, he continues, saying that he knows the universe of creatures.

First, he shows this as to the most elevated creatures under which all things are contained, and so he then says, he sees the ends of the earth, which are the most excellent creatures, in which the order of creatures is terminated, ascending from lower creatures, and these are heavenly bodies and the heavenly spirits.

Then he shows this as to the other creatures contained under them, like the elements, and so he then says, and he sees everything which is under the heaven.

391. No one should say that God receives knowledge taken from things like we do. So he shows, consequently, that he knows things as the cause of everything. He therefore continues as to the hidden creatures, like the winds and the rains; he gave the winds their strength, for he gave them their inclination of motion so that sometimes they are moved from this part and sometimes from the other.

Then he speaks about the rains, first that they are evaporated and raised to become clouds, and so he then says, and the waters he holds suspended, in the air, in measure, so that they do not surpass their due order and flood everything, or if they decrease unduly, make everything dry as dust.

Next, he speaks about the generation of the rain when he says, when he made a law for the rain, to come down in certain times and in certain places.

Third, he speaks about its effect, especially in the sea, which is moved by atmospheric changes, and so he continues, the way, he has placed, for the gates, the waves, which roar, from great agitation, because storms of this kind arise at certain times and in a certain intensity.

392. Because God does not acquire wisdom from creatures themselves as we do, but rather he produces creatures from his wisdom, he therefore continues, then, when he has made creatures, he saw her, wisdom in himself insofar as he produces things in their being, through the actual considerations of his wisdom.

Wisdom is derived from him first to the angels, who were made participants in the divine wisdom, and expressing this he says, he made her known, manifesting his wisdom to them.

Second, to the universe of creatures, by governing it through his wisdom, and he expresses this theme, saying, and he prepared her, the earthly globe, in his wisdom.

Third, to men, who do not perceive the wisdom of the truth by simple apprehension as the angels do, to whom he made it known, but arrive at it by the investigation of reason, and so he says, he inquired of her, he made men investigate her. He expresses this as he continues, and he said to man, namely, by enlightening him through interior inspiration and by communicating wisdom to him: behold the fear of the Lord, which I am giving to you at present, is wisdom, because man adheres to God through the fear of the Lord, in whom the true wisdom of men is found as in the highest cause of all things. And to withdraw from evil, that is, from sin, in which man loses God, is understanding, because understanding is especially necessary to man to discern through understanding evil things from good ones.

When he avoids these evil things through good works, he attains the participation of divine wisdom. Thus, because the fear of the Lord is wisdom; and to withdraw from evil is understanding, the consequence is that the just, who fear God and withdraw from evil, should have wisdom and understanding, which are preferred to all the earthly goods which evil men possess. So it is clear that the reasonability of divine providence is saved in the fact that spiritual goods are given to the just as better things, and temporal goods are given to the wicked as the lower things.