Trinity Sunday notes Prov. 8, Ps. 8 Second Cut

 

Prov. 8 continues a section on Dame Wisdom. here is an important section on wisdom and creation. See William Brown's new book, 7 Pillars of Creation, ch. 7. Brown is in conversation with science throughout the book.Fretheim is very good on this section in God and Creation. fors instance, "to be truly wisdom, it needs a world."

1) Qana means create/make but also acquire. Niv does bring forth in a birthing imagery. It seems to me that Wisdom is a hypostasis of God's creative energies. that's why Wisdom could be linked to logos (Word, JN. 1;14) as Hellenism marched on.

2) I would argue that Proverb and any wisdom literature si about trying to find the basis for a good life in this complex world, a kingdom of death often. Wisdom is there at the start.

3) Wisdom is part of God's structuring of the world itslef. In all of the accidents, we cna discern order, a plan, some rationality and regularity in life. 4) Wisdom is about respecting limits/boundaries. we seek propriety in life, the proper time and place. Natural science rquires a sense of an orderly world in order to find pattern within it. Brown (170) it is an orderly and a lively world at the same itme.

5) Even the chaotic relam of the sea has limits.

6) Amon in v. 30 could be child or worker or plan. In Egypt, order, maat, played before the God Re, a creator.LXX has wisdom binding the creation together.

7) See the book of wisdom in an ecumentical bible.

8) The sense of joy in v. 31 cannot be overestimated. God finds delight in the working out of divine order. Thsi applies to the sabbath.

 

Ps. 8

1)Psalm 8 is on the moon from Apollo 11.

2) On Trinity Sunday,we certainly feel like babies trying to address the Trinity.

3) Nobody knows as much about astronomy as this generation. perhaps one could use a series of Hubble telescope shots.

4) Job famously plays with the question in v. 4. the immensity of creation does give a sensation of smallness. Stilll, we are, after all, amde in the image of God. Augustine famously used 3 menatl faculties to speak of the Trinity. where would you see traces of the trinity in human beings?

5) Here we see a challenge of environmental stewardship as much as ruling over animals. Is it saying we represent god's dominion here on earth as god would like to see us do?

6) Reflection 2 (p. 712) in the NIB on Pslams has some good work that could be productive for considereing Trinity Sunday.

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