Wisdom Has Built Her House

Silvia Schroer is an expert in Old Testament and the biblical world. She is the author of publications on the religious history of Israel and Palestine, on biblical-theological topics, and on feminist exegesis.

. . . a remarkable achievement.Bernadette Brooten, Brandeis University

• ContentsForeword   xiI. Wisdom on the Path of Righteousness (Proverbs 8:20)   11. Faith in the Connection between Action and Consequence—Or the Ancient Near Eastern and Israelite Belief in Justice Before Death   12. The Ethical Order as Part of a Cosmic Order   33. Through Wisdom to Righteousness: Starting Point for a Feminist Theology   6II. Divine Wisdom and Postexilic Monotheism   151. The Central Feminist-Theological Questions Surrounding the Phenomenon of Personified Wisdom   162. Women’s Wisdom at the City Gates and the House of Wisdom   183. The Literary and Theological Function of the Personification of Ḥokmā in the Book of Proverbs 264. Image of Woman—Image of God—Monotheism. Points of Contact for a Feminist-Theological Reconstruction of the Historical and Religious-Historical Backgrounds   305. The Fate of Divine Wisdom in the Later Wisdom Literature   366. Sophia: The Future of a Feminist Christian Spirituality   39III. Wise Women and Counselors in Israel: Models for Personified Ḥokmā   521. Personified Wisdom: Foundation for a New Spirituality?   522. Wisdom as Counselor   533. Women as Counselors in Israel   55Wise Women as Counselors   55Wives as Advisors   56The King’s Mother as Advisor and the Mothers of the Nation   584. Women Counselors in Israel: Literary and Historical Prototypes for Wisdom as Counselor   605. The Socio-Religious Background for the Image of God as Wisdom   616. Wisdom as Counselor: Source for a Feminist Christian Spirituality Today?   63IV. “And When the Next War Began . . . .” The Wise Woman of Abel of Beth-maacah (2 Samuel 20:14-22)   691. Rescue from Danger   692. The Wise Women of Israel   703. Then a head rolled . . .   724. A Fantasy of the Distant Future?   735. Suggestions For Practical Bible Study   74V. Abigail: A Wise Woman Works for Peace   78VI. The One Lord and Male Dominance in the Book of Jesus Sirach: The Image of Woman and the Image of Wisdom in a Misogynist Document   841. Jesus Sirach’s Image of Woman   852. The Figure of Personified Wisdom in the Context of the Book of Sirach   90a. “All Wisdom Is From the Lord”   90b. Wisdom in the Image of the Tree Goddess   91c. Wisdom as the Object of Male Lust   933. Conclusion   94VII. Personified Sophia in the Book of Wisdom   981. A Feminist Approach to the Figure and to the Book of Wisdom   982. Manifestations and Attributes of Sophia in Wisdom 6–10   1003. From Text to Context   102a. The Therapeutrides: Jewish Women in Contemplative Communities   102b. The Power of the Goddess: Isis and Sophia   1044. Feminist Theological Assessments   107a. The Function of Personified Sophia in the Book of Wisdom   107b. Sophia: Symbol of Unity in Variety and Teacher of Righteousness   109VIII. Jesus Sophia Contributions of Feminist Scholarship to an Early Christian Interpretation of the Praxis and Fate of Jesus of Nazareth   1131. Personified Wisdom in Postexilic and Early Jewish Texts in the Bible   1142. Sophia-God and Jesus-Sophia in the Second Testament   1153. The Sitz im Leben of Jesus-Sophia Theology   1204. Perspectives of a Feminist Sophia Christology   123IX. The Spirit, Wisdom, and the Dove: Feminist-Critical Exegesis of a Second Testament Symbol Against the Background of Its History in Ancient Near Eastern and Hellenistic-Early Jewish Traditions   1321. The Dove at Jesus’ Baptism: An Ambiguous Symbol?   1322. The Bird Messenger of the Ancient Near Eastern Love Goddesses   1343. A Divine Turtledove in the Second Testament   1384. The Dove as Symbol of Wisdom in Philo of Alexandria   1405. Jesus-Sophia and God-Sophia in Early Christianity   1436. The Early Church’s Interpretations of the Dove at the Jordan   1487. A Female Image of God in Christian Tradition   153Acknowledgments   164General Index   166Index of Biblical References   170