by Terry McCombs
In the oldest strata of Jewish and Christian thought, the divine was not without its female half. Sophia — Wisdom — shared God's throne, was his creative breath, and without her the creative act could not occur. Old Jewish literature calls her the co-creator who "reaches from one end of the earth to the other with full strength and orders all things well." She appears in the Gnostic gospels as the Mother of All, in early Christian writings as the Holy Spirit, and in medieval mysticism as the Shekhinah — the feminine presence of God dwelling among the people. That she has been "all but expunged from modern Bibles," in McCombs's phrase, is a fact of political history rather than theological necessity. This profile, posted to soc.religion.paganism on August 31, 2008, as part of Terry McCombs's God of the Month Club series, restores Sophia to her proper place — not as a peripheral figure, but as the divine Wisdom that preceded and enabled creation itself.
NAME: SOPHIA (Greek). Other names and titles: Binah (Hebrew — "understanding"), Sapientia (Latin), Mother of All (Gnostic), Holy Spirit (very early Christians), Wisdom (what all the other names mean).
SYMBOLS: Cup. Crescent moon. Dove. Tree.
USUAL IMAGE: A winged woman with wings usually shown as red, seated on a throne. She is crowned with seven stars; at her feet lies the World; in her right hand is a golden cup. She is also often shown wearing a red gown and pregnant.
HOLY DAYS: November 28th is the Day of Sophia.
HOLY BOOKS: The Trattato Gnostico. The Clementine Homilies. The Gospel According to Mary.
PLACES OF WORSHIP: Temples, but also places of learning.
RELATIVES: Yahweh (ex-husband or son, or both). Adam, Eve, Lilith, angels (children). The Christ, who entered Jesus (son). The Achamoth, who entered Mary Magdalene (daughter).
SYNODEITIES: Isis (Egyptian). Juno (Roman). Hera (Greek). Sarasvati (Hindu). Frigga (Norse). Spider Grandmother (Native American). Inanna (Sumerian). Tara (Tibetan). Yemaya (African-Caribbean). Amaterasu (Japanese). Pachamama (Incan). Changing Woman (Navajo and Apache). Danu (Celtic).
Details
Sophia, or Sapientia, was the primary female figure of Judeo-Christianity.
She was once very important, but because of the efforts of men who had a very serious problem with the female force in nature — and in themselves — she has all but been expunged from modern Bibles.
She was the veiled holy spirit of wisdom, pregnant with knowledge and inviting us to drink deeply from her cup.
Old Jewish literature tells of her role as God's co-creator: "She reaches out from one end of the earth to the other with full strength and orders all things well... Herself unchanging, she makes all things anew." Without her, God is powerless.
She shares God's throne, and is his creative breath. The Shakers recognized her in the rhyme: "Wisdom holds the Mother's seat, and is the Father's helper-meet."
There are more than a few who become very upset when a feminine interpretation is placed on "wisdom" — but then, there are some people who just need to be upset.
Yes: it's time that Mrs. God got her due!
Colophon
Written by Terry McCombs and posted to soc.religion.paganism on August 31, 2008, as part of his long-running God of the Month Club series. Original Message-ID: <[email protected]>.
McCombs ran the God of the Month Club in soc.religion.paganism from 2003 through at least 2009, producing cross-cultural profiles of deities from every major tradition. Sophia appeared in August 2008, posted under the title "Sophia: Mrs. God" — McCombs's characteristic combination of scholarly content and irreverent provocation.
Preserved from the Usenet archive for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
🌲