Wisdom Christology: How Jesus Becomes God’s Wisdom for Us.
By Daniel J. Ebert IV. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2011.
Review by Luke Stamps
“Wisdom and Christology belong together” (2). This juxtaposition is one of the primary assumptions of Daniel Ebert’s new book, Wisdom Christology: How Jesus Becomes God’s Wisdom for Us. Ebert, a former missionary who currently serves as Professor of Biblical Studies at Cedarville University, argues that the heavenly wisdom presented in the New Testament is “thoroughly Christological.” His book aims to “explore, through the study of selected New Testament passages, how the doctrine of Christ functioned as wisdom for the early church” (2).
Ebert is not the only contemporary New Testament scholar to notice the close connection between ancient Jewish notions of wisdom and the biblical portrait of Jesus Christ. Some scholars have interpreted the New Testament’s Christology against the background of “Lady Wisdom,” the personified wisdom figure prominent not only in the book of Proverbs (especially chapter 8), but also in later, non-canonical Jewish texts, such as the Wisdom of Solomon. But Ebert believes that some of these treatments of New Testament wisdom Christology have overemphasized the importance of the Lady Wisdom figure: “We will argue in this study that it is a mistake to give too much explanatory value to the Wisdom figure in the development of the doctrine of Christ” (5). Instead of focusing on the extra-biblical wisdom texts of Second Temple Judaism, Ebert has chosen instead to give careful attention to several key New Testament texts that are enriched with wisdom themes. He discusses, in turn, six passages, which he describes as follows:
- An Invitation to Follow Jesus (Matthew 11:25-30)
- An Invitation to Receive the Word (John 1:1-18)
- Wisdom and the Crucified Christ (1 Corinthians 1:18-24, 30-31; 8:6)
- Wisdom and the Cosmic Christ (Colossians 1:15-20)
- Wisdom and the Way of the Cross (Philippians 2:5-11)
- Wisdom and the Priesthood of Christ (Hebrews 1:1-4)
Each of these texts contains at least some of the prominent themes associated with the Jewish idea of wisdom: creation, revelation, the two “ways” or “paths”, the Law, and so forth. Each of these texts also presents these wisdom themes in explicit relation to the person and work of Christ. Ebert examines each text in its own historical and literary context, giving special attention to the literary structure of the poetic passages.
In his discussion of these texts, Ebert is attempting to show that, while wisdom themes play an important role in the biblical presentation of Christ, it is possible to give too much explanatory value to the personified wisdom figure found in other ancient Jewish texts. Christ transcends Lady Wisdom because he is not merely an attribute of God; he is also a person within the Triune Godhead: the person of the eternal Son. Unlike the Wisdom figure, which was said to be created by God at the beginning, the Son is uncreated and eternal. While Lady Wisdom plays an important role in creation and redemption, Christ takes on a salvific role that was not ascribed to Lady Wisdom. Other Jewish texts drew a tight connection between wisdom and the Law, but Christ came to set people free from all burdensome yokes and to call people to faith in himself.
Furthermore, Ebert argues, the New Testament’s Wisdom Christology is explicitly gospel-centric and cruciform. It is understood in terms of Christ’s person and his self-emptying work of redemption. Ebert shows how the New Testament writers applied this Wisdom Christology to the specific needs of the early church, and he suggests ways in which it might be applied in our own day as well.
One of the great strengths of Ebert’s work is its focus on specific New Testament texts. Given the contemporary debates about the role of personified Wisdom in the New Testament’s Christology, the title of the book might suggest that it is primarily focused on this secondary literature. Instead, Ebert’s primary emphasis in on exegesis, without, of course, ignoring or downplaying the importance of the contemporary discussion. In particular, his literary analysis of the poetic passages is superb. His discussion of Colossians 1:15-20 is especially insightful. Ebert explains that this text is structured into three stanzas and that the center of the text—both literarily and theologically—is the all-encompassing authority of the Son of God: “He is before all things and in him all things hold together” (Col 1:17). Ebert writes,
“What is said in Colossians of the Son, in keeping with the language and poetic structure, confesses Christ as the sustainer of creation, but goes beyond this: he is the one in whom all, including both creation and redemption, have their unifying principle, their center of integration. This is not merely a reference to raw power, but to meaning and redemptive purpose—to divine wisdom itself.”
Ebert’s book possesses many other strengths as well. Its clarity of style, its emphasis on practical application, its succinct theological coclusions, and its questions for study and reflection will no doubt make the book a helpful resource not only for pastors and scholars but also for all thoughtful Christian readers.
One weakness that some readers will sense in Ebert’s book is his reluctance to ascribe much significance to the personified Wisdom figure in the New Testament’s Christology. Ebert repeatedly insists that personified Wisdom cannot be given too much explanatory value for passages like John 1 or 1 Corinthians 1, among others. Ebert rightly warns against the tendency of some biblical scholars to reduce New Testament Christology to reflections on the Jewish Wisdom figure. Ebert helpfully lays bare all of the ways that Christ is distinguished from the Wisdom figure: he is a person, he is eternal, he is the savior from sin, and so forth. The fulfillment of Wisdom in Jesus Christ clearly surpasses the figure itself.
But isn’t this how all biblical typology works? The type is fulfilled and exceeded by the anti-type. Jesus is more than just another Solomon; he is greater than Solomon. He is more than just another temple; he is greater than the temple. He is more than a son of David; he is David’s Lord. So the fact that Jesus surpasses the Wisdom figure does not necessarily count against giving it adequate consideration as a type of Christ. Indeed, many theologians in church history have interpreted Proverbs 8 in a Christological fashion. This reading was distorted by the Arians to serve their own purposes, as Ebert points out (12), but Athanasius himself—the chief anti-Arian—could still interpret the wisdom figure of Proverbs 8 as a type of Christ, even as he corrected the misunderstandings of the Arians. To be sure, Ebert admits that Wisdom at times functioned in a typological way for the New Testament authors (46, 73, 93). But he tends to downplay the significance of this typological role for the Wisdom figure. In the end, it may be a matter of emphasis, but Ebert’s repeated caveats concerning the relative insignificance of the Wisdom figure for New Testament Christology might detract from a legitimate biblical type of Christ.
This reservation notwithstanding, Ebert has provided an excellent treatment not only of the Wisdom Christology theme in general, but also of the specific New Testament passages that expound it. It should serve the evangelical community well as we continue to explore the mystery and wonder of the One “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:3).
Luke Stamps is a Ph.D. candidate at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in systematic theology. Luke is a weekly contributor to the Credo blog and also blogs at Before All Things. Luke is married to Josie, and they have two children, Jack and Claire. Luke is a member of Clifton Baptist Church in Louisville, KY.
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