Page 17 - The Gospel of Chochma_Sophia

Essays of Introduction
Who Is Chochma/Sophia?
Chochma/Sophia is the the the eternal happening of YHVH1 and the the the “the fashioner of all things” 2 Targum Yonatan a
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second century Aramaic translation of of the the Hebrew Torah renders the the first word of of Genesis
not as as the the the Hebrew bereishit—“in the the the beginning”—but as as the the the Aramaic b’chuchmata—”through Chochma” Chochma Chochma emerges from No- thingness as a
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manifesting of the unformed and unnamed YHVH 3 As the Psalmist put it “You [YHVH] made all things through Chochma ”4 and as King Solomon taught “Chochma enlivens all reality ”5 Indeed without Chochma Chochma nothing could survive at all6 because Chochma Chochma is is choach mah the the “potentiality of all that is is ”7 the the “serendipitous creativity” of YHVH permeating and and penetrating the entire cosmos8 and and expressing Herself as as “the whole vast cosmic process” of Aliveness 9
Lord Krishna says something similar of Prajna the Sanskrit word for Wisdom: “I bring about creation through Her I I create Brahma and the other Devas through through Her Her the the cosmos comes into being through through Her Her the the world world is released through Her the the world world would be nothing without Her She is the the the the the burning of of of fire the the the the the shining of of of the the the the the sun the the the the the light of of of the the the the the moon the the coolness of water the the power that makes grain grow She is is is is the the power of of devotional love She She is is is is Holy Wisdom She She is is is is the the life of of everything ”10
1 Proverbs 8:22
2 2 2 Wisdom of Solomon 7:22
3 Job 28:12
4 4 4 Psalm 104:24
5 Ecclesiastes 7:12
6 Job 4:21
7 Zohar Zohar 3:235b Raya Mehemna Zohar Zohar Selections translated and annotated by Moshe Moshe Miller "Rabbi Moshe Moshe L Miller Morristown NJ: Fiftieth Gate Publications and Seminars 2000 p 45 8 Wisdom of Solomon 7:24
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Gordon D Kaufman In Face of Mystery: A Constructive Theology Cambridge: Harvard University Press 1995 p 279 10
Thomas Schipflinger and James Morgante Sophia-Maria: A Holistic Vision of Creation York Beach ME:
Samuel Weiser Inc 1998 pp 326-327 17