An Analogy

ALLEGORY OF THE SUN

Let the sun represent God. The ancient hymn of St. Sophronius of Jerusalem (Phos hilaron) apostrophizes the Word as “Brightness of the Heavenly father’s face.” So the Son may be represented as  the brightnessof the sun. Pursuing the analogy, the Holy Spirit might be represented by the warmth of the sun.

The Wisdom of God could be the sky – the azure firmament. The Eastern, and especially Russian, distinction between the Son and Wisdom introduces a speculation about the nature of creation. While it may be heretical to say that creation is eternally co-existent with God, it may not be heretical to say that God has always comprised Wisdom, meaning not so much knowledge or understanding as Beauty.

Wisdom as Beauty is the creature of God, not only God’s attribute (like omnipotence or omniscience).Could we say that before the Act of creation, from all eternity, Holy Wisdom (Sophia) has been with God? Beauty as Objective Reality and not subjective feeling might be said to be co-eternal with God: not an attribute or aspect of God, but an Act of divine will prior to creation. In Wisdom have you you created all.