Representations et personnification de la sagesse dans l’Antiquite et au-dela

edited by C. Dogniez and S. Anthonioz

Book cover: Representations et personnification de la sagesse dans l’Antiquite et au-dela

Extent: 442 pages

Publisher: Peeters Publishers

Subjects: Classical Studies

Series: Orient & Méditerranée

Series volume number: 35

Language: French

Paperback (Published)

(March 2021)

ISBN: 9789042944398

Price: $103.00

In stock

PDF (Published)

(March 2021)

ISBN: 9789042944404

Price: $129.00

Lady Wisdom generally designates the figure of wisdom as she appears in some biblical passages. If literary personification is a relatively common phenomenon, that of wisdom is more surprising, since it develops to the point of giving this figure a unique identity in relation to God. The question is therefore not only literary, to the point that the concepts of immanence, transcendence, or even hypostasis have been proposed to define it, but also about the numerous attempts that assimilate wisdom to some known or now forgotten ancient divinity. The various studies gathered in this volume consider the times and environments of emergence of the various representations of wisdom in antiquity, dig into the influences within the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Levantine and Greek traditions, and demonstrate how the figure of personified wisdom is a fluid figure in constant evolution along to certain religious environments.


Par Dame Sagesse on designe generalement la figure de la sagesse telle qu’elle apparaOEt dans quelques passages bibliques. Si la personnification litteraire est un phenomene relativement courant, celle de la sagesse est plus etonnante, puisqu’elle se developpe au point de donner a cette figure une identite unique en relation avec Dieu. La question n’est donc plus seulement litteraire, au point que les concepts d’immanence, de transcendance ou meme d’hypostase ont pu etre proposes pour la definir, sans oublier les nombreuses tentatives qui l’assimilent a quelque divinite antique connue ou aujourd’hui oubliee. Les diverses etudes reunies dans ce volume considerent d’abord les epoques et les milieux d’emergence des diverses representations de la sagesse dans l’Antiquite, elles creusent les influences possibles voire evidentes au sein des traditions mesopotamiennes, egyptiennes, levantines et grecques et demontrent finalement comment la figure de la sagesse personnifiee est une figure fluide, en constante evolution, au gre de certains milieux religieux et de leurs interrogations. Lady Wisdom usually refers to the figure of wisdom personified in some biblical texts. If personification is a relatively common literary device, that of wisdom is more striking, as it develops to the point of giving to the figure a unique identity in relation to God. The question is no longer literary, and concepts of immanence, transcendence and even hypostasis have been proposed to define her, as well as diverse identifications with some known or now forgotten ancient divinity. The contributions in this volume seek first to consider the context of each witness of the representations of wisdom in Antiquity, they trace possible influences within Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Levantine and Greek traditions, and finally demonstrate how wisdom personified is a fluid figure, in constant evolution, according to certain religious milieux and their interrogations.

  • Edited by S Anthonioz
  • Edited by C Dogniez