JESUS AS PERSONIFIED WISDOM PROVERBS 8:22-31
Heres some interesting support for identifying Jesus with the personified "Wisdom" of Proverbs 8:22-31.
The “Diatessaron of Tatian” (believed to be an early harmonization of the early accounts of the Gospels and originally written in Syriac in the mid-second century CE) makes the identification which is already clear from Matthew 23:34-36 and Luke 11:49-51 more explicit in Diatessaron Chapter 41, verse 1.
The Diatessaron of Tatian, Section Chapter 41, verse 1. “...I, the wisdom of God, send…” (J. Hamlyn Hill, The Earliest Life of Christ Ever Compiled from the Four Gospels Being the Diatessaron of Tatian [Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1894], pages 205, 310).
The Diatessaron of Tatian, Section XLI. [1]: [2801] "...Therefore, behold, I, the wisdom of God, am sending unto you prophets, and apostles, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall slay and crucify; and some of them ye shall beat in your synagogues, and persecute [2802] from city to [2] city: [2803] that there may come on you all the blood of the righteous that hath been poured upon the ground [2804] from the blood of Abel the pure to the blood of Zachariah the son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the temple [2805] and the altar. [3] [2806] Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation..." (ANF 9 (Eerdmans/Hendrickson series), page 106, sec. 41.1.)
[FOOTNOTE 2801]: Matt. xxiii. 34.
[FOOTNOTE 2802]: cf. 8, 34.
[FOOTNOTE 2803]: Matt. xxiii. 35.
[FOOTNOTE 2804]: Or, earth.
[FOOTNOTE 2805]: Or, sanctuary.
[FOOTNOTE 2806]: Matt. xxiii. 36.
The scriptures Tation harmonises make for interesting comparison.
PARALELL ACOUNTS:
Matthew 23:34-36 Greek Study Bible (Apostolic / Interlinear)
[34]: "...Διὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω πρὸς ὑμᾶς προφήτας καὶ σοφοὺς καὶ γραμματεῖς· ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀποκτενεῖτε καὶ σταυρώσετε καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν μαστιγώσετε ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς ὑμῶν καὶ διώξετε ἀπὸ πόλεως εἰς πόλιν· [35] ὅπως ἔλθῃ ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς πᾶν αἷμα δίκαιον ἐκχυννόμενον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος Ἅβελ τοῦ δικαίου ἕως τοῦ αἵματος Ζαχαρίου υἱοῦ Βαραχίου, ὃν ἐφονεύσατε μεταξὺ τοῦ ναοῦ καὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου. [36] ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἥξει ταῦτα πάντα ἐπὶ τὴν γενεὰν ταύτην..."
Matthew 23:34-36 (NRSV): "...Therefore I [Jesus] send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation..."
Luke 11:49-51 Greek Study Bible (Apostolic / Interlinear)
[49]: "...διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡ σοφία τοῦ θεοῦ εἶπεν ἀποστελῶ εἰς αὐτοὺς προφήτας καὶ ἀποστόλους, καὶ έξ αὐτῶν ἀποκτενοῦσιν καὶ διώξουσιν, [50] ἵνα ἐκζητηθῇ τὸ αἷμα πάντων τῶν προφητῶν τὸ ἐκκεχυμένον ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου ἀπὸ τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης, [51] ἀπὸ αἵματος Ἅβελ ἕως αἵματος Ζαχαρίου τοῦ ἀπολομένου μεταξὺ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου καὶ τοῦ οἴκου· ναὶ λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐκζητηθήσεται ἀπὸ τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης..."
Luke 11:49-51 (NRSV): "...Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ so that this generation may be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation..."
The “Diatessaron of Tatian” (believed to be an early harmonization of the early accounts of the Gospels and originally written in Syriac in the mid-second century CE) makes the identification which is already clear from Matthew 23:34-36 and Luke 11:49-51 more explicit in Diatessaron Chapter 41, verse 1.
Here Jesus is recorded as speaking in the first person:
The Diatessaron of Tatian, Section Chapter 41, verse 1. “...I, the wisdom of God, send…” (J. Hamlyn Hill, The Earliest Life of Christ Ever Compiled from the Four Gospels Being the Diatessaron of Tatian [Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1894], pages 205, 310).
The Diatessaron of Tatian, Section XLI. [1]: [2801] "...Therefore, behold, I, the wisdom of God, am sending unto you prophets, and apostles, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall slay and crucify; and some of them ye shall beat in your synagogues, and persecute [2802] from city to [2] city: [2803] that there may come on you all the blood of the righteous that hath been poured upon the ground [2804] from the blood of Abel the pure to the blood of Zachariah the son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the temple [2805] and the altar. [3] [2806] Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation..." (ANF 9 (Eerdmans/Hendrickson series), page 106, sec. 41.1.)
[FOOTNOTE 2801]: Matt. xxiii. 34.
[FOOTNOTE 2802]: cf. 8, 34.
[FOOTNOTE 2803]: Matt. xxiii. 35.
[FOOTNOTE 2804]: Or, earth.
[FOOTNOTE 2805]: Or, sanctuary.
[FOOTNOTE 2806]: Matt. xxiii. 36.
The scriptures Tation harmonises make for interesting comparison.
PARALELL ACOUNTS:
Matthew 23:34-36 Greek Study Bible (Apostolic / Interlinear)
[34]: "...Διὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω πρὸς ὑμᾶς προφήτας καὶ σοφοὺς καὶ γραμματεῖς· ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀποκτενεῖτε καὶ σταυρώσετε καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν μαστιγώσετε ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς ὑμῶν καὶ διώξετε ἀπὸ πόλεως εἰς πόλιν· [35] ὅπως ἔλθῃ ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς πᾶν αἷμα δίκαιον ἐκχυννόμενον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος Ἅβελ τοῦ δικαίου ἕως τοῦ αἵματος Ζαχαρίου υἱοῦ Βαραχίου, ὃν ἐφονεύσατε μεταξὺ τοῦ ναοῦ καὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου. [36] ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἥξει ταῦτα πάντα ἐπὶ τὴν γενεὰν ταύτην..."
Matthew 23:34-36 (NRSV): "...Therefore I [Jesus] send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation..."
Luke 11:49-51 Greek Study Bible (Apostolic / Interlinear)
[49]: "...διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡ σοφία τοῦ θεοῦ εἶπεν ἀποστελῶ εἰς αὐτοὺς προφήτας καὶ ἀποστόλους, καὶ έξ αὐτῶν ἀποκτενοῦσιν καὶ διώξουσιν, [50] ἵνα ἐκζητηθῇ τὸ αἷμα πάντων τῶν προφητῶν τὸ ἐκκεχυμένον ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου ἀπὸ τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης, [51] ἀπὸ αἵματος Ἅβελ ἕως αἵματος Ζαχαρίου τοῦ ἀπολομένου μεταξὺ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου καὶ τοῦ οἴκου· ναὶ λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐκζητηθήσεται ἀπὸ τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης..."
Luke 11:49-51 (NRSV): "...Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ so that this generation may be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation..."
