Chapter three of Scripting Jesus, by L. Michael White, brings up some interesting thoughts on the idea of wisdom. White explains how wisdom was personified as either Sophia or Logos by many writers such as Philo, Sirach and Solomon. It is clear that early Greek mythology was seeping into the writers’ understanding of Wisdom. Sirach and Solomon allude to a female personification of wisdom that speaks in various instances in the Bible. “Sophia”, as they call her, says that she has been there since the beginning; helping God with the creation of the Universe. Her presence at creation would imply that she is somehow divine. That is where the polytheistic principles of early Greek mythology seeped into the writing. Adding to that point, White quotes Philo who says that Logos was made in the image of God, whereas humans were made from the Earth in the image of the image of God. In other words, humans were made in the image of Logos. Philos’ writings clearly reflect the polytheistic principles of the time. He was a believer that Logos helped God with creation, and sits with him in heaven. His description of Logos is shares similarities with how Jesus is later referred to as sitting at the right hand of God in heaven.

Heraclitus and Cicero provide a shift in the thinking about the divine.  Heraclitus begins by explaining how humans do not even possess the power to comprehend Logos when they see it. Heraclitus is trying to establish that the divine are the only beings that can understand Logos and that humans in their imperfect nature are impossible of doing so.

Cleanthes uses the Greek God Zeus as a metaphor for God in his poem to Zeus. Cleanthes’ poem illustrates a divinity that is omnipotent. He says that Zeus controls all things. The language of the Greek cosmology of the time is seen in the writing when Cleanthes says that all things spin around the earth, which obeys him.

Heraclitus, Cicero, and Xenophon all describe different relationships between humanity and the divine. Heraclitus describes how humans and the divine will remain distant because humans are incapable of even understanding Logos. Cicero describes a close relationship between humanity and the divine where the divine are everywhere and in everything. Xenophon brings up the story of vice and virtue appearing to Heracles, which was brought up in White’s book in less detail. The relationship Xenophon describes is one where the divine test humans and in turn will reward them for being virtuous and not taking shortcuts in life.

Heraclitus, Cicero, Xenophon, and Cleanthes all were writing about divinity in an interesting time. They are stuck in some of their polytheistic roots but moving towards more of a monotheistic view. This makes their writings quite interesting due to their varying descriptions of God and divinity.