In both Proverbs and Sirach, wisdom is identified as feminine. Even though Proverbs does not come from the time period when Greek Philosophical ideas were making their way into the Jewish way of thinking, it still has the Greek trait of valuing knowledge, “for fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge”. Wisdom is the ultimate goal in both of these writings. It also appears that wisdom or Sophia was present at the time of creation and even before then as there is a description of being separate from the creation in Sirach. The relationship of God and Sophia seem to be closely knit, through Sophia one strengthens their relationship with God. Through Sophia one can act as almost a divine being by simply following the path that Sophia sets.

One difference that I noted or that stood out to me, unless I misread was that in Sirach God commands Sophia to have a place of rest of dwelling with Jacob. In Enoch it is stated that Sophia is to not have a home but to remain in the heavens.

The relationship between Sophia and the Jews is one that does not coincide very well, at least that is what I gathered from The Wisdom of Solomon. The Wisdom of Solomon describes the importance of strong Jewish traditions that in such a way are greatened by the new Greek way of viewing them. To be righteous in The Wisdom of Solomon is to be as close with Sophia or as guided by wisdom as possible.

I think after reading John that the gospel writers were interested in imagining Jesus through the lens of Sophia, as one did not or could not exist without the other. This is because through Sophia (wisdom) is the way to God and in order to be accepted as a child of God one must trust the true son (Jesus) and follow this way. Without God, his son could not have been made to be known as again one does not exist without the other. It is also made clear in John that Jesus is not made of the blood and the flesh, so not made from man, he is made from God.