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σοφία

sophia

Wisdom — practical skill elevated to divine knowledge

Etymology

In Homer, sophos means "skilled" (a craftsman, a poet). In Pindar, sophia is the art of the poet. Heraclitus redefines it as knowledge of the logos. In Proverbs and the Wisdom literature, Sophia becomes personified — a divine figure who was present at creation.

Why sophia matters

The semantic arc of sophia runs from the craftsman's knowing hand to the philosopher's contemplation of first principles — Homer uses sophos for the skilled artisan, Heraclitus repurposes it for knowledge of the logos that governs all things, and Aristotle elevates it in the Nicomachean Ethics (1141a) as the highest intellectual virtue. The Wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible then maps this Greek term onto a personified divine attribute: in Proverbs 8, Sophia speaks in the first person as present at creation, a move that seeds the entire Gnostic and patristic tradition of Wisdom Christology. Jung's engagement with the Gnostic Sophia in Aion and Answer to Job treats her as the feminine face of the divine, an archetypal figure whose suppression in orthodox Christianity constitutes a one-sidedness the psyche eventually forces into compensation.

sophia in the corpus

424 instances
401 passages
57% in direct speech

Which characters in Homer use sophia most?

Related terms

Distribution by work

Republic
89
Discourses
53
Phaedrus
25
Nicomachean Ethics
24
Symposium
21
Phaedo
20
Gorgias
20
Meditations
20
Rhetoric
19
Meno
14
Apology
14
Olympian Odes
9
Timaeus
9
1 Corinthians
8
Pythian Odes
8
Luke
7
Colossians
6
Matthew
5
Romans
5
Acts
4
Ephesians
4
Revelation
4
James
3
Nemean Odes
3
Isthmian Odes
3
Hymn to Hermes
2
Mark
1
2 Corinthians
1

Key passages

Showing 30 of 401 passages containing σοφία.

Matthew 11:17–24 Unknown Speaker

λέγουσιν ηὐλήσαμεν ὑμῖν καὶ οὐκ ὠρχήσασθε ἐθρηνήσαμεν καὶ οὐκ ἐκόψασθε ἦλθεν γὰρ Ἰωάννης μήτε ἐσθίων μήτε πίνων καὶ λέγουσιν δαιμόνιον ἔχει ἦλθεν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐσθίων καὶ πίνων καὶ λέγουσιν ἰδοὺ...

Matthew 11:25–30 Jesus

Ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ καιρῷ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν ἐξομολογοῦμαί σοι πάτερ κύριε τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς ὅτι ἔκρυψας ταῦτα ἀπὸ σοφῶν καὶ συνετῶν καὶ ἀπεκάλυψας αὐτὰ νηπίοις ναί ὁ πατήρ ὅτι οὕτως εὐδοκία ἐγέ...

Matthew 12:41–48 Unknown Speaker

ἄνδρες Νινευεῖται ἀναστήσονται ἐν τῇ κρίσει μετὰ τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης καὶ κατακρινοῦσιν αὐτήν ὅτι μετενόησαν εἰς τὸ κήρυγμα Ἰωνᾶ καὶ ἰδοὺ πλεῖον Ἰωνᾶ ὧδε βασίλισσα νότου ἐγερθήσεται ἐν τῇ κρίσει μετὰ τῆς...

Matthew 13:49–56 Jesus

οὕτως ἔσται ἐν τῇ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐξελεύσονται οἱ ἄγγελοι καὶ ἀφοριοῦσιν τοὺς πονηροὺς ἐκ μέσου τῶν δικαίων καὶ βαλοῦσιν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρός ἐκεῖ ἔσται ὁ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀ...

Matthew 23:34–39 Unknown Speaker

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 ὅπως ἔλθ...

Mark 6:1–8 Mary

Καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἐκεῖθεν καὶ ἔρχεται εἰς τὴν πατρίδα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθοῦσιν αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ γενομένου σαββάτου ἤρξατο διδάσκειν ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ καὶ οἱ πολλοὶ ἀκούοντες ἐξεπλήσσοντο λέγοντες πόθεν ...

Luke 2:33–40 Mary

καὶ ἦν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ θαυμάζοντες ἐπὶ τοῖς λαλουμένοις περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ εὐλόγησεν αὐτοὺς Συμεὼν καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς Μαριὰμ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ ἰδοὺ οὗτος κεῖται εἰς πτῶσιν καὶ ἀνάστασιν πολλῶν ...

Luke 2:49–52 Jesus

καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς τί ὅτι ἐζητεῖτέ με οὐκ ᾔδειτε ὅτι ἐν τοῖς τοῦ πατρός μου δεῖ εἶναί με καὶ αὐτοὶ οὐ συνῆκαν τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς καὶ κατέβη μετ’ αὐτῶν καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς Ναζαρέθ καὶ ἦν ὑποτασσόμε...

Luke 7:33–40 Jesus

ἐλήλυθεν γὰρ Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτιστὴς μὴ ἐσθίων ἄρτον μηδὲ πίνων οἶνον καὶ λέγετε δαιμόνιον ἔχει ἐλήλυθεν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐσθίων καὶ πίνων καὶ λέγετε ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος φάγος καὶ οἰνοπότης φίλος τελωνῶν καὶ...

Luke 10:17–24 Unknown Speaker

Ὑπέστρεψαν δὲ οἱ ἑβδομήκοντα μετὰ χαρᾶς λέγοντες κύριε καὶ τὰ δαιμόνια ὑποτάσσεται ἡμῖν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί σου εἶπεν δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐθεώρουν τὸν σατανᾶν ὡς ἀστραπὴν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πεσόντα ἰδοὺ δέδωκα ὑμῖν τὴν ἐ...

Luke 11:25–32 Unknown Speaker

καὶ ἐλθὸν εὑρίσκει σεσαρωμένον καὶ κεκοσμημένον τότε πορεύεται καὶ παραλαμβάνει ἕτερα πνεύματα πονηρότερα ἑαυτοῦ ἑπτά καὶ εἰσελθόντα κατοικεῖ ἐκεῖ καὶ γίνεται τὰ ἔσχατα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκείνου χείρονα τῶ...

Luke 11:49–54 Unknown Speaker

διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡ σοφία τοῦ θεοῦ εἶπεν ἀποστελῶ εἰς αὐτοὺς προφήτας καὶ ἀποστόλους καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀποκτενοῦσιν καὶ ἐκδιώξουσιν ἵνα ἐκζητηθῇ τὸ αἷμα πάντων τῶν προφητῶν τὸ ἐκχυννόμενον ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου...

Luke 21:9–16 Unknown Speaker

ὅταν δὲ ἀκούσητε πολέμους καὶ ἀκαταστασίας μὴ πτοηθῆτε δεῖ γὰρ ταῦτα γενέσθαι πρῶτον ἀλλ’ οὐκ εὐθέως τὸ τέλος τότε ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς ἐγερθήσεται ἔθνος ἐπ’ ἔθνος καὶ βασιλεία ἐπὶ βασιλείαν σεισμοί τε μεγάλ...

Acts 6:1–8 Unknown Speaker

Ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις πληθυνόντων τῶν μαθητῶν ἐγένετο γογγυσμὸς τῶν Ἑλληνιστῶν πρὸς τοὺς Ἑβραίους ὅτι παρεθεωροῦντο ἐν τῇ διακονίᾳ τῇ καθημερινῇ αἱ χῆραι αὐτῶν προσκαλεσάμενοι δὲ οἱ δώδεκα τὸ πλῆ...

Acts 6:9–15 Moses

ἀνέστησαν δέ τινες τῶν ἐκ τῆς συναγωγῆς τῶν λεγομένων Λιβερτίνων καὶ Κυρηναίων καὶ Ἀλεξανδρέων καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ Κιλικίας καὶ Ἀσίας συζητοῦντες τῷ Στεφάνῳ καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυον ἀντιστῆναι τῇ σοφίᾳ καὶ τῷ πνεύματι ...

Acts 7:9–16

Καὶ οἱ πατριάρχαι ζηλώσαντες τὸν Ἰωσὴφ ἀπέδοντο εἰς Αἴγυπτον καὶ ἦν ὁ θεὸς μετ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξείλατο αὐτὸν ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλίψεων αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ χάριν καὶ σοφίαν ἔναντι Φαραὼ βασιλέως Αἰγύπτου καὶ ...

Acts 7:17–24

καθὼς δὲ ἤγγιζεν ὁ χρόνος τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἧς ὡμολόγησεν ὁ θεὸς τῷ Ἀβραάμ ηὔξησεν ὁ λαὸς καὶ ἐπληθύνθη ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ἄχρι οὗ ἀνέστη βασιλεὺς ἕτερος ἐπ’ Αἴγυπτον ὃς οὐκ ᾔδει τὸν Ἰωσήφ οὗτος κατασοφισάμενος ...

Romans 1:9–16

μάρτυς γάρ μού ἐστιν ὁ θεός ᾧ λατρεύω ἐν τῷ πνεύματί μου ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ ὡς ἀδιαλείπτως μνείαν ὑμῶν ποιοῦμαι πάντοτε ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν μου δεόμενος εἴπως ἤδη ποτὲ εὐοδωθήσομαι ἐν τῷ θελ...

Romans 1:17–24

δικαιοσύνη γὰρ θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν καθὼς γέγραπται ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται Ἀποκαλύπτεται γὰρ ὀργὴ θεοῦ ἀπ’ οὐρανοῦ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ἀσέβειαν καὶ ἀδικίαν ἀνθρώπων τῶν τὴν ...

Romans 11:33–36

Ὦ βάθος πλούτου καὶ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως θεοῦ ὡς ἀνεξεραύνητα τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ τίς γὰρ ἔγνω νοῦν κυρίου ἢ τίς σύμβουλος αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο ἢ τίς προέδωκεν αὐτῷ καὶ ἀνταποδοθήσ...

Romans 16:17–25 Jesus

Παρακαλῶ δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀδελφοί σκοπεῖν τοὺς τὰς διχοστασίας καὶ τὰ σκάνδαλα παρὰ τὴν διδαχὴν ἣν ὑμεῖς ἐμάθετε ποιοῦντας καὶ ἐκκλίνετε ἀπ’ αὐτῶν οἱ γὰρ τοιοῦτοι τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν Χριστῷ οὐ δουλεύουσιν ἀλλὰ τῇ ἑα...

Romans 16:26–27

φανερωθέντος δὲ νῦν διά τε γραφῶν προφητικῶν κατ’ ἐπιταγὴν τοῦ αἰωνίου θεοῦ εἰς ὑπακοὴν πίστεως εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη γνωρισθέντος μόνῳ σοφῷ θεῷ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων ἀμήν

1 Corinthians 1:17–24 Unknown Speaker

οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστειλέν με Χριστὸς βαπτίζειν ἀλλὰ εὐαγγελίζεσθαι οὐκ ἐν σοφίᾳ λόγου ἵνα μὴ κενωθῇ ὁ σταυρὸς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁ λόγος γὰρ ὁ τοῦ σταυροῦ τοῖς μὲν ἀπολλυμένοις μωρία ἐστίν τοῖς δὲ σῳζομένοις ἡμῖν δύ...

1 Corinthians 1:25–31

ὅτι τὸ μωρὸν τοῦ θεοῦ σοφώτερον τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐστίν καὶ τὸ ἀσθενὲς τοῦ θεοῦ ἰσχυρότερον τῶν ἀνθρώπων Βλέπετε γὰρ τὴν κλῆσιν ὑμῶν ἀδελφοί ὅτι οὐ πολλοὶ σοφοὶ κατὰ σάρκα οὐ πολλοὶ δυνατοί οὐ πολλοὶ εὐγεν...

1 Corinthians 2:1–8 Jesus

Καὶ ἐγώ ἐλθὼν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἀδελφοί ἦλθον οὐ καθ’ ὑπεροχὴν λόγου ἢ σοφίας καταγγέλλων ὑμῖν τὸ μαρτύριον τοῦ θεοῦ οὐ γὰρ ἔκρινά εἰδέναι τι ἐν ὑμῖν εἰ μὴ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν καὶ τοῦτον ἐσταυρωμένον καὶ ἐγώ ἐν ἀσ...

1 Corinthians 2:9–16 Unknown Speaker

ἀλλὰ καθὼς γεγραπται ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν ἡμῖν δὲ ἀπεκάλυψεν ὁ θεὸς διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος τὸ γὰρ πνεῦμα πάντα ...

1 Corinthians 3:9–16

θεοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν συνεργοί θεοῦ γεώργιον θεοῦ οἰκοδομή ἐστε Κατὰ τὴν χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν δοθεῖσάν μοι ὡς σοφὸς ἀρχιτέκτων θεμέλιον ἔθηκα ἄλλος δὲ ἐποικοδομεῖ ἕκαστος δὲ βλεπέτω πῶς ἐποικοδομεῖ θεμέλιον γὰ...

1 Corinthians 3:17–23

εἴ τις τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φθείρει φθερεῖ τοῦτον ὁ θεός ὁ γὰρ ναὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἅγιός ἐστιν οἵτινές ἐστε ὑμεῖς Μηδεὶς ἑαυτὸν ἐξαπατάτω εἴ τις δοκεῖ σοφὸς εἶναι ἐν ὑμῖν ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ μωρὸς γενέσθω ἵνα γέ...

1 Corinthians 6:1–8 Unknown Speaker

Τολμᾷ τις ὑμῶν πρᾶγμα ἔχων πρὸς τὸν ἕτερον κρίνεσθαι ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδίκων καὶ οὐχὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ ἅγιοι τὸν κόσμον κρινοῦσιν καὶ εἰ ἐν ὑμῖν κρίνεται ὁ κόσμος ἀνάξιοί ἐστε κριτηρίων ἐλαχίσ...

1 Corinthians 12:1–8 Jesus

Περὶ δὲ τῶν πνευματικῶν ἀδελφοί οὐ θέλω ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν οἴδατε ὅτι ὅτε ἔθνη ἦτε πρὸς τὰ εἴδωλα τὰ ἄφωνα ὡς ἂν ἤγεσθε ἀπαγόμενοι διὸ γνωρίζω ὑμῖν ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἐν πνεύματι θεοῦ λαλῶν λέγει ἀνάθεμα Ἰησοῦς καὶ...

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Explore sophia in the texts

401 passages across Homer, Hesiod, Pindar, and the New Testament contain sophia.

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