The latter part of the Christian Church’s season of Advent takes in the period 17th – 23rd December and features some beautiful poetry in the form of the seven great ‘O Antiphons’ – chants that were used in evening prayer.
The ‘O’ represents a cry to God and then the antiphon addresses him by one of the titles that early scripture had suggested for the expected Messiah, the Christ who was to bring light and life to the waiting world.
The sequence begins on 17th December with ‘O Sapientia’, or ‘O Wisdom’
O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.
O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from one end to the other mightily, and sweetly ordering all things: Come and teach us the way of prudence.
Here Christ the Saviour is addressed as a figure of Wisdom, referring to the Apocryphal text Wisdom of Solomon:
‘Wisdom reacheth from one end to another mightily: and sweetly doth she order all things.’ (Wisdom of Solomon 8:1)
In the Old Testament book of the prophet Isaiah we get another reference:
‘He is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom.’ (Isaiah 28:29)
‘Wisdom’ stands for the order, beauty and source from which all things come from the beginning and which many call ‘God.’ In another sacred text come the words, ‘He created me from the beginning before the world, and I shall never fail.’ (Ecclesiasticus 24:9)
