The Wisdom of God: From Sirach to the Theotokos
Divine Wisdom finds a home—what the Virgin Mary's obedience teaches us about receiving God's grace
The Orthodox Church begins one of four fasts today, the Dormition Fast. This is a season where the Church calls us to turn our hearts and minds toward God, seeking to align ourselves through prayer, fasting, and repentance with God’s will and our duties to Him and our neighbors. This holy season calls us to introspection, to confront the shadows within—our misplaced pride, our dragons, our sins—and to cast them out through repentance. Yet repentance is not merely a turning away; it is a turning toward something greater, something eternal: the Wisdom of God.
For us, Wisdom finds its fullest expression in the teachings of Scripture, in the incarnate Son of God, and in the life of the Theotokos, Mary, the Mother of God. Today, we will explore the Virgin Mary, in light of the Wisdom of Sirach, as “the house that Wisdom built,” the living embodiment of Wisdom.
Wisdom Poured Out: The Teachings of Sirach
The Scriptures, as we know, are “God-breathed and profitable” for our “instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). Among the diverse genres within the Bible, the Wisdom literature stands as a beacon for practical and spiritual guidance. Books like Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job, Tobit, and notably the Wisdom of Solomon and the Wisdom of Sirach offer us insights into living virtuously in a complex world.
The book known as Wisdom of Sirach, or Ecclesiasticus, is a treasure of the Orthodox Old Testament. Sirach, penned by Jesus ben Sirach around 190 BC in Jerusalem, is a collection of ethical teachings and practical wisdom. Translated into Greek by his grandson around 132 BC in Egypt, it became widely read among Jewish believers and was embraced by the early Christian Church as part of the biblical canon. Spanning 51 chapters, Sirach masterfully blends theological depth with everyday advice, covering themes like friendship, humility, the dangers of idolatry, the power of words, and the pursuit of wisdom.
For some of the early Church Fathers, this book was a cornerstone of catechesis, often used to teach virtue and right living to catechumens preparing for baptism. Consider the opening of Sirach, where the author marvels at the vastness of God’s creation and the primacy of Wisdom:
“All wisdom comes from the Lord and is with him for ever. The sand of the sea, the drops of rain, and the days of eternity—who can count them? The height of heaven, the breadth of the earth, the abyss, and wisdom—who can search them out? Wisdom was created before all things, and prudent understanding from eternity…. The Lord himself created wisdom; he saw her and apportioned her, he poured her out upon all his works… and he supplied her to those who love him.” (Sirach 1:1-4, 9)
Here, Wisdom is not merely an abstract concept but a divine gift, poured out upon creation and accessible to those who seek God with love. Yet, Sirach reminds us that acquiring Wisdom requires effort and humility.
As he urges in the closing chapter:
“Why do you say you are lacking in these things, and why are your souls very thirsty?... Put your neck under the yoke and let your souls receive instruction; it is to be found close by…. May your soul rejoice in his mercy, and may you not be put to shame when you praise him. Do your work before the appointed time, and in God’s time he will give you your reward.” (Sirach 51:24-27, 29-30)
Wisdom is free, yet it demands our active participation—our willingness to bear the yoke of discipline and to labor in faith. For us as Orthodox Christians, this call to seek Wisdom resonates deeply during the Dormition Fast, a time of spiritual renewal and reflection.
Wisdom Incarnate: The Theotokos as the Dwelling of God
In Sirach, God’s Wisdom is both universal and particular—transcending boundaries and embedded in creation itself—we find its ultimate fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ, the Logos, the incarnate Word of God. Christ is Wisdom itself, and through His mother, Mary, this Wisdom found a human dwelling place.
In the Orthodox tradition, we honor Mary as the Theotokos, the God-bearer, and as the living Ark of the presence of God. Just as the Old Testament Ark contained the Tablets of the Law, Mary’s womb held the incarnate Word, the fulfillment of all divine promises. The Dormition Fast draws our gaze to Mary’s life of humility and submission, through which she became the vessel of God’s Wisdom. Her faithfulness and holy life made possible the Incarnation, uniting her with the work of the Holy Trinity in time and salvation.
As we sing in the Paraklesis:
Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Do not neglect those who seek the help you grant.
They hymn you, O Virgin Maiden,
and they do exalt you throughout the many ages.Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
O Virgin, you pour a wealth of healing
on those who faithfully hymn you,
and those who exalt your childbearing wonder.
(Ode 8)
Scripture and hymnody alike affirm Mary’s role as the house of Wisdom. In Proverbs 9:1, read during the Vespers of the Dormition, we hear, “Wisdom has built her house.” What is this house that Wisdom has built? Mary, through her obedience, became this house, the holy vessel for God’s presence in the world. She embodies the history of the Jewish people—their struggles, covenants, and faithfulness—standing as both the culmination of the Old Testament and the dawn of the New through the Incarnation.
Our hymns capture this beautifully, as in the Mid-Pentecost Matins:
Your womb, O Mother of God,
has become the holy table on which Christ our God,
the heavenly bread, has rested.
Whoever eats of it will not die,
according to the promise of the Lord,
who fills the whole universe.
(Canon, Ode 5, Troparion)
And again, from the Matins for the Wednesday of the third week of Lent:
The Wisdom of God has built its house in you,
O Virgin, and became incarnate in its mysterious descent.
From among all generations
you were the pure Elect One
to become the dwelling-place of the pure Word.
(Canon, Ode 8, Troparion)
Check out this six minute teaching video, which further explores this topic:
A Second Pascha: The Dormition and the Promise of Resurrection
The Dormition of the Theotokos is sometimes called a “second Pascha,” because it is a passage from death to life, mirroring Christ’s own resurrection. Our Lord’s words in John 5:24 echo this hope: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” Just as Christ did not abandon His mother, raising her bodily into the heavenly kingdom at the end of her earthly life, so too will He not forsake us.
Just as Christ did not abandon His mother, raising her bodily into the heavenly kingdom at the end of her earthly life, so too will He not forsake us.
We celebrate the Dormition quietly and reverently, distinct from the triumphant proclamation of Pascha, yet with the same unshakable certainty that Christ will come for us on the last day, uniting us bodily with Him in eternal Wisdom. We venerate Mary not merely for her role as Christ’s mother, but for her perfect obedience to God’s will, for keeping His word in her heart, and for bearing fruit in sanctity. Her life inspires us to hope that we, too, will one day be enveloped in divine Wisdom.
As one Kontakion proclaims:
Neither the tomb, nor death,
could hold the Theotokos,
who is constant in prayer
and our firm hope in her intercessions.For being the Mother of life,
she was translated to life
by the one who dwelt in her virginal womb!(Tone 2)
Living in Wisdom: A Call to Action
As we honor the Theotokos during this fast, let us also heed the call of Sirach to seek Wisdom actively. Both Sirach and the holy Virgin Mary teach us that Wisdom is not a passive gift but a dynamic reality that requires our participation—through prayer, repentance, obedience, and love. The Wisdom of God, poured out upon creation and incarnate in Christ, finds its dwelling in Mary and, through her intercessions, in us.
By God’s grace, we too can become vessels of this divine Wisdom, laboring under the yoke of faith until God grants us our reward in His time. The season of the Dormition has been given to us for our benefit, that we may turn our hearts toward the things of God, confronting our inner shadows and embracing the light of Wisdom.
Let us hymn the Theotokos, our firm hope, and trust that through her prayers and Christ’s boundless mercy, we too will pass from death to life, united eternally with the Wisdom of God.
Soon we will explore Wisdom of Sirach on the “Bad” Books of the Bible Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio. Be sure to subscribe on your podcast platform of choice, or through the AFR app.
You may also be interested in the following 40 minute introduction to Wisdom of Sirach, presented at Saint Mark Greek Orthodox Church in Boca Raton, Florida last year, or in our reading plan for exploring Sirach during the Dormition Fast: