P. Derek Overfield PhD Thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText

The essential feature of these passages, according to
Feuillet, is that in them both a contrast and a
parallelism is made between personified Wisdom and
her activity in time and space.
The Sapiential
character of Col 1:15-20, furthermore, is borne out
by the fact that parallels exist between the thought,
and in some cases the language, of Wisdom and this
119
hymnic passage. Secondly, turning to Col 2:2f
Feuillet notes that these two verses contain ideas that
are well-known in Wisdom literature, namely
ta., yvuxn"
and &'?toxpuq>O(;
The third part of the argument is concerned wit~
Eph 3:18 and the four 'dimensions'.
Feuillet admits
that this use of the concepts is often seen as a Greek
philosophical idea which Paul has borrowed, but,
against this, suggests that Job 9:8f and Sir 1:3
provide a source which is equally acceptable and,
since Wisdom, though active among men, is transcendent,
a description which is exactly paralleled by Christ,
these writings are the only ones acceptable as a
possible source.
. . .. d b S h' 120
A slffillar suggest10n 1S rna e y c we1zer
when he argues that Pleroma was originally understood
in terms of the world-soul of Hellenistic thought and
so for the Christian community it came to be applied
to the God who pervades the whole universe.
The same
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