Wisdom as a female deity
During the Hellenistic period between Nehemiah and the NT, reams of documents were written that both the Jews and the Christians eventually rejected from their canons. The material was a confused mish-mash of Judaism mixed with Greek religion. A prominent figure in the Hellenistic period was "Wisdom" ("Sophia" as transliterated from the Greek).
Sophia was a female deity introduced to the Jews during the Hellenistic period. It was through Her that the world was created. It was through Her that mankind was created. Sophia was the Mother of us all.
There was a lot of "Wisdom literature" that accompanied the OT scripture in those days. Many of the documents falsely claimed authorship by historic OT figures. Solomon, in particular, was an OT figure that the Greeks loved, due to his reputation for being wise.
Most of the references to Sophia have been stripped from the canon, but there are a few exceptions. The book of Proverbs, which claims to be a work of Solomon, has sections in it that mention Sophia. If one reads Proverbs with a critical eye, one can see that the book is a compilation from several authors with different literary styles. Someone other than Solomon must have inserted this passage right up there in chapter one:
Wisdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square;
At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings:
"How long, O naive ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge?
"Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.
"Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;
And you neglected all my counsel And did not want my reproof;
I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes,
When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you.
"Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me,
Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD. (Pro 1:20-29 NAU)
This and other passages in Proverbs have been called out by many over the years to be removed from the book. But the stubborn insist that God was there when the canon was established. Since I do not believe in inerrancy, I can accept this insertion as coming during the Hellenistic period.
For here you can clearly see the influences of Greek thought. The Greeks believed that salvation was to be obtained through gaining knowledge. (Gnosticism is what happens when you mix Greek faith with Judaeo-Christian faith. "Knowledge" is the means of salvation.)
My insertion of this post sets the background for my analysis of the first century authors. But here is a teaser: note that Sophia in this passage is the One who pours out Her Spirit on mankind.