Wisdom in the writings after Jesus
If you go on to the books written after Jesus as well, you would find that the crowds of believers hear the parables as those who are outside (Mark 4:11) and worthy only of the outward teachings, while the disciples learn privately the explanations of the parables. For Jesus “privately explained everything to his own disciples” (Mark 4:34), honouring above the crowds those who laid claim to his wisdom. He promises to those who believe in him that he will send “wise men and scribes,” saying: “See, I will send you wise men and scribes, and some of them they will kill and crucify” (Matthew 23:34).
Paul too, in his list of the gifts given by God, placed first the word of wisdom; second, as ranking below it, the word of knowledge; and third, lower still, faith (1 Corinthians 12:8–9). And because he valued the word above miraculous workings, he therefore sets “workings of powers” and “gifts of healings” in a lower place than the gifts of the word (1 Corinthians 12:9–10).
Stephen, in the Acts of the Apostles, bears witness to the wide learning of Moses, no doubt taking this from ancient writings that had not reached many; for he says: “And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7:22). For this reason it was also suspected that he might be working his wonders not, as he professed, because he had come from God, but by the learning of the Egyptians, in which he was wise. For it was because he suspected something of this kind about him that the king called the enchanters of the Egyptians, and the wise men, and the sorcerers (Exodus 7:11); and they were proved to be nothing compared with the wisdom in Moses, which surpassed all the wisdom of the Egyptians.
Greek
Ἐὰν δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ μετὰ τὸν Ἰησοῦν γεγραμμένα ἔλθῃς βιβλία, εὕροις ἂν τοὺς μὲν ὄχλους τῶν πιστευόντων τῶν παραβολῶν ἀκούοντας ὡς ἔξω τυγχάνοντας καὶ ἀξίους μόνον τῶν ἐξωτερικῶν λόγων. τοὺς δὲ μαθητὰς κατ᾿ ἰδίαν τῶν παραβολῶν μανθάνοντας τὰς διηγήσεις· „κατ᾿ ἰδίαν“ γὰρ „τοῖς ἰδίοις μαθηταῖς ἐπέλυεν ἅπαντα“ ὁ Ἰησοῦς. προτιμῶν παρὰ τοὺς ὄχλους τοὺς τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ ἐπιδικαζομένους. ἐπαγγέλλεται δὲ τοῖς εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύουσι πέμψαι „σοφοὺς καὶ γραμματεῖς“ λέγων· „ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστελῶ εἰς ὑμᾶς σοφοὺς καὶ γραμματεῖς, καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀποκτενοῦσι καὶ σταυρώσουσι.“ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δ᾿ ἐν τῷ καταλόγῳ τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ διδομένων χαρισμάτων πρῶτον ἔταξε τὸν λόγον τῆς σοφίας καὶ δεύτερον, ὡς ὑποβεβηκότα παρ᾿ ἐκεῖνον, τὸν λόγον τῆς γνώσεως τρίτον δέ που καὶ κατωτέρω τὴν πίστιν. καὶ ἐπεὶ τὸν λόγον προετίμα τῶν τεραστίων ἐνεργειῶν, διὰ τοῦτ᾿ „ἐνεργήματα δυνάμεων“ καὶ „χαρίσματα ἰαμάτων“ ἐν τῇ κατωτέρω τίθησι χώρᾳ παρὰ τὰ λογικὰ χαρίσματα. μαρτυρεῖ δὲ τῇ Μωϋσέως πολυμαθείᾳ ὁ ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι τῶν ἀποστόλων Στέφανος, πάντως ἀπὸ τῶν παλαιῶν καὶ μὴ εἰς πολλοὺς ἐφθακότων γραμμάτων λαβών· φησὶ γάρ· „καὶ ἐπαιδεύθη Μωϋσῆς ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ Αἰγυπτίων.“ διὰ τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐν τοῖς τεραστίοις ὑπενοεῖτο, μή ποτ᾿ οὐ κατὰ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ θεόθεν ἥκειν ἐποίει αὐτὰ ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὰ Αἰγυπτίων μαθήματα, σοφὸς ὢν ἐν αὐτοῖς. τοιαῦτα γὰρ ὑπονοῶν περὶ αὐτοῦ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκάλεσε τοὺς ἐπαοιδοὺς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων καὶ τοὺς σοφιστὰς καὶ τοὺς φαρμακεῖς, οἵτινες ἠλέγχθησαν τὸ οὐδὲν ὄντες ὡς πρὸς τὴν ἐν Μωϋσεῖ σοφίαν ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν Αἰγυπτίων σοφίαν.