Does Wisdom 8:19-20 teach the pre-existence of the soul?
Robert Sungenis answers no: Wisdom 8:19 to 20 has traditionally been read as a prophecy of Christ, speaking in metaphor of the Son and the Father in eternity. He connects it to John 1:1, where the Word, the logos, expresses the eternal communication within the Trinity, and holds that the passage does not teach that human souls exist before their bodies.
A viewer notes that some claim Wisdom 8:19-20 teaches a pre-existence of the soul and asks for the proper Catholic interpretation.
Answer
Wisdom 8 says, as a child I was by nature well endowed, and a good soul fell to my lot, or rather, being good, I entered an undefiled body. Traditionally we have understood Wisdom chapter 8 to be speaking of Christ in prophecy, describing in metaphor how you would speak of Christ and the Father in eternity, where time is not a factor and you are just dealing with ideas. It connects to passages like John 1:1, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Greek word there is logos, which depending on context can mean word, wisdom, an idea, or a matter. Why call it Word? Because a word communicates, and when you communicate in the optimal sense you are exchanging wisdom. If you have a Trinity, you have communication, word being exchanged for eternity, three persons who each formulate the way they want to communicate with the others, all of the same substance. That is the idea Wisdom 8 is giving; it is speaking of that eternal communication, not teaching that human souls pre-existed their bodies.