According to Catholicism, who is the Wisdom being described in Proverbs 8:22–36? Proverbs 8:22–36 states the following:


  22 “The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works,before his deeds of old;
  
  23 I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
  
  24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth, when there were no springs overflowing with water; 
  
  25 before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, 
  
  26 before he made the world or its fields or any of the dust of the earth. 
  
  27 I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, 
  
  28 when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, 
  
  29 when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. 
  
  30 Then I was constantly at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence,
  
  31 rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind.
  
  32 “Now then, my children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways. 
  
  33 Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it. 
  
  34 Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. 
  
  35 For those who find me find life and receive favor from the LORD. 
  
  36 But those who fail to find me harm themselves; all who hate me love death.”


My question is, who is the Wisdom described here? It seems that God created this being and it was present with Him before creation time began?

I'm looking for a Catholic perspective.
Catholic theologians have consistently identified &quot;Wisdom&quot; in Proverbs 8 as the Christ.  For example, we find a recent example in the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible:

The personification of Wisdom in the OT prepares for the revelation of the Trinity in the NT.  In particular, this theme reaches its full development when Jesus is revealed as the eternal Son of God.  Not only is Christ the incarnation of God's wisdom (1 Cor 1:24), but he was present with God before the foundation of the world. (commentary on 8:22–31)

And again:

The passage is a prophecy of the Incarnation, meaning the Lord Jesus was created of the Virgin for the purpose of redeeming the works of the Father.  Thus, the flesh of Christ is for the sake of created things, yet his divinity existed before them. (commentary on 8:22)

This understanding goes back to the early church.  Justin Martyr connects Wisdom in Proverbs 8:22–24 to Christ in his Dialogue with Trypho, 129, and the Apostolic Constitutions connects the creation of wisdom with the incarnation of Christ:

Thou hast also appointed festivals for the rejoicing of our souls, that we might come into the remembrance of that wisdom which was created by Thee; how He submitted to be made of a woman on our account (7.2.36)

Ambrose is pretty unequivocal:

Hereby we are brought to understand that the prophecy of the Incarnation, The Lord created me the beginning of His ways for His works, (Proverbs 8:22) means that the Lord Jesus was created of the Virgin for the redeeming of the Father's works. Truly, we cannot doubt that this is spoken of the mystery of the Incarnation. (Exposition of the Christian Faith, 3.7.46)

This text was a key battleground in the Arian controversy, so we find Athanasius repeatedly making the connection between Wisdom and Christ:

For nothing new was created in woman, save the Lord's body, born of the Virgin Mary without intercourse, as also it says in the Proverbs in the person of Jesus: 'The Lord created me, a beginning of His ways for His works' (Proverbs 8:22). (Statement of Faith 3.4)

Bede writes in his commentary on Proverbs:

In another translation, this passage begins, &quot;The Lord created me at the beginning of his ways in his works.&quot; The fathers understand this saying to be about the Lord's incarnation. (1.8.22–30 (Latin only))

We can also point to the implicit connection made between Proverbs 8 and Christ in Aquinas, Summa, First Part, 46.1.
Returning to the 20th century, we find a helpful collection/summary of this tradition in Haydock's commentary:

Some explain this [Proverbs 8:1] of the light which is communicated to men; but the Fathers apply it to Jesus Christ, some of the expressions regarding his divinity, and others his human nature. [...]
As Christ was with God, equal to him in eternity.  Jo. i.  Sept. &quot;created,&quot; which many of the Fathers explain of the word incarnate, (see Corn. a Lapide.  Bossuet) or he hath &quot;placed me,&quot; (S. Athan. iii. con. Arian.  Euseb.) a pattern of all virtues. [...]
Wisdom, or Jesus Christ, is our salvation, happiness, and life. (Commentary on Proverbs 8)

Thus we see that, in addition to other ancient and modern thinkers, some of the most respected theologians in Catholicism (Ambrose, Athanasius, Bede, and Aquinas are all Doctors of the Church), considered &quot;Wisdom&quot; of Proverbs 8:22ff. as referring to Christ.