The Book of Sirach (), also known as The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach, The Wisdom of Jesus son of Eleazar,New Living Translation Catholic Edition or Ecclesiasticus (), is a Jewish literary work originally written in Biblical Hebrew. The longest extant wisdom book from antiquity, it consists of ethical teachings, written by Yeshua ben Eleazar ben Sira (Ben Sira), a Hellenistic Jewish scribe of the Second Temple period.
The text was written sometime between 196 and 175 BCE, and Ben Sira's grandson translated the text into Koine Greek and added a prologue sometime around 117 BCE. The prologue is generally considered to be the earliest witness to a tripartite canon of the books of the Hebrew Bible. The fact that the text and its prologue can be so precisely dated has profound implications for the development of the Hebrew Bible canon.
Although the Book of Sirach is not included in the Hebrew Bible, and therefore not considered scripture in Judaism, it is included in the Septuagint and the Old Testament of the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, and the Assyrian Church of the East. In the Protestant traditions, historically, and still in continuation today in Lutheranism and Anglicanism, the Book of Sirach is an intertestamental text found in the Apocrypha, though it is regarded as noncanonical.
Authorship
Yeshua ben Eleazar ben Sira (Ben Sira, or—according to the Greek text—"Joshua the son of Sirach of Jerusalem") was a Hellenistic Jewish scribe of the Second Temple period. He wrote the Book of Sirach in Biblical Hebrew around 180 BCE. Among all Hebrew biblical and apocryphal writers, Ben Sira is unique in that he is the only one to have signed his work.
Sirach is the Greek form of the family name Sira, which in Aramaic likely means "thorn," probably related to the Hebrew word sirim, "thorns." The Greek form adds the letter Chi, an addition comparable to that found in Akeldama(ch) in Acts 1:19. This transliteration possibly serves as a sign that the name is indeclinable in Greek.
Date and historical setting The Book of Sirach is generally dated to the first quarter of the 2nd century BCE. The text refers in the past tense to "the high priest, Simon son of Onias" in Sirach 50:1. This passage almost certainly refers to Simon the High Priest, the son of Onias II, who died in 196 BCE. Because the struggles between Simon's successors (Onias III, Jason, and Menelaus) are not alluded to in the book, nor is the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes (who acceded to the throne in 175 BCE), the book must therefore have been written between 196 and 175 BCE.
Translation into Koine Greek The person who translated the Book of Sirach into Koine Greek states in his prologue that he was the grandson of the author, and that he came to Egypt (most likely Alexandria) in the thirty-eighth year of the reign of "Euergetes". This epithet was borne by only two of the Ptolemaic kings. Of these, Ptolemy III Euergetes reigned only twenty-five years (247–222 BCE), and thus Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II must be intended. Since this king dated his reign from the date of his first ascension to the throne in the year 170 BCE, the translator must therefore have gone to Egypt in 132 BCE. Ben Sira's grandson completed his translation and added the prologue circa 117 BCE, around the time of the death of Ptolemy VIII. At that time, the usurping Hasmonean dynasty had ousted the heirs of Simon II after long struggles and was finally in control of the High Priesthood. A comparison of the Hebrew and Greek versions shows that he altered the prayer for Simon and broadened its application ("may He entrust to his mercy") to avoid closing a work praising God's covenanted faithfulness on an unanswered prayer.
The Greek version of the Book of Sirach is found in many codices of the Septuagint.Stone, Michael E., ed. (1984). Jewish Writings of the Second Temple Period: Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Qumran, sectarian writings, Philo, Josephus. Van Gorcum, Assen, Netherlands, p. 290,
Alternative titles The Koine Greek translation was accepted in the Septuagint under the abbreviated name of the author: (). Some Greek manuscripts give as the title the "Wisdom of Son of " or in short the "Wisdom of ". The Vetus Latina Bible was based on the Septuagint, and simply transliterated the Greek title into Latin letters: . In the Latin Vulgate, the book is called ("The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach").
The Greek Church Fathers also called it the "All-Virtuous Wisdom", while the Latin Church Fathers, beginning with Cyprian,Testimonia, ii. 1; iii. 1, 35, 51, 95, et passim termed it Ecclesiasticus because it was frequently read in churches, leading the Latin Church Fathers to call it ("Church Book"). Similarly, the New Latin Vulgate and many modern English translations of the Apocrypha use the title Ecclesiasticus, literally "of the Church" because of its frequent use in Christian teaching and worship.
Structure As with other wisdom books, there is no easily recognizable structure in Sirach; in many parts it is difficult to discover a logical progression of thought or to discern the principles of arrangement. However, a series of six poems about the search for and attainment of wisdom (1:1–10, 4:11–19; 6:18–37; 14:20–15:10; 24:1–33; and 38:24–39:11) divide the book into something resembling chapters, although the divisions are not thematically based. The exceptions are the first two chapters, whose reflections on wisdom and fear of God provide the theological framework for what follows, and the last nine chapters, which function as a sort of climax, first in an extended praise of God's glory as manifested through creation (42:15–43:33) and second in the celebration of the heroes of ancient Israel's history dating back to before the Great Flood through contemporary times (see previous section).
Despite the lack of structure, there are certain themes running through the book which reappear at various points. The New Oxford Annotated Apocrypha identifies ten major recurring topics: The Creation: 16:24–17:24; 18:1–14; 33:7–15; 39:12–35; and 42:15–43:33 Death: 11:26–28; 22:11–12; 38:16–23; and 41:1–13 Friendship: 6:5–17; 9:10–16; 19:13–17; 22:19–26; 27:16–21; and 36:23–37:15 Happiness: 25:1–11; 30:14–25; and 40:1–30 Honor and shame: 4:20–6:4; 10:19–11:6; and 41:14–42:8 Money matters: 3:30–4:10; 11:7–28; 13:1–14:19; 29:1–28; and 31:1–11 Sin: 7:1–17; 15:11–20; 16:1–17:32; 18:30–19:3; 21:1–10; 22:27–23:27; and 26:28–28:7 Social justice: 4:1–10; 34:21–27; and 35:14–26 Speech: 5:6, 9–15; 18:15–29; 19:4–17; 20:1–31; 23:7–15; 27:4–7, 11–15; and 28:8–26 Women: 9:1–9; 23:22–27; 25:13–26:27; 36:26–31; and 42:9–14.
Some scholars contend that verse 50:1 seems to have formed the original ending of the text, and that Chapters 50 (from verse 2) and 51 are later interpolations.Mulder, p. 11. However, other scholars take the position that the Book of Sirach started with chapters 1–23 and 51, with the intermediate sections being inserted thereafter. Mulder, pp. 30–31.
Content
The Book of Sirach is a collection of ethical teachings that closely resembles Proverbs, except that—unlike the latter—it is presented as the work of a single author and not as an anthology of maxims or aphorisms drawn from various sources. The teachings of the Book of Sirach are intended to apply to all people regardless of circumstances, although commentator Verna Holyhead suggests that Sirach can be read as "a collection of wisdom for the "middle classes".Holyhead, V. (2006), Welcoming the Word in Year C: With Burning Hearts, p. 164, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota Many of its teachings are rules of courtesy and politeness, and they contain advice and instruction as to the duties of man toward himself and others, especially the poor and the oppressed, as well as toward society and the state and, most of all, toward God. Wisdom, in Ben Sira's view, is synonymous with fear of God and sometimes is identified in the text with adherence to the Law of Moses. The question of which sayings originated with the Book of Sirach is open to debate, although scholars tend to regard Ben Sira as a compiler or anthologist.
By contrast, the author exhibits little compassion for women and slaves. He advocates distrust of and possessiveness over women,See, e.g., Sirach 42:12–14, especially v. 14a ("Better the wickedness of a man than the goodness of a woman."); Sirach 22:3 ("A father is disgraced by producing an ignorant son, But a daughter is born to his loss."). For these translations, see . The Book of Sirach also has some neutral and positive remarks about women, e.g., 7:27; 36:24–25. and the harsh treatment of slaves (which presupposes the validity of slavery as an institution),See: Sirach 33:24–28 ("Fodder and a stick and burdens for an ass; bread and discipline and work for a servant. Set your slave to work, and you will find rest; leave his hands idle, and he will seek liberty. Yoke and thong will bow the neck, and for a wicked servant there are racks and tortures ... Set him to work, as is fitting for him, and if he does not obey, make his fetters heavy."). But see: Sirach 33:30–31 ("If you have a servant, let him be as yourself, because you have bought him with blood. If you have a servant, treat him as a brother, for as your own soul you will need him.") positions which are not only difficult for modern readers, but cannot be completely reconciled with the social milieu at the time of its composition.
The Book of Sirach contains the only instance in a biblical text of explicit praise for physicians, though other biblical passages take for granted that medical treatment should be used when necessary. This is a direct challenge against the idea that illness and disease were seen as penalties for sin, to be cured only by repentance.Snaith, John G. (1974), Ecclesiasticus, or the Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach, The Cambridge Bible Commentary on the New English Bible, Cambridge University Press
As in Ecclesiastes, the author exhibits two opposing tendencies: the faith and the morality of earlier times and an Epicureanism of modern date. Occasionally, Ben Sira digresses to attack theories that he considers dangerous; for example, that man has no freedom of will and that God is indifferent to the actions of humankind and does not reward virtue. Some of the refutations of these views are developed at considerable length.
Throughout the text runs the prayer of Israel imploring God to gather together his scattered children, to fulfill the Prophets' predictions, and to have mercy upon his Temple and his people. The book concludes with a justification of God, whose wisdom and greatness are said to be revealed in all God's works and in the history of Israel. The book ends with the author's attestation, followed by two hymns, the latter a sort of alphabetical acrostic.