CHAPTER I

The Wisdom of Jesus, the Son of Sirach; or Ecclesiasticus

[LITERATURE.—Fritzsche, _Die Weisheit Jesus Sirachs erklärt und übersetzt_ (1859); Edersheim, in Wace, II, pp. 1-239; Ryssel, in Kautzsch, I. pp. 230-475; Schechter, _Studies in Judaism_ (Second Series), pp. 55-101 (1908); Hart, _Ecclesiasticus_ ... (1909); Oesterley, _Ecclesiasticus_, in “The Cambridge Bible” (1912); Box and Oesterley, in Charles, I, pp. 268-517.]

I. THE TITLE OF THE BOOK

“Ecclesiasticus,” the name with which we are most familiar, gives no indication as to the contents of the book; it has, however, been the title whereby the book was known in the Western Church ever since the third century. St. Jerome retained the familiar title in his Latin Version of the Bible, and it has continued in the Church ever since. On account of its manifold instruction in conduct of life it was much used in the early Church, especially in the case of catechumens; the title, therefore, of “Ecclesiasticus” was probably given to it because it was the ecclesiastical or Church book _par excellence_. What the original title was we do not know; but in most manuscripts of the Greek Version the title given is: “Wisdom of Jesus the son of Sirach”; in the Syriac Version it is: “Wisdom of Bar Sira.”[344] Both these were translations from the Hebrew, so that we shall not be far wrong in believing that the original title ran: “The Wisdom of Ben-Sira,” or, “The Wisdom of Jesus Ben-Sira.”[345] The Greek translator, in the Prologue to the book, speaks of his grandfather “Jesus” as the author. In the Talmud the book is referred to as: “The Book of Ben-Sira”; the name “Jesus” would have been omitted by the Rabbis for obvious reasons.

II. THE AUTHOR AND HIS BOOK

In the Prologue to the Greek Version the writer says that he is about to translate his grandfather’s work; in the Hebrew text the author gives his name, as we have seen; this is also given in the subscription; moreover, in the Talmud the author is given as Ben-Sira. There is, therefore, every reason to believe that the author was Ben-Sira; and this is universally acknowledged. That he wrote the whole of the book does not admit of doubt; unity of authorship is stamped upon the work throughout. Further, that the Greek translation represents substantially the author’s book which his grandson had before him is also practically certain. On the other hand, it may be doubted whether the book represents the final form which the author intended it to have; whether he was interrupted in his work, or whether he died before he was able to sift and arrange his material, a careful study of the book leaves the impression that the author left it in an incomplete state. The main reasons for this belief are three: firstly, in many parts of the book the material seems to be thrown down in a somewhat chaotic state, whereas a little obvious sifting would put things right; for example: in one section (xiv. 20-xvi. 23) the following subjects are dealt with in this order—the blessedness of seeking Wisdom which is only obtainable by those who fear God; human free-will; the curse of ungodly children; God’s righteous anger against the wicked; it is madness to imagine that one can avoid the notice of God and therefore escape judgement because a man is but an atom in a boundless creation. It is clear enough that here we have some subjects which would follow upon one another logically, only the sequence is broken by the intrusion of other subjects which belong to a different _milieu_. A similar state of affairs occurs in various parts of the book, while in many other parts, on the contrary, we have sections in which there is a perfect sequence of thought. Secondly, the same subject is treated in different parts of the book; but in a well arranged scheme one would naturally expect the different items of teaching on a given subject to be gathered together into a consistent whole; this _is_ often done in the book, so that where we find the contrary the natural supposition is that those parts in which the contrary occurs have not assumed their final shape. Examples of this are: on the curse of ungodly children, xvi. 1-5, xxii. 3-6; on lending and becoming surety, viii. 12, 13, xxix. 1-20; on friendship, vi. 5-17, vii. 18, xii. 8-18, xxii. 19-26, xxxvii. 1-6; concerning the tongue, v. 9-vi. 1, xxiii. 7-15, xxviii. 13-26; on independence, xxix. 21-28, xxxiii. 19-23; and a number of other examples could be given. Thirdly, there is inconsistency of teaching on one or two cardinal points of doctrine; this is especially so in the case of the doctrine of Sin; but as we have already dealt with this in an earlier chapter[346] it will be unnecessary to say anything further here. For these reasons, therefore, we are led to the conclusion that the book in its present form is not that which the author intended it to have finally.

Ben-Sira was not only an orthodox Jew, but he was also a scribe, and a teacher. His grandson tells us in the Prologue that his grandfather had devoted his life to the study of “the Law, the prophets, and the other books of our fathers,” and that his object in doing so was that he might, by teaching, help others to a knowledge of the Law, as well as in carrying out its precepts. Ben-Sira’s own words bear out the truth of this, for he is evidently speaking from personal experience when he says: “Leisure increaseth wisdom to the scribe” (xxxviii. 24); moreover, his very intimate knowledge of the Old Testament is just what one would expect of a scribe; this knowledge is evident on every page of his book, which is saturated with the thoughts of the Old Testament Wisdom Literature, almost the very words of which occur again and again; in the concluding chapters of his book (xliv.-l. 24) he sings the praises of all the great ones of Israel, and shows how he has his Old Testament at his fingers’ ends. Bearing in mind what is said in the Prologue, it is highly probable that Ben-Sira is referring to himself as the true scribe in writing the words in xxxviii. 24-xxxix. 3; here he passes in review various callings in life, and declares that it is not possible for men to acquire wisdom if their time is taken up in earning their livelihood by these means; in describing, then, the manner in which he “who meditates in the Law of the Most High” goes about his work Ben-Sira sets forth the mental activity of the scribe in such a way as to make it certain that he is imparting the secrets of his own practice. He says of such an one that he

Searcheth out the wisdom of all the ancients, And is occupied with the prophets of old; He heedeth the discourses of men of renown, And entereth into the deep things of parables; He searcheth out the hidden meaning of proverbs, And is conversant with the dark sayings of parables ... (xxxix. 1-3).

Obviously no true man who had given himself so whole-heartedly to the study and acquisition of holy learning would be content to keep it to himself, and so Ben-Sira gives us clearly to understand that he was a teacher earnestly desirous of imparting to others what he himself had learned of Wisdom; so he cries:

Turn in unto me, ye unlearned, And lodge in my house of instruction; How long will ye lack these things? And how long shall your soul be athirst? I open my mouth and speak of her, Acquire Wisdom for yourselves without money ... Hearken to my teaching, though ye be but few, And much silver and gold shall ye acquire thereby (li. 23-28).

The similes used by Ben-Sira regarding himself as a successor to teachers of Wisdom who had gone before are interesting as showing that he claimed to be a link, though a humble one, in the great chain of Israel’s inspired writers. He says, for example, in one place:

And as for me, I was as a stream from the river, And I came forth as a conduit into a garden; I said: “I will water my garden, I will abundantly water my garden beds”; And lo, my stream became a river, And my river became a sea ... Yet again will I pour forth doctrine as prophecy, And leave it for eternal generations. Look ye (and see) that I have not laboured for myself only, But for all those that diligently seek her (xxiv. 30-34).

In another passage he says:

I, indeed, came last of all, As one that gleaneth after the grape-gatherers; I advanced by the blessing of God, And filled my wine-press as a grape-gatherer. Consider that not for myself alone have I laboured, But for all that seek Wisdom (xxxiii. 16-18).

And once again:

Yet again will I fix my thoughts and make my doctrine to shine forth, As the full moon on the twelfth day. Hearken unto me, ye pious ... (xxxix. 12 ff.).

All these passages show that Ben-Sira reckoned himself as following in the line—though the last in the succession—of the wise men such as the writers of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, and that therefore his claim to be a teacher in Israel was justified. While quoting freely from the Old Testament writers, and thereby acknowledging his indebtedness to them, he often expands a quotation, especially from Proverbs, thus making the proverb into a little essay; so that although he does not show great originality of thought, he nevertheless has his own ideas which he sets forth in his own way.

Some further details concerning the author may be gathered from his book; if, as seems reasonable, the words of xxxix. 1-3, quoted above, are taken as referring to the writer himself, then the same must be said of the words which follow in the text, viz.:

Who serveth among great men, And appeareth before princes; Who travelleth through the lands of the peoples, And testeth good and evil among men (xxxix. 4);

from these words we may gather that Ben-Sira had at one time been in the service of some influential person, and that he had spent some time in travel; of that he speaks more than once, for he says in