Просмотр кода страницы Английская Википедия:Book of Sirach

{{Английская Википедия/Панель перехода}}
{{Short description|Deuterocanonical book (200 – 175 BCE)}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Ecclesiasticus|Ecclesiastes}}
{{for multi|the medieval text|Alphabet of Sirach|the scholar|Ben Sira}}
{{Tanakh OT|deutero}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}

The '''Book of Sirach''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|aɪ|r|æ|k}}, {{Lang-he|ספר בן-סירא|translit=Sēper ben-Sîrāʾ}}), also known as '''The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach'''<ref name=JE1905>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Sirach, The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of|encyclopedia=[[The Jewish Encyclopedia]]|editor-last=Singer|editor-first=Isidore|editor-link=Isidore Singer|volume=11|pages=388–397|publisher=Funk & Wagnalls|location=New York|year=1905|url=https://archive.org/details/jewishencyclopedia11sing/page/388/mode/2up}}</ref> or '''Ecclesiasticus''' ({{IPAc-en|ɪ|ˌ|k|l|iː|z|i|ˈ|æ|s|t|ɪ|k|ə|s}}, and abbreviated '''Ecclus.''')<ref name=Gigot1913>{{cite book|last=Gigot|first=Francis Ernest Charles|author-link=Francis Gigot|title=The Catholic Encyclopedia|edition=2|volume=V|chapter=Ecclesiasticus|pages=263–269|publisher=The Encyclopedia Press, Inc.|location=New York|year=1913|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/catholicencyclo04commgoog/page/262/mode/2up}}</ref> is a Jewish work, originally written in [[Biblical Hebrew]]. The longest extant [[Wisdom literature|wisdom book]] from antiquity,<ref name=JE1905/><ref name=NRSV2010>{{cite book|editor-last=Coogan|editor-first=Michael D.|editor-link=Michael Coogan|title=The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version|edition=4|chapter=Ecclesiasticus, or the Wisdom of Jesus, Son of Sirach|pages=1457–1528|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York|year=2010|isbn=978-0195289602|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/the-new-oxford-annotated-bible-with-apocrypha-new-revised-standard-version-2018/page/1457/mode/2up|chapter-url-access=registration}}</ref> it consists of ethical teachings, written approximately between 196 and 175 BCE by [[Ben Sira|Yeshua ben Eleazar ben Sira]] (Ben Sira), a [[Hellenistic Judaism|Hellenistic Jewish]] scribe of the [[Second Temple period]].<ref name=JE1905/><ref name=Williams1994>{{cite journal|last=Williams|first=David Salter|title=The Date of Ecclesiasticus|journal=[[Vetus Testamentum]]|volume=44|issue=4|pages=563–566|year=1994|doi=10.1163/156853394X00565|jstor=1535116|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1535116}}</ref>

Ben Sira's grandson translated the text into [[Koine Greek]] and added a prologue sometime around 117 BCE.<ref name=NRSV2010/> Although the Book of Sirach is not included in the [[Hebrew Bible]], this prologue is generally considered to be the earliest witness to a [[Development of the Hebrew Bible canon|tripartite canon]] of the books of the [[Old Testament]],<ref name=Gallagher2017>{{cite book|last1=Gallagher|first1=Edmon L.|author-link1=Edmon L. Gallagher|last2=Meade|first2=John D.|title=The Biblical Canon Lists from Early Christianity|pages=9–17|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|year=2017|isbn=978-0198792499|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fpg4DwAAQBAJ}}</ref> and thus the date of the text is the subject of intense scrutiny by [[Biblical studies|biblical scholars]]. The ability to precisely date the composition of Sirach within a few years provides great insight into the historical [[Development of the Hebrew Bible canon|development and evolution of the Jewish canon]].

==Authorship==
{{main article|Ben Sira}}
[[File:Fugger Ehrenbuch 001.jpg|thumb|Illustration of Joshua Sirach in ''Das Geheime Ehrenbuch der Fugger'' by [[Jörg Breu the Younger]], 1545–1549]]
[[Ben Sira|Yeshua ben Eleazar ben Sira]] (Ben Sira, or — according to the Greek text — "Jesus the son of Sirach of Jerusalem") was a [[Hellenistic Judaism|Hellenistic Jewish]] scribe of the [[Second Temple period]]. He wrote the Book of Sirach in [[Biblical Hebrew]] around 180 BCE.<ref name=NRSV2010/> Among all Old Testament and [[Biblical apocrypha|apocryphal]] writers, Ben Sira is unique in that he is the only one to have claimed authorship of his work.<ref name=JE1905/>

===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" (chapter {{bibleverse-nb|Sirach|50:1|NRSV}}). This passage almost certainly refers to [[Simon II (High Priest)|Simon the High Priest]], the son of [[Onias II]], who died in 196 BCE. Because the struggles between Simon's successors ([[Onias III]], [[Jason (High Priest)|Jason]], and [[Menelaus (High Priest)|Menelaus]]) are not alluded to in the book, nor is [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucid]] king [[Antiochus IV Epiphanes]], the book must therefore have been written between 196 and 175 BCE.<ref name=Williams1994/>

===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]]".<ref name=NRSV2010/> This epithet was borne by only two of the [[Ptolemaic dynasty|Ptolemaic kings]]. Of these, [[Ptolemy III Euergetes]] reigned only twenty-five years (247–222 BCE), and thus [[Ptolemy VIII Physcon|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.<ref name=NRSV2010/> At that time, the usurping [[Hasmonean dynasty]] had ousted the heirs of [[Simon II (High Priest)|Simon II]] after long struggles and was finally in control of the [[High Priest of Israel|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 {{em|us}} his mercy") to avoid closing a work praising God's covenanted faithfulness on an unanswered prayer.<ref name=Guillaume>{{cite journal|last=Guillaume|first=Philippe|year=2004|url=http://www.jhsonline.org/Articles/article_39.pdf|title=New Light on the Nebiim from Alexandria: A Chronography to Replace the Deuteronomistic History|journal=[[Journal of Hebrew Scriptures]]|number=5: Section: 3. The Date of Ben Sira|access-date=6 January 2015|archive-date=11 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211011523/http://www.jhsonline.org/Articles/article_39.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Greek version of the Book of Sirach is found in many codices of the [[Septuagint]].<ref name=Stone>Stone, Michael E., ed. (1984). ''Jewish Writings of the Second Temple Period: Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Qumran, sectarian writings, Philo, Josephus''. Van Gorcum, Assen, Netherlands, [https://books.google.com/books?id=2zffXWORVUcC&pg=PA290 p. 290], {{ISBN|0800606035}}</ref>

==Alternative titles==
The [[Koine Greek]] translation was accepted in the [[Septuagint]] under the (abbreviated) name of the author: {{transl|grc|Sirakh}} ({{lang|grc|Σιραχ}}). Some Greek manuscripts give as the title the "Wisdom of {{transl|grc|Iēsous}} Son of {{transl|grc|Sirakh}}" or in short the "Wisdom of {{transl|grc|Sirakh}}". The [[Vetus Latina|Old Latin Bible]] was based on the Septuagint, and simply transliterated the Greek title into Latin letters: {{lang|la|Sirach}}. In the [[Vulgate|Latin Vulgate]], the book is called {{lang|la|Sapientia Jesu Filii Sirach}} ("The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach").

The [[Church_Fathers#Greek_Fathers|Greek Church Fathers]] also called it the "All-Virtuous Wisdom", while the [[Church_Fathers#Latin_Fathers|Latin Church Fathers]], beginning with [[Cyprian]],<ref name=Testimonia>''Testimonia'', ii. 1; iii. 1, 35, 51, 95, ''et passim''</ref> termed it ''Ecclesiasticus'' because it was frequently read in churches, leading the Latin Church Fathers to call it {{lang|la|Liber Ecclesiasticus}} ("Church Book"). Similarly, the [[Nova Vulgata|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 [[Sapiential Books|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.<ref name=NRSV2010/> 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.<ref name=NRSV2010/> 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 [[Genesis flood narrative|Great Flood]] through contemporary times (see previous section).<ref name=NRSV2010/>

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.<ref name=NRSV2010/><ref name=Trenchard1982>{{Cite book|last=Trenchard|first=Warren C.|title=Ben Sira's View of Woman: A Literary Analysis|publisher=Scholars Press|year=1982|location=Chico, CA}}</ref>

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.<ref name=Mulder>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.</ref>

==Content==
[[Image:Illustration Ben Sira 25.jpg|thumb|Illustration for the Book of Sirach, circa 1751]]
The Book of Sirach is a collection of ethical teachings that closely resembles [[Book of Proverbs|Proverbs]], except that — unlike the latter — it is presented as the work of a single author and not as an anthology of [[Maxim (philosophy)|maxims]] or [[aphorism]]s drawn from various sources. The teachings of the Book of Sirach apply to all people regardless of circumstances. Many of them 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|submission to the will of God]], and sometimes is identified in the text with adherence to the [[Law of Moses|Mosaic law]]. The question of which sayings originated with the Book of Sirach is open to debate, although scholars tend to regard him as a compiler or anthologist.<ref name=NRSV2010/>

By contrast, the author exhibits little compassion for women and slaves. He advocates distrust of and possessiveness over women,<ref name=Trenchard>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 {{Citation|last=Trenchard|title=Ben Sira's View of Women|pages=147, 135 respectively}}. The Book of Sirach also has some neutral and positive remarks about women, e.g., 7:27; 36:24–25.</ref> and the harsh treatment of slaves (which presupposes the validity of slavery as an institution),<ref name=Sirach33>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&nbsp;... Set him to work, as is fitting for him, and if he does not obey, make his fetters heavy."). But see: Sir. 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.")</ref> 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 (chapter {{bibleverse-nb|Sirach|38|NRSV}}), though other biblical passages take for granted that medical treatment should be used when necessary.<ref name=Exodus21>{{Bibleverse|Exodus|21:19|HE}}</ref><ref name=Ezekiel34>{{Bibleverse|Ezekiel|34:4|HE}}</ref> This is a direct challenge against the idea that illness and disease were seen as penalties for sin, to be cured only by repentance.<ref name=Snaith1974>Snaith, John G. (1974), ''Eccleciasticus, or the Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach'', The Cambridge Bible Commentary on the New English Bible, Cambridge University Press {{page?|date=October 2022}}</ref>

As in [[Ecclesiastes]], the author exhibits two opposing tendencies: the faith and the morality of earlier times, and an [[Epicureanism]] of modern date. Occasionally Sirach 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 mankind 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 bring to fulfillment the predictions of the Prophets, 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 as well as in the history of Israel. The book ends with the author's attestation, followed by two hymns (chapter {{bibleverse-nb|Sirach|51|NRSV}}), the latter a sort of alphabetical [[acrostic]].

Of particular interest to biblical scholars are Chapters {{bibleverse-nb|Sirach|44–50|NRSV}}, in which Ben Sira praises "famous men, our ancestors in their generations", starting from the antediluvian [[Enoch]] and continuing through to [[Simon I (High Priest)|Simon]], son of [[Onias I|Onias]] (300–270 BCE). Within the text of these chapters, Ben Sira identifies, either directly or indirectly, each of the books of the Hebrew Bible that would eventually become canonical (all of the five books of the [[Torah]], the eight books of the [[Nevi'im]], and six of the eleven books of the [[Ketuvim]]). The only books that are not referenced are [[Book of Ezra|Ezra]], [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]], [[Book of Ruth|Ruth]], [[Book of Esther|Esther]], and perhaps [[Books of Chronicles|Chronicles]].<ref name=Marttila2012>Marttila, Marko. ''Foreign Nations in the Wisdom of Ben Sira: A Jewish Sage between Opposition and Assimilation'', pp. 196–199 (Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. 2012), {{ISBN|978-3110270105}}.</ref> The ability to date the composition of Sirach within a few years given the autobiographical hints of Ben Sira and his grandson (author of the introduction to the work) provides great insight regarding the historical development and evolution of the Jewish canon.<ref name=EBZ2007>''Perspectives on Hebrew Scriptures II, Volume 5'', [[Ehud Ben Zvi]] ed., pp. 179–190 (Gorgias Press LLC 2007), {{ISBN|978-1593336127}}.</ref>

==Canonical status==
{{See also|Development of the Old Testament canon|Development of the Hebrew Bible canon}}
[[File:Zentralbibliothek Zürich - Alle Weissheit ist bey Gott dem Herrn - 000012138.jpg|thumb|{{lang|de|"Alle Weiſsheit ist bey Gott dem Herren..."}} (modern spelling: {{lang|de|Alle Weisheit ist bei Gott dem Herrn}}) (Book of Sirach, first chapter, German translation), anonymous artist 1654]]

===Judaism===
Despite containing the oldest known list of Jewish canonical texts, the Book of Sirach itself is not part of the [[Hebrew Bible|Jewish canon]]. Some authors suggest this is due to its late authorship,<ref name=NRSV2010/><ref name=Harrington1999>{{cite book|last=Harrington|first=Daniel J.|author-link=Daniel J. Harrington|title=Invitation to the Apocrypha|chapter=Ecclesiaticus/Sirach: Fear of the Lord|pages=78–91|publisher=William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company|location=Grand Rapids, Michigan|year=1999|isbn=0802846335|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/invitationtoapoc0000harr/page/78/mode/2up}}</ref> although the canon [[Development of the Hebrew Bible canon|was not yet closed]] at the time of Ben Sira.<ref name=Ska2009>{{cite book|last=Ska|first=Jean Louis|title=The Exegesis of the Pentateuch: Exegetical Studies and Basic Questions|chapter=The Praise of the Fathers in Sirach (Sir 44-50) and the Canon of the Old Testament|pages=184–195|year=2009|publisher=Mohr Siebeck|location=Tübingen, Germany|isbn=978-3161499050|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7g4yqsv0S0cC}}</ref> For example, the [[Book of Daniel]] was included in the canon, despite the fact that its date of composition (between 168 and 164 BCE)<ref name=Collins1984>{{cite book|last=Collins|first=John J.|author-link=John J. Collins|title=Daniel: With an Introduction to Apocalyptic Literature|series=The Forms of the Old Testament Literature|volume=XX|page=36|year=1984|publisher=William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company|location=Grand Rapids, Michigan|isbn=978-0802800206|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9r_Zs7T1nCMC}}</ref><ref name=Grabbe2001>{{cite book|last=Grabbe|first=Lester L.|author-link=Lester L. Grabbe|editor1-last=Collins|editor1-first=John J.|editor2-last=Flint|editor2-first=Peter W.|title=The Book of Daniel: Composition and Reception|volume=1|chapter=A Dan(iel) For All Seasons: For Whom Was Daniel Important?|page=229|publisher=Koninklijke Brill|location=Leiden, Netherlands|year=2001|series=Supplements to Vetus Testamentum|isbn=90-04-11675-3|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oAVPfTe_wkYC&pg=PA229}}</ref><ref name=Grabbe1991>{{cite journal|last=Grabbe|first=Lester L.|author-link=Lester L. Grabbe|title=Maccabean Chronology: 167-164 or 168-165 BCE?|journal=Journal of Biblical Literature|volume=110|issue=1|pages=59–74|year=1991|doi=10.2307/3267150|jstor=3267150|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3267150}}</ref> was later than that of the Book of Sirach. Others have suggested that Ben Sira's self-identification as the author precluded it from attaining canonical status, which was reserved for works that were attributed (or could be attributed) to the prophets,<ref name=Mulder2003>Mulder, Otto, ''Simon the High Priest in Sirach 50'', p. 3 fn. 8 (Koninkliijke Brill nv 2003), {{ISBN|978-9004123168}} ("The highly esteemed book of Ben Sira is not sacred Scripture [because] 'the author was known to have lived in comparatively recent times, in an age when, with the death of the last prophets, the holy spirit had departed from Israel.").</ref> or that it was denied entry to the canon as a rabbinical counter-reaction to its embrace by the [[Jewish Christian|nascent Christian community]].<ref name=Sulmasy2006>Sulmasy, Daniel P. ''The Rebirth of the Clinic: An Introduction to Spirituality in Health Care'', p. 45 (Georgetown Univ. Press 2006), {{ISBN|978-1589010956}}.</ref>

===Christianity===
The Book of Sirach is accepted as part of the [[Christian biblical canons|canon]] by [[Catholic Church|Catholics]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]], and most [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox]] Christians. Pope Innocent I officially confirmed the canon of the Bible shortly after the [[Councils of Carthage#Synod of 397|Third Council of Carthage]].<ref name=westcott/> The Catholic Church then reaffirmed The Book of Sirach and the other [[deuterocanonical books]] in 1546 during the fourth session of the [[Council of Trent]], and attached an excommunication to the denial of their scriptural status.<ref name=JE1905/><ref name=Trent1546>Council of Trent, Session IV, 1546</ref> Catholic canonical recognition only extends to the Greek text.<ref name=JB1966>Jerusalem Bible (1966), ''Introduction to Ecclesiasticus'', p. 1034</ref>

Because it was excluded from the Jewish canon, The Book of Sirach was not counted as being canonical in [[Christian denomination]]s originating from the [[Reformation|Protestant Reformation]], although some retained the book in an appendix to the Bible called "[[Biblical apocrypha|Apocrypha]]". The [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] tradition considers the book (which was published with other Greek Jewish books in a separate section of the [[King James Bible]]) among the [[biblical apocrypha]] as deuterocanonical books, and reads them "for example of life and instruction of manners; but yet [does] not apply them to establish any doctrine".<ref name=39articles>{{cite web|title=Canon VI. Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for salvation. The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion.|publisher=Church Society|url=http://www.churchsociety.org/issues_new/doctrine/39a/iss_doctrine_39A_Arts06-08.asp|access-date=25 July 2014|archive-date=15 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140515141030/http://www.churchsociety.org/issues_new/doctrine/39A/iss_doctrine_39A_Arts06-08.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] Churches take a similar position.

==Manuscripts==
{{See also|Cairo Geniza|Qumran}}
[[File:Masada casemate room 1109.jpg|thumb|Masada casemate room 1109: Discovery site of Ben Sira scroll (MasSir)]]
The Book of Sirach was originally written in [[Biblical Hebrew]] and was also known as the "Proverbs of ben Sira" ({{lang|he|משלי בן סירא}}, {{transl|he|Mišlē ben Sirā}}) or the "Wisdom of ben Sira" ({{lang|he|חכמת בן סירא}}, {{transl|he|Ḥokhmat ben Sirā}}). The book was not accepted into the [[Hebrew Bible]] and the original Hebrew text was not preserved by the [[Masoretes]]. However, in 1896, several scroll fragments of the original Hebrew texts of the Book of Sirach, copied in the 11th and 12th centuries, were found in the [[Cairo Geniza]] (a synagogue storage room for damaged manuscripts).<ref name=Hoffman2011>{{cite book|first1=Adina|last1=Hoffman|author-link1=Adina Hoffman|first2=Peter|last2=Cole|author-link2=Peter Cole|title=Sacred Trash: The Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza|page=11
|publisher=Schocken Books|location=New York|year=2011|isbn=978-0-8052-1223-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hI00DAAAQBAJ}}</ref><ref name=Soskice2010>{{cite book|last=Soskice|first=Janet|author-link=Janet Soskice|title=TheSisters of Sinai: How Two Lady Adventurers Discovered the Hidden Gospels|pages=122–133|publisher=Vintage Books|location=London|year=2010|isbn=978-1400034741|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=erQxmpOyOjUC}}</ref><ref name=Muraoka1997>{{cite conference|last=Hurvitz|first=Avi|editor-last1=Muraoka|editor-first1=T|editor-last2=Elwolde|editor-first2=F|title=The Linguistic Status of Ben Sira As a Link Biblical and Mishnaic Hebrew: Lexicographical Aspects|conference=The Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Ben Sira: Proceedings of a Symposium Held at Leiden University|year=1997|volume=26|publisher=Koninklijke Brill|location=Leiden, Netherlands|pages=72–86|isbn=90-04-10820-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VPtnjUwEGDIC}}</ref> Although none of these manuscripts is complete, together they provide the text for about two-thirds of the Book of Sirach.<ref name=Adams1958IV>{{cite book|last=Kenyon|first=Frederic George|author-link=Frederic G. Kenyon|editor-last=Adams|editor-first=Arthur White|title=Our Bible and the Ancient Manuscripts|chapter=The Hebrew Old Testament|page=83|publisher=Harper & Row Publishers|location=New York|year=1958|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/ourbibleancientm0000awad/page/83/mode/2up}}</ref> According to scholars including [[Solomon Schechter]] and [[Frederic G. Kenyon]], these findings support the assertion that the book was originally written in Hebrew.<ref name=Adams1958V>{{cite book|last=Kenyon|first=Frederic George|author-link=Frederic G. Kenyon|editor-last=Adams|editor-first=Arthur White|title=Our Bible and the Ancient Manuscripts|chapter=The Ancient Versions of the Old Testament|pages=150–152|publisher=Harper & Row Publishers|location=New York|year=1958|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/ourbibleancientm0000awad/page/150/mode/2up}}</ref>

In the 1950s and 1960s, three fragments of parchment scrolls of the Book of Sirach written in Hebrew were discovered near the [[Dead Sea]]. The largest scroll, Mas1H (MasSir), was discovered in casemate room 1109 at [[Masada]], the Jewish fortress destroyed by the Romans in 73 CE.<ref name=Seely2022/><ref name=Crawford2000>{{Cite journal|last=Crawford|first=Sidnie White|title=Review of Masada VI: Yigael Yadin Excavations 1963–1965. Final Reports|journal=Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research|volume=319|issue=|page=81|year=2000|doi=10.2307/1357566|jstor=1357566}}</ref> This scroll contains Sirach 39:27–44:17.<ref name=Masada>{{Cite web|title=Full Masada Scroll|url=https://www.bensira.org/navigator.php?Manuscript=Masada&PageNum=8|website=The Book of Ben Sira}}</ref> The other two scroll fragments were found at [[Qumran]]. One of these, the [[Great Psalms Scroll]] (11Q5 or 11QPs<sup>a</sup>), contains Sirach chapter 51 (verses 13-20, and 30).<ref name=Wilson1997>{{Cite journal|last=Wilson|first=Gerald|title=The Qumran Psalms Scroll (11QPsa) and the Canonical Psalter: Comparison of Editorial Shaping|journal=The Catholic Biblical Quarterly|volume=|issue=|pages=|year=1997|jstor=43723012|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/43723012.pdf}}</ref> The other fragment, 2Q18 (2QSir), contains Sirach 6:14–15, 20–31. These early Hebrew texts are in substantial agreement with the Hebrew texts discovered in Cairo, although there are numerous minor textual variants. With these findings, scholars are now more confident that the Cairo texts are reliable witnesses to the Hebrew original.<ref name=Elizur2008>Elizur, Shulamit, "A New Fragment from the Hebrew Text of the Book of Ben Sira", ''[[Tarbiẕ]]'' 76 (2008) 17–28 (in Hebrew)</ref><ref name=Wenzel2008>Egger-Wenzel, Renate "Ein neues Sira – Fragment des MS C", Biblische Notizen 138 (2008) 107–114.</ref>

==Theological significance==
===Influence in Jewish doctrine and liturgy===
[[Image:Ben-Sira Hebrew (Vienna 1814).djvu|thumb|Hebrew translation of the Book of Sirach, 1814]]
Although excluded from the Jewish canon, the Book of Sirach was well-known among Jews during the late [[Second Temple period]]. The Greek translation made by Ben Sira's grandson was included in the [[Septuagint]] (the 2nd-century BCE Greek version of the Hebrew Bible), which became the foundation of the early Christian canon.<ref name=Seely2022>{{cite web|last=Seely|first=David Rolph|title=The Masada Fragments, the Qumran Scrolls, and the New Testament|website=BYU Studies|publisher=Brigham Young University|location=Provo, Utah|year=2022|url=https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/the-masada-fragments-the-qumran-scrolls-and-the-new-testament/|access-date=28 January 2024}}</ref> Furthermore, the many manuscript fragments discovered in the [[Cairo Genizah]] evince its authoritative status among Egyptian Jewry until well into the [[Middle Ages]].<ref name=Harrington1999/>

The Book of Sirach was read and quoted as authoritative from the beginning of the [[Rabbinic Judaism|rabbinic period]]. The [[Talmud|Babylonian Talmud]] and other works of [[rabbinic literature]] occasionally paraphrase Ben Sira (e.g., ''[[Sanhedrin (tractate)|Sanhedrin]]'' 100b, ''[[Hagigah]]'' 13a, ''[[Bava Batra]]'' 98b, ''[[Niddah (Talmud)|Niddah]]'' 16b, etc.), but it does not mention his name. These quotes found in the Talmud correspond very closely to those found in the three scroll fragments of the Hebrew version of the Book of Sirach found at Qumran. [[Sanhedrin (tractate)|Tractate Sanhedrin]]'' 100b records an unresolved debate between R'Joseph and [[Abaye]] as to whether it is forbidden to read the Book of Sirach, wherein Abaye repeatedly draws parallels between statements in Sirach cited by R'Joseph as objectionable and similar statements appearing in canonical books.<ref name=dtorah>{{Cite web|url=http://dtorah.com/otzar/shas_soncino.php?ms=Sanhedrin&df=100b|title=Sanhedrin 100b Shas Soncino dTorah.com|website=dtorah.com}}</ref>

The Book of Sirach may have been used as a basis for two important parts of the Jewish [[liturgy]]. In the ''[[Mahzor]]'' (High Holiday prayer book), a medieval Jewish poet may have used the Book of Sirach as the basis for a poem, {{transl|he|[[Mar'e Kohen]]}}, in the [[Yom Kippur]] {{transl|he|[[musaf]]}} ("additional") service for the High Holidays.<ref name=Lehmann2000>Lehmann, M.R. (2000), "The Writings of Ben Sira, the Dead Sea Scrolls and Temple Worship in the Liturgy of Yom Kippur", in ''Piyyut in Tradition'', vol. 2 (eds. B. Bar-Tikva and E. Hazan [Hebrew]; Ramat Gan: Bar-Ilan University), pp. 13–18.</ref> Yosef Tabori questioned whether this passage in the Book of Sirach is referring at all to Yom Kippur, and thus argued it cannot form the basis of this poem.<ref name=Tabori1996>{{cite book|last=Tabori|first=Yosef|title=Mo'ade Yiśra'el bi-teḳufat ha-Mishnah ṿeha-Talmud|lang=he|year=1996|publisher=Hotsa'at sefarim 'a. sh. Y.L. Magnes|location=[[Hebrew University]], Jerusalem|isbn=9652238880|page=260 n. 4|edition=Mahad. 2. metuḳenet u-murḥevet.}}</ref> Some early 20th-century scholars also argued that the vocabulary and framework used by the Book of Sirach formed the basis of the most important of all Jewish prayers, the [[Amidah]], but that conclusion is disputed as well.<ref name=Reif2002>Reif, Stefan C. ''Prayer in Ben Sira, Qumran and Second Temple Judaism: A Comparative Overview'', in Ben Sira's God: Proceedings of the International Ben Sira Conference, Durham, Renate Egger-Wenzel ed., p. 322 (Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. 2002), {{ISBN|3110175592}}.</ref>

Current scholarship takes a more conservative approach. On one hand, scholars find that "Ben Sira links Torah and wisdom with prayer in a manner that calls to mind the later views of the Rabbis", and that the Jewish liturgy echoes the Book of Sirach in the "use of hymns of praise, supplicatory prayers and benedictions, as well as the occurrence of [Biblical] words and phrases [that] take on special forms and meanings."<ref name=Reif>Reif, p. 338.</ref> However, they stop short of concluding a direct relationship existed; rather, what "seems likely is that the Rabbis ultimately borrowed extensively from the kinds of circles which produced Ben Sira and the Dead Sea Scrolls ....".<ref name=Reif/>

===Influence in Christian doctrine===
Some of the [[Early Christianity|earliest Christian]] writings, including those of the [[Apostolic Fathers]], reference the Book of Sirach. For example, [[Didache]] 4:7<ref name=ECWDidache>{{cite web|translator-last=Lightfoot|translator-first=Joseph Barber|translator-link=J. B. Lightfoot|title=The Didache or Teaching of the Apostles|website=Early Christian Writings: New Testament, Apocrypha, Gnostics, Church Fathers|publisher=Peter Kirby|year=2024|url=https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/didache-lightfoot.html|access-date=27 January 2024}}</ref> and [[Epistle of Barnabas|Barnabas]] 19:9<ref name=ECWBarnabas>{{cite web|translator-last=Lightfoot|translator-first=Joseph Barber|translator-link=J. B. Lightfoot|title=Epistle of Barnabas|website=Early Christian Writings: New Testament, Apocrypha, Gnostics, Church Fathers|publisher=Peter Kirby|year=2024|url=https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/barnabas-lightfoot.html|access-date=27 January 2024}}</ref> both appear to reference Sirach {{bibleverse-nb|Sirach|4:31|NRSV}}.<ref name=Harrington1999/> Although the Book of Sirach is not quoted directly, there are many apparent references to it in the [[New Testament]].<ref name=Seely2022/><ref name=scripturecatholic>{{cite web|author=<!--not stated-->|title=Deuterocanonical Books in the New Testament|website=Scripture Catholic|year=2024|url=https://www.scripturecatholic.com/deuterocanonical-books-new-testament/|access-date=27 January 2024}}</ref> For example:
* in [[Matthew 6:7]], Jesus said "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions", where Sirach has "Do not babble in the assembly of the elders, and do not repeat yourself when you pray".(Sirach {{bibleverse-nb|Sirach|7:14|NRSV}})
* [[Matthew 6:12]] has "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors", where Sirach has "Forgive your neighbor a wrong, and then, when you petition, your sins will be pardoned" (Sirach {{bibleverse-nb|Sirach|28:2|NRSV}})
* in [[Matthew 7:16]], Jesus said "Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?", where Sirach has "Its fruit discloses the cultivation of a tree" (Sirach {{bibleverse-nb|Sirach|27:6|NRSV}})
* in [[Matthew 11:28]], Jesus said "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.", where Sirach has "See with your own eyes that I have laboured but little and found for myself much serenity." (Sirach {{bibleverse-nb|Sirach|51:27|NRSV}})
* [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] 4:5 has "Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.",<ref name= biblegatewayMark45>{{cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Mark%204:5|title=Mark 4:5 - Bible Gateway}}</ref> where Sirach has "The children of the ungodly won’t grow many branches, and are as unhealthy roots on a sheer rock." (Sirach {{bibleverse-nb|Sirach|40:15|NRSV}})
* [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 1:52 has "He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly",<ref name=biblegatewayLuke152>{{cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Luke%201:52|title=Luke 1:52 - Bible Gateway}}</ref> where Sirach has "The Lord overthrows the thrones of rulers, and enthrones the lowly in their place." (Sirach {{bibleverse-nb|Sirach|10:14|NRSV}})
* in [[Acts_20#Verse_35|Acts 20:35]], Jesus said "It is more blessed to give than to receive", where Sirach has "Do not let your hand be stretched out to receive and closed when it is time to give" (Sirach {{bibleverse-nb|Sirach|4:31|NRSV}})
* [[Epistle of James|James]] 1:19 has "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath", <ref name=biblegatewayJames119>{{cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/James%201:19|title=James 1:19 - Bible Gateway}}</ref> where Sirach has "Be quick to hear, but deliberate in answering." (Sirach {{bibleverse-nb|Sirach|5:11|NRSV}})

The Book of Sirach was cited in some writings in [[early Christianity]]. [[Clement of Alexandria]] and [[Origen]] quote from it repeatedly, as from a {{lang|grc|γραφή}} (Scripture).<ref name=JE1905/> [[Pope Damasus I]] (mid 4th century),<ref name="westcott">{{cite book|last1=Westcott|first1=Brooke Foss|title=A general survey of the history of the canon of the New Testament Page 570|year=2005|publisher=Wipf & Stock|location=Eugene, OR|isbn=1597522392|edition=6th}}</ref> [[Synod of Hippo]] (393), [[Councils_of_Carthage#Synod_of_397|Synod of Carthage]] (397), [[Augustine of Hippo|Augustine]] (late 4th century), [[Pope Innocent I]] (401-417), the second [[Councils_of_Carthage#Council_of_419|Council of Carthage]] (419), [[Quinisext Council]] (692), [[Council of Florence]] (1431-1449)<ref name=ewtn>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ewtn.com/library/COUNCILS/FLORENCE.HTM|title=Session 11–4 February 1442}}</ref> all regarded it as canonical, although [[Jerome]], [[Rufinus of Aquileia]] and the [[Council of Laodicea]] ranked it instead as an ecclesiastical book.<ref name=JE1905/> In the 4th and 5th centuries, the [[Church Fathers]] recommended the Book of Sirach among other deuterocanonical books for edification and instruction.<ref name=Reid1913>{{cite book|last=Reid|first=George J.|title=The Catholic Encyclopedia|edition=2|volume=III|chapter=Canon of the Holy Scriptures|pages=272|publisher=The Encyclopedia Press, Inc.|location=New York|year=1913|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/catholic-encyclopedia-volum-3/page/271/mode/2up}}</ref> The [[Apostolic Canons]] (recognized by the Eastern Orthodox Church during the 5th and 6th centuries) also described "the Wisdom of the very learned Sirach" as a recommended text for teaching young people.<ref name=AC>{{cite book|editor-last1=Schaff|editor-first1=Philip|editor-link1=Philip Schaff|editor-last2=Wace|editor-first2=Henry|editor-link2=Henry Wace (priest)|translator-last=Percival|translator-first=Henry|translator-link=Henry R. Percival|series=Second|title=A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers|volume=XIV|chapter=The Apostolical Canons: Canon LXXXV|pages=599–600|publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons|location=New York|year=1905|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/nicenepostnicene0014chaf/page/n1235/mode/2up}}</ref>

===Messianic interpretation by Christians===
[[File:Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 148.png|thumb|''Jesus Ben Sirach'', 1860 woodcut by [[Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld]], a Lutheran]]
Some Christians{{who|date=June 2018}} regard the catalogue of famous men in the Book of Sirach as containing several [[Messiah|messianic]] references. The first occurs during the verses on [[David]]. Sirach 47:11 reads "The Lord took away his sins, and exalted his power for ever; he gave him the covenant of kings and a throne of glory in Israel." This references the covenant of 2 Samuel 7, which pointed toward the Messiah. "Power" (Hebrew {{transl|he|qeren}}) is literally translated as 'horn'. This word is often used in a messianic and Davidic sense (e.g. Ezekiel 29:21, Psalms 132:17, Zechariah 6:12, Jeremiah 33:15). It is also used in the [[Benedictus (Song of Zechariah)|Benedictus]] to refer to [[Jesus]] ("and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David").<ref name=Skehan1987>{{cite book|last=Skehan|first=Patrick|author-link=Patrick W. Skehan|year=1987|title=The Wisdom of Ben Sira: a new translation with notes|series=Series: The Anchor Bible|volume=39|publisher=Doubleday|location=New York|page=524|isbn=0385135173}}</ref>

Another verse (47:22) that Christians interpret messianically begins by again referencing 2 Samuel 7. This verse speaks of Solomon and goes on to say that David's line will continue forever. The verse ends stating that "he gave a remnant to Jacob, and to David a root of his stock". This references Isaiah's prophecy of the Messiah: "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots"; and "In that day the root of Jesse shall stand as an ensign to the peoples; him shall the nations seek…" (Isaiah 11:1, 10).<ref name=Skehan528>Skehan, p. 528</ref>

==References in the Book of Sirach and pre-modern texts==
Note: verse numbers may vary slightly between versions.
* [[Aesop's Fables|Aesop's fable]] of [[wikisource:The Two Pots|''The Two Pots'']] is referenced at Sirach 13:2–3<ref name=Sirach132>{{bibleverse|Sirach|13:2–3}}</ref><ref name=JB>See footnote a at Ecclesiasticus 13:2-3 in ''The [[Jerusalem Bible]]'', Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, 1966</ref>
* [[The Satire of the Trades|''The Egyptian Satire of the Trades'']] (written during the [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt]], between 2025 and 1700 BCE), or another work in that tradition<ref name=Rollston2001>{{cite journal|title=Ben Sira 38:24–39:11 and ''The Egyptian Satire of the Trades''|last=Rollston|first=Chris A.|journal=Journal of Biblical Literature|pages=131–139|volume=120|issue=Spring|year=2001|doi=10.2307/3268597|jstor=3268597}}</ref> referenced at Sirach 38:24–39:11<ref name=Sirach38>{{bibleref|Sirach|38:24–39:11}}</ref>
*The treatises of [[Zara Yaqob]], Emperor of Ethiopia, on the nature and power of the Virgin Mary quotes Sirach 3:30, "Water extinguishes a burning fire and almsgiving atones for sin."<ref name=Haile1992>Zärˀa Yaˁəqob. 1992. "Revelation of the Miracle of Mary according to John Son of Thunder (Raˀəyä Täˀammər)", in The Mariology of Emperor Zära Yaˁqob of Ethiopia: Texts and Translations, edited by Getatchew Haile, 70–145. Rome, Italy: Pontificium Institutum Studiorum Orientalium.</ref>
*The [[Kebra Nagast]] chapter 88 quotes Sirach 15:16–17.
*[[Bede]] quotes Ecclesiasticus 32:1 in the ''Lives of the Abbots of Wearmouth and Jarrow''.{{cn|date=January 2022}}
*The third song ''O Tod, wie bitter bist du'' of ''[[Vier ernste Gesänge]]'' quotes Sirach 41:1–3.

==References in culture==
[[File:Old Saint Mary's Cathedral bell tower clock.JPG|thumb|Quotation from Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) on [[Old St. Mary's Cathedral]], San Francisco]]
* The opening lines of ''[[Chariots of Fire]]'', Best Picture at the 1982 Academy Awards, is from Sirach 44:1: "Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers that begat us."<ref name=Welland2015>{{Cite news|url=http://wiscreenwritersforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Chariots-of-Fire.pdf|title=Chariots of Fire Script|last=Welland|first=Colin|date=17 July 2015|access-date=18 July 2015|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090335/http://wiscreenwritersforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Chariots-of-Fire.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* In "[[Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book]]", the first ghost story in his first published collection, [[M. R. James]] has his protagonist, Dennistoun, quote lines from Ecclesiasticus 39:28: "Some spirits there be that are created for vengeance, and in their fury lay on sore strokes."
* "[[Their name liveth for evermore]]" is a phrase from the [[King James Bible]], forming the second half of a line in Sirach 44:14, widely inscribed on [[war memorial]]s.
* The title of [[James Agee]] and [[Walker Evans]]'s book ''[[Let Us Now Praise Famous Men]]'' is taken from Sirach 44:1.
* Ecclesiasticus 43:11–26 was recited at the 2021 [[Death and funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|funeral]] of [[Prince Philip]] by the [[Dean of Windsor]].

==See also==
*[[Alphabet of Sirach]]
*[[Roy Kinneer Patteson Jr.]]
*[[David Kohn]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Sources==
*Askin, Lindsey A. (2018) ''Scribal Culture in Ben Sira'' E.J. Brill, Leiden {{ISBN|978-9004372863}}
*Beentjes, Pancratius C. (1997) ''The Book of Ben Sira in Hebrew: A Text Edition of All Extant Hebrew Manuscripts and a Synopsis of All Parallel Hebrew Ben Sira Texts'' E.J. Brill, Leiden, {{ISBN|9004107673}}
*Toy, Crawford Howell and Lévi, Israel (1906) [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=836&letter=S&search=Ben%20Sira "Sirach, The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of"] entry in the ''Jewish Encyclopedia''
*''Amidah'', entry in (1972) ''Encyclopedia Judaica Jerusalem'', Keter Publishing, Jerusalem, {{OCLC|10955972}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Ecclesiasticus}}
{{wikiquote}}
{{Wikisource|Bible (King James)/Wisdom_of_Sirach|The King James Version of Wisdom of Sirach}}
*[http://www.latinvulgate.com/verse.aspx?t=0&b=26 Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)] – Latin Vulgate with Douay-Rheims version side-by-side
*[http://BenSira.org BenSira.org, original Hebrew manuscripts]
*[http://www.bibledex.com/videos/sirach.html Sirach] – Bibledex video overview
*[http://www.biblicalaudio.com/sirach.htm Sirach 2012 Translation with Audio]
* [http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13785-sirach-the-wisdom-of-jesus-the-son-of The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach], ''Jewish Encyclopedia'' (1906 ed.).
* {{librivox book|title=Sirach|author=Douay-Rheims}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Book of Wisdom]]|rows=3}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] Old Testament}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Book of Isaiah|Isaiah]]|rows=3}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] Old Testament<br>'''see [[Deuterocanonical books|Deuterocanon]]'''}}
{{s-end}}
{{Jewish Apocrypha}}{{Books of the Bible}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:2nd-century BC books]]
[[Category:Deuterocanonical books]]
[[Category:Essene texts]]
[[Category:Ancient Hebrew texts]]
[[Category:Wisdom literature]]
[[Category:Jewish apocrypha]]
[[Category:Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Poetic Books]]
{{Навигационная таблица/Портал/Английская Википедия}}
[[Категория:Английская Википедия]]
[[Категория:Википедия]]
[[Категория:Статья из Википедии]]
[[Категория:Статья из Английской Википедии]]