People of the Book: Sirach
Those Christians for whom the rhythmic background music to life includes daily Mass have been hearing a semi-continuous liturgical reading from the Book of Sirach for the last few weeks. The history of both the quite-meticulously named thinker “Yeshua, son of Eleazar, son of Sirach,” and his writing — called either the Book of Sirach or simply Ecclesiasticus (“churchly book”) — is quite fascinating.
Believed to be written (or compiled) in Jerusalem sometime between 200 and 175 BC, Sirach’s work complements that of Proverbs in providing adages and maxims on relationships, friendship, religious worship, economics and generally living well. Tradition predating St. Jerome in the fourth century claimed that the text was originally written in Hebrew. However, since most extant copies traced their roots to the Greek Septuagint, this statement was very much debated by scholars until fragments of an ancient manuscript were found in 1896, which largely (but not unanimously) convinced modern philologists that its earliest copies were in fact of Hebrew origin.
Because of its stylistic similarity to the more popularly read books of Proverbs, the Canticle of Canticles, and Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiasticus (note the difference), was confusedly attributed to Solomon for centuries. Even Augustine claimed only “the more learned” were able to recognize properly the distinction between Yeshua ben Sirach’s and Solomon’s writings. Sirach’s grandson is believed to have translated the work into Greek and written the book’s Prologue, which helps introduce and emphasize the significant contribution of his grandfather’s thought.
Contemporary Catholics undoubtedly (and blessedly) live in an ecumenical age devoted to working toward Christian unity. To encourage this end, John Paul II penned the stirring encyclical Johannine title Ut Unum Sint (That They May Be One). However, such an endeavor cannot be fruitful if we ignore or paper over the historical occurrences which led to the contemporary divisions among believers. Sirach/Eccelsiasticus interestingly provides an occasion for reflecting upon one such occurrence.
When the Protestant reformation swept across Europe in the 1500’s, Luther and other preachers of the period viewed a certain collection of biblical writings “apocryphal,” or non-inspired. Ecclesiasticus was among the texts they found incompatible with their theological interpretation of grace and works, especially since the Jews themselves did not include the book in their own canon.
As with so many of these issues, the tone of discussion over their inclusion in what we call “Scripture” became increasingly polemical. The Council of Trent reaffirmed these “intertestamental” or “deuterocanonical” works as divinely inspired in 1546, and the Orthodox faiths never had reason to question their inclusion. Because of this fact, seven ancient books including Sirach, as well as parts of Esther and Daniel, are today excluded from Protestant Bibles, but included in Catholic and Orthodox ones.
While perhaps not universally recognized as an integral and “inspired” part of the Christian life, Sirach is appreciated as a forefather in faith by today’s Catholics. We, as his spiritual descendants, can apply his own words about the patriarchs to Sirach himself: “For all time, these [godly men’s] progeny will endure, their glory will never be blotted out. Their bodies are peacefully laid away, but their name lives on and on. At gatherings their wisdom is retold, and the assembly proclaims their praise” (44:13-15).
Michael M. Canaris of Collingswood is an administrator at Fairfield University’s Center for Faith and Public Life and is on the faculty for the Department of Philosophy, Theology, and Religious Studies at Sacred Heart University.
at the bottom and then tap “Add to Home Screen”