Adventures in RCIA - The Bible: Things I Wonder About The Book of Sirach

Jesus son of Eleazar son of Sirach, or Yeshua ben El-azar ben Sira in his mother tongue, was a great scholar and Rabbi, and the author of the "Ecclesiasticus" or the book of Sirach. He wrote and taught in Jerusalem prior to 180 B.C. The Septaguint used a Greek translation, written by ben Sira's grandson, of  writings. The grandson wrote an introduction to the Greek rendering. The intro by ben Sira's grandson states that "You are invited to read with good will and attention. and to be indulgent in cases where, despite our diligent labor in translating, we may seem to have rendered some phrases imperfectly. For what was originally expressed in Hebrew does not have exactly the same sense when translated into another language."  The Hebrew text was totally lost to the Western world from about 400 to 1900 A.D. We have about two-thirds of the Hebrew text now, recovered from various places around the Middle East. All this I learned in an additional intro to the book by the scholars who wrote commentary in this particular annotated Bible. They also stated that the Jews never, ever considered this particular book to be canonical. Very powerful and valuable, yes. Authoritative scripture? No, never. The early Christians did, though, so depending on how much weight you give to which of those...

The intro to the book of Sirach in my New Oxford Annotated Bible, NRSV with Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical books, says that reading from start to finish is not the best way to approach Sirach. They recommend reading chapters 1 and 24 first, and then the hymn of praise to Isreal's ancestors in 44:1-49:16. The Oxford commentators said Sirach is divided into three major blocks of teaching: chapters 1 - 23, chapters 24:1 - 42:14, and chapters 42:15 - 50:24. This is such a long book, I am going to write a synopsis of at least those three parts rather than doing the whole thing in one shot. This piece is not a synopsis, but a reflection on chapters 1 and 23.

The grandson who did the translating was a teacher and scholar himself. He translated the book while living in Egypt because he felt it would be extremely helpful for "Those living abroad who wish to gain learning and are disposed to live according to the Law." He said that not only his grandfather's book, "but even the Law and the Prophecies and the rest of the books differ not a little when read in the original." I am, like most Westerners from well before Luther's time to the present, reading a translation of a translation because that is what we have to work with. Nevertheless, here goes:

Sirach 1:1 "All wisdom is from the Lord, and with Him it remains forever." This was very striking to me. I was thinking about how Lady Wisdom in Proverbs 8 occurs in chapters 1 and 23 in Sirach.

One of the most powerful teachings on Lady Wisdom (Proverbs 8 and 9:1-6) I ever heard explained that she was a type of Christ and/or the Holy Spirit.
Excerpts from Proverbs 8 "Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom. I am understanding, I have strength. By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. I love them that love me, and those that seek me early shall find me... The Lord possessed me, in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there was no depths, I was brought forth, when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth. While as yet He has not made the earth, nor the hills, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. When He prepared the heavens, I was there, when He set a compass on the face of the depth, when He established the clouds above,when he strengthened the fountains of the deep. When he gave to the sea His decree that the waters should not pass His commandment, when He appointed the foundations of the Earth, then I was by Him as one brought up with Him, and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth, and my delights were with the sons of men... Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors, for whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord. All they that hate me love death."
In chapter 9, it continues, "Wisdom hath builded her house... She hath killed her beasts, she hath mingled her wine, she hath also furnished her table. She hath sent forth her maidens; she crieth upon
the highest places of the city, '... come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled. Forsake the foolish and live, and go in the way of understanding." Sure sounds like Jesus to me.

Furthermore, 1 Corinthians 1:30 says that Christ became wisdom from God to us, and in context from v. 20 to 31, especially v. 26, it is mentioning God revealing His wisdom to/through those who lacked it, calling those who were simple and lacked understanding, though it puts it differently. Paul's new testament revelation on the wisdom of God speaks a lot more about of why God chose to call the foolish and simple of the world. Nevertheless, Christ is the Word, who was in the beginning with God (John 1), who was before all things and by whom all things were made (Col. 1:17). Jesus calls us who are unworthy and clueless to the banquet He prepares for us, and the one who is building the spiritual house referred to in Hebrews 3. I do believe Lady Wisdom in Proverbs 8 is a type of the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, and/or the Holy Spirit.

Excerpts from Sirach 24 seem to go along with this: " In the presence of the Most High she opens her mouth, and in the presence of his hosts she tells her story, 'I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and covered the earth like a mist. I dwelt in the highest heavens, and my throne was in a pillar of cloud. Alone I compassed the vault of heaven and traversed the depths of the abyss, over the waves of the sea, over all the earth, and over every people and nation I have held sway..." Yep, sounds like YHVH, like the Spirit of God and Jesus.

The problems I run into here are with translations. I wish the deuterocananical books had not been tossed out before Dr. Strong wrote his concordance. I cannot check when I see a statement in English in both books to see if the original text uses the same word or was even talking about the same thing. I really wish I could look up the word used in the original text when studying the disputed books, especially this one. The NRSV version of Proverbs 8:22 says "The lord created me in the beginning..." where the KJV I am used to says "The Lord possessed me..." I looked this word up the in the Strong's:
QANAH {kaw-naw'} Strong's Hebrew #07069 Definitions: a primitive root; to erect, i.e. create; by extension, to procure, especially by purchase (causatively, sell); by implication to own:--attain, buy(-er), teach to keep cattle, get, provoke to jealousy, possess(-or), purchase, recover, redeem, X surely, X verily.
The stuff that comes after "--" in the Strong's expositions on these words are ways this word has been translated in the (Protestant) Bible.

A word that comes from "QANAH" seems, to me, like it might illustrate what was brought to mind for those who spoke and wrote QANAH in Hebrew:
QANEH {kaw-neh'} Strong's Hebrew #07070 
Definitions: from Strong's HEBREW #7069; a reed (as erect); by resemblance a rod (especially for measuring), shaft, tube, stem, the radius (of the arm), beam (of a steelyard):--balance, bone, branch, calamus, cane, reed, X spearman, stalk.

I see this and think of where Jesus was referred to in prophecy as a branch and as a root. He is also symbolized by water, "The water of the word" and when he says he gives us water where we will never thirst again, the Water he gives us is Himself.


I am not yet certain if the deuterocanonical books are inspired and hold the same weight as the books I grew up with, but I will go ahead and read them prayerfully. My problem with Sirach, from the other parts I have read, is that he was (from what we can tell by the translations anyway) a total misogynist, but I will address that when the relevant passages actually come up. I have struggled long and hard with issues of misogyny in church and in the Bible, and if Sirach is to be taken as authoritative, then I may have to start all over.
If anyone has any thoughts on any of this, please feel free to comment below. Also if any questions come up for clarification of anything I have stated,please feel free to let me know.
Godspeed.

~Mother Star