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AnagignoskomenaHistory

Sirach

51Chapters
1,392Verses
0Notes
0Reflections
Book Introduction

Sirach, also called Ecclesiasticus or the Wisdom of Ben Sira, is the longest wisdom book of the biblical tradition: a Jerusalem sage's collected teaching on friendship, speech, money, family, worship, and above all the fear of the Lord. Its summit is chapter 24, where Wisdom praises herself and settles in Israel, identified with the Torah; its climax is the great praise of Israel's ancestors. Written in Hebrew around 180 BC and translated into Greek by the author's grandson, it is deuterocanonical Scripture for Catholics and Orthodox, while Protestants class it among the Apocrypha—long used for teaching, as its Latin name suggests.

Author

Yeshua ben Eleazar ben Sira, a Jerusalem sage; translated by his grandson

Date

Hebrew original c. 196–175 BC; Greek translation after 132 BC

Audience

Young men training in wisdom in Jerusalem, later Greek-speaking diaspora Jews

Purpose

To hand on Israel's wisdom—rooted in the fear of the Lord and the Torah—for every sphere of daily life.

Key Themes
Fear of the LordWisdom identified with TorahDisciplined speech and friendshipHonor, humility, and almsgivingPraise of the ancestorsGod's glory in creation
Book Outline
1–2Wisdom's origin in God; preparing for testing
3–23Practical wisdom: parents, humility, friends, speech, wealth, sin
24Wisdom's self-praise: dwelling in Jacob, embodied in the Torah
25–41Further counsels: household, banquets, work, worship, death
42–43The glory of God displayed in creation
44–50Let us now praise famous men: Israel's ancestors to Simon the high priest
51Ben Sira's thanksgiving and invitation to wisdom's yoke
Key Verses
ALL CHAPTERS51 chapters