ECCLESIASTICUS / SIRACH - This book forms part of the Greek Bible though it does not appear in the Jewish Canon; it is therefore one of the deuterocanonical books accepted by the Church. It was written in Hebrew; The Church recognises the canonize only of the Greek text and from this our translation is made, though the Hebrew variants will be found in the footnotes.

The Latin title Ecclesiasticus (liber) is relatively recent (St. Cyprian); it probably calls attention to the fact that the Church adopted it for her official use although the Synagogue did not. In Greek, cf, the subscription of 51:30, the book was called 'Wisdom of Jesus Ben Sirach' and the author is again named in 50:27. Nowadays he is referred to as Ben Sira or Siracides (following the Greek form: Sirach)

Ben Sira's original contribution is to identify wisdom with the Law of Moses, 24:23-24 (the wisdom poem in Baruch 3:9-4; 4 does the same) Unlike his predecessors, he integrates wisdom with the observance of the Law. Ben Sira meditates on the history of salvation and reviews the great personalities of the Old Testament from Enoch to Nehemiah. On three of them, Solomon, (even though he was the model of sages) Rehoboam and Jeroboam, his verdict is a severe as that passed by deuteronomic historians and like them he condemns all the kings en bloc except David, Hezekiah and Josiah. But he dwells principally on the saintly figures of the Old Testament and on the wonders God worked through them.

He tells how God made a covenant with Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Phinehas and David, embracing the whole nation but especially ensuring lasting privileges to certain families and the priestly families in particular. For the author holds the deepest respect for the priesthood: Aaron and Phinehas take leading places in this gallery of ancestors and his eulogy concludes with a long and enthusiastic tribute to Simon the reigning high priest. He looks back on the departed glories with a certain sadness, as he thinks of the present, and he prays as he thinks of judges and prophets 'that their bones may flower again from the tomb' - 46:12, 49:10 - and they may have successors. He wrote on the eve of the Maccabaean revolt; he may perhaps have lived to see it end and to think that his prayer had been heard.

ECCLESIASTICUS/SIRACH - (1) Collections of Sayings - The mystery of wisdom - The fear of God - Patience and self-control - Wisdom and uprightness - The fear of God in time of ordeal - Duties towards parents - Humility - Pride - Charity to the poor - Wisdom as educator - Shame and human respect - Wealth and presumption - Straightforwardness and self-possession - Friendship - Apprenticeship to wisdom - Miscellaneous advice - Children - Parents - Priests - The poor and afflicted - Prudence and commonsense - Tradition - Prudence - Women - Relations with men - Government - Against pride - Persons deserving honour - Frankness and humility - Do not go by appearances - Deliberation and reflection - Trust in God alone - Distrust the wicked - Rules for doing good - True and false friends - Mix with your equals - True happiness - Envy and greed - The happiness of the sage - Man is free - Curses reaped by the wicked - Certainty of retribution - Man in creation - The divine judge - Exhortation to repentance - The greatness of God - The nothingness of man - The art of giving - Reflection and foresight - Self-control - Against loose talk - Silence and speech - Paradoxes - Inappropriate talk - The wise man: his dignity and his dangers - Various sins - The wise man and the fool - The idler - Wisdom and folly - Friendship - Vigilance - Swearing - Foul talk - The adulteress - Discourse of Wisdom - Wisdom and the Law - Proverbs - Old men - Numerical proverbs - Women - Depressing things - Commerce - Speech - Virtue - Secrets - Hypocrisy - Resentment - Quarrels - The tongue - Loans - Generosity - Securities - Home and hospitality - Bringing up children - Health - Happiness - Riches - Dinner parties - Wine - Banquets - The fear of God - Inequality - Independence - Slaves - Dreams - Travelling - Sacrifices - The Law and sacrifices - The justice of God - Prayer for the deliverance and restoration of Israel - Discrimination - Choosing - False friends - Advisers - true and false wisdom - Moderation - Medicine and illness - Mourning - Trades and crafts -The scholar - Invitation to praise God - The wretchedness of man - Various maxims - Comparisons - On begging - Death - The fate of the wicked - A sense of shame - The cares of a father over his daughter - Women - Chapter 1 to 42 -

(2) The Glory of God - In Nature - The sun, moon, stars, rainbow and the wonders of nature - Chapter 42 to 43 - (3) The Glory of God - In History - Eulogy of the ancestors - Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Phinehas, Joshua, Caleb - The judges - Samuel, Nathan, David, Solomon, Rehoboam, Jeroboam, Elijah, Elisha - Infidelity and punishment - Hezekiah, Isaiah, Josiah - The last kings and prophets - Zerubbabel and Jeshua, Nehemiah - Retrospect - Simon the high priest - Exhortation - Numerical proverb - Conclusion - Chapter 44 to 50 - (4) Appendices - A hymn of thanksgiving - A poem on the quest for wisdom - Chapter 51 -

In summary : Though in this history of salvation Ben Sira gives prominence to the doctrine of the covenant, it is fairly correct to say that he does not look forward to a messianic deliverance. From start to finish the teaching of the sages, being concerned with the problems of the individual, remain clearly distinguished from the preaching of the prophets though sometimes not far removed.

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Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -