Sirach

5 Episodes

Sirach — also known as Ecclesiasticus, the Wisdom of Ben Sira, or the Wisdom of Jesus son of Eleazar son of Sirach — is a Second Temple Jewish wisdom text composed in Hebrew around 180 BCE by a scribe named Joshua ben Sira. Unlike most books in or near the biblical corpus, its authorship and date of composition can be established with reasonable confidence: internal references to the High Priest Simon place composition before 175 BCE, and the author's grandson later translated it into Greek around 116 BCE, explaining his motives in a prologue that stands as one of antiquity's earliest reflections on the practice of translation. Despite significant circulation in Hebrew — manuscripts survive from Masada, Qumran, and medieval Geniza collections — and near-canonical standing among many Second Temple Jews, Sirach was ultimately excluded from the Jewish canon, most likely because its post-prophetic composition date was too well documented to be denied.

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Why this book matters

Sirach returns on the show primarily because it occupies a uniquely legible position among the texts that competed for biblical status: its authorship is known, its date can be pinned within a 21-year window, its manuscripts survive in Hebrew at Masada and Qumran, and its near-canonical standing is well documented in rabbinic literature. In episode 167’s Is It Canon? segment, Dan McClellan walks through what makes Sirach so instructive — the fact that Ben Sira was transparent about being a contemporary author almost certainly cost him canonical inclusion, since a composition date after the prophetic era was disqualifying under the criteria that gradually took hold. The book becomes a case study in how canon formation worked not by theology but by contingent historical forces.

Sirach also surfaces in earlier episodes whenever the show examines the outer edges of the Hebrew Bible. In episode 20’s extended discussion of apocryphal and deuterocanonical texts, Dan McClellan highlights that Ecclesiasticus contains one of the earliest known allusions to the concept of a canon — making it both a product of Second Temple Jewish literary culture and a window into the very process by which Jewish scripture was being defined.

Where to start

Start here for the strongest listening on Sirach.

Quotes from the Data

“It was originally written in Hebrew and then translated into Greek by none other than the grandson of the author. So, this is a pretty cool text from Second Temple period Judaism where we not only have an indication who the author is, we have no reason to doubt it. Like, it's pretty straightforward.”

Dan McClellan Episode 167

“We get a terminus post quem, time after which, would be 196 BCE. And that's chapter 50. That discusses the High Priest. Yeah, and you got— we don't have any reference to Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who comes to power around 175. So that's probably our terminus ante quem. So we've got a 21-year period between which this text was written.”

Dan McClellan Episode 167

“By the time a Jewish canon, uh, formalized, it would be left out. However, there were debates that went on for a long time before that formalization of the canon, during which time a lot of people advocated for the inclusion of Ben Sira. And it is quoted in some rabbinic literature. It was definitely considered scripture by a representative portion of Second Temple and then rabbinic Judaism prior to this firming up of the canon with Ben Sira on the outside.”

Dan McClellan Episode 167

“The closest we can get to a good reason for why [Ecclesiasticus] would have been omitted is that maybe this person just wasn't an authority figure within ancient Jewish tradition. But you still have it quoted in a number of places, and you still have early Jewish people considering it and early Christian people considering it authoritative... it also contains one of the earliest references to the idea of a canon.”

Dan McClellan Episode 20

All episodes

Every episode currently tagged with Sirach.