The Wisdom of Sirach (Eerdmans Critical Commentary | ECC)

by Walter T. Wilson

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2023

Overview

Study the wisdom of Ben Sira.

A deuterocanonical collection of proverbs from the intertestamental period, the Book of Sirach has been treated by many Protestants as a bit of Catholic trivia. Yet careful study of Sirach reveals fascinating insights into Jewish thought two centuries before Jesus. Walter T. Wilson invites scholars and nonspecialists alike to discover the wisdom of this important yet under-studied text.

A temple scribe writing in the second century BCE, Ben Sira aimed to instill fear of the Lord and discipline in his community. Interweaving practical advice and theoretical wisdom, his book instructs readers—then and now—in the principles of wisdom so that they may apply them to right action and lead the good life.

Based on the New Revised Standard Version, Wilson’s commentary explicates the translated English text with careful attention to its historical and religious contexts, formal qualities, prevailing themes, and place in the canon (or lack thereof). The volume includes a helpful bibliography and notes.

Key Features

• Pays careful attention to its historical and religious contexts, formal qualities, prevailing themes, and place in the canon
• Examines principles of wisdom so that readers may apply them to right action and lead the good life

Contents

• Introduction
• I. Versions and Date
• II. Setting and Circumstances
• III. Major Themes
• IV. Sources
• V. Forms of Expression
• VI. Structure
• Commentary
• Prologue
• Section One (1:1–4:10)
• Section Two (4:11–6:17)
• Section Three (6:18–14:19)
• Section Four (14:20–23:27)
• Section Five (24:1–33:18)
• Section Six (33:19–39:11)
• Section Seven (39:12–43:33)
• Section Eight (44:1–50:29)
• Section Nine (51:1–30)

Praise for the Print Edition

Wilson’s study is a welcome publication on the book of Sirach/Ben Sira. It is clear, insightful, and richly informed by both relevant ancient literature and contemporary scholarship. The volume is a valuable and perceptive vade mecum that will expertly guide readers, students, and lay readers alike chapter by chapter as they work through the complex, engaging, and at times controversial book of Ben Sira.

—Matthew Goff

Focusing on the rhetorical strategy of the sage, Walter Wilson places Sirach in the mainstream of gnomic literature of the Greeks and Romans in the early second century BCE where mentors taught the young to respect God, speak wisely and persuasively, and uphold the social order. The result is a splendid book for general readers, a pleasure to read because of the wit and wisdom of ancient authors.

—James L. Crenshaw

Product Details

• Title: The Wisdom of Sirach
• Author: Walter T. Wilson
• Series: Eerdmans Critical Commentary
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Print Publication Date: 2023
• Logos Release Date: 2023
• Pages: 620
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Bible. O.T. Sirach › Commentaries
• ISBNs: 9780802881762, 0802881769
• Resource ID: LLS:EECRTCOMM44SIR
• Resource Type: Bible Commentary
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-08-30T23:24:00Z

About Walter T. Wilson

Walter T. Wilson is author of Love Without Pretense: Romans 12 and Jewish Wisdom Literature, The Mysteries of Righteousness, The Hope of Glory: Education and Exhortation in the Epistle to the Colossians, and Philo of Alexandria: On Virtues. He is professor of New Testament at Candler School of Theology, Emory University.