READING ECCLESIASTICUS/SIRACH

PART XXVIII

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Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 44:1-50:24

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We have arrived at perhaps the most famous section of Ecclesiasticus/Sirach.  It begins:

Let us now praise famous men,

and our fathers in their generations.

–44:1, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

They were men.  Ben Sira could have selected famous women from the Bible to list beside famous men, but chose not to do so.

I have already raided 44:1-50:24 during studies of 1 Samuel-2 Kings and the Books of the Maccabees.  So, I have decided not to write about 44:1-50:24 great man by great man.

The list begins with Enoch (Genesis 5:21-24) and concludes with the high priest Simon II “the Just” (served 219-196 B.C.E.).  Some theological emphases become obvious.  They include:

1. God works through people.
2. People are players in God’s covenants.
3. Ben Sira had nostalgia for the Davidic Dynasty.

Interpreting these chapters and verses in the light of living under the Seleucid occupation just a few years prior to the Hasmonean Rebellion may lead one to recognize a political agenda in this list.  Such an interpretation does fit with 36:1-17/22.

If I had examined 44:1-50:24 with a fine-tooth comb, I would have written about every instance of Ben Sira’s understanding of a particular great man differing with that in the Hebrew Bible–or with scholars of the Hebrew Bible, at least.  However, I chose to leave that task to professional exegetes.  I opted to focus on the forest, not the trees.

God works through people.  Do we recognize that?  How has God worked through you, O reader?  How is God working through you?  How will God work through you?  How has God worked through your congregation?  How is God working through your congregation?  How will God work through your congregation?

I could ask many other questions, too.

This section of Ecclesiasticus/Sirach concludes:

And now bless the God of all,

who in every way does great things;

who exalts our days from birth,

and deals with us according to his mercy. 

May he give us gladness of heart,

and grant that peace may be in our days in Israel,

as in days of old,

that Israel may believe that the God of mercy is with us

to deliver us in our days.

–50:22-24, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

The historical context of the book is that of communal distress, as I have already noticed.  The message here is to stand in the tradition of these great men against the onslaught of Hellenism.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF PETER OF CHELCIC, BOHEMIAN HUSSITE REFORMER; AND GREGORY THE PATRIARCH, FOUNDER OF THE MORAVIAN CHURCH

THE FEAST OF FREDERICK J. MURPHY, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC BIBLICAL SCHOLAR

THE FEAST OF GODFREY THRING, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF JANE CREWDSON, ENGLISH QUAKER POET AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF  NARAYAN SESHADRI OF JALNA, INDIAN PRESBYTERIAN EVANGELIST AND “APOSTLE TO THE MANGS”

THE FEAST OF ROBERT GUY MCCUTCHAN, U.S. METHODIST HYMNAL EDITOR AND HYMN TUNE COMPOSER

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READING ECCLESIASTICUS/SIRACH

PART XXVII

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Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 42:15-43:33

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42:15-43:33 fits neatly with 39:12-35, in praise of God the Creator.

A typically Jewish way of speaking of God is to recall what God has done.  Therefore, one can read accounts of God’s mighty deeds throughout the Hebrew Bible.  The principle at work in these accounts is that God is like what God has done.  Likewise, the creation reveals something of the character of the Creator.

The Bible is a theological anthology, not a science book.  So, I take 42:15-43:33 as what it is.  Without quibbling verse by verse, I focus on the main idea regarding God:

He is the all.

–43:27b, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

I also notice the awe and wonder with which Ben Sira regarded the natural world.  As I write these words, I rue that more people lack such awe and wonder for nature.  Global warming is obvious to all except the willingly oblivious, and many people are suffering and dying because of these environmental changes.  This situation will become more dire, not better.  Pollution, littering, and dumping are ubiquitous, as they have been for a long time.  The disrespect of the ecosystem of which human beings are a part is staggering and harmful.  More of us need awe and wonder for nature.  That would indicate wisdom.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF PETER OF CHELCIC, BOHEMIAN HUSSITE REFORMER; AND GREGORY THE PATRIARCH, FOUNDER OF THE MORAVIAN CHURCH

THE FEAST OF FREDERICK J. MURPHY, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC BIBLICAL SCHOLAR

THE FEAST OF GODFREY THRING, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF JANE CREWDSON, ENGLISH QUAKER POET AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF  NARAYAN SESHADRI OF JALNA, INDIAN PRESBYTERIAN EVANGELIST AND “APOSTLE TO THE MANGS”

THE FEAST OF ROBERT GUY MCCUTCHAN, U.S. METHODIST HYMNAL EDITOR AND HYMN TUNE COMPOSER

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READING ECCLESIASTICUS/SIRACH

PART XXVI

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Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 41:14-42:14

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I have already written about the uses and abuses of shame in human relationships and in cultures, in the context of this this series.  So, I choose not to repeat most of such comments in this post.

Two points are worth repeating, however:

• Ben Sira lived and taught in a culture in which shame was a powerful force.
• Ben Sira held some views–misogynistic and otherwise–which I refuse to defend.

I must care to some extent what others think about me; that is reality.  Yet I care about others’ opinions of me only to the extent that these opinions can help or harm me.  I refuse to be the person others want me to be.  I prefer to be the person God wants me to be and created me to be.  So, I fall between the standards of Ben Sira’s culture and the ubiquitous shamelessness of my culture.

Ben Sira’s list of causes of shame boils down to dishonesty and other activities which harm people, including the one who commits them.  A principle here is that whatever we do to others, we do to ourselves.  The harm may be physical, financial, relational, et cetera.  Yet it is always spiritual.  Unlike Ben Sira, however, I would be ashamed of “whipping a wicked servant severely” (42:5).  The misogyny of 42:9-14 would also shame me if I were to affirm it.

The traditionalism of Ben Sira contra Hellenism led him to affirm beautiful truths and to espouse classicist and sexist attitudes.  If we of the twenty-first century are to read Ecclesiasticus/Sirach closely and understand it as Ben Sira intended it, we must critique him honestly, ethically, morally, and in context.  Hopefully, we can all reject:

Better is the wickedness of a man than a woman who does good;

and it is a woman who brings shame and disgrace.

–Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 42:14, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

Yet we should also affirm the condemnation of abusive speech (41:22b).

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF PETER OF CHELCIC, BOHEMIAN HUSSITE REFORMER; AND GREGORY THE PATRIARCH, FOUNDER OF THE MORAVIAN CHURCH

THE FEAST OF FREDERICK J. MURPHY, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC BIBLICAL SCHOLAR

THE FEAST OF GODFREY THRING, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF JANE CREWDSON, ENGLISH QUAKER POET AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF  NARAYAN SESHADRI OF JALNA, INDIAN PRESBYTERIAN EVANGELIST AND “APOSTLE TO THE MANGS”

THE FEAST OF ROBERT GUY MCCUTCHAN, U.S. METHODIST HYMNAL EDITOR AND HYMN TUNE COMPOSER

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READING ECCLESIASTICUS/SIRACH

PART XXV

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Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 40:1-41:13

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Troubles exist for all, we read; social status and economic standing, no matter how high they may be, exempt nobody from this experience.  However, the wicked suffer without the favor of God, and the righteous will ultimately fare better than the wicked, according to Ben Sira.  All this will happen in this life, according to Ben Sira, who rejected the existence of the afterlife (as I have been writing since Part I of this series).  Thus we return to the theme of excessive optimism.

Yet theology of human bondage to sin and death affects that excessive optimism.  Death is the only release from the yoke of sin and suffering, according to the teacher.  And a curse from God hangs over the surviving children of the wicked, we read.

Theological context is crucial.  Therefore, know, O reader, that this curse is not Original Sin, which is neither a Jewish nor an Eastern Orthodox doctrine.   A metaphor for sin in the Hebrew Bible is an outside force that ambushes people.  According to St. Paul the Apostle, sin is an invading and occupying force (Romans 7:17).

Historical and cultural contexts are also vital.  Recall, O reader, that Ben Sira resisted Hellenism, a dominant cultural force.  To refuse to conform is frequently to make oneself a target for scorn and perhaps even persecution.  So, in context, much of the suffering in 40:1-41:13 may result from piety.  That is a partial explanation, for even the monarchs are subject to suffering and wretchedness.  But the pious can support each other.  And a good reputation will survive long after this life, we read.

This section of Ecclesiasticus/Sirach reminds me of a principle which permeates the Book of Psalms: Well-being comes from God.  So, one may suffer because of piety yet never lose one’s well-being.  That is a fitting thought to ponder as one considers the fear/awe/reverence of God:

The fear of the Lord is like a garden of blessing,

and covers a man better than any glory.

–Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 40:27, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

SEPTEMBER 12, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF KASPAR BIENEMANN, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF ERNEST EDWIN RYDER, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, HYMN TRANSLATOR, AND HYMNAL EDITOR

THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCISCUS CH’OE KYONG-HWAN, KOREAN ROMAN CATHOLIC CATECHIST AND MARTYR, 1839; SAINTS LAWRENCE MARY JOSEPH IMBERT, PIERRE PHILIERT MAUBANT, AND JACQUES HONORÉ CHASTÁN, FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS, MISSIONARIES TO KOREA, AND MARTYRS, 1839; SAINT PAUL CHONG HASANG, KOREAN ROMAN CATHOLIC SEMINARIAN AND MARTYR, 1839; AND SAINTS CECILIA YU SOSA AND JUNG HYE, KOREAN ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 1839

THE FEAST OF WILLIAM JOSIAH IRONS, ANGLICAN PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR; AND HIS DAUGHTER, GENEVIEVE MARY IRONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC HYMN WRITER

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READING ECCLESIASTICUS/SIRACH

PART XXIV

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Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 39:12-35

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Finding and maintaining theological balance is crucial.  One should, for example, praise God without sounding like one of Job’s alleged friends.  Proclaiming the goodness and righteousness of God can cross the line and become an exercise in blaming the victim(s).  And wrestling with the theological problem of good and evil requires much caution if one’s theodicy is to avoid the transformation into idiocy.

These thoughts fill my mind as I, an observant Episcopalian, apply the lenses of tradition and reason to scripture in Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 39:12-35.  God is good.  God’s creation is good.  The mind of God is far above any human mind.  God rewards.  God punishes.  These are sound Biblical points.  Yet I detect excessive optimism in this text:

The works of the Lord are all good,

and he will supply every need in its hour.

And no one can say, “This is worse than that,”

for all things will prove good in their season.

–39:33-34, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

I agree that God’s ability to draw blessings out of terrible events is evidence of divine sovereignty.  I recognize this pattern in my past.  Yet some things are worse than other, objectively.  And when God uses the objectively bad for good, I say with Ben Sira:

So now sing praises with all your heart and voice,

and bless the name of the Lord.

–39:35, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

I am an honest monotheist who embraces the Jewish habit of kvetching to God.  If I were a polytheist or a dualist, I could let my favorite deity off the hook by blaming another god or the other diety.  But, within honest monotheism, I can blame no other god or anything that goes wrong.  The theology of divine sovereignty and providence keeps God on the hook.  Human free will and abuses of it account for much, but God remains on the hook for not intervening more often.  So, God is responsible for everything from the Holocaust to other genocides to the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you, O reader, seek easy and comfortable answers regarding theodicy from me, I will disappoint you. I have hard questions of, for, and about God.  Yet I choose to remain in relationship with God, not to abandon faith.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

SEPTEMBER 12, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF KASPAR BIENEMANN, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF ERNEST EDWIN RYDER, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, HYMN TRANSLATOR, AND HYMNAL EDITOR

THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCISCUS CH’OE KYONG-HWAN, KOREAN ROMAN CATHOLIC CATECHIST AND MARTYR, 1839; SAINTS LAWRENCE MARY JOSEPH IMBERT, PIERRE PHILIERT MAUBANT, AND JACQUES HONORÉ CHASTÁN, FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS, MISSIONARIES TO KOREA, AND MARTYRS, 1839; SAINT PAUL CHONG HASANG, KOREAN ROMAN CATHOLIC SEMINARIAN AND MARTYR, 1839; AND SAINTS CECILIA YU SOSA AND JUNG HYE, KOREAN ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 1839

THE FEAST OF WILLIAM JOSIAH IRONS, ANGLICAN PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR; AND HIS DAUGHTER, GENEVIEVE MARY IRONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC HYMN WRITER

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READING ECCLESIASTICUS/SIRACH

PART XXIII

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Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 36:18/23-39:11

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Despite some cringe-worthy attitudes on display in 36:18/23-37:31, Ben Sira’s point is sound.  That point is to have wise advisors, so as to decide wisely.  Ben Sira’s definition of a wise advisor is a godly man who keeps the commandments.  Given Ben Sira’s audience and context, he means a man.  We may, in our time and place, expand that word to “human being.”  Ben Sira’s counsel also assumes that the man seeking advice keeps the commandments, too.  So, we add that detail to the context of 36:18/23-37:31.

King Rehoboam was a son and the first successor of King Solomon.  King Rehoboam came to the throne in 928 B.C.E.  He foolishly heeded the advice of counselors who encouraged him to continue his father’s policy of forced labor.  A revolt ensued, and ten of the twelve tribes formed the (northern) Kingdom of Israel that year (1 Kings 12:1-24; 2 Chronicles 10:1-11:4).

Given that Ben Sira adderssed the sons of the elites of Jerusalem (as I have been noting since the first installment in this series), I wonder if he had that example in mind.  Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 47:23 may indicate that he did:

Solomon rested with his fathers,

and left behind him one of his sons,

ample in folly and lacking in understanding,

Rehoboam, whose policy caused the people to revolt.

Also Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin

and gave to Ephraim a sinful way.

—Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

Of course, hindsight proves helpful in discerning between good advice and foolish counsel.  I, as a student of history, recognize some U.S. policies during the Cold War which backfired on September 11, 2001.  In that light,

It seemed like a good idea at the time,

rings hollow.

Ben Sira also taught regarding professions.  He liked physicians (38:1-15) yet regarded the scribal profession as superior (38:24-39:11).  Perhaps Ben Sira was an elitist; he did teach the sons of elites.  Ben Sira wrote that people who work with their hands cannot become wise because the “opportunity of leisure” is necessary for wisdom (38:24f).  Yet, he taught:

they keep stable the fabric of the world,

and their prayer is in the practice of their trade.

–38:34, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

In other words, all professions which build up the common good are essential.  One may think of a different metaphor–one borrowed from St. Paul the Apostle–when addressing the house churches in Corinth in the 1950s C.E.  All members are vital, with different roles to play and spiritual gifts with which to perform them.  All members belong to the body of Christ.  Members of the upper class, regarding their lower-class counterparts contemptuously, set up that lesson, as I hope everyone remembers.

Likewise, in society, we need a variety of skills and professions.  Bad jobs do exist, contrary to what some people claim.  One may understand that bad jobs exist by listening to or reading descriptions of some forms of work.  And some work is morally objectionable.  One may cite “mafia executioner” as an example.  Nevertheless, most work is honorable and necessary.  And a society which does more than pay lip service to the importance and dignity of work will compensate it properly, with a living wage.

38:16-23 focuses on mourning.  This advice is, frankly, unhelpful:

Do not give your heart to sorrow;

drive it away, remembering the end of life.

Do not forget, there is no coming back;

you do the dead no good, and you injure yourself.

–38:20-21, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

We do well to remember that Ben Sira did not believe in the afterlife, as I have pointed out repeatedly, starting with the first post in this series.  Even if he did believe in the afterlife, though, he still would have been a jerk.

I cannot speak or write for you, O reader.  So, I do so only for myself.  Grief is a constant companion.  As I type these words, I approach the fourth anniversary of the death of my beloved, the woman who changed my life forever.  I wonder how many people Ben Sira loved then lost to gut-wrenching death.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

SEPTEMBER 12, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF KASPAR BIENEMANN, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF ERNEST EDWIN RYDER, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, HYMN TRANSLATOR, AND HYMNAL EDITOR

THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCISCUS CH’OE KYONG-HWAN, KOREAN ROMAN CATHOLIC CATECHIST AND MARTYR, 1839; SAINTS LAWRENCE MARY JOSEPH IMBERT, PIERRE PHILIERT MAUBANT, AND JACQUES HONORÉ CHASTÁN, FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS, MISSIONARIES TO KOREA, AND MARTYRS, 1839; SAINT PAUL CHONG HASANG, KOREAN ROMAN CATHOLIC SEMINARIAN AND MARTYR, 1839; AND SAINTS CECILIA YU SOSA AND JUNG HYE, KOREAN ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 1839

THE FEAST OF WILLIAM JOSIAH IRONS, ANGLICAN PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR; AND HIS DAUGHTER, GENEVIEVE MARY IRONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC HYMN WRITER

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READING ECCLESIASTICUS/SIRACH

PART XXII

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Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 36:1-17/22

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36:1-17 in some translations equals 36:1-22 in other versions.  The Biblical texts predate the chapter and verse numbers.  Nevertheless, I with that versification were always consistent.  C’est la vie.

Prayers for divine vengeance populate the Hebrew Bible–the Book of Psalms, especially.  So, the prayers in Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 36:1-17/22 fit in with that pattern: this vengeance is allegedly the deliverance of the chosen people of God.  By that deliverance:

…all who are on earth will know that you are the Lord, the God of the ages.

–36:17b, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

My position regarding vengeance and fantasies of revenge is already on record many times over at this weblog.  I have made this point countless times for the years–more than a decade–I have been writing BLOGA THEOLOGICA.  Yet, to repeat myself of the zillion zillionth time, I oppose such attitudes as being hateful and destructive to everyone involved.  However, I also understand that, when police rescue the hostages, the hostage-takers will have a bad day.  Neither do I shed a tear for the hostage-takers.

The thought which I have not rejected in writing a zillion times and which applies here is to offer historical context for this bloody text.  As I have written so many times I that I have tired of repeating myself, the original draft of Ecclesiasticus/Sirach dates to 175 B.C.E.  Circa 175 B.C.E., Jerusalem had been part of one foreign empire or another since 587/586 B.C.E.  The Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire had taken over in 587/586 B.C.E.  Then, in 539 B.C.E., the Persians and the Medes had conquered that empire.  The Persian Empire had been a relatively benign overlord, though.  Alexander the Great of Macedonia had defeated the Persian Empire in 333 B.C.E.  Then he had died a decade later, and successor empires had risen from the ashes of his empire.  From 323 to 175 B.C.E., the Jewish homeland had been within the borders of the Ptolemaic Empire (based in Egypt) and the Seleucid Empire (based in Asia).  In 175 B.C.E., the Jewish homeland lay within the frontiers of the Seleucid Empire, and Hellenism was in full swing.  Furthermore, the notorious King Antiochus IV Epiphanes came to power that year.

One theme of Ecclesiasticus/Sirach is to reject Hellenism and embrace Jewish traditions.  And, given the persecution which Antiochus IV Epiphanes unleashed a few years later, the tone of this reading may indicate prescience.

I know how to contextualize historical texts.  However, I reject Nativism, xenophobia, and isolationism in the past, the present, and the future.  These three sins appeal to the dark side of human psychology, so they are common.  They are still sins, regardless of much one may dress them up in piety and virtue.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

SEPTEMBER 12, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF KASPAR BIENEMANN, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF ERNEST EDWIN RYDER, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, HYMN TRANSLATOR, AND HYMNAL EDITOR

THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCISCUS CH’OE KYONG-HWAN, KOREAN ROMAN CATHOLIC CATECHIST AND MARTYR, 1839; SAINTS LAWRENCE MARY JOSEPH IMBERT, PIERRE PHILIERT MAUBANT, AND JACQUES HONORÉ CHASTÁN, FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS, MISSIONARIES TO KOREA, AND MARTYRS, 1839; SAINT PAUL CHONG HASANG, KOREAN ROMAN CATHOLIC SEMINARIAN AND MARTYR, 1839; AND SAINTS CECILIA YU SOSA AND JUNG HYE, KOREAN ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 1839

THE FEAST OF WILLIAM JOSIAH IRONS, ANGLICAN PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR; AND HIS DAUGHTER, GENEVIEVE MARY IRONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC HYMN WRITER

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READING ECCLESIASTICUS/SIRACH

PART XXI

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Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 33:20-35:20/26

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Imagine, O reader, that you are a son of one of the elites of Jerusalem, circa 175 B.C.E.  Ben Sira teaches you, and you listen attentively.  Your culture differs from that of any place in 2023.  Some of the teachings of Ben Sira may, without exception, make sense to you.  Other teachers of Ben Sira may properly, without exception, alarm you.

Ben Sira accepted the institution of slavery (33:24-31).  Ancient Near Eastern slavery was not race-based chattel servitude, but it was still slavery.  And I, unlike the Florida Department of Education, refuse to soft-peddle the institution of slavery.  Ben Sira, who urged treating a slave as a brother (33:31a), thought that a slave’s quest for freedom was horrible (33:25, 31b).  Ben Sira was a hypocrite.

I do, however, agree with Ben Sira regarding dreams (34:1-8).  I think of dreams as “glorified brain farts.”  I do not take them seriously.  When I served as the librarian in my previous Episcopal parish, the parish dream group met in the library, as a number of groups did.  That group donated books about dreams to the parish library.  I dutifully made room for these volumes, for I understood the wisdom of choosing my battles.  I was running out of book space, though, so I wished that removing the dream books was a feasible option.

The overly optimistic theology of divine protection of the faithful from all harm continues (34:13-17).  I have already commented on this point, as I did in the previous post.

Ben Sira, like prophets before him, understood the importance of offering sacrifices piously.  He knew that ritual acts are not talismans, offering protection against impenitent, sinful behavior and the consequences thereof (34:19, 23-26; 35:1-11).

Ben Sira correctly lectured his pupils on the importance of treating the poor properly.  He taught that economic justice is tantamount to murder (34:22).

Nobody can bribe God (35:12), the patron of the poor and the vulnerable.  Economic justice is an especially grave sin, of which people and peoples are guilty.  Divine justice for this offense is severe, we read in 35:17-20.  This justice is the divine deliverance of the poor and the vulnerable.  And, given that Ben Sira did not believe in the afterlife, he taught that this divine justice came in this life.  He may have been unduly optimistic!

Finally, a note on versification is in order.  Versification varies from one translation to another in chapters 33, 34, and 35.  I generally follow the versification in The New Revised Standard Version, as contained in The New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 5 (1997), for headings in this series on Ecclesiasticus/Sirach.  However, the translation most often open in front of me is the Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition.  Versification is inconsistent from the NRSV, The New American Bible–Revised Edition, and The Jerusalem Bible on one hand to the Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition on the other hand.  The internal versification in this post follows the RSV–Second Catholic Edition.

Neither Ben Sira nor his grandson provided the chapter and verse numbers.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

SEPTEMBER 11, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT PAPHNUTIUS THE GREAT, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF UPPER THEBAID

THE FEAST OF ANNE HOULDITCH SHEPHERD, ANGLICAN NOVELIST AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF SAINT JEAN-GABRIEL PERBOYRE, FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, MISSIONARY, AND MARTYR IN CHINA, 1840

THE FEAST OF JOHN STAINER AND WALTER GALPIN ALCOCK, ANGLICAN CHURCH ORGANISTS AND COMPOSERS

THE FEAST OF SAINT PATIENS OF LYONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP

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READING ECCLESIASTICUS/SIRACH

PART XX

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Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 32:14-33:19

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This section of the book is an example of theodicy.  The Encarta World English Dictionary (1999) defines theodicy as:

argument in defense of God’s goodness despite the existence of evil.

“Theodicy” derives from the French Théodicée, the title of a book by Gottfried Liebnitz.  Literally, “theodicy” is “justice of the gods.”  The French title depends upon two Greek words.  Theo means “god” and dikē means “justice.”

I explain the etymology of “theodicy” because (a) I wish to be thorough, and (b) the sound of the word is ironic.  I tread carefully in the realm of theodicy, for one can easily cross the line and enter the territory or idiocy, at best.  At worst, one imagines that God is a moral monster and persuades oneself that piety requires one to affirm what one would otherwise condemn as indefensible within a split second.

The last point owes much a comment from Jennifer Wright Knust in an interview on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Radio regarding her book, Unprotected Texts:  The Bible’s Surprising Contradictions about Sex and Desire (2011).  I recall that this comment, from an interview for a segment of the Tapestry program, refers to some of Dr. Knust’s students, whom she described as feeling obligated to affirm theological positions they would otherwise find repugnant.  Yet their Biblical interpretation and theology of the authority of scripture compel them to defend that which they would otherwise condemn.

With that preface in mind, we turn to the theodicy of Ben Sira.  It is a theodicy of mixed quality.  How can one argue against good being the opposite of evil (33:14)?  And how can one refute the caution against spiritual indolence and arrogance (32:18)?  Yet 33:1 is unduly optimistic:

No evil will befall the man who fears the Lord,

but in trial he will deliver him again and again.

—Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

It is not necessarily so.  Do I need to name Jesus or any martyr for God?  James L. Crenshaw writes:

The assertion of 33:1 flies in the face of reality, although many sages subscribed to this simplistic theology.

—The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 5 (1997), 787

Reality is frequently messy.  A belief in a good God who micromanages an orderly and just universe may provide spiritual comfort.  Yet reality refutes that simplistic theology.  I write as an honest monotheist.  I cannot let YHWH off the hook by blaming another deity for allowing everything from wars to the Holocaust to happen.

The classic Judeo-Christian approach to theodicy is to pair human free will and God’s providence.  This method has much merit.  In the Enuma Elish, the gods created humans to be servants.  Yet in the rewritten Jewish mythology contained in Genesis 1, we read the profound truth that people bear the image of God.   In other words, we encounter God in each other.  We are lesser than God yet we have in inherent, elevated status.  Furthermore, “yes” has meaning only when “no” is an option.  The Bible contains many stories of people rebelling against God–practicing their option to say, “no.”

Yet this line of reasoning fails to answer some questions in a satisfactory manner.  If we are to be spiritually and theologically honest, we must venture into uncomfortable territory.  We must admit that God–the sole deity–remains on the hook.  We must admit that many people have legitimate complaints against God.  We may have legitimate reasons to complain against God.  Fortunately, kvetching at God is a fine Jewish tradition and part of the inheritance of Christianity.  Do we dare to kvetch at God?

One may recall the frustration of St. Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582), a Doctor of the Church.  She once admonished God:

If this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few of them!

I also propose that, despite agreeing with the argument in the paragraph which immediately precedes the reference to St. Teresa of Ávila, I reject the assumption that God needs a human defense.  Why would God require mortal beings to burnish the divine reputation?

I know an Episcopal priest who has a wonderful way of responding to people who tell him that they do not believe in God.  He asks them to describe the God in whom they do not believe.  Father Dann turns this scenario into an opportunity to engage with these individuals.  Invariably, they describe God as a figure in whom the priest does not believe either.

I am a practicing Christian.  Yet, when I hear how many of my co-religionists describe the God of their faith, I do not recognize the God of my faith.

Whenever one attempts a theodicy, one will do well to ask whether one’s God-concept is worth defending.  One should also ask oneself if one presumes to know more than one does.  Heresy originates with pious intentions, and one may commit heresy while engaging in theodicy.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

SEPTEMBER 11, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT PAPHNUTIUS THE GREAT, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF UPPER THEBAID

THE FEAST OF ANNE HOULDITCH SHEPHERD, ANGLICAN NOVELIST AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF SAINT JEAN-GABRIEL PERBOYRE, FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, MISSIONARY, AND MARTYR IN CHINA, 1840

THE FEAST OF JOHN STAINER AND WALTER GALPIN ALCOCK, ANGLICAN CHURCH ORGANISTS AND COMPOSERS

THE FEAST OF SAINT PATIENS OF LYONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP

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READING ECCLESIASTICUS/SIRACH

PART XIX

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Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 26:28-32:13

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Human beings live in circumstances, not abstractions.  Ben Sira understood this fact.  So, as he taught the sons of the elites of Jerusalem circa 175 B.C.E., the author provided real-world examplars of principles.

And why not?  Integrity is tangible, not abstract.  Integrity is about what we do, which is about who we are.  One may quote a host of verses and passages, but only verse can make the point without flipping the note cards.  The representative verse I select comes from the context of distinguishing false prophets from the genuine articles:

You will be able to tell them by their fruits.

–Matthew 7:16a, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)

Ben Sira condemns greed and injustice.  He also offers this pithy counsel:

When a reed is shaken, the refuse remains;

so a man’s filth remains in his thoughts.

–27:4, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

Alternative translations to “filth” include “rubbish,” “refuse,” and “husks.”  The reference requires explanation.  This is a description of a part of farm life.  James L. Crenshaw explains:

After oxen had threshed grain, it was placed in a sieve that retained the husks and dung while allowing the kernels to pass through for immediate use or temporary storage.  The analogy suffers somewhat, for one expects the speech to represent pure grain whereas Ben Sira observes that talk demonstrates flaws, bringing them to the surface.

—The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 5 (1997), 768

Ben Sira offers two more analogies in verses 5 and 6.  Conversation reveals flawed reasoning, and the quality of a tree is evident in the quality of its fruit.

Wisdom literature is repetitive.  Any given book of wisdom literature may be repetitive, too.  Ecclesiasticus/Sirach fits that description.  Repetition, as a characteristic, is ubiquitous throughout the Bible.  The texts may repeat messages so often because people need to pay closer attention.  Apathy is one reason for missing the point.  Another reason is that many of us go through life as distracted beings.

Most of Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 26:28-32:13 reminds one of what I have read in the other Hebrew wisdom books, as well as in Ecclesiasticus/Sirach already.  Perhaps, as I hear the completion of my tour of the wisdom literature, I recognize many of these themes and mistakenly think that Ben Sira has covered them already.  A few places to land and conduct analysis do occur to me, however.

Many have fallen by the edge of the sword,

but not so many as have fallen because of the tongue.

–28:18, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

I cannot argue against that statement.  However, I dispute 30:1, which labels the frequent whipping of children as a sign of parental love.  Discipline is not abuse.  I also argue against the patriarchal tone of 30:1f.  The historical and cultural contexts are clear.  Ben Sira’s concern over the Hellenistic threats to Hebrew familial structure fit the contexts.  Yet I remain no fan of patriarchy.

30:21-25 offers sage advice.  Why do we afflict ourselves deliberately?  I approach this question with my survivor’s guilt intact.  I understand that my survivor’s guilt is irrational.  Yet I still have it nearly four years after the death of my beloved Bonny.

31:1-3 reminds me of a psychological study about the relationship between contentment and more money.  Having more money–to a point–increases one’s contentment.  So, for example, if one could not pay one’s bills and afford all necessities but now one can do so, having more money has increased one’s contentment.  Yet, when one can already afford all necessities and pay all one’s bills, and one can afford many luxuries, acquiring more wealth enables one to afford more luxuries.  At this point, more money does not increase one’s contentment.  In fact, at a certain point, more money decreases one’s contentment.

Greed is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10; Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 31:5f).

Ben Sira addressed the sons of the elites of Jerusalem circa 175 B.C.E.  So, we must consider that context when pondering advice regarding etiquette in 31:12-32:13.   A grasp of Hellenistic customs regarding conduct at banquets helps, too.  In context, Ben Sira advised practicing common courtesy, not making a fool of oneself, and blessing God–not pagan gods–at the end of the feast.

We may often hear about God blessing us, our country, et cetera.  That is fine, but only in balance.  How well and often do we–both individually and collectively–bless God?  How we bless God may vary according to contexts, but the principle is timeless.  And blessing God is an expression of integrity.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF CHARLES FOX, ANGLICAN MISSIONARY IN MELANESIA

THE FEAST OF AARON ROBARTS WOLFE, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF JOSEPH GOMER AND MARY GOMER, UNITED BRETHREN MISSIONARIES IN SIERRA LEONE

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