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 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 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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READING ECCLESIASTICUS/SIRACH

PART XI

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Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 11:29-14:19

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Some scoundrels seem like friends; they depend upon the naivëté and good nature of pious people.  The imagery in 11:29-12:9, with its seemingly harsh language, recalls a hunter’s technique of placing a bird into a cage to lure other birds.  The text cautions the audience–originally, sons of the elites of Jerusalem, circa 175 B.C.E.–not to fall into such traps and to aid and abet predators.

Cultural references abound in the Bible.  12:10-12, for example, refers to a tarnished pot or a “magic mirror.”  The pot or mirror , when polished, revealed the identity of a friend, according to folk belief.  Recall, O reader, that the mirror in these verses was metal and that it revealed a less detailed reflection than our glass mirrors do.  Furthermore, Ben Sira refers to the right hand–the hand of honor in that culture.  Ben Sira urges protecting the right hand from imposters.  He also urges being careful–metaphorically, keeping the mirror polished constantly.

By the way, the right hand was the hand of honor because, in that cultural milieu, one used the left hand for hygienic purposes.

Chapter 13 changes the topic to the exploitation of the poor by the wealthy.  This is a timeless pattern, sadly.  The historical setting resembles much of the world today–a small upper class, a vast lower class, and a tiny middle class.  The wealthy increase their wealth via exploitation.  Their greed and lack of human concern violates the Biblical principle of mutuality, which allows no moral license for exploitation.

Riches are good if they are free from sin,

and poverty is evil in the opinion of the ungodly.

–Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 13:24, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

Some wealthy people are amoral or immoral predators.  Others, however, accept that riches and privilege impose upon them greater responsibility than they would have otherwise.  They understand that they must do more to help because they can do more to help.  Money and other forms of wealth are morally neutral, but uses of attitudes toward wealth are not morally neutral.  And greed is the root of all evil.

Recall, also, O reader, that Ben Sira rejected any belief in the afterlife.  So, he taught that wealth was transitory and that how one behaved toward God and other people mattered much more than riches.  He reminded his pupils that others would inherit their wealth.  Koheleth had made the same point in Ecclesiastes.

As I ponder Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 14:11-19, I detect the vibe of Ecclesiastes–enjoy life while you can–that is, before you die.  But enjoy life properly, in the awe of God.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 17, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAMUEL JOHNSON, CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, ANGLICAN PRIEST, PRESIDENT OF KING’S COLLEGE, “FATHER OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN CONNECTICUT,” AND “FATHER OF AMERICAN LIBRARY CLASSIFICATION;” TIMOTHY CUTLER, CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, ANGLICAN PRIEST, AND RECTOR OF YALE COLLEGE; DANIEL BROWNE, EDUCATOR, CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, AND ANGLICAN PRIEST; AND JAMES WETMORE, CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND ANGLICAN PRIEST

THE FEAST OF THE BAPTISMS OF MANTEO AND VIRGINIA DARE, 1587

THE FEAST OF SAINT EUSEBIUS OF ROME, BISHOP OF ROME, AND MARTYR, 310

THE FEAST OF GEORGE CROLY, ANGLICAN PRIEST, POET, HISTORIAN, NOVELIST, DRAMATIST, THEOLOGIAN, AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF WILLIAM JAMES EARLY BENNETT, ANGLICAN PRIEST

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READING ECCLESIASTICUS/SIRACH

PART IV

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Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 3:1-4:10

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“Traditional family values” is an term one may hear frequently.  The term is inherently relative; its meaning depends upon culture, time, and place.

Ben Sira affirmed traditional family values, he he understood them.  He must have noticed members of younger generations forsaking the Jewish faith and disrespecting parents–fathers, especially.  Hellenism was taking its toll on the Jewish familial hierarchy.  In that context, we read:

Whoever honors his father atones for sins,

and preserves himself from them.

–3:3, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

3:14-16 and 3:20 unpack 3:3.

Hierarchy is a major theme in parts of the Old Testament.  Some verses in Proverbs condemn those who refuse to remain “in their place,” as if God had ordained the hierarchy.  (I do not assume that God has ever done so.)  The same attitude from Proverbs recurs in Ecclesiasticus/Sirach.

One can almost hear Protestant blood boiling at the assertion of one’s good deeds scoring credit before God.  Yet this is an old idea (Tobit 14:10-11; 1 Timothy 6:19; Matthew 6:9-20; Luke 12:21).

Ben Sira (who was not a Protestant), argued that good deeds convey merit before God only when prayer accompanies them (verse 5).  He also contextualized good deeds within the framework of humility before God (3:18f).  Ben Sira affirmed maintaining one’s “place” within the hierarchy, with God at the top (3:23-24).

Humility before God is a moral and a theological virtue; I cannot refute that teaching.  Yet one can affirm humility before God without assuming that God has ordained the social hierarchy.  I am an heir to the Enlightenment and the American Revolution, so I do not think as ancients did.

In the context of humility before God, within the social hierarchy, we cross over into chapter 4.  Here the theme of economic justice is obvious.  God is on the side of the unjustly treated and vulnerable people, we read.  Treating people justly will satisfy divine commandments.  The marginalized people are always with us, for social norms marginalize them.  Frankly, hierarchies marginalize them.  So, at the conclusion of this post, I simultaneously agree and argue with Ben Sira.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 13, 2023 COMMON ERA

PROPER 14:  THE ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR A

THE FEAST OF JEREMY TAYLOR, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF DOWN, CONNOR, AND DROMORE

THE FEAST OF ELIZABETH PAYSON PRENTISS, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF SAINT IRENE OF HUNGARY, HUNGARIAN PRINCESS AND BYZANTINE EMPRESS

THE FEAST OF OCTAVIA HILL, ENGLISH SOCIAL REFORMER

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READING ECCLESIASTICUS/SIRACH

PART II

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Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 1:1-30

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Ben Sira combined thoughts from the Book of Proverbs with the Torah in a way the authors of Proverbs did not.

In the treasures of wisdom are wise sayings,

but godliness is an abomination to the sinner.

If you desire wisdom, keep the commandments,

and the Lord will supply it to you.

For the fear of the Lord is wisdom and instruction,

and he delights in fidelity and meekness.

–1:25-27, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

The canon of scriptures is broad and generous enough to include conflicting opinions.  This fact is one reason I reject both Biblical inerrancy and infallibility.  History and science are two other reasons.  I, as an Episcopalian, value scripture, tradition, and reason to matters of faith and theology.

Ben Sira’s cosmology was typical for his context.  The literal reading of Genesis 1:1-2:4a requires one to understand the Earth as a disc with a dome above it, and with water below the disc and above the dome.  This cosmology, imported from ancient residents of Mesopotamia, finds poetic expression in the first few verses of chapter 1.

Then we read of divine wisdom as a creation (verse 9) and a gift of God.  The link between this concept and the presentation of Jesus as the Logos of God (John 1) is clear, with some theological changes on the road to John 1.  But this is neither the time nor the place to rehash the Arian controversy of the 300s C.E.

Verse 32 distinguishes between righteous anger and unrighteous anger.  There is no justification for unjust anger, we read; it leads to the angry person’s ruin.  This is impossible to refute convincingly.  I recall watching a true crime program years ago and learning that the duration of the average violent crime is three seconds. What happens during those three seconds damages, wrecks, and often claims lives.  Beyond violent crime, grudges may have no effect on their targets, but they harm those who harbor and nurture them.

On the other hand, not becoming angry can indicate a grave moral failing.  If systemic economic and other forms of social injustice do not anger someone, that person has a faulty moral conscience.  People of good conscience may disagree about how best to correct such injustice, but they proceed from solid moral ground.  Certain public figures on the far right describe themselves as champions of liberty yet praise Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong, or minimize the horror of chattel slavery.  If one can read those remarks and watch those videos yet not feel moral disgust, one is morally faulty.

Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 1, like the Book of Proverbs, is excessively optimistic (verse 12, for example).  Given that I have already written about excessive, unrealistic optimism recently at this weblog, I choose not to repeat myself on this point in this post.

Despite that excessive and unrealistic optimism, much of chapter 1 does not require faith to accept.  Faith is unnecessary when abundant evidence exists.  One example follows:

Do not be a hypocrite before others,

over your lips keep watch.

–Verse 29, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)

This is timeless advice.  One may identify examples from the past and present, wherever or whenever one lives.  Hypocrisy offends; it violates trust.  Hypocrisy differs from changing one’s mind after examining and analyzing evidence or learning from experience.  Hypocrisy is disingenuous.  Furthermore, loose lips sink far more than ships; they frequently torpedo the hypocrite’s reputation and may provide incriminating evidence of an offense.  How many people are in prison partially because of damning evidence they voluntarily posted on social media outlets?

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 6, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD

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READING THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON

PART II

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Wisdom of Solomon 1:1-2:24

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1:1-5 addresses rulers–not just Jewish 0nes, but mainly Gentiles.  Recall, O reader, that Pseudo-Solomon cast a broad net and sought to appeal to as many people as possible by fusing Judaism and Platonism in a Hellenistic context.  (FYI:  Platonism, influential in Christianity since the earliest years of Christianity, is less influential in Christianity than it used to be.  History tells us that Sts. Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas helped to raise the profile of Aristotle and his philosophy in Christianity in the Middle Ages.)  Based on 1:1, what does Pseudo-Solomon encourage those in authority to love?  My survey of sixteen translations–fourteen in English ad two in French–indicates the following results:

1. Righteousness–seven translations,
2. Justice–seven translations,
3. Uprightness–one translation, and
4. Virtue–one translation.

The survey reveals a tie between righteousness and justice, terms where are interchangeable in the Bible.  Recall, O reader, that righteousness is right relationship with God, self, others, and all of creation.  Allowing for the separation of religion and state–which I, as a devout person and a student of history, favor–governments must still respect human rights and liberties, as well as live in harmony with nature.  They are failing.

The germane notes in The Jerusalem Bible (1966) and The New Jerusalem Bible (1985) define righteousness/justice slightly differently:

…perfect accord of mind and act with the divine will as manifested in the precepts of the Law and the injunctions of conscience.

That definition assumes that someone has a conscience, of course.  Some in positions of leadership are narcissistic, pathological predators devoid of a conscience.

For perverse thoughts separate men from God,

and when his power is tested, it convicts the foolish;

because wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul,

nor dwell in a body enslaved to sin.

–Wisdom of Solomon 1:3-4, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

Historical accounts and current events confirm those words.

As we continue to read, we find that

…the Spirit of the Lord has filled the world….

–Wisdom of Solomon 1:7a, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

The Spirit of the Lord is impossible to avoid, we read.  It knows what people say, we read.  Furthermore, people doom themselves.  God, who does not delight in the death of the living, favors righteousness, which is immortal.  We also read all that through 1:15.

Yet godless/ungodly people–the fools/benighted men of Psalms 14 and 53–summon death upon themselves.  Their atheism, in context, is practical atheism; they reject divine interest in human activities, as well as any divine retribution.  They sound like Ecclesiastes minus the piety.  They lack all compunction against oppressing people–a violation of Biblical mutuality.  They know that they are predators, and target the inconvenient, righteous people.  These godless/ungodly people lack a conscience.  They even martyr some of these righteous people.  The wickedness of these godless/ungodly people blinds them morally.

To come full circle, 1:1-5 tells rulers not to be like that.  No, those in authority should feel ashamed at the approach of unrighteousness/injustice.

I choose my words carefully in these weblogs, for i seek to make my meaning plain.  However, even the plainest and most direct language cannot prevent all misunderstandings.  Nevertheless, I continue to try to be clear without attaching a lengthy disclaimer to every blog post.  Such a disclaimer would be ridiculous and not worth my time and effort.

With all that in mind, I state that people of good conscience may disagree about whether a given policy is just or unjust.  Some people are bound to be mistaken, and all of us possess moral blind spots.  Yet an evidence-based person with a conscience may admit error in the pursuit of righteousness/justice.  And such a person may change his or her mind regarding a given policy.  Results matter.  I, as one trained in historical methodology, affirm that evidence and objective reality matter.  I reserve my harshest condemnations for those who do not care about righteousness/justice.  I summon my fiercest moral outrage and tear into those who lack a sense of morality.  Their tribe is legion, unfortunately.  To paraphrase Jon Stewart, a shameless person commits the most shameful deeds.

Chapter 2 concludes with a bridge into chapter 3.  That bridge reads, in part:

…for God created man for incorruption,

and made him in the image of his own eternity,

but through the devil’s envy death entered the world,

and those who belong to his party experience it.

–Wisdom of Solomon 2:23-24, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

The alternative translations of God’s “eternity” are “nature” and “likeness.”  This definition fits with “eternal life” in the Gospel of John, where “eternal life” pertains to the nature of God and has no relation to time.  In the Johannine tradition, “eternal life” is knowing God via Jesus.  So, eternal life begins in this life and continues in the afterlife.  Elsewhere in the New Testament, though, “eternal life” refers to the afterlife.  Regardless of the translator’s choice in Wisdom of Solomon 2:23-24, the meaning is that God created people for immortality yet they are not immortal.  Human ethical conduct–defined by righteousness/justice–is full life in God.  The opposite–“death”–is total separation from God and virtue.

In the arena of the history of theology, I note that, by the time of the composition of the Wisdom of Solomon, the influence of Zoroastrianism upon Judaism had reached full flower.  Chapter 2 indicates that “the Satan” has completed his transformation from a loyal servant of God (as in Numbers 24) into a rogue.  This chapter, combined with the previous one and the next one, also affirms reward and punishment in the afterlife.  Sheol is out; divine retribution in the afterlife is in.

The history of theological development is a matter of evidence–written evidence, especially.  One can state objectively that theology has changed.  This fact upsets some people; I know this, based on their reactions to me after I have explained this.  Yet this fact need not upset anyone, unless objective reality upsets that person.  The truth of theology at any given stage of its development is not so easy to settle, however.  The question of theological truth–insofar as fact checks can neither confirm nor refute them–resides in the realm of faith.  Fact checks aside, history cannot evaluate many claims of faith.

Now I move into that realm of faith.  I step outside the territory of fact checks.  I hold that, by the time of the composition of the Wisdom of Solomon, Jewish theology had made strides in the direction of understanding Satan and divine reward and punishment in the afterlife correctly.  I agree that God condemns nobody to Hell; people condemn themselves.  Yet the story of Jesus preaching in Hades/Hell between the crucifixion and the Resurrection sticks in my mind.  What was the point of such preaching if damnation is necessarily permanent? So, I also affirm that those in Hell can still find salvation if they will accept it.  They can still go to Heaven if wickedness ceases to blind and bind them.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 2, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF GEORG WEISSEL, GERMAN LUTHERAN PASTOR AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF ANNA BERNADINE DOROTHY HOPPE, U.S. LUTHERAN HYMN WRITER AND TRANSLATOR

THE FEAST OF CARROLL O’CONNOR, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC ACTOR AND SCREEN WRITER

THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN GOTTFRIED GEBBARD, GERMAN MORAVIAN COMPOSER AND MUSIC EDUCATOR

THE FEAST OF FREDERICK WILLIAM FABER, ENGLISH MORAVIAN BISHOP, LITURGIST, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR

THE FEAST OF SAINT PETER JULIAN EYMARD, FOUNDER OF THE PRIESTS OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, THE SERVANTS OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, AND THE PRIESTS’ EUCHARISTIC LEAGUE; AND ORGANIZER OF THE CONFRATERNITY OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT

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READING THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

PART XIV

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Proverbs 24:23-34

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Proverbs 24:23-34 is the fourth collection in the Book of Proverbs.

These verses include the following principles:

1. Show honesty in judgment.
2. Respond forthrightly.
3. Live wisely.
4. Never seek revenge; trust God to execute justice.
5. Do not be lazy.

The link between laziness and poverty is not as simple as 24:30-34 presents it.  As the Book of Ecclesiastes reminds us, many hard-working people are poor and many lazy people are wealthy.  When we turn to Ben Sira, the author of Ecclesiasticus/Sirach, we find him teaching the sons of the elites of Jerusalem circa 175 B.C.E.  We find the teacher warning his students, who have never had to work, neither to be lazy nor to scorn hard work.  The English language contains the terms the “idle rich” and the “working poor.”  Rigged economic systems are real, sadly.  Many systems of taxation fall more heavily upon those with less than upon those with more.

However simplistic and excessively optimistic 24:23-24 may be, the admonition to live wisely stands the test of time.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JULY 25, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT JAMES BAR-ZEBEDEE. APOSTLE AND MARTYR

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READING THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

PART XI

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Proverbs 22:17-23:11

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Proverbs 22:17-24:22 is a distinct collection in three parts.  22:17-23:11 takes the Instruction of Amenemope (from Egypt) as the model, according to all but one commentary I consulted.  The intermediate step between the Egyptian text and the Hebrew text is the Aramaic text.  We may reasonably surmise this because (a) the Hebrew text incorporates Aramaic usages, and (b) Aramaic had become the lingua franca in the region.  Counts of how many of the Egyptian teachings have parallel in the Hebrew text depend where one terminates the section modeled after the Instruction of Amenemope.  The outlier in my collection of commentaries is R. B. Y. Scott‘s 1965 work on the Books of Proverbs  and Ecclesiastes for The Anchor Bible series.  His commentary holds that I should terminate this post at 24:22.  Although I follow the notes in The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition (2014), I do not dismiss Scott’s analysis out of hand.  His reputation as a scholar survives him.

Two interesting holdovers from the Instruction of Amenemope occur in 22:20-21.

1. The Hebrew text does contain thirty sayings (v. 20) if one follows the lead of R. B. Y. Scott, not the lead of The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition (2014).  The Egyptian text does, however, contain thirty chapters.
2. Verse 21 refers to replying or responding to him or those “who sent you.”  Replying or responding is a theme in ancient Egyptian wisdom literature, but not in Proverbs 22:17-23:11.  And the Instruction of Amenemope reads in part:

…To reply to one who sends a message.

The Egyptian text instructs a young man who aspires to become a courtier how to succeed in that goal and how to achieve prosperity and to avoid evil.  Proverbs 22:17-23:11 expands on these themes.  God is on the side of the exploited poor, we read.  Cultural context is crucial for understanding certain verses.  Commentaries explain those passages in context.  Yet the principle not to chat people–the poor and the vulnerable, especially–requires no cultural context for explanation.  The principle that God watches us and cares about what we do translates into a variety of settings.  Other timeless principles include the folly of greed, the necessity of controlling appetites, and the importance of avoiding hypocrisy.

God assumes the role of the kinsman-redeemer (22:23; 23:11).  If this principle sounds familiar, one may recall Job 19:25.  The go’el, in Hebrew, was usually a relative who defended one’s rights in court.  Although 23:11 may not, by itself, refer to God as the kinsman-redeemer, reading that text in the context of 22:22-23 tilts the verse toward that interpretation.

The more things change, the more things remain constant.  Many people still cheat others frequently and habitually, without a pang of conscience.  And God still cares deeply about that pattern of behavior.  Greed also builds one up in the short term, but ill-gotten gain (a) may disappear, and (b) exacts its price upon the greedy.  Whatever we do to others, we do also to ourselves.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JULY 24, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF THOMAS À KEMPIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, PRIEST, AND SPIRITUAL WRITER

THE FEAST OF AMALIE WILHEIMINE SIEVEKING, FOUNDER OF THE WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION FOR THE CARE OF THE POOR AND INVALIDS

THE FEAST OF FLORA MACDONALD, CANADIAN STATESWOMAN AND HUMANITARIAN

THE FEAST OF JANE HOLMES DIXON, EPISCOPAL SUFFRAGAN BISHOP OF WASHINGTON AND BISHOP OF WASHINGTON PRO TEMPORE

THE FEAST OF JOHN NEWTON, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, U.S. BAPTIST MINISTER AND THEOLOGIAN OF THE SOCIAL GOSPEL

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READING THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

PART X

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Proverbs 16:10-22:16

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Wisdom literature is repetitive; it shares that quality with Hebrew prophetic literature.  Proverbs 16:10f continues thematically where 16:9 left off.  I am following the organizational structure in The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition (2014).  Yet I notice that The New Collegeville Bible Commentary:  Old Testament (2015) labels 16:1-22:16 a discrete section of the Book of Proverbs.

The excessive optimism continues in 16:10-22:9, but the statement of ideals has its place.  We–both collectively and individually–need to avoid the errors of (a) falling into ideology, facts be damned, and (b) lacking idealism and falling into evil and despair.

Speaking of idealism, wisdom is superior to gold and understanding is better than silver.  This wisdom and understanding is (a) from God, and (b) lived, not abstract.  Wisdom works toward humility before God, not hubris, which leads to destruction–of self and, often, others, too.

All these proverbs exist within a cultural context, which excellent commentaries explain well.  Even outside of cultural context, the meaning of some proverbs is clear.

He who mocks the poor affronts his Maker;

He who rejoices over another’s misfortune will not go unpunished.

–Proverbs 17:5, TANAKH:  The Holy Scriptures (1999)

Yet how often do some public officials mock the poor and support policies which place the impoverished at greater disadvantage?  And how many self-proclaimed proponents of “traditional family values” maintain systemic economic injustice which damages family life?

As we keep reading, we encounter other familiar themes again.  We read about idleness, hard work, hubris (yet again), corruption, societal strife, and heavy drinking among other topics.  We even meet Lady Folly (Or is she merely a married, adulterous woman?) again.  Through it all, we read that God is watching us.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JULY 21, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, WITNESS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS IN SOUTH AFRICA

THE FEAST OF J. B. PHILLIPS, ANGLICAN PRIEST, THEOLOGIAN, AND BIBLE TRANSLATOR

THE FEAST OF SAINT WASTRADA; HER SON, SAINT GREGORY OF UTRECHT, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF UTRECHT; AND HIS NEPHEW, SAINT ALBERIC OF UTRECHT, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF UTRECHT

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