The historical references of the book are replete with inaccuracies. For example, it is known that Xerxes' wife was not Vashti (1:11) or Esther, but Amestris (Herodotus, VII, 6). But, like Kn. Tobit, Esther is not a strict historical narrative. It is written as a testimony to the providential deeds of God, who protects the Old Testament Church in the midst of trials. Esther's analogy can be found in the story of Joseph, told in Book II. Being.

Review Questions

1. Which of the Fathers of the Church is the first to refer to the Book of Kings. Tobit?

2. What was the original language of the book?

3. To which literary genre does it belong?

4. When do modern biblical scholars think the book could have been written?

5. Why are the names of angels not mentioned in the pre-exilic writings?

6. Who was Asmodeus?

7. Outline the main content of the book.

8. Which part of it most fully expresses its theology?

9. In what form has the Book been preserved? Esther?

10. In connection with what holiday and when was it written?

11. What is its content and meaning?

§25 The Book of the Wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirach (c. 190)

1. Author, date and language of the book. Around 200 B.C., the tradition of the Law merged with the tradition of the Hakam sages. From now on, the scribes began to rely more on the Torah. This was reflected in the Book of Kings. Wisdom written by a man named Jesus, son of Sirach (Hebrew Yeshua Ben-Sirah).

Although his Wisdom was not included in the Bible by the Jews, and the Church relegated it to non-canonical writings, it was highly respected among Christians. St. Cyprian of Carthage even called it the "Church Book" – Ecclesiasticus. Under this name, it is often found in Catholic publications (not to be confused with Ecclesiastes). St. The Fathers saw in Wisdom a kind of guide to everyday life and an antidote to unhealthy daydreaming.

Biographical information about Sirach has not been preserved[39]. Apparently, he came from a noble family in Jerusalem and spent his youth in travels, from which he brought a variety of knowledge. Perhaps he was familiar with ancient literature, but best of all he knew the Bible, which he read almost in full.

Wisdom also depicts the image of the author himself: a sober, reasonable man, benevolent to people. The last of the hakamas, he perfectly embodies the sage-scribe. He loves his literary work and puts it above all professions. For him, the law is the key to a righteous and right life. Without knowledge of the Torah, a person becomes arrogant and thus plunges himself into innumerable misfortunes (10:7-9).

During the reign of Ptolemy VII, the grandson of Sirach came to Egypt, who noticed that the Jews of Alexandria did not know enough about the basics of the religion of their fathers. To help them, he decided to translate from Hebrew into Greek the book of his grandfather, which he considered the most appropriate instruction in faith and life. He began his work in 132 (the preface written by him has been preserved in Slavonic translation). Sirach himself probably wrote around 190.

Until the end of the 19th century, only the Greek versions of the book were known. In 1896, the Hebrew scholar S. Schechter published information about the manuscript of the Hebrew text of Sirach found in Cairo. This discovery (published in 1899) not only brought biblical scholars closer to the original text of the book, but also made it possible to clarify many obscure passages in the Greek translation.

2. The nature of the book. The Wisdom of Jesus, the son of Sirach, consists of verse chapters that are collected without a strict plan. It is amazingly multifaceted. This is a real encyclopedia of life: it speaks of court customs and temple rites, of trade and the Holy Trinity. Scriptures, about medicine and the upbringing of children. It contains psalms that rise to the level of the best works of holy biblical poetry. However, the author is first of all a teacher of life. He preaches "knowledge"; but not scientific knowledge, as the Greeks understood it, but a kind of "science of life"; Sirach is a moralist who views human existence from a religious point of view. He weighs his practical experience on the scales of the Law of God.