He created man from the beginning and left him in the hand of his will. If you want, you will keep the commandments and thou shalt preserve thy pleasing fidelity... Life and death are before man, and whatever he wills will be given to him. (15,14-15,17)

Here, for the first time in the Old Testament writing, the idea of man's freedom and responsibility is so clearly expressed. A wise life is the realization in actions, thoughts, and feelings of the highest wisdom, that is, the will of God, sealed in the law.

4. The Doctrine of Sin. In the Wisdom of Sirach one cannot find a developed theological teaching about original sin; At that time, Old Testament thought was only approaching this idea. (The teaching about original sin will be revealed in its entirety only in the writings of the Apostle Paul.) However, Jesus the son of Sirach already knows that sin had a beginning and connects it with the story of Book II. Genesis (Sir 25:27). Unlike his contemporaries, the Greek moralists, the sage does not believe that the "natural man" is a naturally virtuous being. He knows only too well the power of evil in the human soul:

Flee from sin as from the face of a serpent; for if you come near him, he will bruise you. His teeth are the teeth of a lion, which kill the souls of men. (21,2-3)

Sirach considers the world in its fallen state, when evil is an integral part of existence. But a person should not consider himself doomed. He is given the opportunity to choose:

When the wicked curse Satan, then curses his soul. (21,30)

In other words, even the influence of dark forces does not relieve people of moral responsibility for their actions.

5. The image of a virtuous man inscribed in Book II. Sirach, bears the stamp of the Old Testament narrow-mindedness. This is a diligent head of the family, a loving husband, a strict father, a person who is not quick to speak, always thinking over his decisions. He does not chase wealth, but he is no stranger to the joys of life. He is fair, kind, polite and circumspect, never betrays his word and is ready to help those in need at any time.

Sirach considers friendship to be one of the greatest blessings of life. Whoever has found a good friend has found a treasure. With the wicked, on the contrary, one should not enter into communion (12:13).

In some places, the ethics of the book are almost close to those of the Gospel. Rising above the legal "an eye for an eye," he says:

Forgive your neighbor's offense, and then by thy prayer thy sins shall be forgiven. (28,2)

A righteous person strengthens his moral spirit and the joy of being by faith in God. But outward piety without goodness and truth is blasphemy. In this, Sirah is a worthy successor of the prophets, whose books he revered and studied:

Do not say, "He will look upon the multitude of my gifts; and when I offer them to the Most High God, He will receive them"... Whoever offers a sacrifice from unrighteous acquisition, his mocking offering, and the gifts of the wicked are not pleasing. (7,9; 34,18)

A mortal, Sirach teaches, cannot be equal to the Eternal, he must thank Him for the life that has been given to him; And if it is short, then such is the heavenly will. The more a person comes to know the greatness of the Creator, the less he feels entitled to make demands of Him. Going through life, enjoying its gifts, working for himself and others, fulfilling the Law of God, a person finds a source of consolation in the contemplation of the Glory of the Eternal.