As previously mentioned, tomorrow I'm going to launch a daily series of reflections on the book of Sirach. There are 51 chapters in Sirach, so running daily, we'll enounter the 51st chapter and finish our reflections on Holy Thursday, also the beginning of Passover.Before we dive in... a few necessary "Preview" items.
These are "Reflections", not Commentary
This effort is not to comment or provide scholarly perspective or insight regarding the book of Sirach. It is solely to provide reflections based on my own life journey and the lens and perspective that gives on the book of Sirach.
How Does the Church Encourage us to Read Scripture?
Well, a good deal of the answer (as with most questions of faith or morals) is found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In this case, Part 1, Section 1, Chapter 2, Article 3 dives right in to "Sacred Scripture" and answers many of those questions. Check it out before we begin.
Explain to me the Book of Sirach
A key observation, for many of our Protestant brothers and sisters, is that they won't find the book of Sirach in the Old Testament where we find it. Some will find it at the end of the Bible, after what they except as the Canon of Scripture. Others won't find it in their version of the Bible at all.
The Book of Sirach was written in Hebrew between 200 and 175 B.C., and then translated into Greek sometime after 132 B.C. by the author's grandson
Sirach has a Foreword that was apparently added by the translator... we won't cover that Foreword yet, but likely will at the end of this journey. It is not actually considered part of the inspired text.
The Book of Sirach is named for its author, "Jesus, Son of Eleazar, son of Sirach." We'll actually run across that name self-acknowledged within the text. "Liber Ecclesiasticus" ("Church Book") was a name added to some of the subsequent Greek & Latin manuscripts. It acknowledged how much the book was used in moral teaching within the early Church.
The author approaches many topics like community and familial relations, and relationship with God, and religious and social customs and traditions.
The book wasn't part of the Hebrew Bible after the first century A.D. As already mentioned, it also isn't recognized by most Potestants.
However, as a pre-Christian writing used heavily in the tradition and worship of the Hebrew forbearers, the Catholic Church has always viewed Sirach as divinely inspired and part of the Canon of Scripture.
A Quick, Personal Aside
Since coming back to the Church a few years ago, Sirach has been an important book in my faith life. I look to it for inspiration and guidance myself, and love the "father/son" aspect of it, almost like the Polonius and Laertes moments from Shakespear's Hamlet. However, there are more things going on in Sirach: There's the dimension of earthly father passing along knowledge to his earthly son. But there's the added layer of Heavenly Father passing along knowledge to his son as well. I love that dual-layer and the beauty of Sirach, to me, lies on that shining through each chapter.
