SAPERE XLIV: Jesus Sirach. Jewish law and cosmic wisdom

Edited by M. Witte. Introduced, translated and provided with interpretative essays by M. Asper, C. Ganslmayer, G. Karner, M. Marttila, W. Urbanz, O. Wischmeyer, M. Witte and B. Zapff

The Book of Jesus Sirach represents a powerful synthesis of the wisdom, cultic, prophetic, legal and historiographical traditions of ancient Israel and early Judaism. Written around 180 BC as a textbook for young men of the Jerusalem middle class, its author, writing in Hebrew, combines Jewish law with cosmic wisdom and formulates maxims for a successful life in the diverse world of Hellenism. This volume presents all the Hebrew fragments of this book known to date, together with a German translation and selected texts from the Greek translation produced in Alexandria around 120 BC. Individual essays introduce the literary and cultural contexts of the Book of Sirach, shed light on central themes dealt with in it, such as the right way of life, the justice of God, the importance of prayer and the interpretation of the holy scriptures of Israel, and outline the role of this Jewish work in the history of Christian piety.

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