Jesus ben Sira
About this date: Narrative setting, composition date, and the date of events described may differ and should not be collapsed.
Wisdom teacher named in a book with varied canonical reception.
Historical context
Kings, Ezra–Nehemiah, Esther, Daniel, and later Jewish writings explore conquest, diaspora, restoration, wisdom, persecution, and resistance. Several writings have different canonical status across Christian traditions.
Reception
The associated writing or passage has different canonical status or arrangement among Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant traditions.
Key points
- Wisdom teacher named in a book with varied canonical reception.
- Primary reading: Sirach 1; 50. Read the complete passage in its literary context.
- Keep Babylonian, Persian, Hellenistic, and diaspora settings distinct, and note where traditions differ over these writings.
Scripture
- Sirach 1; 50 — Principal biblical passage cluster for Jesus ben Sira; check the summary against the complete text.
Sources and further reading
- USCCB introduction to Sirach
Literary and historical introduction; not independent verification of every narrated event.