Sirach and Its Contexts


Book Description

In Sirach and Its Contexts an international cohort of experts analyze this second-century BCE Jewish text in its various literary, historical, philosophical, textual, and political contexts. Humanistic in approach, these essays elicit an ancient tradition’s teachings about human wisdom and flourishing.




Oxford Bibliographies


Book Description

"An emerging field of study that explores the Hispanic minority in the United States, Latino Studies is enriched by an interdisciplinary perspective. Historians, sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists, demographers, linguists, as well as religion, ethnicity, and culture scholars, among others, bring a varied, multifaceted approach to the understanding of a people whose roots are all over the Americas and whose permanent home is north of the Rio Grande. Oxford Bibliographies in Latino Studies offers an authoritative, trustworthy, and up-to-date intellectual map to this ever-changing discipline."--Editorial page.




The Texts and Versions of the Book of Ben Sira


Book Description

The Book of Ben Sira comes to us in a bewildering variety of ancient textual forms. Each version shows how the book was received and interpreted in a new situation and by another community of readers. The present volume contains studies by some of the best specialists in this field of research. Each of the ancient text forms of Ben Sira—Hebrew, Greek, Syriac, and Latin—is studied in its proper context and analysed in regard to what explains the typical changes it contains.




Texts and Contexts of the Book of Sirach / Texte und Kontexte des Sirachbuches


Book Description

Now available from SBL Press Thirteen essays, some in German and others in English, tackle the complicated history of textual transmission of Sirach. This book presents the proceedings of an international conference held in 2014 in Eichstaett, Germany on the text of Ben Sira within its historical contexts.Contributors include James K. Aitken, Pierre-Maurice Bogaert, Franz Böhmisch, Anthony J. Forte SJ, Jan Joosten, Otto Kaiser, Siegfried Kreuzer, Jean-Sébastien Rey, Werner Urbanz, Knut Usener, Oda Wischmeyer, Markus Witte, Benjamin G. Wright, and Burkard M. Zapff. Features: A sociocultural and theological history of Sirach Philological and textual problems of the Hebrew, Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions Translation strategies based on Greek, Syriac, and Latin text traditions and related hermeneutical questions




The Lost Book of Sirach


Book Description

The Lost Book of Sirach! One might ask, why read this book? Well, maybe because you are curious about who Sirach was, what his book is about or why it is considered lost. Maybe you just need a distraction on a plane or during a long car ride. Or, maybe you believe this book to be a mystical book from the past or a book about a treasure of sorts and this interests you; then you may be very close to the truth. Let me satisfy a bit more of your curiosity- This book holds the mystical and wise writings from a very learned family that lived over 2,100 years ago. A person ironically named Jesus (who was the son of a man called Eleazar who was the son of a man named Sirach) translated the Book of Sirach in about 132 BC. His grandfather Sirach wrote the original version around 175 to 200 BC! The Book of Sirach is rich in knowledge, experience, and true wisdom, and speaks very succinctly about life as it existed at that time in surprising detail. It focuses on relationships between God and man, man and woman, and parent and child. Also, it speaks to friendships, foes, relatives, and strangers. It covers nearly every possible relationship and issue, like poverty and wealth and moral codes, very much like the issues we struggle with today. The book written here, entwined with the resurrection of the original Book of Sirach, also contains a rather daring translation or interpretation of sorts. The author has attempted to convert the language, situations, and metaphors documented over 2,100 years ago into similar social interactions and experiences of today in order to help apply the original book's gifts and wisdom into our daily lives. In addition to the author's efforts of reflection/interpretation, he has also included within this book the original text. This allows the reader a side-by-side comparison of the original and the reflection so nothing is lost from the journey started roughly 2,200 years ago to today. The Lost Book of Sirach is a gift, a gift to you and generations to come. A gift that, if read and applied, can change the face of this nation and this world by solving many of our ills. Please join the author in reading and sharing this book so it will never again hold the title of "lost"!




Ben Sira's View of Women


Book Description




Ecclesiastes


Book Description

The publication of the King James version of the Bible, translated between 1603 and 1611, coincided with an extraordinary flowering of English literature and is universally acknowledged as the greatest influence on English-language literature in history. Now, world-class literary writers introduce the book of the King James Bible in a series of beautifully designed, small-format volumes. The introducers' passionate, provocative, and personal engagements with the spirituality and the language of the text make the Bible come alive as a stunning work of literature and remind us of its overwhelming contemporary relevance.




The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Wisdom Literature


Book Description

A comprehensive introduction to ancient wisdom literature, with fascinating essays on a broad range of topics. The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Wisdom Literature is a wide-ranging introduction to the texts, themes, and receptions of the wisdom literature of the Bible and the ancient world. This comprehensive volume brings together original essays from established scholars and emerging voices to offer a variety of perspectives on the “wisdom” biblical books, early Christian and rabbinic literature, and beyond. Varied and engaging essays provide fresh insights on topics of timeless relevance, exploring the distinct features of instructional texts and discussing their interpretation in both antiquity and the modern world. Designed for non-specialists, this accessible volume provides readers with balanced coverage of traditional biblical wisdom texts, including Proverbs, Job, Psalms, and Ecclesiastes; lesser-known Egyptian and Mesopotamian wisdom; and African proverbs. The contributors explore topics ranging from scribes and pedagogy in ancient Israel, to representations of biblical wisdom literature in contemporary cinema. Offering readers a fresh and interesting way to engage with wisdom literature, this book: Discusses sapiential books and traditions in various historical and cultural contexts Offers up-to-date discussion on the study of the biblical wisdom books Features essays on the history of interpretation and theological reception Includes essays covering the antecedents and afterlife of the texts Part of the acclaimed Wiley Blackwell Companions to Religion series, the Companion to Wisdom Literature is a valuable resource for university, seminary and divinity school students and instructors, scholars and researchers, and general readers with interest in the subject.




Sirach


Book Description

The book of Sirach praises the study of the law, the wisdom of the men of old and their prophecies. Its author is well-read and rearticulates traditional Jewish wisdom for his generation, centering it on fear of the Lord, and clearly asserting that wisdom is a gift from God. He encourages his audience to remain steadfast in following the law of Moses rather than following the ways of the dominant pagan Greek culture.




Introducing the Apocrypha


Book Description

This comprehensive, up-to-date introduction to the Old Testament apocryphal books summarizes their context, message, and significance. The first edition has been very well reviewed and widely adopted. It is the most substantial introduction to the Apocrypha available and has become a standard authority on the topic. The second edition has been substantially revised and updated throughout to reflect the latest scholarship. The book includes a foreword by James H. Charlesworth.