1. Ben Sirach Wisdom Becomes History

2. Authorship/Composition The Wisdom of Jesus, Ben Sirach, is the only book of wisdom literature that records the author & historical context. Joshua ben Sirach, a sage & scholar, wrote the book about 180 B.C. Joshua’s grandson translated the original Hebrew into Greek after 132 B.C

3. Selected Texts Sirach 1:1-10—A Poem on Wisdom Wisdom is God’s 1 st creation. Wisdom is beyond man’s ability to comprehend. God gave wisdom to “all his works.”

4. Selected Texts Sirach 24:1-35—Wisdom Personified Wisdom announces that she has come directly from the mouth of God. Wisdom is equated with the Torah. Both of these are a departure from previous wisdom books.

5. Selected Texts Sirach 44:1-50:26—Wisdom in History The wisdom tradition is intertwined with the history of Israel. This is a connection with history that is missing from previous wisdom literature.