Welcome to the Pauline Family's "Year of the Bible"! I'm reading the Bible clear through this year, and I invite you to read along with me. But first, let us pray:
God of my fathers, Lord of mercy,
who have made all things by your word
and in your wisdom have created people
to rule this world that you have made,
and to render judgment in integrity of heart:
Give me Wisdom, the attendant at your throne,
and reject me not from among your children;
for I am your servant, the child of your handmaid,
a weak human being,
and lacking in comprehension of your Word and your will.
Send your Wisdom from the holy heavens,
from your glorious throne,
to be with me, to guide me,
to enlighten me, to lead me to you.
(Based on Wis 9)
Today's chapters are Sirach 1-3.
We begin the last of the Wisdom books today: Sirach (also called Ecclesiasticus, or "the Church book"). This is another book that is recognized as divinely inspired by Catholics and Orthodox, but less likely to be recognized as such by Jewish and Protestant believers (although so many copies of it date back to the 1st century, in so many places, that it seems to have enjoyed broad acceptance across a spectrum of religious society).
Another interesting aspect of this book is that it features an introduction by the author's grandson, who was the translator for the Greek edition. Since this introduction is (for some reason) not included on the USCCB website, I am including the RSV version here to get you started. The prologue is not divinely inspired Scripture, but has been preserved for two millennia for a reason.
According to Drs. Bergsma and Pitre (Catholic Introduction to the Bible), the "Eu-er'getes" mentioned in the third paragraph is King Ptolemy II Euergetes of Egypt, allowing us to date the translation to 132 BC. The scribe-translator is preparing a Greek edition of his grandfather's book for an audience of Jews living outside of the Holy Land, for whom solid and up-to-date spiritual reading must have been very difficult indeed to find!
Prologue:
Whereas many great teachings have been given to us through the law and the prophets and the others that followed them, on account of which we should praise Israel for instruction and wisdom; and since it is necessary not only that the readers themselves should acquire understanding but also that those who love learning should be able to help the outsiders by both speaking and writing, my grandfather Jesus, after devoting himself especially to the reading of the law and the prophets and the other books of our fathers, and after acquiring considerable proficiency in them, was himself also led to write something pertaining to instruction and wisdom, in order that, by becoming conversant with this also, those who love learning should make even greater progress in living according to the law.
You are urged therefore to read with good will and attention, and to be indulgent in cases where, despite out diligent labor in translating, we may seem to have rendered some phrases imperfectly. For what was originally expressed in Hebrew does not have exactly the same sense when translated into another language. Not only this work, but even the law itself, the prophecies, and the rest of the books differ not a little as originally expressed.
When I came to Egypt in the thirty-eighth year of the reign of Eu-er′getes and stayed for some time, I found opportunity for no little instruction. It seemed highly necessary that I should myself devote some pains and labor to the translation of the following book, using in that period of time great watchfulness and skill in order to complete and publish the book for those living abroad who wished to gain learning, being prepared in character to live according to the law.
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