Episode Transcript
[00:00:02] Still more books of the Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach and Baruch, written by Bart Ehrman, read by Mike Johnson.
[00:00:11] In this post I continue discussing the books of the Apocrypha accepted as part of scripture by roman catholic and orthodox churches. These are important books historically and culturally, but hardly known amongst protestant readers. Here are three more descriptions are taken from my book the Bible, a historical and literary introduction. The Wisdom of Solomon the Wisdom of Solomon is a book of positive wisdom. Recall proverbs, which claims to be written by the great king of the united monarchy. In fact, it was written many centuries later by a jew in the diaspora, possibly in the first century BcEnae or the first century c. The book celebrates wisdom as the greatest gift to humans and insists that it involves proper fear and adoration of God, which will lead to eternal reward.
[00:01:04] Those who lead ungodly lives, on the other hand, will be punished as their reasoning deserves.
[00:01:11] The exaltation of wisdom recalls proverbs eight, where wisdom appears as a female consort with God at the beginning of all things. Here, too, wisdom is said to be a breath of the power of God and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty, for she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God. Chapter seven, verses 25 to 26 we have seen that the wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible differs from the writings of the prophets and historians because it shows no interest in the history of the nation of Israel or God's dealings with them, the covenant, the law, the failures of the people, their punishments, and so forth. While that is true of proverbs, job, and ecclesiastes, it is not true of the wisdom of Solomon. Here. In fact, the interaction of wisdom with the nation of Israel is laid out in powerful and graphic terms in a poetic retelling of God's interactions with his people in light of wisdom. In particular, chapters 1119 reflect on the events of the exodus tradition, showing how God guided the history of his people in contrast to how he judged and punished his enemies, the Egyptians. This involves a series of seven contrasts. For example, God sent hail and lightning from heaven upon the Egyptians, but he rained manna from heaven upon his chosen people. Chapter 16, verses 15 through 29 and he plagued the Egyptians with darkness, but led the Israelites through the darkness with a pillar of fire.
[00:02:53] Here wisdom clearly involves knowing and following the ways of the God of Israel. The theological emphasis of the book is summed up at its very end, for in everything, O Lord, I you have exalted and glorified your people, and you have not neglected to help them at all times and in all places. Chapter 1922 Sirach the Book of Sirach was written by a person who names himself Jesus, son of Eleazar, son of Sirach.
[00:03:26] In Hebrew, son of Sirach is ben Sira, and that is what he is normally called in discussions of the book. In the latin tradition, the book is called ecclesiasticus book involving the church. The book was originally written in Hebrew in Palestine in 180 BCE. It was translated into Greek. The translator himself tells us in the book by ben Sirahs grandson in Egypt in 117 BCE.
[00:03:54] This book of Wisdom is similar in many ways to the Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible in that it is a collection of wise sayings in poetry on a wide range of topics. Unlike proverbs, Sirach, like the wisdom of Solomon, is much more heavily invested in the history of the ancient Israelites and their relationship with God. Chapters 44 through 50 reflect on the famous men, our ancestors in their generations, that is, the great heroes of the people, kings, wise men, musicians and others. And so the author praises Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Aaron, and so on. The book celebrates wisdom again in exalted terms. Wisdom says of herself, before the ages, in the beginning he created me, and for all ages I shall not cease to be. But wisdom does not belong to all people. She is a unique possession of Israel. Thus in the beloved city he gave me a resting place, and in Jerusalem was my domain. I took root in an honored people in the portion of the Lord. His heritage. In particular, wisdom came to be manifest precisely in the Torah. Chapter 24, verse 23.
[00:05:12] The majority of the book consists of wise reflections and sage advice on many of the issues that people have to deal with in their daily lives. Happiness, honor and shame, money, friendship, social relations with a lot of things to say about women, some of them not very enlightened, and death. These wise sayings are ultimately for this book, rooted in a recognition of the greatness of the God of Israel, the one who gave all wisdom. All wisdom is from the Lord, and with him it remains forever. There is but one who is wise greatly to be feared seated upon his throne, the Lord. It is he who created her. He saw her and took her measure he poured her out upon all his works. Chapter one, verse one and verses eight through nine.
[00:06:02] Baruch the Book of Baruch was allegedly written by a figure who appears in the Book of Jeremiah as the prophets personal secretary, Baruch, the son of Neriah. See Jeremiah, chapter 32, verse twelve and chapter 36, verse four. It was actually written some 400 years later, probably in the second century BCE, or possibly the first, sometime after the maccabean revolt. It was originally composed in Hebrew. The book claims to be written during the babylonian exile and represents a reflection on the causes for this national disaster and a plea to God to intervene and show kindness once more to his afflicted people. The book is only six chapters in length and begins by giving the alleged historical background to its writing. There follows an extensive confession to God that the destruction of Judah has occurred because of the sin of the people. God was just in sending such a horrendous punishment, but the author appeals to God for mercy and to restore his people to their proper place.
[00:07:05] Most of the third chapter is a poem devoted to wisdom, which the people of Israel abandoned when they departed from the ways of God. As in Sirach, wisdom here is identified as the book of commandments of God, the law that endures forever.
[00:07:22] This author takes a prophetic view of the law all who hold her fast will live, and those who forsake her will die.
[00:07:32] The book ends with a poem meant to encourage the people who are suffering the calamity of exile. The nation has suffered for its sins, but God is soon to deliver them from their enemies, and so they are to take courageous.
