*This page was migrated in July 2022 from my older website, biblicalambiguities.net.
23 July 2022
Ben Sira, also known as The Wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach or Ecclesiasticus, is a work written originally in Hebrew and then translated into Greek, teaching ethical ideas from within the biblical tradition. For Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox it is canonical, but for Protestants and Jews it is not.
It was written about 180 BCE, and translated into Greek by the author's grandson around 117, and is the largest ancient book of wisdom literature that has survived.[1] It runs a surprising 51 chapters.
Unlike the majority of biblical books, it names its author quite clearly.