Concerning Ben Sira and Demotic Wisdom: A Response to Matthew J. Goff

In a recent issue of this journal M. J. Goff took issue with my 1983 study Ben Sira and Demotic Wisdom and sought to show that some of my conclusions there were unwarranted. His procedure, however, was different from mine, in that he analyzed similarities of themes in Ben Sira and in the Demotic Wisdom Book rather than similarities of vocabulary and construction, as I had done. Unfortunately, he also ignored some of the more striking evidence that I presented originally. After renewed examination of the evidence, I must disagree with Goff and stay with my original conclusion.