Wisdom's Root Revealed: Ben Sira and the Election of Israel

Full title
Wisdom's Root Revealed: Ben Sira and the Election of Israel
Research notes

Reader Checked|18/10/2012 SE

Reference type
Author(s)
Goering, Greg Schmidt
Year
2009
Journal / Book Title || Series Title
Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism
Number of volumes
0
Issue / Series Volume
139
Publisher
Brill
Place of Publication
Leiden
Chapter
xiv + 313
Alternative title
JSJSup
Label
12/04/2010
Abstract

This monograph interprets the theme of election in the book of Sirach. Previous scholarship has often understood Ben Sira s worldview to be dualistic, and has approached the sage's correlation of Wisdom and Torah as either a nationalization of Wisdom or a universalization of Torah. By probing Ben Sira s ideas about election, this book suggests that Ben Sira does not collapse the traditional sapiential dichotomy wisdom/folly into a dualistic worldview, and that his understanding of the relation between Wisdom and Torah proves to be far more subtle than previous interpretations have allowed. The study demonstrates that the concept of election enables a profitable discussion of the relation of Wisdom and Torah in the thought of this pivotal Second Temple sage.

Notes

Contents: Wisdom, Torah, and election : an introduction to the study -- Election and creation : the sun, the moon, and Israel’s chosenness -- Election and revelation : general and special wisdom -- Election and tradition : the preservation and transmission of wisdom -- Election and piety : the "fear of YHWH" -- Election and eschatology : Israel among the nations -- Conclusion : Ben Sira and the election of Israel.

Primary Texts: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Composition / Author
Passage
33
Composition / Author
Passage
36
Composition / Author
Passage
43