Some First Editions of Genizah Manuscripts of Ben Sira: Approaches and Reproaches

The scholarship, industry and insights of the first scholars to examine the Genizah texts of Ben Sira, particularly in England, Germany and France, ensured seminal editorial and exegetical work, as well as fresh discoveries. They successfully placed Ben Sira in its Jewish cultural, literary and linguistic settings. Semitics, Hebrew, Greek, Syriac, Bible studies and Rabbinics received appropriate attention and expertise. Inevitably, there were personal tensions and expressions of animosity. While Schechter, Neubauer, Smend, Levi and Halevy railed against others, Taylor, Cowley and Peters were inclined to be more respectful and polite. Their inter-denominational work continues to be of considerable overall value to specialists.