Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)

Sirach — also called Ecclesiasticus or the Wisdom of Jesus ben Sirach — is a deuterocanonical Wisdom book of the Old Testament, written around 180 BC. It is a collection of moral and practical wisdom for Jewish life, celebrating the Law, the priesthood, and the great figures of Israel's history (CCC 1634).

Content

Sirach covers an enormous range of topics: the value of wisdom, the duties of children to parents, the proper use of wealth, friendship, table manners, humility, the fear of God, the care of the sick, and much more. It concludes with a famous "praise of the fathers" — celebrating great figures of Israel from Enoch to the High Priest Simon son of Onias (Sirach 44–50).

Its Canonical Status

Sirach is found in the Catholic and Orthodox Old Testaments but not in Protestant Bibles (which follow the Hebrew canon of the Reformation). The Church values it highly: the name "Ecclesiasticus" ("the Church's book") reflects how central it was to early Christian moral instruction and catechesis (CCC 120).

Praise of Wisdom

Sirach's personification of Wisdom parallels that of Proverbs and the Book of Wisdom — Wisdom as God's companion in creation who dwells in Israel through the Torah: "Come to me, you who desire me, and eat your fill of my fruits" (Sirach 24:19). This Wisdom tradition provides essential background for the New Testament's identification of Jesus as the incarnate Wisdom of God (CCC 721).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the "fear of the Lord" that Sirach emphasizes? "Fear of the Lord" in the Wisdom tradition is not terror but reverential awe — the recognition of God's majesty and holiness that leads to proper worship, humility, and the avoidance of sin. Sirach calls it "the beginning of wisdom and is created with the faithful in the womb" (Sirach 1:14; CCC 1831).