The Beautiful Book of Sirach Trivia Quiz

Answer: A wisdom book like "Proverbs"

The book of "Sirach", also known as "Ecclesiasticus", is a wisdom book similar to "Proverbs". A scribe in Jerusalem named Ben Sira wrote the original book to preserve the wisdom his father Joshua ben Sirach had taught him. The original work was written in Hebrew around 175 BCE and was later translated into Greek in Alexandria, Egypt by an unnamed grandson of Ben Sira around 132 BCE.

The book's composition is organized by a set of principles taken from the sacred Hebrew scripture which gives directions on how to be a righteous member of society.

The text may also have been an apologetic to show ways in which the Jewish faith was in line with the Hellenistic ethics of the day. It is easy to forget that Greek culture had a heavy influence on the Middle East for several centuries before the time of Christ's birth.

By the time Christ was born, the Romans were in control and often emulated the Greeks.

Answer: Many Jews at the time no longer understood Hebrew.

After Alexander the Great conquered the Middle East in the 4th century BCE, the area became heavily influenced by the Greek Hellenistic culture. During this time, the Hebrew language declined in favor of the prominent Greek, even in the heart of Palestine. So the Septuagint was commissioned so all Jews could access the sacred scripture in a language they could understand.

The Septuagint was a huge accomplishment as the first large scale translation of a written work. The Septuagint was widely distributed and was the gold standard translation around the time of Christ, much like the King James Version has been the gold standard Christian Bible translation for the English language.

In the 4th century, Saint Jerome led the effort to translate the Septuagint into the Latin Vulgate which became the official scripture for the early Catholic Church. Both the Septuagint and the Vulgate included all of the deuterocanonical works.

At the counsel of Rome in 382 CE, the Catholic Church defined which books were part of the New Testament canon still used today by all Christians.

In 1546 CE, in an effort to refute Martin Luther, the Council of Trent officially confirmed the deuterocanonical works as sacred scripture along with the rest of the Old Testament canon.

Answer: The writing was considered to be of poor quality.

The book of Sirach is well written, but was most likely too recent to be considered sacred at the time the Tanakh was established. A comparison might be Jesus's rejection in his hometown, as written in Matthew 13:54-58. It was hard for Jesus to impress the people who had known Him since He was a boy. Regardless of how useful Sirach's proverbs were to everyday life, the fact that the author was not a prophet was a complication for 1st century Jewish scholars as they believed God communicated primarily through the prophets. Regardless of its exclusion from the Tanakh, the book of Sirach was widely copied in Greek and Hebrew at the time of Jesus and has been found in both the Dead Sea scrolls as well as other ancient collections in Egypt.

Interestingly, the book of Daniel was included in the Tanakh, even though it was written after the time of Ezra, when many Jews believe that God stopped speaking to the prophets. Maybe Daniel's apocalyptic approach was different enough that the scholars were willing to overlook its relative newness. One other important feature of the Tanakh was the elders of the time believed it must contain exactly 22 books, one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Answer: "...and clenched when it is time to give."

"Let your hand not be open to receive and clenched when it is time to give." Communal living was an important way of life for both second temple Judaism as well as the early Christian Church. This teaching expressed that it is acceptable to hold your hand out to receive when you have a need, but it is also important to give when your fellow believer needs your help.

This communal spirit can be seen clearly in Acts chapter 5, where both Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead for keeping some of the profit they made from selling a piece of property. Chapter 4 of Sirach has a consistent theme: to help feed the less fortunate and to never take advantage of the vulnerable.

It also encourages the reader to speak up when they see an injustice.

Answer: Seek wisdom from the wise.

Seek wisdom from the wise is the correct answer. The Council of Ephesus in 431 CE viewed the outcome of their work as wise and wanted the Roman Emperor Theodosius II to heed their guidance. The Council had over 300 bishops in attendance, with the goal of coming up with a clear direction for the Church.

The Council of Nicea, led by Constantine, which helped establish Christianity as the Roman religion, had taken place 100 years earlier. Over those 100 years, many different and strongly held beliefs emerged and were sometimes sending conflicting messages.

The Sirach quote occurred on the eighth and last cannon drafted by the Council. A more expanded look at the scripture gives a little more context to the spirit of the writing. Sirach 32:18-19 states, "The thoughtful man will not neglect direction; the proud and insolent man is deterred by nothing. Do nothing without counsel, and then you need have no regrets." The final decisions of the Council of Ephesus were not to everyone's liking, but they settled some of the early conflicts and re-established the Nicene Creed as the profession of faith for the Church.

Answer: The Lord will not tolerate a wicked father and mother.

Sirach chapter 3:1-16 covers the duties toward parents. Sirach does not discuss what to do if a parent is cruel or wicked. The chapter specifically warns not to glory in a parent's shame. The chapter goes into depth about honoring father and mother and, by treating one's parents well, the child will be found righteous in the Lord's eyes. Even when a father's mind starts to fail it is important to be kind. No doubt inspired by Exodus 20:12, the chapter goes into detail on how one should honor father and mother. Holy Family Sunday focuses on the importance of parents in taking care of children, and, later in life, children taking care of parents. Just as the Gospel shows Joseph and Mary taking care of Jesus when he was young and then Jesus charging the apostle John with taking care of Mary before his death on the cross.

Answer: From the mouth of the Most High

Sirach 24:3 states "From the mouth of the Most High I came forth, and covered the earth like a mist." The Gospel liturgy for this second Sunday after Christmas is the beginning of the book of John (Chapter 1) which discusses Jesus being the Word. Sirach tells of wisdom emanating from God much like the Gospel of John has Christ as the Logos emanating from the Lord. Sirach 24 also states God chose to make his dwelling among Jacob who is one of the patriarchs of the Jewish people. Sirach is stating that, indeed, the Jews are God's chosen people. Chapter 24 is beautifully poetic in describing what wisdom is and how humans can spend a lifetime gaining wisdom and never get enough of it. Those who love trivia might agree that there is always more knowledge we can learn.

Answer: Do not respond with violence.

Sirach 10:6 states, "No matter the wrong, do no violence to your neighbor, and do not walk the path of arrogance." Sirach goes on to discuss that arrogance is odious to the Lord and that violence is often perpetrated by the arrogant. Some of the greatest leaders like Jesus, Gandhi, and MLK, have encouraged non-violence.

This teaching is relatively novel for its time, as it suggests true inner peace rises from peaceful actions. Throughout history, the most common way to gain "peace" has been to use fear, brutality, and oppression.

The Pax Romana comes to mind here. Even today, very few people would feel safe without the state having the ability to completely crush unlawful behavior, otherwise the perceived risk of anarchy or tyranny becomes real. So, this is at odds with the wisdom of never inflicting violence on another, even if they committed violence first. Like the begging bowl of the Tibetan monk, maybe this is something only a few in a society can practice. Someone has to cook!

Answer: A healthy body; a joyful heart

The second half of Sirach 30 focuses on the health of the soul and body, so our answer line 30:16 according to the NAB states, "no treasure greater than a healthy body; no happiness, than a joyful heart." In recent history many in society focus their efforts on being healthy in mind and soul. Sirach 30:14 says, "Better a poor man strong and robust, than a rich man with wasted frame." This section of Chapter 30 also focuses on the contentment of the soul and being cheerful and positive.

There is much in this chapter that might have been to the Buddha's liking, such as not wasting time on resentments and being in the moment.

Answer: As a drop in the great sea

The wisdom of Sirach here is profound in suggesting that what a person says really does matter. Sirach is saying when we speak, others will be able to see what is truly in our heart. A drop in the great sea does not fit here. This reading ties into Proverbs 17:27-28, "He who spares his words is truly wise, and he who is chary of speech is a man of intelligence. Even a fool, if he keeps silent, is considered wise; if he closes his lips, intelligent." This reading of Sirach is read before Luke 6:39-45, which discusses not judging others - in particular, the great teaching of taking the plank out of one's own eye before helping a brother with his speck. All throughout Sirach is the theme of being humble and addressing one's own challenges in life with thought and care.