“Wisdom Sings Her Own Praise” (Sir. 24:1)

It is no less than a Golden Age for Ben Sira students and scholars. Over the last twenty-five years, the research into the Book of Ben Sira (Ecclesiasticus) has grown into a well-studied field. Apart from the publication of basic tools, such as new text editions and polyglots, a variety of topics has been discussed. In the first part of this volume the author focuses on some literary units in the Book of Ben Sira, such as the prayer in Sir. 22:27-23:6 and its mediaeval reworking. The portrayal of Aaron and Phineas is analyzed, just as the way Ben Sira speaks about angels. The second part of this collection presents essays on Ben Sira’s way of quoting from Proverbs and Isaiah. Attention is further paid to the divergent views between Ben Sira and his grandson on prophets, and on wisdom and torah.