Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Prolegomena to Ecclesiasticus
This book is inscribed in the Greek Bibles as Σοφία Ἰησοῦ υἱοῦ Σιράχ, the Wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirach, to distinguish it from the Wisdom of Solomon; in the Latin versions, it is called Ecclesiasticus. Certain matters must be addressed beforehand concerning it: first, its authority; second, its author; third, its translators; fourth, its subject matter; fifth, its method; sixth, its style. These will be followed, seventh in order, by Canons, which will cast light on the entire book.
Chapter I: The Authority of Ecclesiasticus
Some formerly doubted, indeed denied, that Ecclesiasticus was a canonical book: for the Jews do not have it in their canon of the books of Sacred Scripture. Hence the Council of Laodicea, canon 59; Melito of Sardis in Eusebius, History, book IV, chapter 26; St. Gregory Nazianzen, Amphilochius, and Hilary, in the Preface to the Psalms, when drawing up a catalogue of Sacred Scriptures, omit Ecclesiasticus. And St. Jerome, in the Preface to the books of Solomon, seems to assert that Ecclesiasticus does not have the force to confirm the authority of ecclesiastical dogmas. The same is openly denied by the modern heretics. Luther, in the Latin Colloquies, tome II, chapter on the books of the Old Testament, says: "Ecclesiasticus is truly a Legalist and Jurist, not a Prophet; it knows nothing of Christ. What is Jesus Sirach (although the book is excellent) compared to the words of Christ and the Apostles? It is merely a legal book. It is like the Talmud, collected from various books; it speaks of law and economics. The world admires this, and the most excellent words of Christ are neglected." William Whitaker in his Disputation on Sacred Scripture, controversy I, question 1, chapter 13, on Ecclesiasticus: "That it is not a canonical book," he says, "can be gathered from the fact that it was written in Greek." Calvin, in the Antidote, hates Ecclesiasticus because from it many dogmas of the faith, which he himself denies, are confirmed: "Whence," he says, "will they better drain the dregs?"
I presuppose that the canonical books of Sacred Scripture are of two kinds; for some are Protocanonical, others Deuterocanonical. Protocanonical, or books of the first canon, are those about whose authenticity there was never any dispute among Catholics, but which were held by all as books of Sacred Scripture, dictated by the Holy Spirit. Deuterocanonical, or books of the second canon, are those which, although truly canonical, were at some time doubted by the orthodox concerning their authority; such are Esther, Baruch, Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, both books of Maccabees, the Epistle to the Hebrews, the Epistle of St. James, of St. Jude, the Second Epistle of St. Peter, the Second and Third of St. John, and the Apocalypse; all the rest are Protocanonical.
This is what Damascene says, when treating of Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus, in book IV of the Orthodox Faith, chapter 18: "Those which are filled with every kind of virtue and teaching, that is, the Wisdom of Solomon, and the Wisdom of Jesus, which Sirach the father composed, and his grandson Jesus, the son of Sirach, translated into Greek — these are excellent and elegant books; yet they are not numbered among the others, nor were they placed in the ark;" because, namely, they are not counted among the Protocanonical books, nor were they in the Canon of the Hebrews, that is, of Sacred Scripture received by the Hebrews, which they had placed in the ark.
Now I say: It is a matter of faith that Ecclesiasticus is a canonical book of Sacred Scripture. This is evident, first, from the definition of the Council of Trent, session IV, and the Third Council of Carthage, canon 43, and the Council of Florence in the Instruction for the Armenians. The Council of Ephesus also, in the year of Christ 430, cites Ecclesiasticus as Sacred Scripture; for thus it says in the epistle to the Synod of Pamphylia: "Do all things with counsel, says the divinely inspired Scripture." These words are from Ecclesiasticus chapter 32. The Eighth Council of Toledo, chapter 9: "Scripture says: He who despises small things shall fall little by little," Ecclesiasticus chapter 19. The Synod of Frankfurt, in the year of the Lord 794, in the epistle to the Bishops of Spain: "Likewise, in the book of Wisdom, Wisdom Herself speaking, that is, the Son of God: I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, the firstborn before every creature," Ecclesiasticus 24. The same is clear from St. Athanasius in the Synopsis, who also in the book On Virginity says: "For Sacred Scripture says: He who touches pitch shall be defiled; and he who associates with a proud man shall become like him;" these are the words of Ecclesiasticus 13. The same is clear from the Synod of Alexandria; and from Innocent I, in the year of Christ 407, epistle to Exuperius, chapter 7, who, enumerating the books of Sacred Scripture, says: "The books of Solomon are five; and the fifth is Ecclesiasticus." So also Cassiodorus, book I of the Institutes, chapter 13, and Gelasius, in the Roman Council held in the year of Christ 494, numbers the book of Jesus, son of Sirach, among the books of Sacred Scripture. So also Isidore, book VI of the Etymologies, chapter 1; Rabanus, book II On the Instruction of the Clergy, chapter 53; indeed even Epiphanius in the Heresy of the Anomeans, numbers Ecclesiasticus among the sacred and divine books the Wisdom of Solomon and the book of the son of Sirach, that is, Ecclesiasticus. Therefore, when the same Epiphanius, in his book On Measures and Weights, says these books are not received, understand this to mean not received by the Jews and their followers.
Second, the same is taught by the Greek Fathers, who cite the sayings of Ecclesiasticus just as they cite the other books of Sacred Scripture, such as St. Clement, in the year of Christ 90, epistle 1, who from Ecclesiasticus chapter 28 cites these words: "Set, O man, a door and a bar upon your tongue. Cease lifting up your horn on high, and speaking iniquity against God and your neighbor." So also St. Ignatius, in the year of Christ 100, epistle to Hero, cites that passage of Ecclesiasticus chapter 19: "He who quickly believes is light of heart." So also Clement of Alexandria, in the year of Christ 200; Origen, in the year of Christ 230, citing Ecclesiasticus, says he is citing Sacred Scripture; St. Basil, in the year of Christ 370; St. Ephrem, in the year of Christ 370; Cyril of Jerusalem; Macarius the Egyptian; St. Gregory Nazianzen; St. Gregory of Nyssa; St. Epiphanius; St. Chrysostom, in the year of Christ 400; Cassian, in the year of Christ 430; St. Cyril of Alexandria; Isidore of Pelusium; John Maxentius; Anastasius of Antioch; and Damascene — all cite Ecclesiasticus as Sacred Scripture.
Third, the same is proved from the Latin Fathers. Tertullian, who flourished in the year of Christ 200; St. Callixtus, Pope, in the year of Christ 218; Fabian, Pope, in the year of Christ 237; St. Cyprian, in the year of Christ 250; Eusebius, Pope, in the year of Christ 315; St. Hilary, in the year of Christ 350; St. Ambrose, in the year of Christ 370; St. Jerome, in the year of Christ 390; Rufinus; St. Gaudentius; St. Augustine, in the year of Christ 400, who in book II of On Christian Doctrine, chapter 8 says: "Those two books, one inscribed the Wisdom of Solomon and the other Ecclesiasticus, since they deserved to be received into authority, are to be numbered among the Prophetic books." And in multiple other works he calls Ecclesiasticus divine Scripture. St. Paulinus; Maximus of Turin; St. Leo, in the year of Christ 450; St. Prosper; Salvian; Gelasius; St. Fulgentius; St. Benedict, in the Rule, chapter 7; St. Gregory; Alcuin; Haymo; Angelomus; Paschasius Radbertus; St. Bernard; Innocent III; St. Lawrence Justinian — all cite Ecclesiasticus as Sacred Scripture.
Chapter II: The Author
Some have held that the author of Ecclesiasticus was Solomon, because many of the ancients cite it under the name of Solomon. Thus Anacletus, Pope; Alexander I; Sixtus I; Felix I; Innocent I; the Third Council of Carthage, canon 47; Origen; St. Basil; St. Chrysostom; Hesychius of Jerusalem; Fabian, Pope; St. Cyprian; Sixtus II, Pope; St. Marcellinus, Pope; St. Hilary; St. Ambrose; Optatus of Milevis; St. Jerome; St. Maximus; St. Leo; Sedulius; Hormisdas, Pope; Cassiodorus; Pelagius; St. Gregory; Haymo; Paschasius; Peter Damian; and St. Bernard — all at times cite Ecclesiasticus under the name of Solomon.
But it is certain that the author of Ecclesiasticus is not Solomon, but Jesus, the son of Sirach.
This is proved first, because it is so inscribed; and this is the title of Ecclesiasticus in all the Greek codices.
Second, this is taught by Eusebius, book VII of the Preparation of the Gospel, chapter 2: "In the time of Simon, there lived Jesus, the son of Sirach, a man of great renown, who composed the Wisdom, professing under its title every kind of virtue." St. Athanasius in the Synopsis on Ecclesiasticus: "This Jesus, then, being a follower of Solomon, showed himself no less vigorous than Solomon in illustrating wisdom and the discipline of piety, being truly learned and well-versed." Also Procopius of Gaza; Antiochus; Cassiodorus; St. Jerome on chapter 9 of Daniel: "Jesus, the son of Sirach, wrote a book which is called in Greek Panareticos, and is falsely attributed to Solomon by many."
Third, the same is demonstrated by the preface to Ecclesiasticus, in which Jesus the younger Sirach expressly says that Ecclesiasticus was composed by his grandfather Jesus, the son of Sirach; and that it was translated by himself.
Fourth, the same is demonstrated from chapter 50, verse 29, where it says: "The doctrine of wisdom and discipline was written in this book by Jesus, the son of Sirach of Jerusalem, who renewed wisdom from his heart." And in chapter 51, the title is: "The Prayer of Jesus, the son of Sirach."
Fifth, because at the end of Ecclesiasticus the praises of Solomon, Rehoboam, Hezekiah, Josiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the other Prophets are recounted, all of whom lived long after Solomon.
You will say: Why then do Origen, Hesychius, and the others cited earlier attribute Ecclesiasticus to Solomon? There are various reasons. First, because Ecclesiasticus imitates Solomon; for it has similar moral sayings. Second, because Sirach drew some things from Solomon, partly published, partly unpublished; for Solomon said and dictated very many things that were not published, as is clear from 3 Kings 4:32. The scattered sayings of Solomon, therefore, Sirach collected and arranged, and adding his own, forged this book. Third, because Ecclesiasticus, being a sapiential and moral book, is customarily appended to the books of Solomon; these five books are reckoned as one volume, and all were called the Sapiential Books of Solomon. Fourth, as Rabanus says: "Ecclesiasticus, on account of the great similarity of thought and equality of style, is prefixed with the title of Solomon." So also St. Augustine says the two books are attributed to Solomon "on account of a certain resemblance" of subject matter, style, and phrasing.
Wherefore, after completing Sirach, God willing, I shall present Solomon in one tome, namely Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Wisdom, and perhaps the Song of Songs. There will then remain two tomes, one of the historical books, the other of the Psalms and Job, in which I shall embrace the entire Old Testament. A fourth tome of the Gospels will bring up the rear, in which I shall complete the entire scope of Sacred Scripture, if God grants life and strength.
You ask, who was this Jesus, the son of Sirach? I respond first, he was a citizen of Jerusalem, as is clear from chapter 50, verse 29; and this is his lineage: Sirach begot Jesus the elder, who composed Ecclesiasticus; Jesus the elder begot Sirach the younger, to whom on his deathbed he entrusted Ecclesiasticus; Sirach the younger begot Jesus the younger, who translated Ecclesiasticus, composed by his grandfather, from Hebrew into the Greek language.
Second, Jesus the elder, the author of Ecclesiasticus, was an eminently wise man, as is clear from chapter 51, verses 18 and following, so much so that he was called the Solomon of his age: for which reason he traveled through various regions; hence he appears to have been a great man and a prince.
Third, the same man was a Prophet; for St. Anacletus, St. Evaristus, St. Chrysostom, Optatus of Milevis, and Caesarius of Arles all call him a Prophet. Wherefore St. Augustine, book II of On Christian Doctrine, chapter 8, numbers Ecclesiasticus among the Prophetic books. And it is evident, because Ecclesiasticus prophesies about Elijah and Enoch coming at the end of the world, chapter 44, verse 16, and chapter 48, verse 10. Likewise about Christ's descent into hell, chapter 24, verse 45: "I will penetrate all the lower parts of the earth, and will look upon all that sleep, and will enlighten all that hope in the Lord."
Fourth, traveling through various regions he came to Egypt, where he seems to have composed Ecclesiasticus; for his grandson found him there, as he himself says in the Prologue; for Egypt was at that time the home of wisdom and of wise men.
Fifth, Jesus, the author of Ecclesiasticus, lived shortly after Alexander the Great, in the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus, who arranged to have Sacred Scripture translated from Hebrew into Greek by the Seventy Translators. This is clear from the fact that his grandson Jesus the younger says in the Prologue that he translated the work in the time of Ptolemy Euergetes, who succeeded Philadelphus. Hence Jesus the elder lived in the time of Philadelphus and the Seventy Translators; and therefore Genebrardus and others probably conjecture that he was one of the Seventy Translators. From St. Jerome on Daniel chapter 9, we learn that Jesus the son of Sirach wrote his book while Simon the Just was high priest. Jesus the elder therefore wrote Ecclesiasticus at the same time that the Seventy Translators produced their version, about 250 years before the birth of Christ.
Sixth, this Jesus, tested by God through many and terrible tribulations, was led to the summit of perfection. Hence he himself, in chapter 51, reviewing them in general, congratulates himself on having been freed from them as if by a miracle. For there he says: "I labored but a little, and found for myself much rest."
Finally, since speech is the image of the mind, and from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, from this most accomplished work of his on every virtue it is clear that he excelled in all of them. Wherefore this Jesus, by his patience, teaching, prophecy, and equally by his name, bore the type of, and represented, Jesus Christ suffering, teaching, and prophesying.
Note: There were three famous men who bore the name Jesus: the first was Joshua, the successor of Moses; the second was Jesus, the son of Josedec the High Priest, during the captivity (Zechariah 3:1); the third was Jesus, the author of Ecclesiasticus, after the captivity. Just as Joshua represented Christ's leadership, and Jesus the son of Josedec represented His priesthood, so our Jesus here represented Christ insofar as He was the Teacher and Prophet of the world.
Chapter III: The Translators
This book was written in the Hebrew language by Jesus the elder, but was translated into Greek by his grandson Jesus the younger, as St. Epiphanius says in the book On Weights; indeed Jesus the younger himself says in the Prologue: "Hebrew words lose their force when they are translated into another language." St. Jerome testifies that he saw the Hebrew text.
Some suspect that the Hebrew original is that very work which is cherished by the Hebrews under the name Ben-Sira, and therefore that Jesus Sirach is Ben-Sira, whose Proverbs with commentaries exist among the Hebrews — both because Ben-Sira has nearly the same sayings as Ecclesiasticus; and because Ben-Sira in Hebrew means the same as "son of Sira" or "Sirach," namely Jesus the son of Sirach. But that the book of Ben-Sira is different from this book of Ecclesiasticus is clear to anyone who compares the two.
Furthermore, that Jesus Sirach is different from Ben-Sira is proved by four arguments. First, Ben-Sira in Hebrew has the final letter Nun; but Sirach has the letter Cheth. Second, the Hebrews commonly report that Ben-Sira lived one generation after Jeremiah; but Jesus Sirach lived long after that, in the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus. Third, Ben-Sira is said to have had a son named Uziel, and a grandson Joseph; but Jesus Sirach had a son named Sirach, and a grandson named Jesus. Fourth, Ben-Sira has many things that Ecclesiasticus does not have, and conversely; therefore the book of Ben-Sira is entirely different and distinct from Ecclesiasticus.
It must be said, therefore, that Ben-Sira is a different person from Jesus Sirach, but that the one borrowed much from the other.
Now Sirach in Hebrew means the same as overflowing, abundant, luxuriant — namely, in wisdom, sayings, and proverbs: for sarach means to overflow, to be luxuriant; or sirach, that is, one who explains complicated and obscure things; or one who bends his words around: for seroch means a strap; hence mesarechet (Jeremiah 2:23) means one who entwines or bends her ways, as a strap is tied around a sandal. St. Jerome translates it as "explaining." The Syriac translates sirach as asiro, that is, "bound," as if to say: one who announces and explains bound and secret sayings — unless he was called "bound" because by Ptolemy Lagus he was bound among the other Jewish captives and carried away in chains to Egypt. The title of this book in Syriac reads: "The Book of Jesus, son of Simon Asiro (that is, the bound, the chained), which is called the Book of Wisdom of the son of Asiro." From which it is clear that Asiro in Syriac is the same as Sirach in Hebrew, and that this was not a proper name (since his proper name was Simon), but a surname or epithet. Yet this surname through usage passed into a proper name.
Finally, if sirach is written with a tsade, it means the same as a proclaimer, herald, preacher, teacher; for tsarach means to cry out with a loud and powerful voice. Such a sirach, that is, a herald, was St. John the Baptist, according to the oracle spoken about him: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness" (Isaiah 40:3).
It is probable that Ecclesiasticus was written not in pure Hebrew, but in a corrupt form, such as the Jews used after their return from Babylon, namely in Syriac. Thus Bellarmine, book II of On the Word of God, chapter 6, holds that this book was originally written in Syriac. St. Jerome's translation from the Hebrew shows various renderings that differ from both the Greek and the Vulgate. The Syriac version likewise has its own peculiarities, as shown by comparing St. Ephrem's citations of Ecclesiasticus with the modern Syriac text — St. Ephrem evidently used an older and different Syriac version.
Finally, the Latin Vulgate version is clearly to be preferred to all the Greek, Syriac, and Arabic versions, both because the Council of Trent, session 4, approved it above all others; because it is most ancient; because it is more pure and uncorrupted; and because the Latin, amid such an abundance of manuscript copies, is everywhere the same and consistent with itself, while the Greek copies vary remarkably.
Commentators on Ecclesiasticus are few in number. The first was Rabanus Maurus, Bishop of Mainz, in the year of the Lord 835. Others who commented on the whole of Scripture include Lyranus, Hugo, and Dionysius. In addition, the following wrote on Ecclesiasticus: Nicholas Gorram, Alexander of Alexandria, Robert Holcot, Robert the Carmelite, Paul de Palatio, Robert Jorius, Robert Bosaeus, and Cornelius Jansenius.
From these and other sources I have collected what I once briefly annotated when lecturing on Ecclesiasticus at Louvain: now, having been ordered to publish the same in print, I shall enrich them, and follow Ecclesiasticus saying of himself in chapter 33:18: "Look, for I have not labored for myself alone, but for all who seek instruction."
I have also added the Zurich version, corrected by the Roman and Spanish Censors, because it brings much light to many passages. However, its authors were men of Zurich, heterodox in faith, and the version is rather free, rendering not word for word but the sense of the passage as the author determined it in his own mind. More faithful and safer, and closer to the Vulgate, is the version of Santes Pagnini.
There have recently appeared the Moral Apologues of St. Cyril, divided into four books and distributed among the four cardinal virtues — truly elegant, witty, learned, eloquent, and most useful for forming morals. They were found in the Library of Buda, which Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, established. I shall weave them in at their proper places throughout the commentary.
That Sacred Scripture, and specifically our Sirach, not infrequently employs apologues, on account of their charm and moral acuteness, I shall show throughout the commentary. The a priori reason is that examples and apologues, on account of the novelty, rarity, ease, and pleasantness of the narrative, are especially suited to men's minds. As Aristotle says: "Apologues delight more powerfully and persuade more effectively." And as the poet says: He has won every vote who has mixed the useful with the pleasant.
Chapter IV: The Argument
Jesus Sirach in this book delivers and encompasses all moral philosophy through brief maxims, as if through aphorisms and axioms, just as Solomon does in Proverbs; but Ecclesiasticus is far richer than those: whence it also contains 51 chapters. For he sets forth not only ethical virtues, which concern and perfect each individual person, but also domestic virtues, which pertain to the family, and political virtues, which are either useful or necessary for governing the commonwealth. Hence by the Greeks it is called panaretos, meaning "all-virtuous," filled with every kind of virtue.
On this account it is also entitled Ecclesiasticus by the Latins, both in imitation and distinction from the book of Solomon called Ecclesiastes; and because it was customarily read, and still is, in the Church, to instruct the people in all matters of duty and virtue. Hence Ecclesiasticus treats each individual virtue more copiously, and on each one presents complete sermons — in which it differs from the Proverbs of Solomon, which contain maxims that are quite concise and disconnected. Ecclesiasticus is therefore more useful than Proverbs, and furnishes richer material for meditation, holy living, speaking, and preaching.
The book has three parts: the first, chapter 1, contains the encomium of wisdom. Then from chapter 2 to chapter 24, Sirach appends precepts and teachings about all virtues. The second part, chapter 24: Wisdom herself proclaims herself and her qualities, and ethical teachings continue to chapter 42:15. The third part, from chapter 42:15 to the end, contains examples of these virtues and teachings, concluding with the praises of the Patriarchs, Prophets, and illustrious princes of the Old Testament.
Synopsis of All the Chapters of Ecclesiasticus
Chapter 1: the origin of wisdom; the fear and love of God; temptation and its remedies. Chapter 2: on fear and love of God. Chapter 3: honoring parents; humility and meekness. Chapter 4: almsgiving; the wisdom of the Saints; false shame. Chapter 5: detestation of sin and repentance; constancy and sincerity. Chapter 6: true friendship; the difficulty of wisdom. Chapter 7: piety and duties owed to God, priests, parents, children, friends, the powerful, the sick, the afflicted, the dead, and even to animals. Chapter 8: tranquility and concord. Chapter 9: chastity and avoiding the company of women; avoiding new friends, the powerful, the unjust. Chapter 10: the prudence of princes; pride; the virtues and vices of rulers. Chapter 11: modesty; that riches are obtained by the worship of God. Chapter 12: kindness to the just, not the wicked; guarding against enemies. Chapter 13: guarding against intimacy with the powerful; friendship among equals. Chapter 14: generosity and avarice; the wise man is blessed. Chapter 15: the fruits of wisdom. Chapter 16: impious children; God's vengeance; God's wisdom in creation. Chapter 17: the creation and perfection of man; repentance and conversion. Chapter 18: praise of God's power and mercy; the remembrance of divine judgment. Chapter 19: wine, harlots, and moderation of the tongue. Chapter 20: the virtues and vices of the tongue; fools and the imprudent. Chapter 21: avoiding sin; the manners of the fool. Chapter 22: fools are unbearable and incorrigible; things that violate friendship. Chapter 23: prayer for practical wisdom; oaths and vices of the tongue; fornication. Chapter 24: the encomium of wisdom. Chapter 25: three things that please Wisdom; three that displease; ten beatitudes; the wickedness of women. Chapter 26: the good and bad wife. Chapter 27: falsehood, fraud; revealing a secret; deceit. Chapter 28: the harms of anger and revenge; the double tongue. Chapter 29: lending; almsgiving; standing surety; the misery of strangers. Chapter 30: the correction of children; the good of health; the good of joy and the evil of sorrow. Chapter 31: avoiding anxiety over riches; temperance at table. Chapter 32: what the host, the young, and the old should do at table; the fear of God; using counsel and reason. Chapter 33: God distinguishes the good from the bad; retaining one's goods before death; management of servants. Chapter 34: the vanity of dreams; the utility of trials; hope in God; defrauding the wages of the poor. Chapter 35: the virtue of religion and offerings; the efficacy of prayer of the poor. Chapter 36: prayer for the Jews; loving a good wife. Chapter 37: false friends; counsel; wisdom; restraining gluttony. Chapter 38: the use of medicine; the sick person; death of friends; agriculture and trades. Chapter 39: wisdom acquired by prayer, reading, and study; praise of God. Chapter 40: the miseries of life from sin; what things are more to be chosen; fleeing poverty. Chapter 41: death; shameful children; the care of one's reputation. Chapter 42: things one should not be ashamed of; guarding a daughter; praise of God's omniscience. Chapter 43: the magnificence of God from the beauty of creation. Chapter 44: the Patriarchs and wise men; Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. Chapter 45: Moses, Aaron, Phinehas. Chapter 46: Joshua, Caleb, the Judges, Samuel. Chapter 47: Nathan, David, Solomon. Chapter 48: Elijah, Elisha, Hezekiah, Isaiah. Chapter 49: Josiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the twelve minor Prophets, Zerubbabel, Nehemiah, Seth, Shem, Adam. Chapter 50: Simon the High Priest. Chapter 51: the prayer of Jesus, son of Sirach.
This book treats all parts of moral doctrine in the most complete manner: Ethics, Economics, and Politics. For the greater part pertains to Ethics, a smaller part to Economics, and no small part to Politics.
The aim and purpose of Jesus in writing this book was, as Sirach says in the prologue, to instruct those "who wish to apply their mind and learn how they ought to form their morals, who have resolved to live according to the law of the Lord." Therefore let all Christians, eager for virtue and perfection, eagerly take up this book, read it and reread it.
Chapter V: The Method
The method of our Sirach is to deliver the precepts of practical wisdom and of each individual virtue through brief maxims and sayings of the prudent and the wise; yet in such a way that he often dwells at greater length on each one, and reviews many duties and acts both of them and of the contrary vices. In doing so he mixes in similitudes, proverbs, riddles, and parables, by which he both adorns and explains his teachings of prudence, so that they may be more savory to the reader, and may descend more deeply into his heart and mind.
In this Sirach imitates Solomon and the ancient Hebrews: for in a similar manner Solomon delivers his ethics in brief sentences. For in practice that saying of the poet is most prudent: Whatever you teach, be brief, so that docile minds may quickly grasp what is said, and the faithful may hold it fast.
Therefore not only our Hebrew Sirach imitated Solomon and the Hebrews, but also the Gentile poets and moral philosophers, both Greek and Latin, whose first and foremost were Phocylides and Pythagoras. Following these were Theognis, Simonides, and Anacreon; then Hesiod, afterward Socrates; and finally among the Romans, Cato and Seneca, all of whom encompassed the whole of ethics in brief maxims and verses.
Ethics of the Seven Sages of Greece
The Ethics of Bias of Priene: What is the highest good? A mind conscious of its own righteousness. What is the greatest ruin for a man? Another man alone. Who is rich? He who desires nothing. Who is poor? The greedy man. What is the fairest dowry of a matron? A chaste life. Who is chaste? She about whom rumor fears to lie.
The Ethics of Pittacus of Mytilene: What is the work of the prudent man? When he can, to choose not to harm. What is proper to the fool? To be unable, yet to wish to harm. He who does not know how to be silent will not know how to speak. Better to be approved by one good man than by many bad ones.
The Ethics of Cleobulus of Lindos: The more that is permitted, the less let it be permitted. It is the spite of fortune when an innocent man is wretched. Forgive much to others, nothing to yourself.
The Ethics of Periander of Corinth: The useful never disagrees with the honorable. To wish for death is bad; to fear it, worse. Make it so that what is necessary is also pleasing.
The Ethics of Solon of Athens: I call life happy only when one's fate has been completed. Let an equal spouse be joined to an equal; whatever is unequal, is at odds. It is far nobler to earn nobility than to be born noble.
The Ethics of Chilon of Lacedaemon: Live mindful of death, so that you may also be mindful of salvation. If you do something good, it is right not to remember it. Whatever kindnesses you receive, remember them forever.
The Ethics of Thales of Miletus: When about to dare something shameful, fear yourself even without a witness. Life perishes, but the glory of death does not die. When you truly reprove, you thus help as an enemy. When you falsely praise, then you harm even as a friend. Nothing in excess is enough — lest even this be too much.
Ethics of Pythagoras
St. Jerome in his Preface to Proverbs says: "Pythagoras encompasses all moral teaching in this maxim: One ought to drive away with all zeal, and to cut off with iron and fire, ignorance from the soul, disease from the body and mind, luxury from one's diet, discord from the home, sedition from the state, and intemperance from every undertaking." Thus Epictetus encompassed all ethics in these two words and precepts: "Endure and abstain."
More specifically the individual precepts of Pythagoras: "First worship the immortal gods, as has been sanctioned by law. Honor your oath. Revere your parents. Of the rest, make a friend of whoever most excels in virtue. Be courteous in speech, frugal in affairs. Do not treat a friend too harshly if he has offended you with a slight injury. Above all, abstain from gluttony, sleep, drunkenness, and anger. Do nothing shameful either by yourself or with another. Embrace justice both in deed and in word. Do nothing rashly, nothing without deliberation. Guard your good health. Maintain a certain measure in both drink and exercise. So prepare yourself that you take pleasure not in dainty and soft, but in simple food and lifestyle. Moderation is best in all things. Do not indulge in sleep without first reviewing the day's deeds in three ways: What did I do? What did I say? What was left undone? Let it be grievous to do shameful things, and pleasant to do good and modest things. If you follow these, said Pythagoras, you will attain the footsteps of divine virtue."
Ethics of Isocrates
"First, attend to divine matters, not only by sacrificing but also by standing by your oaths. Be such toward your parents as you wish your children to be toward you. Do not delight in unbridled laughter, nor in insolence of speech. Whatever it is shameful to do, consider it also indecent to say. Honor your parents. Fear God. Respect your friends. Obey the laws. Choose for yourself those pleasures which bring praise. Avoid even false calumnies. You will be most approved if you avoid doing what you would reprove if others did it. If you are eager to learn, you will be powerful in knowledge. Esteem much learning as surpassing much money: for the latter quickly falls away, while the former endures forever: for wisdom alone is immortal among all possessions.
"Guard deposits of words more carefully than deposits of money. Be slow to become a friend, but once made, persevere. Test friends in adversity: for we test gold by fire, but we know friends in adverse fortune. Rather accept honest poverty than unjust riches: for justice surpasses money by this much more, that money benefits only the living, while justice also brings glory to the dead. Consider nothing to be stable in human affairs: the practice of virtue provides both true and most firm pleasure."
Ethics of Cato
Well known are Cato's verses on morals: If God is spirit, as poems tell us, let Him be worshipped by you especially with a pure mind.
These pagans, following only the light of nature, did not attain to true faith in God, true religion, or true worship: whereas on the contrary, our author of Ecclesiasticus, illuminated and directed by the Holy Spirit, surpassing all of these, everywhere establishes true piety toward God, faith, hope, fear, and charity; and teaches not merely natural but also supernatural virtues.
First Ethical Alphabet of Ben-Sira
Aleph: "Love and honor the physician while you do not need him." Beth: "A son who is not a son — let him row on the surface of the waters." Gimel: "Gnaw the bone that has fallen to your lot," that is: Live content with the wife and the lot that has come to you. Daleth: "Gold must be beaten, and a boy must be struck." He: "Be good, and do not withhold your hand from doing good." Vav: "Woe to the wicked, and woe to those who cling to him." Zayin: "Scatter your bread upon the surface of the waters, and on the dry land; and at the end of days you will find it." Chet: "Have you seen a black donkey? Neither black nor white" — that is: Teach your tongue to say always: "I do not know," lest you be caught in your answer. Teth: "Do not do good to the wicked, and evil will not befall you." Yod: "Do not withdraw your hand from beneficence." Kaph: "The bride ascends to the bridal chamber, but she does not know what will happen to her." Lamed: "The wise man by a nod, and the fool by a club." Mem: "He who honors those who despise him is like a donkey that serves the one by whom it is beaten." Nun: "A burning fire consumes many heaps of grain." Samech: "An old man in the house is a good sign in the house." Ayin: "If you have shared business dealings with someone, from a good man you will demand in vain a hundred times, from a bad man a thousand times." Pe: "Set out the table, and the quarrel is ended." Tsade: "If you must make contracts, let your lot be with a good man." Qoph: "Trade conducted nearby is consumed by its master; trade conducted far away consumes its master." Resh: "Do not deny an old friend." Shin: "Even if you have sixty counselors, do not abandon the counsel of your own soul." Tav: "Let your hand be as generous as if you had always been full."
Second Alphabet of Ben-Sira
Aleph: "Do not give your soul over to sadness: for sadness has killed many." Beth: "By the beauty of a fair woman many have been ruined." Gimel: "Reveal your secret to one in a thousand." Daleth: "Withdraw your flesh from a charming woman, as from burning coals." He: "Hide your eyes from a charming woman, lest you be caught in her net." Vav: "Woe to him who follows after his eyes." Zayin: "Do not be among those who have a thin or thick beard: for you do not know what has been decreed." Chet: "Sons are dear to every man: but woe to the father of daughters." Teth: "A daughter is a vain treasure to her father, from worry over whom he does not sleep at night." Yod: "The guardian of a little girl sleeps but does not sleep." Kaph: "When your daughter has married, you will be very anxious about her." Lamed: "Do not sleep in your youth, and in your old age do not marry an old woman." Mem: "The waters of a young virgin are sweet and increase strength; but the waters of an old woman are bitter as wormwood." Nun: "Shake yourself free from a wicked woman who lords over you with her tongue." Samech: "The scribe who teaches others should marry a virgin." Ayin: "Hide your eyes from a widow, and do not desire her beauty in your heart." Pe: "Turn your face from evil companions." Tsade: "Store up your wealth during your life, and do not give it to your heirs until the day of your death." Qoph: "Acquire wealth, and a good wife who fears God: and beget many children, even a hundred." Resh: "Withdraw far from evil neighbors." Shin: "Refrain from quarreling with your neighbors." Tav: "Acquire gold coins and whatever wealth you can; and do not tell your wife where they are, even if she is good."
To these add two other sayings: "Do not let the trouble of tomorrow torment you: for you do not know what the day will bring forth" (Proverbs 27:1; Matthew 6:34). And: "The day is short, and the work is great" — similar to Hippocrates: "Life is short, art is long, occasion is fleeting."
Ethics of Christ, Paul, and the Apostles
Sirach and Ben-Sira, just as Solomon, were followed by the Apostles and apostolic men, and indeed by Christ the Lord Himself, who encompassed the whole of Christian Ethics in brief sayings, which St. Matthew records in chapters 5, 6, and 7. Imitating Christ, St. Paul comprehends the duties of a Christian in a single chapter 12 to the Romans.
Ethical Alphabet of St. Gregory of Nazianzus
Let God be the beginning and end of all your actions. The blessed gains of life: to die daily. Strive to know the deeds of outstanding good men. If you are beneficent, you will imitate God. Be kind, so that you may have a kind God. Take care not to indulge the flesh, but subdue it. Hold back anger with reins, lest fury overtake you. Restrain your sight: let there be a rule for the tongue. Let reason be the lamp for your whole life. Dismiss opinion, and embrace reality. Consider all things worth knowing; but do only what is right. Show every honor to your guest, since you yourself are a guest. A storm should be feared during a fair voyage. Whatever God gives, receive with a grateful heart. The rod of the just man is better than the honor of the wicked. Let me wear out the doorsteps of the wise, not of the rich. You can be a great man by restraining insolence. Guard yourself well: do not laugh at another's fall. It is pleasing to be envied; but to envy is a great disgrace. It is better to offer one's soul to God than all other things. O how blessed is whoever has kept these precepts.
Ethics of St. Basil
"Give zealous effort to being the last of all and the servant of all. Keep your ears constantly attentive to hearing what is commanded: and likewise your hands ready to carry out what has been ordered. Let there be silence on your lips, circumspection in your heart. Do not pay much attention to idle conversations. Strive to imitate those who labored in this way of life before you. Strive to become master of the greater virtues; but do not neglect the lesser ones either. Let there be absolutely no failing that you regard lightly. Do not set yourself up as a judge of others' faults. Whatever you have done each day, review it with yourself in the evening, and give zealous effort to becoming better day by day. Make progress in the virtues, so that you may become closer to the Angels. Keep yourself within your cell, and there praise God continually, and imitate the Cherubim." These are the words of St. Basil, prince of ascetics, in his treatise On Renunciation.
Ethics of St. Ambrose
St. Ambrose, Sermon 58: "A Christian is one who loves chastity, flees drunkenness, detests pride, and rejects envy as the poison of the devil. He is truly a good Christian who does not steal, does not bear false witness; who does not lie, who does not commit adultery, who comes to Church frequently, who does not taste of his own fruits unless he first offers something of them to God; who renders to the poor the tithes owed to God each year; who gives honor to his priests; who loves every person as himself; who hates no one. He is a good Christian who shows every honor to guests, washes their feet, not only does not stir up lawsuits but recalls those at odds to harmony; who both lives chastely himself and admonishes his children to live chastely and soberly; who holds the Creed and the Lord's Prayer by heart, and faithfully teaches his sons and daughters to do the same."
Ethics of St. Augustine
St. Augustine, On the Christian Life, chapter 14: "A Christian is one who shows mercy to all; who is in no way moved by injury; who does not permit the poor to be oppressed in his presence; who comes to the aid of the wretched; who helps those in need; who mourns with those who mourn; who feels the pain of another as his own; who is moved to weeping by the tears of others; whose house is open to all; whose door is closed to no one."
Ethics of St. Thomas Aquinas
The ethical maxims of the Angelic Doctor: Poverty joined with impatience is expense without profit. A religious person deprived of the spirit of prayer is like a soldier lacking a sword. A religious person walking alone is a solitary demon. I cannot grasp how one existing in mortal sin can laugh and be merry. The Passion of Christ is like a ray and heat of the sun, which, although created for the benefit of all, nevertheless does not benefit all.
When asked why he so avoided women, since he was born of a mother who was a woman, he replied: I avoid all because I was begotten of one. When asked by what signs one could determine that someone had made progress in the spiritual life and was perfect, he replied: By two signs. The first, if he abstains from jesting and idle words. The second, if he bears being despised not with difficulty but with patience, indeed with joy; for if he grieves at being despised, know that he is not perfect, even if he works miracles, because he lacks the true foundation of virtue and holiness, which is humility.
When asked on his deathbed whether he needed anything, he replied: Nothing, because shortly I shall have all things, and I shall possess the supreme and total good. When asked how one could be saved, he replied: By willing it effectively. When asked what he most desired in this life: To die well. When asked what paradise was: It cannot be known until one actually attains it by his own merits. When asked how life could be spent without error, he replied: If in every action one acts so that he can give a reason why he does it. Idleness is the hook of the devil. If you wish to become learned, read only one book.
Ethics of St. Gregory, Roman Pontiff
St. Gregory, book X of the Moralia, chapter 16: "The wisdom of the just consists in this: to feign nothing for the sake of display; to reveal one's meaning in words; to love the truth as it is; to avoid falsehood; to render good services freely; to bear evils more willingly than to do them; to seek no revenge for injuries; to count insult endured for truth as gain. To reveal the mind by words; to simulate nothing by cunning contrivance; to render insults to no one in return for injuries; to pray for those who curse us; to seek poverty; to relinquish what one possesses; not to resist the one who takes by force; to offer the other cheek to the one who strikes."
"Every elect person fears being honored, does not shrink from being despised, afflicts the body with self-restraint, grows rich only in love of soul, always prepares the mind for patience, and standing upright for justice, exults over insults received; compassionates the afflicted from the heart; rejoices over the prosperity of the good as though it were his own; anxiously ruminates on the nourishment of the sacred word in his mind; and when asked about anything, knows not how to speak with duplicity."
St. Bonaventure wrote an epistle containing 25 ethical memoranda: (1) Fix your whole hope in the Lord, so that you utterly despair of all the consolations of this world. (2) Cleanse your heart of all vices and concupiscences. (3) Dissolve every outward attachment, so that with a pure mind you may be bound to God. (4) Bear all tribulations patiently, indeed cheerfully. (5) Complain about nothing, remembering that you have offended your Creator. (6) Despise yourself and wish to be despised by others; but honor all others. (7) Flee the honors and breezes of vain glory as deadly plagues. (8) Humble yourself, and make yourself the servant of all. (9) Involve yourself in no affair where you do not find profit for your soul. (10) Guard your senses and tongue. (11) Pursue holy solitude, so that you may be free for prayer. (12) Recite the divine office as if standing among the Angels. (13) Have the highest veneration for the Blessed Virgin. (14) Avoid the company of women. (15) Flee sloth and sadness. (16) In all things conform yourself to the will of God. (17) With all vigilance guard your heart. (18) Be generous to all, so that you may imitate God. (19) Continually keep your mind directed toward God. (20) Obey not only superiors, but also equals and inferiors. (21) Conceal your virtues, graces, and consolations, as well as temptations and tribulations. (22) Always and everywhere keep God in your memory. (23) Be vigilant against the snares of the devil. (24) Daily examine your conscience. (25) When you have done all these things, recognize yourself as an unprofitable servant and a sinner.
Furthermore, the particular ethics adapted to each state of human life was carefully composed by St. Jerome in various epistles: the duties of a virgin in his epistles to Eustochium and to Demetrias; of a wife, to Celantia; of a widow, to Furia and to Salvina; of a cleric and priest, to Nepotian; of a monk, to Heliodorus and to Rusticus; of a boy and youth, to Laeta and to Gaudentius.
Chapter VI: The Style
The style of Ecclesiasticus, both of the author and of the translator, Greek as well as Latin, is plain, simple, clear, not convoluted, not embellished, not ornate. Therefore in the Latin translator, who strives for truth and simplicity, the phrasing is sometimes neglected, rougher and more inelegant, to the point that it admits barbarisms and solecisms. St. Jerome, in correcting, so deferred to venerable antiquity that he considered it a matter of scruple to change this phrasing; he left it untouched, preferring to devote care to truth and the translation rather than to elegance of style. For the weightiness of the thoughts spurns the blandishments of words.
Hear him on Ezekiel chapter 40: "Let it suffice to have admonished more than once that I know 'cubitum' and 'cubita' are called by the neuter gender; but for the sake of simplicity and ease of understanding, and by common usage, I use the masculine gender as well. For it is not our concern to avoid faults of speech, but to explain the obscurity of Sacred Scripture with whatever words we can."
St. Augustine, book VI of On Christian Doctrine, chapter 11: "The mark of good talents is to love the truth in words, not the words themselves." And St. Prosper: "Prudent men are not pleased by ornate display, but by strength: since words were not established for their own sake, but for the purpose of expressing things."
As Horace says: The subject itself forbids ornament, content to be taught. And: Many words will be reborn that have now fallen out of use; and those will fall which are now in honor, if usage so wills, in whose power lies the judgment, and force, and rule of speaking.
Moreover, the translator of Ecclesiasticus, being ancient, employs phrases and words that were customary in his own age but are now antiquated and obsolete. Hence the translator uses certain words in peculiar senses: "traductio" for correction or punishment; "allocutio" for consolation; "honestas" for wealth and riches; "infrunitus" for shameless; "scandalizari" for to stumble; "indoctus" for foolish; "nequitia" for affliction; "reverentia" for shame; "obductio" for temptation or calamity; "pessimare" for to treat badly; "incredibilis" for incredulous; and many others. Franciscus Lucas judges that the Latin translator was a Greek by nationality, and therefore Grecizes and uses less Latinate phrases.