Sirach is the largest
and most comprehensive example of Wisdom Literature and it has also the
distinction of being the oldest book in the Apocrypha, being indeed older than
at least two books (Daniel, Esther) which have found a place in the Canon alike
of the Eastern and Western churches. It is quite impossible in the book as it
stands to trace any one scheme of thought, for the author’s mind moves lightly
from topic to topic, recurring frequently to the same theme and repeating the
same idea. In harmony with other products of the “Wise Men,” Sirach sets chief
value upon natural religion that revealed in the instincts, reason and
conscience of man as well as by the sun, moon, stars, etc. Yet Sirach gives far
more prominence than Proverbs to the idea that the Divine Will is specially
made known in the Law of Moses (Sirach 24:23; 45:1-4).
The bulk of the book is
poetical in form, abounding in that parallelism which characterizes Hebrew
poetry, though it is less antithetic and regular than in Prov. Sirach
mainly consists of a series of loosely related maxims and other sayings of a
proverbial nature, much in the manner of the Book of Proverbs. Throughout, the
author offers instruction on how to conduct oneself wisely in all areas of
life. He identifies wisdom with the divine law (24:23), but his counsels are
more concerned with ethics than they are with divine revelation. In addition to
its numerous, diverse instructions, Sirach contains several long poems that
celebrate wisdom (1:1-20, 24:1-22), praise God and his wonderful works
(42:15-43:33), and praise the venerable patriarchs and prophets of Israel
(chap. 44-49). Noteworthy is chapter 24, introducing uncreated wisdom speaking
as a divine person. Early Christian writers considered it an anticipation or
foreshadowing of the Logos, or word of God, in the opening chapter of John’s
Gospel. Sirach is classified with the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament,
which includes the Books of Ecclesiastes, Job, and Proverbs.[1]
However, this work is focused on bringing out the literary features in the book
of Ecclesiasticus.
LITERARY FEATURES IN THE BOOK OF
ECCLESIASTICUS
Literary
features are any specific aspect of literature, or a particular work, which we
can recognize, identify, interpret and/or analyze. Both literary elements and
literary techniques can rightly be called literary features. They are specific,
deliberate constructions of language which an author uses to convey meaning. An
author’s use of a literary technique usually occurs with a single word or
phrase, or a particular group of words or phrases, at one single point in a
text. Unlike literary elements, literary techniques are not necessarily present
in every text.
Wisdom
Literature in ancient Israel and the ancient Near East is not rendered by discursive
prose but in experiential, personal and poetic language, often with an attempt
to systematize its formulations. The literary embodiments include poems,
narratives, instructions, and sayings. In addition, the rhetoric of each piece
of literature participates with the content and form in shaping a minute
aesthesis, a world of beauty and substance, that gives coherence and meaning to
life. When speaking, the sages usually filled these texts with the content and
images of organizing metaphors and metaphor clusters, and oftentimes
personifying abstract concepts. These metaphors and metaphor clusters may be
inferred from the linguistic construal of sapiential literature, for they are
not always directly stated.[2]
PERSONIFICATION
Personification
is a form of metaphor that gives personal attributes to an animal, object or
concept. This
is the art of representing an abstract quality or idea as a person or creature.
In other words, it
treats the non-personal as personal. The power of personification is that it
allows us to comprehend a wide variety of experiences with non-human entities
in terms of human motivations, characteristics, and activities. Personification
is a general category that covers a wide range of metaphors, each picking out
different aspects of a person or ways of looking at a person.Personification is
no stranger to the Hebrew Bible. But the personification of wisdom is simply
unique in the Bible, both for its quantity and quality. This
feature is visible in Sirach when Wisdom is referred to in the feminine gender.
Woman wisdom is a feminine personification of the concept of wisdom. But the
wisdom poem in Sirach presents more than a simple personification.
Personification draws on the intrinsic or essential characteristics of the
property personified or an attribute that a person who exhibits the property
would be expected to have as a result. The
figure of Woman Wisdom appears in several key poems in Sirach, namely Sir
1:1-10, 1:11-30,4:11-19,6:18-37,14:20-15:10,24:1-34 and 51:13-30.
1All wisdom is from the
Lord God, and hath been always with him, and is before all time. 2Who hath numbered the sand of the sea, and the
drops of rain, and the days of the world? Who hath measured the height of
heaven, and the breadth of the earth, and the depth of the abyss? 3 Who
hath searched out the wisdom of God that goeth before all things? 4 Wisdom
hath been created before all things, and the understanding of prudence from
everlasting. 5 The word of God on high is the fountain of wisdom, and
her ways are everlasting commandments. 6 To whom hath the root of wisdom
been revealed, and who hath known her wise counsels? 7 To whom hath the
discipline of wisdom been revealed and made manifest? and who hath understood
the multiplicity of her steps? 8 There is one most high Creator
Almighty, and a powerful king, and greatly to be feared, who sitteth upon his
throne, and is the God of dominion. 9 He created her in the Holy Ghost,
and saw her, and numbered her, and measured her. 10 And he poured her
out upon all his works, and upon all flesh according to his gift, and hath
given her to them that love him.[3]
Woman
Wisdom is a metaphor that employs feminine imagery to speak of the tradition as
taught by the sages and contained within the sacred writings of Judaism. Ben
Sira uses it to show that the Jewish tradition is the pathway to genuine piety.
The metaphor functions to reinforce the implicit claim of conservative scribal
circles to be the legitimate interpreters of the tradition. The personification
of wisdom is the basic. This feminine personification is then filled out with a
number of metaphors, rendering Woman Wisdom an easily recognizable entity in
the text despite the wide range of imagery applied to her. The wisdom
personified includes both the content of the Jewish tradition and the
disposition to live in conformity with that tradition, summed up in the fear of
the Lord. This tradition is seen as the distillation of universal wisdom. The
gender of Woman Wisdom is rhetorically important in those poems where wisdom is
presented as a desirable goal to be passionately and zealously sought. But Ben
Sira does not exploit the metaphor ‘wisdom as woman’ as a conceptual tool for
reflection on wisdom in and of itself or in its relationship to God. In Sir 24
the feminine dimension of the Wisdom figure recedes; Wisdom is personified as
an angelic figure and her gender becomes simply a fact of grammar. The metaphor
‘wisdom as angel’ may be an attempt to picture wisdom in the closest possible
association with the Lord and in the most exalted position possible without
compromising monotheism. Angels are also portrayed as mediators in Second
Temple writings. The movement and action of Wisdom, God and human beings
relative to each other in the Wisdom poems provides hints that the Jewish
tradition plays a vital role in the relationship between God and humanity. God
relates to human beings by revealing to them wisdom, which finds its most
perfect expression in the Jewish written tradition. How a person relates to
this tradition will determine how God relates to that person. Conversely, it is
impossible to find wisdom if one does not have the correct attitude toward God
and if one does not live according to the tradition. Since all wisdom is from
God, there is no wisdom outside of what God gives, and the wisdom God has given
is embodied in the traditions of Israel.[4]
Sirach’s
personification of wisdom is primarily developed from proverbs (prov. 1:20-33;
8:4-36; 9:1-6; cf. Deut 4:6), but Sirach develops this personification further
by equating it with the Torah (Sir 24:23). In Sirach 24:23 the author
identifies personified wisdom. However Sirach present the personified wisdom
through a different metaphor. In 4: 11-20, wisdom is presented as a teacher in
verse 14 (wisdom teaches her sons and exhorts those seeking her). However in
6:17-37 wisdom is describe from the perspective of a farmer working their field
(6:19-20), and from the perspective of a hunted prey being placed under her
bonds (6:23-30) which paradoxically leads not to subjugation but to a glorious
robe and crown. Further, wisdom is presented as a house (14: 23-24), a
luxurious tree (14: 25-27), a mother or young bride (15: 2-4), and a staff
(15:4). These metaphors further explain how one must seek the secrets of wisdom
(14:24-27) and in what ways will wisdom reward those who seek her (15:2-4).[5]
24 He who looketh in at her windows, and hearkeneth
at her door: 25 He that lodgeth near her
house, and fastening a pin in her walls shall set up his tent nigh unto her,
where good things shall rest in his lodging for ever. 26 He shall set his children under her shelter, and
shall lodge under her branches: 27 He shall be protected
under her covering from the heat, and shall rest in her glory.[6]
By
personifying Wisdom as a woman, the abstract idea becomes more immediate and
attainable. The description, beautiful and poetic as it is, makes
Lady Wisdom someone you want to know well, whose company you enjoy and long
for. She is approachable to anyone and by everyone for it is attracted by
the goodness of one’s heart and purity of one’s spirit. The desire and
resolve to do what is right and just in the eyes of God are the first
steps toward Wisdom that anyone and everyone can take, if they so choose.
WOMAN
WISDOM: A METAPHOR IN SIRACH
Metaphor
is that figurative way of speaking (and meaning) in which one reality, the
subject, is depicted in terms that are more commonly associated with a
different reality, the symbol, which is related to it by analogy. A metaphor,
then, places in juxtaposition two terms that can be thought of as both similar
and disimilar and invites the hearer to discover meaning by exploring the
relationship between the two. Woman Wisdom in Sirach is usually treated either
as a poetic personification or as a hypostasis. In other words, she is viewed
as a poetic device, a distinct ontological entity, or something somewhere in
between. However, a metaphor can only be
understood and recognized within its wider context. The literary context
enables one to pinpoint the precise nature of the wisdom being spoken of in the
metaphor. If we are to understand what is being said about wisdom through its
presentation as a feminine figure, we need to explore the system of
associations connected with the vehicle - be it in terms of feminine
characteristics, roles, or more vaguely in terms of attitudes toward the
feminine - upon which Ben Sira’s audience drew. I do not believe that Ben Sira
intended to say anything about women when he spoke of Woman Wisdom, nor that he
intended his audience’s perception of women to be transformed through their
engagement with his metaphor. Nevertheless, the metaphor leaves open the
possibility of a reading which is dual-directional and thus subversive from the
point of view of a patriarchal worldview. Metaphors always have a surplus of
meaning. The recognition and interpretation of a metaphor is context-bound.[7]
The
imagery used to describe Wisdom includes plant and river imagery, and I will
argue that Wisdom is also portrayed as a chief divine agent. Ben Sira moves
abruptly from one image to the next, ‘mixing his metaphors’. And yet the
overall impression created is a coherent one. Two metaphors are consistent only
when they form a single image. But even where two metaphors are not consistent,
they can nonetheless ‘fit together’ by virtue of being subcategories of a major
category and therefore sharing a major common entailment. In Sir 15:2 we have
the images of Wisdom as mother and Wisdom as virgin bride. These are not
strictly compatible, and yet they function effectively enough together. This is
because ‘mother’ and ‘virgin bride’ are subsumed under the larger category of
‘woman’ and one could perhaps expand that to ‘woman in relationship to the
male’ and so the metaphor lending coherence here is wisdom is woman, with a
loose use of wisdom as mother, lover, nurturer etc.
The
clearest indication of the metaphorical character of the Wisdom figure is found
in those discourses where Ben Sirach uses the metaphor and then decodes it
later in the same text. (6:18-37 and 51:13-30).
13 Thou hast exalted my
dwelling place upon the earth and I have prayed for death to pass away. 14 I
called upon the Lord, the father of my Lord, that he would not leave me in the
day of my trouble, and in the time of the proud without help. 15 I will
praise thy name continually, and will praise it with thanksgiving, and my
prayer was heard. 16 And thou hast saved me from destruction, and hast
delivered me from the evil time. 17 Therefore I will give thanks, and
praise thee, and bless the name of the Lord. 18 When I was yet young,
before I wandered about, I sought for wisdom openly in my prayer. 19 I
prayed for her before the temple, and unto the very end I will seek after her,
and she flourished as a grape soon ripe. 20 My heart delighted in her,
my foot walked in the right way, from my youth up I sought after her. 21 I
bowed down my ear a little, and received her. 22 I found much wisdom in
myself, and I profited much therein. 23 To him that giveth me wisdom,
will I give glory. 24 For I have determined to follow her: I have had a
zeal for good, and shall not be confounded. 25 My soul hath wrestled for
her, and in doing it I have been confirmed. 26 I stretched forth my
hands on high, and I bewailed my ignorance of her. 27 I directed my soul
to her, and in knowledge I found her. 28 I possessed my heart with her
from the beginning: therefore I shall not be forsaken. 29 My entrails
were troubled in seeking her: therefore shall I possess a good possession. 30
The Lord hath given me a tongue for my reward: and with it I will praise
him.[8]
CONCLUSION
I
refined my classification of Wisdom as metaphor by pointing to the
personification of Wisdom as the basic trope underlying the presentations of
Wisdom. The personification is then filled out with a number of metaphors. This
explains why the figure of Wisdom is an easily recognizable entity in the text
despite the wide range of imagery applied to her. Woman Wisdom is not
restricted to the verses that explicitly refer to wisdom as a woman. When the
feminine personification of wisdom is seen to be the constant factor behind the
different metaphors a reading is achieved which highlights the affective impact
of the discourse. For example the metaphors of Wisdom as field gains an erotic
nuance (Sir 6: 19).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
“Sirach.”
Microsoft® Encarta® 2009 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008.
Jessie
Florence Rogers, Is Wisdom A Mediatrix In
Sirach? A study of the wisdom poems,
University of Stellenbosch 1999.
Amadi E. Ahiamadu, Wisdom Literature, National Open
University of Nigeria 2013.
JUNHO
CHOI, Understanding the Literary
Structures of Acrostic Psalms: An Analysis of Selected Poems, Stellenbosch
University 2013.
Eric
S. Christianson, Narrative Strategies in
The Book Of Ecclesiastes, University of Sheffield 1996.
Cowley,
Arthur E., and Adolf Neubauer, eds. The Original Hebrew of a Portion of
Ecclesiasticus. Oxford: Clarendon, 1897.
Wright,
Benjamin G., “Sirach,” A New English Translation of the Septuagint, ed. Albert
Pietersma and Benjamin G. Wright. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.
www.academia.edu/42235516/Personification_and_Agency_in_Sirach_and_4_Maccabees
[1]
“Sirach.” Microsoft® Encarta® 2009
[DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008.
[2] Rev. Dr. Amadi E. Ahiamadu, Wisdom Literature, National Open
University of Nigeria 2013, 109.
[3] Sir 1:1-10
[4]
Jessie Florence Rogers, Is Wisdom
A Mediatrix In Sirach? A study of the
wisdom poems, University of Stellenbosch 1999, 3.
[5] Trey Moss, Personification and Agency in Sirach and 4 Maccabees, MWSBL 2019, 5.
[6] Sir 14:24-27
[7]Jessie Florence Rogers, Is Wisdom A Mediatrix In Sirach? A study of the wisdom poems, University of Stellenbosch 1999, 76.
[8] Sir 51:13-30
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