Content area
Abstract
This study interprets the theme of election in the book of Sirach. A central problem in the interpretation of Sirach concerns the relation of Wisdom and Torah. Many scholars interpret Ben Sira's correlation of the universal Wisdom tradition with Israel's particular traditions of Torah as "identification." Scholars understand this identification as either a nationalizing of Wisdom or a universalizing of Torah. Both avenues of interpretation prove troublesome, however, as either Torah or Wisdom loses its distinctiveness. The problem magnifies when we consider that Wisdom represents the teachings of the ancient Near Eastern sages, which were considered universally applicable to all human beings, whereas Torah denotes the particular teachings of Israel's God which were intended for Jews alone.
In order to avoid the reductionism evident in scholarly interpretations of Sirach, the study suggests that Ben Sira views Wisdom and Torah not as identical but rather as correlated. Using methods developed in scholarship on biblical Hebrew poetry, we interpret Ben Sira's use of parallelism and asyndetic juxtaposition not as tautological expressions but as meaningful correlations that take on significance in their literary, rhetorical, and socio-historical contexts.
The study concludes that Ben Sira correlates universal Wisdom and Israel's particular Torah through the idea of election. The sage characterizes Israel as a people chosen by YHWH for the purpose of receiving a special apportionment of wisdom, which he associates with the Torah. At the same time, all humanity also receives a general apportionment of wisdom that is available to them through creation. While Israel's election distinguishes her from the other nations, she nonetheless retains a close affinity with the nations through their mutual creation from the dust of the earth. In this sense, Ben Sira cannot be construed as a dualist, as many scholars maintain. Moreover, Israel's performance of the ethical and ritual commandments of the Torah renews and sustains the primeval order and thereby benefits universal humankind.
