Abstract
While a general creation perspective underlies the poem, the mention of Godâs creating appears in the Greek of Sir 18:1, where the Syriac speaks of divine judgment. The Lucianic gloss in 18:3 depicts the Deity steering the cosmos, though elsewhere within the uncial Greek tradition the word ÎșáœčÏÎŒÎżÏ has its older meaning of decoration or adornment. The admiring questions (directed toward God) in 18:4 â 6 match other statements by the sage within his creation poems (e. g., Sir 42:15 â 25; 43:27 â 33). Turning from Godâs almighty power, the sage contemplates the smallness of human beings, limited by their mortality (18:8 â 10). Such human limitations lead the sage to conclude that humans need God's mercy, which is freely available (18:11 â 14). Ben Siraâs creation theology is rooted in the Pentateuchâs priestly vision of a sole Creator (18:1 â 2; cf. Gen 1:1 â 2:4). His cosmology also has parallels with Stoic thinking in his attitude of praise of God (18:4 â 5; cf. vv. 36 â 38 of Cleanthesâs Hymn to Zeus) and the notion of creationâs perfection (18:6; cf. Cicero, Nat. d. 2.37). These Stoic parallels are developed in the Lucianic addition, depicting everything obeying the monarchical Deity who controls the universe (18:2bâ3; cf. vv. 7 â 9 of Cleanthesâs Hymn to Zeus). Overall, we see that the sage emphasizes Godâs marvelous provision for human beings, despite the shortness of their lives on earth.
1 Introduction
Creation and cosmology are major topics within Ben Siraâs book, especially Sir 16:24â17:14; 39:12 â 35; 42:15 â 43:33. While Sir 39:12 â 35 praises Godâs justice in the ordering of the world, Sir 42:15 â 43:33 celebrates Godâs marvelous creation.1 Within a longer segment on âGod, Sin and Mercyâ (Sir 15:11 â 18:14), Sir 16:17 â 18:14 includes a significant discussion of creation and cosmology, where Sir 18:1 â 14 serves as the conclusion.2 The Greek text of Sir 18:1 â 14 opens with the statement about creation: âThe one living for eternity created (áŒÎșÏÎčÏΔΜ) all things altogether; the Lord alone will be considered justâ (Sir 18:1 â 2a).3 Then the Lucianic witnesses add a gloss about the divine government of the created world: âAnd there is no other besides him, steering the cosmos (ÎșáœčÏÎŒÎżÎœ) with the span of his hand, and all things are obedient to his willâ (18:2bâ3). Ben Sira 18:1 â 10 also deals with divine judgement and human limitations, while 18:11 â 14 speaks of Godâs mercy in the face of human weakness. The present study will consider the statements about creation and cosmos within the Greek version of Sir 18:1 â 10, including the Lucianic additions.
2 Ben Siraâs vocabulary of creation and cosmos
At the outset, it may be helpful briefly to consider Hebrew verbs used by Ben Sira to refer to Godâs act of creating. Sometimes the sage utilizes the verb ⌌šŚâââ (âcreateâ), both for the creation of humanity (15:14) and of âhis works,â especially the heavenly luminaries (16:26).4 Thus, Sir 15:14 HB declares: âHe himself from the beginning created (⌌šŚâââ) humanity,â while 16:26 HA begins a sentence: âWhen God created (⌌âââ â ⌌ŚšŚâââ) his works from the beginningâŠ.â In three passages ⌌šŚâââ is rendered ÎșÏáœ·Î¶Ï (âcreateâ: Sir 31:13; 39:29; 40:10). Once in Sir 16:16 HA, often considered a later gloss, we find the related noun ⌌šŚŚâââ, equivalent to the noun ⌌šŚŚŚâââ (âcreatureâ: Num 16:30). Another verb is the more general term ⌹Ś©ŚŚâââ (âmakeâ), found in a creation context within Ben Sira (Sir 42:24 HBM), as in the MT (Gen 2:2: Ps 136:5). Elsewhere the participle ⌹ŚŚ©ŚŚâââ (âMakerâ) denotes the divine agent, as in Sir 43:11 HBM: âSee a rainbow and bless its Maker (⌹ŚŚ©ŚŚŚâââ).â To refer to something created, Ben Sira commonly utilizes the noun ⌌ąŚ©ŚŚâââ (âworkâ). For example, ⌌ąŚ©ŚŚŚâââ (âhis worksâ) denotes âhis created things,â such as the lights of heaven: âBy the utterance of the Lord are his worksâ (Sir 42:15 HM; cf. 16:26 HA). The sage also employs another verb ⌌ŠŚšâââ (âfashionâ or âshapeâ), also found in creation contexts, as in Sir 33:10 HE: âFrom dust humanity was fashioned (⌠ŚŚŠŚšâââ).â Echoing Gen 2:7, the verb ⌌ŠŚšâââ here denotes the divine action of âfashioningâ the human being from the dust, while Sir 33:13 HE also uses the participle of the same verb to compare Godâs action to the work of a âpotterâ (⌌ŚŠŚšâââ). Finally, the sage sometimes utilizes the verb ⌌Ś§âââ, which often means âdivideâ (Gen 49:27; Sir 45:22) or âallotâ (Deut 4:19; Sir 16:16 Lucianic MSS), but which can occasionally mean âcreate,â at least in two passages (Sir 31:13, 27), and perhaps also elsewhere (Sir 38:1; 39:25).5
As in earlier LXX books, the Greek translation of Ben Sira sometimes follows LXX Gen 1:1 by referring to creation with the verb ÏÎżÎčáœłÏ (âmakeâ): âHe himself from the beginning made (áŒÏÎżáœ·Î·ÏΔΜ) humanityâ (Sir 15:14). The cognate noun ÏÎżáœ·Î·ÏÎčÏ (âmakingâ) occurs in Sir 16:26: âFrom their making he separated their destinies.â More often, however, the translation employs the verb ÎșÏáœ·Î¶Ï (âcreateâ), found 23x in Greek Ben Sira, which can represent ⌌šŚâââ (40:10), ⌌ŠŚšâââ (49:14), or ⌌Ś§âââ (31:13, 27). The Greek version also utilizes the related nouns ÎșÏ᜷ÏΌα (âcreatureâ: Sir 36:20; 38:34) and ÎșÏ᜷ÏÎčÏ (âcreationâ: Sir 16:16 Lucianic MSS; 16:17; 43:25; 49:16), as well as the agent ÎșÏ᜷ÏÏÎ·Ï (âCreatorâ: 24:8 only). Whereas LXX Gen 2:7 employs the term ÏλᜱÏÏÏ (âfashionâ = ⌌ŠŚšâââ), this verb is absent from Greek Sirach, though the Lucianic MSS once employ the cognate noun ÏλᜱÏΌα (âfashioningâ: Sir 17:21) in an echo of Ps 103(102):14.6 Another term utilized is the plural form áŒÏγα for the âworksâ of God, since the sage speaks of âhis worksâ (Ïᜰ áŒÏγα αáœÏοῊ = ⌌ąŚ©ŚŚŚâââ) existing from the beginning (16:26).
To introduce our discussion of cosmology, we may also briefly consider the Hebrew nouns employed by Ben Sira to speak of the world. The noun ⌌Śâââ (âworldâ or âlifespanâ), found 5x in the MT, is absent from the preserved Hebrew portions of Ben Sira, while the term ⌹Ś...