The Book of Sirach
Ageless Teaching for Modern Preaching
Where can you find the Book of Sirach?
Not in the Protestant Bible.
The Book of Sirach is just beginning to creep into Protestant scriptural teaching. It is written in the style of Wisdom literature — like Proverbs.
This interesting book has been around a long time, flirting with broad acceptance. It holds a strong position in Jewish literature. Scholars believe Jesus was familiar with its teachings and referred to it in some of his most memorable quotes.
At pivotal times in religious history, the years the great minds of Christianity were deciding what would become part of accepted Christian scripture, Sirach was hiding behind the cathedral doors. Scholars just weren’t sure of its authenticity. This was reviewed at least twice—in the early years of the Christianity and again in the years of the Reformation. At this point, Protestant church leaders rejected it while Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Christian traditions included it.
Then came the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1946-1956. These carefully hidden manuscripts, unearthed after 1900 years shed new light on old thinking. There, among the crumbling scrolls, was the Book of Sirach— the writings of Joshua ben Sirach, great teacher of religion in Jerusalem and Egypt, predating Jesus’ walk on earth by about 175 years.
And so, today, with this new evidence of authenticity, the words of Sirach are finding their way into Protestant churches, proving that good teaching is ageless (and better than riches).
Here’s a sample. Every school child of any religion, might memorize this. (Each couplet is a plot foundation for an upcoming television drama!)
A Faithful Friend
A kind mouth multiplies friends,
and gracious lips prompt friendly greetings.
Let your acquaintances be many,
but one in a thousand your confidant.
When you gain a friend, first test him,
and be not too ready to trust him—
for one sort of friend is a friend when it suits him,
but he will not be with you in time of distress.
Another is a friend who becomes an enemy,
and tells of the quarrel to your shame.
Another is a friend, a boon companion,
who will not be with you when sorrow comes.
When things go well, he is your other self,
and lords it over your servants;
But if you are brought low,
he turns against you and avoids meeting you.
Keep away from your enemies;
be on your guard with your friends.
A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter;
he who finds one finds a treasure.
A faithful friend is beyond price,
no sum can balance his worth.
A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy,
such as he who fears God finds;
For he who fears God behaves accordingly,
and his friend will be like himself.