Texts in Conversation
Sirach and Matthew follow the “two ways” tradition from Deuteronomy, where obedience brings life and disobedience brings ruin. Both use the image of a path, and Jesus’ picture of a deceptively wide gate echoes Sirach’s deceptively smooth road.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Sirach 21:10
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
8 He who builds his house with other men’s money is like one who gathers stones for his own tomb. 9 The congregation of wicked men is as a bundle of tow with a flame of fire at the end of them. 10 The way of sinners is paved with stones; and at the end of it is the pit of Hades. 11 He who keeps the law becomes master of its intent. The fulfilment of the fear of the Lord is wisdom. 12 He who is not clever will not be instructed. There is a cleverness which makes bitterness abound.
Date: 195–180 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Matthew 7:13
New Testament
11 If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you, for this fulfills the law and the prophets. 13 “Enter through the narrow gate because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it! 15 “Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.
Date: 70–90 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... There can be no doubt that the JOURNEY metaphor in the religious context of the Bible draws a clear, dichotomous distinction between two ways of life, the good, moral life on the one hand versus the bad, immoral life on the other hand. This dichotomy runs through all the detailed aspects of the metaphorical model. Thus, following the introduction of the two general kinds of journey, we will look at the two sorts of paths and the two kinds of travelers involved. Finally, we will come to God's role in the metaphorical scenario, which also comprises two basically different attitudes and ways of acting. After this analysis of metaphors from the Old Testament, we will take a short look at some interesting reflections of these in examples from the New Testament ... The most important structural metaphor in the model investigated is a specification of the simple LIFE IS A JOURNEY metaphor. The result is a clear moral imperative: LEADING A MORAL LIFE IS MAKING A JOURNEY ON GOD'S WAY ... (The source of each example presented in this paper is provided by giving the biblical book plus the standard verse number ... Deuteronomy 5:33; Deuteronomy 11:28; Proverbs 16:25; Psalm 119:32; Jeremiah 18:15; Proverbs 5:21; Matthew 7:13; Sirach 21:10) ..."
Olaf Jäkel, Hypotheses Revisited: The Cognitive Theory of Metaphor Applied to Religious Texts (metaphorik.de, 2002), 20–42.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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