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Sirach criticizes Rehoboam as foolish and blames his policies for the revolt that split the kingdom and led to Jeroboam’s sins. The Christian theologian Ambrose of Milan uses this when telling Israel’s story, showing how it entered Christian tradition.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Sirach 47:23
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
21 because the sovereignty was divided, and a disobedient kingdom ruled out of Ephraim. 22 But the Lord will never forsake his mercy. He won’t destroy any of his works, nor blot out the posterity of his elect. He won’t take away the offspring of him who loved him. He gave a remnant to Jacob, and to David a root from his own family. 23 So Solomon rested with his fathers. Of his offspring, he left behind him Rehoboam, the foolishness of the people, and one who lacked understanding, who made the people revolt by his counsel. Also Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, and gave a way of sin to Ephraim. 24 Their sins were multiplied exceedingly, until they were removed from their land. 25 For they sought out all manner of wickedness, until vengeance came upon them.
Date: 195–180 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Ambrose, On Repentance 2.5
Early Christian
Let us, then, cover our falls by our subsequent acts; let us purify ourselves by tears, that the Lord our God may hear us when we lament, as He heard Ephraim when weeping, as it is written: I have surely heard Ephraim weeping. And He expressly repeats the very words of Ephraim: You have chastised me and I was chastised, like a calf I was not trained. For a calf disports itself, and leaves its stall, and so Ephraim was untrained like a calf far away from the stall; because he had forsaken the stall of the Lord, followed Jeroboam, and worshipped the calves, which future event was prophetically indicated through Aaron, Exodus xxxi namely, that the people of the Jews would fall after this manner. And so repenting, Ephraim says: Turn me, and I shall be turned, for You are the Lord my God. Surely in the end of my captivity I repented, and after I learned I mourned over the days of confusion, and subjected myself to You because I received reproach and made You known.
Date: 390–395 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The Book of Ecclesiasticus [Sirach] has been honored still more highly among the Christians, being cited in the Epistle of James (Edersheim, in Wace, 'Apocrypha,' p. 21), the Didache (4:5), and the Epistle of Barnabas (19:9), while Clement of Alexandria and Origen quote from it repeatedly, as from a γραφή, or holy book. In the Western Church, Cyprian frequently appeals to it in his 'Testimonia,' as does Ambrose in the greater number of his writings. In like manner the Catalogue of Cheltenham, Damasus I., the Councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397), Pope Innocent I., the second Council of Carthage (419), and Augustine all regard it as a canonical book. This is contrary, however, to the opinions of the Council of Laodicea, of Jerome, and of Rufinus of Aquileia, which authorities rank it among the ecclesiastical books. It was finally declared canonical by the Council of Trent; and the favor with which the Church has always regarded it has preserved it in its entirety. ..."
Crawford Howell Toy, The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach (Jewish Encyclopedia, 2021), 1–10.
* 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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