Texts in Conversation
Jesus's parable of the sheep and goats in Matthew reflects a wisdom tradition found in Sirach, where generosity to the poor and hospitality to those sick or in prison demonstrate faithfulness to God.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Sirach 7:32
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
30 With all your strength love him who made you. Don’t forsake his ministers. 31 Fear the Lord and honor the priest. Give him his portion, even as it is commanded you: the first fruits, the trespass offering, the gift of the shoulders, the sacrifice of sanctification, and the first fruits of holy things. 32 Also stretch out your hand to the poor man, that your blessing may be complete. 33 A gift has grace in the sight of every living man. Don’t withhold grace for a dead man. 34 Don’t avoid those who weep, and mourn with those who mourn. 35 Don’t be slow to visit a sick man, for by such things you will gain love. 36 In all your words, remember eternity, and you will never sin.
Date: 195–180 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Matthew 25:35
New Testament
32 All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you?
Date: 70–90 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
Search:
Notes and References
"... There is no question that Matthew offers the broadest use of materials from Sirach among New Testament authors. Depending on how one defines elements such as “quotation,” “allusion,” and “echo,” Matthew incorporates Sirach at least nine times in a primary sense and perhaps twenty-five times in a secondary sense. To say “primary sense” implies that the author has a passage directly in mind during the course of writing; to say “secondary sense” implies that the passage is subordinate to another preferred text or perhaps is simply in the back of the author’s consciousness as a component within a broader system of ideas and themes ..."
Clayton N. Jefford, “The Wisdom of Sirach and the Glue of the Matthew–Didache Tradition,” in Intertextuality in the Second Century, ed. D. Jeffrey Bingham and Clayton N. Jefford, BAC 11 (Leiden: Brill, 2016), 8–23.
* 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.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.
User Comments
,