Texts in Conversation
Both Sirach and the Wisdom of Solomon draw on the Enochic traditions about the Watchers and their offspring, the giants. Sirach refers to their destruction as a part of history, while Wisdom develops the theme further by describing how hope for a new generation was preserved when the giants perished.
Share:
Wisdom of Solomon 14:6
Deuterocanon
4 showing that you can save from every danger, so that even a person who lacks skill may put to sea. 5 It is your will that works of your wisdom should not be without effect; therefore people trust their lives even to the smallest piece of wood, and passing through the billows on a raft they come safely to land. 6 For even in the beginning, when arrogant giants were perishing, the hope of the world took refuge on a raft, and guided by your hand left to the world the seed of a new generation. 7 For blessed is the wood by which righteousness comes. 8 But the idol made with hands is accursed, and so is the one who made it— he for having made it, and the perishable thing because it was named a god.
Date: 100-50 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Sirach 16:7
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
5 Many such things my eye has seen, and my ear has heard things more striking than these. 6 In an assembly of sinners a fire is kindled, and in a disobedient nation wrath blazes up. 7 He did not forgive the ancient giants who revolted in their might. 8 He did not spare the neighbors of Lot, whom he loathed on account of their arrogance. 9 He showed no pity on the doomed nation, on those dispossessed because of their sins;
Date: 195-175 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Search:
Notes and References
"... The corrupting consequences of Adam’s transgression in Wisdom of Solomon 2:23–24 are not irreparable for the cosmos, for Adam, or for his progeny ... Adam is set in contrast to the prototypical transgressor in Wisdom, Cain (Wisdom of Solomon 10:3–4) ... Adamic tradition occurs in the context of condemning idolatry (Wisdom of Solomon 15:8–17). Like Cain, the idolater forfeits his soul through his folly ... like Sirach 16:7, Pseudo-Solomon makes passing reference to the Enochic tradition (Wisdom of Solomon 14:6). In Wisdom of Solomon 2:23–24 Adam’s transgression is, for the first time, attributed profound significance. However, in the larger context of Wisdom, Adam’s transgression does not deny or overshadow other traditions related to the origin of evil. Like Ben Sira, the author of Wisdom testifies to a diverse collection of traditions related to evil, a mixed template ..."
Stewart, Tyler Allen
"The Present Evil Age": The Origin and Persistence of Evil in Galatians
(pp. 106-107) Marquette University, 2019
* 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.