Texts in Conversation
Ecclesiastes 12:7 speaks of death as the body returning to dust and the breath returning to God, using imagery rooted in Genesis. Sirach 38:23 echoes this but expresses “breath” with the language of “spirit,” perhaps revealing later cultural influences.
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Ecclesiastes 12:7
Hebrew Bible
5 and they are afraid of heights and the dangers in the street; the almond blossoms grow white, and the grasshopper drags itself along, and the caper berry shrivels up—because man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about in the streets— 6 before the silver cord is removed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the well, or the water wheel is broken at the cistern— 7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the life’s breath returns to God who gave it. 8 “Absolutely futile!” laments the Teacher, “All these things are futile!” 9 Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also taught knowledge to the people; he carefully evaluated and arranged many proverbs.
Date: 3rd Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Sirach 38:23
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
21 Do not forget, there is no coming back; you do the dead no good, and you injure yourself. 22 Remember his fate, for yours is like it; yesterday it was his, and today it is yours. 23 When the dead is at rest, let his remembrance rest too, and be comforted for him when his spirit has departed. 24 The wisdom of the scribe depends on the opportunity of leisure; only the one who has little business can become wise. 25 How can one become wise who handles the plow, and who glories in the shaft of a goad, who drives oxen and is occupied with their work, and whose talk is about bulls?
Date: 195-175 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Jesus' last cry does not justify thinking of judgment, victory, and the coming of a new eon. 'Again' and 'great voice' refer back to verse 46, 'cried' is again a reminder of Psalm 22. Thus Matthew has understood Jesus' last cry clearly as a second - perhaps, but not necessarily, wordless - cry of prayer. While 'to give up the spirit' does not appear often, it is not an uncommon expression for 'to die.' (Compare Genesis 35:18; 1 Esdras 4:21; Sirach 38:23; Ecclesiastes 12:7; Wisdom of Solomon 16:14) Thus Matthew says merely that Jesus cries to God one last time and then dies ..."
* 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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