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The author of Sirach signs the book as Jesus son of Sirach. Augustine, who calls it Ecclesiasticus, says people credit it to Solomon though the better informed know it is not his, and still treats it as scripture because the Western church accepted it.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Sirach 50:27
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
27 Instruction in understanding and knowledge I have written in this book, Jesus son of Eleazar son of Sirach of Jerusalem, whose mind poured forth wisdom. 28 Happy are those who concern themselves with these things, and those who lay them to heart will become wise. 29 For if they put them into practice, they will be equal to anything, for the fear of the Lord is their path.
Augustine, City of God 17.20
On the City of God Against the Pagans
Early Christian
He also is found to have prophesied in his books, of which three are received as of canonical authority, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. But it has been customary to ascribe to Solomon other two, of which one is called Wisdom, the other Ecclesiasticus, on account of some resemblance of style — but the more learned have no doubt that they are not his; yet of old the Church, especially the Western, received them into authority — in the one of which, called the Wisdom of Solomon, the passion of Christ is most openly prophesied. For indeed His impious murderers are quoted as saying, “Let us lie in wait for the righteous, for he is unpleasant to us, and contrary to our works; and he upbraids us with our transgressions of the law, and objects to our disgrace the transgressions of our education.
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Notes and References
“... The recognition that Solomon did not compose Wisdom would not be unique in patristic literature. When Augustine presented his list of canonical books, he included the three universally accepted books of Solomon, and followed this by pointing out that Sirach and Wisdom are attributed to Solomon for stylistic reasons, but were both probably written by Jesus son of Sirach (Doctr. chr. 2.13; cf. Civ. 17.20; Praed. 26–29). Later, Augustine admitted that attributing Wisdom to Jesus son of Sirach had been a mistake, but offered no alternative suggestion for the author (Retract. 2.30.2). [...] Thus, while some Christians apparently did not question the Solomonic authorship of the Book of Wisdom, non autem, as Augustine remarks, esse ipsius non dubitant doctiores (“the more learned do not doubt that it is not his”; Civ. 17.20). ...”
Gallagher, Edmon L.
Hebrew Scripture in Patristic Biblical Theory: Canon, Language, Text
(pp. 42-44) Brill, 2012
* 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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