Texts in Conversation
Sirach describes Wisdom taking a journey through the entire cosmos, a theme that 1 Enoch repeats and applies to the figure of Enoch, who is similarly described taking a tour of the entire three-tiered cosmos including heaven, earth, and the underworld.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Sirach 24:3
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
2 In the assembly of the Most High she opens her mouth, and in the presence of his hosts she tells of her glory: 3 "I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and covered the earth like a mist. 4 I dwelt in the highest heavens, and my throne was in a pillar of cloud. 5 Alone I compassed the vault of heaven and traversed the depths of the abyss. 6 Over waves of the sea, over all the earth, and over every people and nation I have held sway. 7 Among all these I sought a resting place; in whose territory should I abide?
1 Enoch 14:8
Pseudepigrapha
8 And the vision was shown to me: Behold, in the vision clouds called me and a mist summoned me, and the course of the stars and the lightnings sped and hastened me, and the winds in the vision caused me to fly and lifted me upward, and took me into heaven. 9 And I went in until I drew near to a wall built of crystals and surrounded by tongues of fire: and it began to frighten me. And I entered the tongues of fire and drew near to a large house built of crystals: and the walls of the house were like a mosaic floor of crystals, and its foundation was of crystal. 10 Its ceiling was like the path of the stars and the lightnings, and between them were fiery cherubim, and their heaven was clear as water.
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Notes and References
"... The Heavenly Origin of Wisdom ... both traditions start with the conceptual premise that wisdom comes forth from God’s mouth; it is the words of God (1 Enoch 14:24; Sirach 24:3). It follows that someone has to be present in heaven to hear God’s words. In 1 Enoch, a pseudepigraphic figure, Enoch, ascends to heaven for this purpose; in Sirach, the words of God are personified in the mythic figure of Lady Wisdom. While in heaven, Enoch also travels to various sites that are interpreted for him by the holy ones (1 Enoch 17–19; 20–32; 81:1–4). The words of angels, too, constitute wisdom; a point made when Enoch sees holy ones eating from the Tree of Wisdom (1 Enoch 32). Lady Wisdom also tours the extremities of the cosmos (Sirach 24:4–6), though she obviously has no need of interpreting angels. Rather, the angels listen to her (Sirach 24:2) and she does not interpret what she sees. For Ben Sira, revelation about heavenly places does not fall within the scope of wisdom. Presumably, such revelation is among the “secret things” that belong to the Lord (Sirach 3:22). ..."
Argall, Randal A.
1 Enoch and Sirach: A Comparative Literary and Conceptual Analysis of the Themes of Revelation, Creation and Judgment
(p. 92) Scholar's Press, 1995
* 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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