Benjamin G. Wright III
Two elements stand out. First, the sage studies "the wisdom of all the an
cients, and he will be occupied with prophecies" (v. l). He delves into ob
scure sayings and tries to uncover the meaning of riddles. But second, the
sage prays to God and confesses his sins. Then,
6lf the great Lord wants,
he will be filled with a spirit of understanding.
He will pour forth words of his wisdom,
and in prayer he will acknowledge the Lord.7He will direct counsel and knowledge,
and on his hidden things he will think.sHe will illuminate the instruction of his teaching,
and in the law of the Lord's covenant he will boast.^17Remarkably, this passage begins with God giving inspiration to the sage. He
then pours forth wisdom and teaching. The short paragraph ends with the
claim "in the law of the Lord's covenant he will boast." This reference to the
Torah reinforces the relationship between Torah, where primordial Wisdom
resides, and Ben Sira's inspired interpretations. We know that Ben Sira was
not enamored of claims to heavenly journeys and visions (see for instance
3:21-24) or of knowledge claimed to come from dreams (34:1-8).^18 If primor
dial Wisdom is to be found in the Torah of Moses and the sayings of the sages
who interpret it, then the connection between concentrated study and divine
inspiration and prophecy makes sense. It is no surprise that Ben Sira might
warn his disciples against pursuing speculative or revelatory experiences:
"The things that have been prescribed for you, think about these" (3:22a).
III. "Write for Yourself All These Words" (Jubilees 1:7)
One cannot read Jubilees without being impressed by the importance of writ
ing in the book. More notable is the series of people who write. Beginning
- Translation is from the Greek. No Hebrew is extant.
- On this issue, see my article "Putting the Puzzle Together: Some Suggestions con
cerning the Social Location of the Wisdom of Ben Sira," in Conflicted Boundaries in Wisdom
and Apocalypticism, ed. B. G. Wright and L. M. Wills, SBLSymS 35 (Atlanta: Society of Bibli
cal Literature, 2005), 89-112.