Table Of ContentBradley C. Gregory
Like an Everlasting Signet Ring
Deuterocanonical and
Cognate Literature
Studies
Edited by
Friedrich V. Reiterer, Beate Ego, Tobias Nicklas
Volume 2
De Gruyter
Bradley C. Gregory
Like an Everlasting
Signet Ring
Generosity in the Book of Sirach
De Gruyter
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gregory, Bradley C.
Like an everlasting signet ring : generosity in the book
of Sirach / Bradley C. Gregory.
p. cm. -- (Deuterocanonical and cognate literature
studies, ISSN 1865-1666 ; v. 2)
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 978-3-11-022366-8 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Bible. O.T. Apocrypha. Ecclesiasticus--Criticism,
interpretation, etc. 2. Generosity--Biblical teaching.
3. Charity--Biblical teaching. I. Title.
BS1765.6.S75G74 2010
229'.406--dc22 2009053217
ISBN 978-3-11-022366-8
e-ISBN 978-3-11-022367-5
ISSN 1865-1666
Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available in the Internet
at http://dnb.d-nb.de.
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For Mendy,
Ben and Addie
Preface
This volume is a slightly revised version of my Ph.D. dissertation,
submitted to the Department of Theology at the University of Notre
Dame in the spring of 2009. The title of the work, which is derived from
a conflation of Sir 17:22 and 40:17, reflects the dual focus of my study.
While primarily interested in Ben Sira’s thinking on the topic of
generosity and its contextualization in Seleucid Judea, I also go beyond
this to explore the way that generosity is represented in the book as it
exists in its multiple textual forms.
Gary A. Anderson served as my advisor through all stages of my
doctoral work and during his direction of this dissertation he was a
constant source of patience, insight, and encouragement. At crucial
points in the process he frequently had more confidence in the project
than I did and he always seemed to have the wisdom to balance helpful
suggestions for how to move forward with allowing and encouraging
me to find my own voice in sorting through the material. Over the past
four years he has truly been an ideal mentor.
I am also very thankful for the kind and generous participation in
this work by the members of my committee: David Aune, Eugene
Ulrich, and James VanderKam. I cannot imagine a group of scholars
that better combines rigorous scholarship and high standards with
graciousness; and I have no doubt that the work has benefited
substantially from their careful readings. I would also like to extend my
appreciation to Jeremy Corley of Ushaw College, who provided me
with a copy of Baldauf’s unpublished, and difficult to acquire, Salzburg
dissertation. Josephine Dru kindly gave of her time to read the
manuscript and offer suggestions. Any shortcomings in the work
remain my own.
I would also like to thank the Graduate School and the Department
of Theology for the financial support given to me during the time this
work was completed. The faculty and students in this department have
provided an extremely fruitful and enjoyable environment in which to
study and they have shaped me in substantial ways. Thanks also are
due to our chair, John Cavadini, for the opportunity to teach, research,
and bring this work into monograph form during a year-long appoint-
ment as a Visiting Assistant Professor. In addition, the staff at Hes-
VIII Preface
burgh Library, especially the ILL staff, were extremely helpful in locat-
ing materials essential to this study.
I would also like to thank Dr. Friedrich V. Reiterer and Walter de
Gruyter for accepting this manuscript into the Deuterocanonical and
Cognate Literature Studies series and Albrecht Döhnert and Manfred
Link for their generous editorial assistance.
There are a few friends who made my graduate school journey par-
ticularly enriching by their friendship: Dan O’Hare and Molly Zahn,
who were my classmates in Hebrew Bible here at Notre Dame, Samuel
Boyd, Justin Dombrowski, Rick Gilmartin, and especially my brother
Bryan Gregory. Thanks also to my parents and in-laws for their con-
stant support over the past eight years.
Finally, I am profoundly grateful to my wife, Mendy, and our two
kids, Ben and Addie, for their untiring support and encouragement
during these months of work. Since our departure from our home in
Georgia in 2001, Mendy sacrificed more than I did to get to this point
and all of them ensured that my most exciting moments of researching
and writing this work are not my best memories of 2008.
Notre Dame, Indiana
Table of Contents
Preface...........................................................................................................VII
Abbreviations........................................................................................XIII
Chapter 1: Introduction………………….....................................................1
1.1 Status Quaestionis………………………………………………….2
1.2 Prolegomena to the Study of Sirach.............................................5
1.2.1 Date, Provenance, and Setting......................................................7
1.2.2 The Textual History and Text Criticism of Sirach....................13
1.2.3 Structure and Compositional History........................................19
Chapter 2: Wealth, Poverty, and the Problem of Justice....................25
2.1 Theological Dimensions of Wealth and Poverty......................26
2.1.1 The Relativization of Wealth.......................................................26
2.1.1.1 The Relativization of Wealth through Comparison................27
2.1.1.2 The Relativization of Wealth through Metaphor.....................32
2.1.2 Retributive Justice and the Dual Origins of Wealth
and Poverty....................................................................................38
2.1.2.1 Retributive Justice in Old Testament Scholarship...................38
2.1.2.2 Retributive Justice in Sirach........................................................40
2.1.2.3 Retributive Justice and Economics in Sirach.............................44
2.1.2.4 Ambiguities of Wealth.................................................................48
2.1.3 Conclusions....................................................................................55
2.2 The Interface of Theology and Society.......................................56
2.2.1 Social Realities in Ben Sira’s Judea.............................................61
2.2.1.1 The Rich and the Retainer Class.................................................62
2.2.1.2 The Rich and the Poor..................................................................66
2.2.2 The Conflict between Social Reality
and Retributive Justice................................................................72
2.2.3 Strategies for Resolution..............................................................74
2.2.3.1 Limited Deferral............................................................................75
X Table of Contents
2.2.3.2 Hints of Resolution Beyond Death.............................................83
2.2.3.3 Wisdom and Honor......................................................................85
2.3 Summary and Conclusions..........................................................88
Chapter 3: Death, Generosity, and the Good Life...............................91
3.1 Introduction to Sirach 14:3-19.....................................................91
3.2 The Improper Use of Wealth: Miserliness
(Sirach 14:3-10)...............................................................................93
3.3 The Proper Use of Wealth: Enjoyment of Life
and Generosity (Sirach 14:11-19)..............................................104
3.4 The Main Themes of Sirach 14:3-19 in Broader Context.......120
3.5 Conclusions and Implications...................................................127
Chapter 4: Generosity through Loans and Surety............................128
4.1 Introduction.................................................................................128
4.2 Loans and Surety in Sirach 8:12-13...........................................129
4.3 Loans and Surety in Sirach 29...................................................133
4.3.1 Loans in Sirach 29:1-7.................................................................135
4.3.2 Surety in Sirach 29:14-20............................................................151
4.4 Ben Sira’s Understanding of Loans and Surety
in Broader Context......................................................................163
4.5 Conclusions and Implications...................................................169
Chapter 5: Generosity through Almsgiving......................................171
5.1 Introduction.................................................................................171
5.2 Theological and Lexical Trends Important
for Almsgiving.............................................................................172
5.3 Sirach 29:8-13: Almsgiving as a Type of Loan........................181
5.4 Sirach 29:8-13 in Broader Context.............................................200
5.4.1 Alms and a Heavenly Treasury in Jewish
and Christian Literature.............................................................204
5.4.2 Almsgiving in the Textual Transmission of Sirach 29...........213
5.5 Conclusions..................................................................................219
Chapter 6: Almsgiving and Sacrifice in Sirach..................................222
6.1 Introduction.................................................................................222
6.2 Ben Sira’s Relationship to the Priesthood and the Cult........225
