Human Relations and Wisdom

It took four biblical scholars more than twelve years of collaborative research to bring this English-language commentary on the Greek text of Ecclesiasticus (Sirach 18:15-29:28) to completion. With only a few exceptions, such as Sirach 24:18, the additions belonging to the later form of the book have not been included. The volume focuses on eight literary units for which no continuous Hebrew text has been preserved. Each unit was initially studied and published in Italian by one of the authors in the Rivista Biblica , but all sections were subsequently revised through close collaboration among the four scholars. For the present English edition, a general introduction and conclusion have also been added. Throughout the volume, the authors engage critically with previous scholarship on these passages of Sirach. Combining classical textual criticism with detailed literary analysis, they examine the structure of each text, propose and explain its strophic organization, and explore its theological significance both within the individual unit and within the book as a whole. The resulting commentary offers fresh insight into the literary techniques, interpretative choices, and theological profile of the Greek translator of Ben Sira.