An Atheist Explores the Apocrypha Part 27: A Catalogue of Kings And Prophets. Plus Simon is THE BEST. (Ecclesiasticus 46-51)
Ecclesiasticus
46-51
A Catalogue of Kings And Prophets. Plus Simon is THE BEST.
Welcome to the next instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts
(Apocrypha version).
In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the Old
Testament Apocrypha, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as
literature and mythology.
Ecclesiasticus
46
“Jesus the son a Nave was valiant in the wars, and was the
successor of Moses in prophecies, who according to his name was made great for
the saving of the elect of God, and taking vengeance of the enemies that rose
up against them, that he might set Israel in their inheritance”
Ben Sirach continues to discuss important figures and
prophets in Israelite history, continuing here with Joshua (here given in the
Greek form of Jesus just to confuse people). Joshua’s deed in war are
mentioned, including such gems as “And
with hailstones of mighty power he made the battle to fall violently upon the
nations, and in the descent of Beth-horon he destroyed them that resisted, that the
nations might know all their strength” but oddly excluding the conquest of
Jericho. Also of note is that Joshua and Caleb are also given as wise rulers
that keep their people from straying in their faith and that this
accomplishment is given as much importance as the general-ship.
Next up is Samuel, who anointed kings, prophesied
their downfall after his death and also called upon God to defeat his enemies
and thus “destroyed the rulers of the
Tyrians, and all the princes of the Philistines”. Apart from Samuels
posthumous prophesying, this chapter once again iterates that the only form of
“immortality” is through remembrance by the living – “Let their bones flourish out of their place, and let the name of them
that were honoured be continued upon their children”.
Ecclesiasticus
47
“As
is the fat taken away from the peace offering, so was David chosen out of the
children of Israel.”
Here we enjoy a rollicking ride through the kingships
of David and Solomon. David is accounted as having “played with lions as with kids, and with bears as with lambs” as a
child, then we get the slaying of Goliath and David’s reign wherein he defeats
the Philistines and makes the Temple a glorious place, where he “set singers also before the altar, that by
their voices they might make sweet melody, and daily sing praises in their
songs” and also sets the feast days in order – “He beautified their feasts, and set in order the solemn times until the
end, that they might praise his holy name, and that the temple might sound from
morning”.
Oddly enough in the end God forgives David his sins
(*cough* Uriah *cough*) and exalts him.
Throughout, we get reference to a “horn” meaning “glory” or similar. When
David slays Goliath he avenges many slights on the Israelites and sets up “the horn of his people”; further his
continued victories against the Philistines “brake their horn in sunder unto this day”. Finally we are told of
David that “The Lord took away his sins,
and exalted his horn for ever”. So all those weird referenced to “horns” in
Revelation perhaps refer to this kind of thing. (And let’s move swiftly on from
any innuendo about having an exalted horn).
Next, Solomon. “Solomon
reigned in a peaceable time, and was honoured; for God made all quiet round
about him, that he might build an house in his name, and prepare his sanctuary
for ever”. The text address Solomon directly, saying how great he was but
in the end “Thou didst bow thy loins unto
women, and by thy body thou wast brought into subjection”.
What’s interesting here is that the following verses
describe how Rehoboam (here call Reboam) who was “the foolishness of the people, and one that had no understanding”, and
Jeroboam who “who caused Israel to sin, and shewed Ephraim the way of sin”.
To me, the underlying message is less that Solomon married foreign wives, as
discussed in, particularly I think Chronicles, as being the source of strife,
but more that he was foolish enough to set up an unclear line of succession,
hence the splitting of the Kingdom into Israel and Judah. It’s also hinted here
that Ephraim’s rebellion was fuelled by disgust at Solomon bowing his loins,
but what it doesn’t elaborate is if this is because Ephraim doesn’t approve of
having lots of wives and concubines or, again, if it’s the “foreign-ness” of
the wives.
Ecclesiasticus
48
“Elias it was, who was covered with a whirlwind: and Eliseus
was filled with his spirit: whilst he lived, he was not moved with the presence
of any prince, neither could any bring him into subjection.”
The tour of famous people from the Old Testament (or,
rather, the Hebrew Bible in this context) continues, mainly featuring “Elias” who would seem to be Elijah based
on the things that he does – notably bringing the dead back to life and being
taken up to heaven “in a whirlwind of
fire, and in a chariot of fiery horses”.
There’s more, mostly concerning fire and prophecy, but
there’s not much to comment on. I did notice that Elijah is said to have “heardest the rebuke of the Lord in Sinai,
and in Horeb the judgment of vengeance”. This piqued my interested because
Horeb is what Sinai is called in Deuteronomy. Is this an attempt to reconcile
two different accounts, or are they two places, or do the two names translate
as pretty much the same? I wonder.
Despite Elijah, the people end up sinning and getting
scattered (by, as I recall, the Assyrians first) – “For all this the people repented not, neither departed they from their
sins, till they were spoiled and carried out of their land, and were scattered
through all the earth: yet there remained a small people, and a ruler in the
house of David”.
Of this remainder, the Southern Kingdom of Judah, “some did that which was pleasing to God, and
some multiplied sins”. One of those that did right is “Ezekias”, who I think is Hezekiah; a king that fortifies the city,
dug wells and drove back the Assyrians army of Sennacherib. Ezekias heeds the
words of “Esay” the prophet (Esau?)
and is shown “what should come to pass for ever, and secret things or ever they
came”.
Ecclesiasticus
49
“The
remembrance of Josias is like the composition of the perfume that is made by
the art of the apothecary: it is sweet as honey in all mouths, and as musick at
a banquet of wine.”
The tour of the old prophets and historical figures of
renown continues apace and picks up speed. Scarely have we heard about
Josias/Josiah and how he was one of only three worthy kings (“All, except David and Ezekias and Josias,
were defective”), then the nation of Israel is destroyed according to the
prophecies of “Jeremias” (what is it
with the h/s endings anyway?)
Next, Ezekiel and his vision “which was shewed him upon the chariot of the cherubims” before
there is mention of “the twelve prophets”.
I counted in this chapter, and there are more than twelve people mentioned, but
fewer than twelve if you exclude the three good kings. So, your guess is as
good as mine.
Also mentioned with about a verse apiece are
Zorobabel, Jesus son of Josedec (who as I recall went along with Zerubabel),
Neemias (i.e. Nehemiah) “who raised up
for us the walls that were fallen, and set up the gates and the bars, and
raised up our ruins again”, Joseph (the technicolour dreamcoat one), Adam,
Sem and Seth and also Enoch who “was
taken from the earth”. And that’s
about it really. This chapter is pretty functional and not much else.
Ecclesiasticus
50
“Jesus
the son of Ben Sirach of Jerusalem hath written in this book the instruction of
understanding and knowledge, who out of his heart poured forth wisdom.”
For the most part, this chapter sings the praises of
one “Simon the high priest, the son of
Onias, who in his life repaired the house again, and in his days fortified the
temple”. Never heard of him (at least, I don’t remember him from any of the
restoration-period writing in the Old Testament). But Jesus Ben Sirach thinks
he was ace.
“He was as the
morning star in the midst of a cloud, and as the moon at the full: As the sun
shining upon the temple of the most High, and as the rainbow giving light in
the bright clouds: And as the flower of roses in the spring of the year, as
lilies by the rivers of waters, and as the branches of the frankincense tree in
the time of summer: As fire and incense in the censer, and as a vessel of
beaten gold set with all manner of precious stones: And as a fair olive tree
budding forth fruit, and as a cypress tree which groweth up to the clouds.”
Steady on there, Jesus Ben Sirach! Most of the rest of
the chapter goes on at length about how wonderful the services were under
Simon, and how the magnificence of it all glorified God in a fashion that is
deemed exemplary to the reader – “Now
therefore bless ye the God of all, which only doeth wondrous things every
where, which exalteth our days from the womb, and dealeth with us according to
his mercy.”
It’s all a bit grandiose but fine stirring stuff
nonetheless. And then for some reason, tacked on at the end, we get “There be two manner of nations which my
heart abhorreth, and the third is no nation: They that sit upon the mountain of
Samaria, and they that dwell among the Philistines, and that foolish people
that dwell in Sichem”. It really doesn’t sit well with the flow of the
chapter, which follows Simon the High Priest, his glory, the glory of the
temple, the magnificence of the worship, the piety of the worshippers, how this
demonstrates to the reader how they should worship God and then, if we skip
these verses, jumps to the end where Jesus Ben Sirach adds his final lines
about having written all this down for the edification of the reader.
Nowhere in all of that is there any point in having
“Oh, and by the way, those darn Philistines eh?” But also since this chapter
ends with an evidently very final verse, what is Chapter 51 going to be about?
Read on….
Ecclesiasticus
51
“A Prayer of Jesus the son of Ben
Sirach. I will thank thee, O Lord and
King, and praise thee, O God my Saviour: I do give praise unto thy name”
And that’s the answer, it’s a prayer, although it
doesn’t feel like a very complete one. From it we can glean that Jesus Ben
Sirach at one point fell victim to rumours put about by political enemies and
faced some kind of death sentence from a king – “By an accusation to the king from an unrighteous tongue my soul drew
near even unto death, my life was near to the hell beneath”. Which king,
and for what, is not clear in this chapter. Somehow he felt that he was saved
by his prayers to God (again, we are tantalised by hints but no specifics). Be
that as it may, one presumes that the charges were dropped for some reason or
another, or at the very least the death sentence was commuted – “For thou savedst me from destruction, and
deliveredst me from the evil time: therefore will I give thanks, and praise
thee, and bless they name, O Lord”.
The rest is largely about how Jesus Ben Sirach sought
Wisdom when he was younger and now offers to teach others how to find “her”,
while at the same time giving thanks to He that made Her. And although there’s some nice poetry in
there (drawing on the female personification of Wisdom as female and using
plenty of relationship metaphors) there’s not much else to say about it.
And so that was Ecclesiasticus, the longest of all the
Apocrypha books. For a Wisdom book, it wasn’t bad. Ben Sirach has a lively turn
of phrase, never getting too bogged down in his metaphors or becoming too
obscure. It was a mixed bag in terms of the advice offered but overall I rather
enjoyed it.
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