The Lost Book of Sirach! One might ask, why read this book? Well, maybe because you are curious about who Sirach was, what his book is about or why it is considered lost. Maybe you just need a distraction on a plane or during a long car ride. Or, maybe you believe this book to be a mystical book from the past or a book about a treasure of sorts and this interests you; then you may be very close to the truth. Let me satisfy a bit more of your curiosity- This book holds the mystical and wise writings from a very learned family that lived over 2,100 years ago. A person ironically named Jesus (who was the son of a man called Eleazar who was the son of a man named Sirach) translated the Book of Sirach in about 132 BC. His grandfather Sirach wrote the original version around 175 to 200 BC! The Book of Sirach is rich in knowledge, experience, and true wisdom, and speaks very succinctly about life as it existed at that time in surprising detail. It focuses on relationships between God and man, man and woman, and parent and child. Also, it speaks to friendships, foes, relatives, and strangers. It covers nearly every possible relationship and issue, like poverty and wealth and moral codes, very much like the issues we struggle with today. The book written here, entwined with the resurrection of the original Book of Sirach, also contains a rather daring translation or interpretation of sorts. The author has attempted to convert the language, situations, and metaphors documented over 2,100 years ago into similar social interactions and experiences of today in order to help apply the original book's gifts and wisdom into our daily lives. In addition to the author's efforts of reflection/interpretation, he has also included within this book the original text. This allows the reader a side-by-side comparison of the original and the reflection so nothing is lost from the journey started roughly 2,200 years ago to today. The Lost Book of Sirach is a gift, a gift to you and generations to come. A gift that, if read and applied, can change the face of this nation and this world by solving many of our ills. Please join the author in reading and sharing this book so it will never again hold the title of "lost"!

Presented here are two volumes of apocryphal writings reflecting the life and time of the Old and New Testaments. Stories told by contemporary fiction writers of historical Bible times in fascinating and beautiful style.

Books of the Bible, Ecclesiastes is in the New American Standard, and Ecclesiasticus is in the King James Version. Large Print.

The book of Sirach praises the study of the law, the wisdom of the men of old and their prophecies. Its author is well-read and rearticulates traditional Jewish wisdom for his generation, centering it on fear of the Lord, and clearly asserting that wisdom is a gift from God. He encourages his audience to remain steadfast in following the law of Moses rather than following the ways of the dominant pagan Greek culture.

The Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of Jewish sacred writings) is of great importance in the history of both Judaism and Christianity. The first translation of the books of the Hebrew Bible (plus additions) into the common language of the ancient Mediterranean world made the Jewish scriptures accessible to many outside Judaism. Not only did the Septuagint become Holy Writ to Greek speaking Jews but it was also the Bible of the early Christian communities: the scripture they cited and the textual foundation of the early Christian movement. Translated from Hebrew (and Aramaic) originals in the two centuries before Jesus, the Septuagint provides important information about the history of the text of the Bible. For centuries, scholars have looked to the Septuagint for information about the nature of the text and of how passages and specific words were understood. For students of the Bible, the New Testament in particular, the study of the Septuagint's influence is a vital part of the history of interpretation. But until now, the Septuagint has not been available to English readers in a modern and accurate translation. The New English Translation of the Septuagint fills this gap.

This volume in the popular Ignatius Catholic Study Bible series leads readers through a penetrating study of the books of Wisdom and Sirach using the text itself and the Church's own guidelines for understanding the Bible. Ample notes accompany each page, providing fresh insights by renowned Scripture scholars Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch as well as time-tested interpretations from the Fathers of the Church. These helpful study notes provide rich historical, cultural, geographical, and theological information pertinent to the Old Testament books—information that bridges the distance between the biblical world and our own. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible also includes Topical Essays, Word Studies, and Charts. The Topical Essays explore the major themes of the books of Wisdom and Sirach, often relating them to the teachings of the Church. The Word Studies explain the background of important biblical terms, while the Charts summarize crucial biblical information "at a glance"

"An Indispensable Resource for Old Testament Studies" The present work is an attempt to evaluate the contents of the Old Testament and the Apocrypha against the vast background of knowledge that is now available for students of ancient Near Eastern life and culture. (From the Preface) With characteristic understatement, R. K. Harrison embarked on this massive attempt and produced a volume that for scrupulous detail, scholarly rigor, and sheer erudition has remained unmatched for nearly fifty years. Writing from his own apparently limitless scholarship combined with a conservative perspective, Harrison first reviews the entire history of Old Testament criticism and sets the Hebrew scriptures in their full historical and theological context. He then presents a detailed discussion of each Old Testament book, along with a lucid overview of the apocryphal books. Harrison s engagement of the perennial issues and problems of Old Testament scholarship make this classic text a vital foundation for a new generation of scholars. For contemporary Old Testament studies, this highly respected volume continues to be the essential point of departure."