An insightful and groundbreaking analysis of the Hebrew text of the Book of Ben Sira, a second-century BCE wisdom text that is part of the Old Testament Apocrypha. William Robert Taylor, a respected biblical scholar, examines the vocabulary, syntax, and stylistic features of the Hebrew text, as well as its relationship to the Greek and Syriac versions. With careful attention to the nuances of the text and its cultural context, The Originality of the Hebrew Text of Ben Sira is a significant contribution to the study of Jewish and Christian scripture. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Excerpt from The Originality of the Hebrew Text of Ben Sira in the Light of the Vocabulary and the Versions: A Thesis It is evident that the text is at least as late as the latest canonical writings. The words which are common in the Wisdom Literature form a large part of the v'ocabulary of this Book. In our analysis we have indicated that there are a great number of words which are found only in the late B. H., and another group which have meanings peculiar to the latest usage. The syntax, the loose manner of using wan, the confusion of the propositions and the position of the particles, and other signs of literary decadence, resemble the style of Ecclesiastes. But we can go further and date our Book later than any of the Hagiographa. We find in Ben Sira, N. H., and Aramaic words which are not found in B. H., while the presence of many rare Biblical words may be explained by the fact that they occur in N. H. Literature. These observations, alone, would warrant a date many years later than 250 B. C. - the approximate date of Ecclesiastes. For in a book which the author is endeavoring to conform to classical types, so many new words could not occur unless snfi'icient time had elapsed to make the author unconscions of their late introduction into the language or literary usage. By the use of such words the writer unwittingly betrays his time. The presence of certain words peculiar to the writer may point to a date prior to a settled N. H. Idiom. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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In this volume, Rey and Reymond offer a new critical edition of all the Hebrew manuscripts of Ben Sira from the Cairo Genizah and Dead Sea Scrolls (including the so-called "Rhyming" Paraphrase). Manuscripts are presented independently to preserve their unique qualities and to emphasize the text’s pluriformity. Readers will discover numerous new readings and restorations, explained in detailed notes, that illustrate Ben Sira’s complex textual composition. French and English translations together with a philological commentary help elucidate the sometimes obscure sense of the Hebrew. This edition will form the foundation for future work on the book of Ben Sira.