The relation of Ecclesiastes to Ben Sira

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Wright (Ecclesiastes, pp. 41-46), Schechter (The Wisdom of Ben Sira, by S. Schechter and C. Taylor, Cambridge, 1899), and McNeile (Ecclesiastes, pp. 34-37) have proved that the book of Ecclesiastes was known to Ben Sira and influenced him to such a degree that the book of Ecclesiasticus clearly betrays its dependence upon Qoheleth's work. The evidence is so strong that Noldeke (ZAW. XX, goff.) declares that contrary to his expectation he has been led to the same conclusion. Noldeke and McNeile agree that Ben Sira used Qoheleth in its completed form, and this is clearly proved by the evidence. I quite agree with Noldeke, op. cit., 93, that DS. Margouliouth in his Origin of the "Original Hebrew" of Ecclesiasticus, London, 1899, has failed to show that the Hebrew of BS. is not original but dependent on the Greek.

The proof of the priority of Qoheleth is of three kinds: (i) Passages extant in the Hebrew text of Ecclesiasticus, which show dependence upon the Hebrew of Qoheleth; (2) Passages not yet recovered in the Hebrew, but the Greek of which is clearly a translation of Hebrew practically identical with that of Qoheleth, and (3) Passages in which Ben Sira has paraphrased the thought of Qoheleth, though clearly dependent upon it.

Passages of the first class are: [list given]

An unbiased examination of these coincidences makes upon me the same impression that it does upon Noldeke and McN., viz.: that Ben Sira knew the work of Qoheleth and used his words as a modern writer might weave into his work the words of Browning or Tennyson or any other well-known author. In at least one case (the ישׂנא of Qoh. 8.1, employed by Ben Sira, 13.24) it is probable that Ben Sira, as Noldeke suggests, misunderstood Qoheleth. BS. 43.27 is also clearly built on Qoh. 12.13. As the parts of these two passages in Qohelelh, which are referred to, are from the Hokma glossator, and one of them forms his conclusion of the book, it is clear that Qoheleth had been touched by the editor before Ben Sira used it.

The passages of the second class indicated above are as follows: [list given]

These parallels are as striking in their way as those given under class I. One of the quotations (8.12) is from the hand of the Chasid glossator, but it is probable that both the glossator and Ben Sira here quote an orthodox sentiment of the day, for there is reason to think that BS. used Qoheleth before the Chasid expanded it. See below on 12.13.

3. Instances in which Ben Sira has paraphrased the words of Qoheleth:

Qoh. 1.4

"Generation comes and generation goes,

But the world forever stands."

Cf. BS. 14.18 (Heb.)

"As leaves grow upon a green tree,

Of which one withers and another springs up,

So the generations of flesh and blood,

One perishes and another ripens."

Qoh. 3.7

"A time to keep silence,

And a time to speak."

Cf. BS. 20.5-6 (Heb.):

"There is one who is silent for want of an answer,

And there is one who is silent because he sees the time."

"A wise man is silent until the time,

But a fool does not observe the time."

Qoh. 4.8b

"For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?"

Cf. BS. 14.4 (Heb.)

"He who deprives his soul gathers for another,

And in his goods a stranger shall revel."

Qoh. 5.2b (Heb.1b)

"Therefore let thy words be few."

Cf. BS. 7.14b (Heb.)

"And repeat not a word in prayer."

Qoh. 5.12b (Heb.11b)

"The satiety of the rich does not permit him to sleep"

Cf. BS. 34.1 (Heb.)

"The wakefulness of the rich wastes his flesh,

The care of living dissipates slumber."

Qoh. 7.8b

"Better is patience than pride."

Cf. BS. 5.11b (Heb.)

"In patience of spirit return answer."

Qoh. 7.14

"In the day of prosperity be joyful; and in the day of ad¬versity, consider; even this God has made to correspond to that."

Cf. BS. 33.14-15 (G)

"Good is set against evil and life against death; so is the godly against the sinner. So look upon all the works of the Most High; there are two and two, one against another."

Also BS. 42.24

"All things are double one against another,

And he has made nothing imperfect."

Qoh. 9.16

"Wisdom is better than might, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised and his words are not heard."

Cf. BS. 13.22cd (Heb.)

"The poor man speaks and they say 'who is this?'

Though he be weighty also they give him no place."

Qoh. 11.10

"Put away vexation from thy heart

And remove misery from thy flesh."

Cf. BS. 30.23 (Heb.)

"Rejoice thy soul and make glad thy heart And put vexation far from thee."

These three classes of parallels make it clear that the book of Ecclesiastes was known to Ben Sira, and that he regarded its teachings with favor. The Chasid glosses were probably added after his time. (See below on 12".)