The Alphabet of Ben-Sira
Encyclopedia
The Alphabet of Jesus ben Sirach (Alphabetum Siracidis, Othijoth ben Sira) is an anonymous medieval text attributed to Jesus ben Sirach, the author of the Wisdom of Sirach. It is dated to anywhere between A.D. 700 and 1000. It is a compilation of two lists of proverb
s, 22 in Aramaic and 22 in Hebrew
, both arranged as alphabetic acrostic
s. Each proverb is followed by an Haggadic commentary. The work has been characterized as satirical
, and it contains references to masturbation
, incest
and flatulence
. The text has been translated into Latin
, Yiddish, Judeo-Spanish, French
and German
. A partial English translation appeared in Stern and Mirsky (1998).
in the reading of Ginzberg:
. Ben Sira's fame reached Nebuchadnezzar, who called him to his court. Nebuchadnezzar sets forth various ordeals for Ben Sira, who responds with 22 stories. Some of the fables of the collection are indebted to Christian legend, and to the Indian Panchatantra
.
, and it is the fifth of Ben Sira's responses to King Nebuchadnezzar. It is reproduced here in its entirety:
Proverb
A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
s, 22 in Aramaic and 22 in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, both arranged as alphabetic acrostic
Acrostic
An acrostic is a poem or other form of writing in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out a word or a message. As a form of constrained writing, an acrostic can be used as a mnemonic device to aid memory retrieval. A famous...
s. Each proverb is followed by an Haggadic commentary. The work has been characterized as satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
, and it contains references to masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
, incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
and flatulence
Flatulence
Flatulence is the expulsion through the rectum of a mixture of gases that are byproducts of the digestion process of mammals and other animals. The medical term for the mixture of gases is flatus, informally known as a fart, or simply gas...
. The text has been translated into Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, Yiddish, Judeo-Spanish, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. A partial English translation appeared in Stern and Mirsky (1998).
Aramaic proverbs
The Aramaic proverbs are the far older part of the book. Five of them can be traced to Talmudic-Midrashic literature. The Hebrew commentary, illustrating the proverbs with fables, is much younger.in the reading of Ginzberg:
- "Honor the Ethiopian before thou hast need of him" (Eccles. 38:1)
- "If a son do not conduct himself like a son, let him float on the water."
- "Gnaw the bone that falls to thy lot whether it be good or bad."
- "Gold must be hammered, and the child must be beaten."
- "Be good and refuse not thy portion of good."
- "Woe to the wicked man and woe to his companions."
- "Cast thy bread upon the waters and upon the land, for thou shalt find it after many days" (Eccles. 11:1)
- "Hast thou seen a black ass? [Then] it was neither black nor white."
- "Bestow no good upon that which is evil, and no evil will befall thee."
- "Restrain not thy hand from doing good."
- "The bride enters the bridal chamber and, nevertheless, knows not what will befall her."
- "A nod to the wise is sufficient; the fool requires a blow." (Proverbs 22:15)
- "He who honors them that despise him is like an ass."
- "A fire, when it is kindled, burns many sheaves" (James 3:5)
- "An old woman in the house is a good omen in the house"
- "Even a good surety has to be applied to for a hundred morrows; a bad one for a hundred thousand."
- "Rise quickly from the table and thou wilt avoid disputes."
- "In thy business deal only with the upright."
- "If the goods are near at hand, the owner consumes them; but if they are at a distance, they consume him."
- "Do not disavow an old friend."
- "Thou mayest have sixty counselors, but do not give up thy own opinion"
- "He that was first satisfied and then hungry will offer thee his hand; but not he that was first hungry and then satisfied."
The second Alphabet
The 22 Hebrew proverbs are quite different in character from the Aramaic ones, and much more recent. Half of the proverbs are borrowed from the Talmud, and are only a pretext for the presentation of a number of legends surrounding Ben Sira. Ben Sira is presented as the son of JeremiahJeremiah
Jeremiah Hebrew：יִרְמְיָה , Modern Hebrew:Yirməyāhū, IPA: jirməˈjaːhu, Tiberian:Yirmĭyahu, Greek:Ἰερεμίας), meaning "Yahweh exalts", or called the "Weeping prophet" was one of the main prophets of the Hebrew Bible...
. Ben Sira's fame reached Nebuchadnezzar, who called him to his court. Nebuchadnezzar sets forth various ordeals for Ben Sira, who responds with 22 stories. Some of the fables of the collection are indebted to Christian legend, and to the Indian Panchatantra
Panchatantra
The Panchatantra is an ancient Indian inter-related collection of animal fables in verse and prose, in a frame story format. The original Sanskrit work, which some scholars believe was composed in the 3rd century BCE, is attributed to Vishnu Sharma...
.
Lilith
The text is best known because of its reference to LilithLilith
Lilith is a character in Jewish mythology, found earliest in the Babylonian Talmud, who is generally thought to be related to a class of female demons Līlīṯu in Mesopotamian texts. However, Lowell K. Handy notes, "Very little information has been found relating to the Akkadian and Babylonian view...
, and it is the fifth of Ben Sira's responses to King Nebuchadnezzar. It is reproduced here in its entirety:
- Soon afterward the young son of the king took ill. Said Nebuchadnezzar, "Heal my son. If you don't, I will kill you." Ben Sira immediately sat down and wrote an amulet with the Holy Name, and he inscribed on it the angels in charge of medicine by their names, forms, and images, and by their wings, hands, and feet. Nebuchadnezzar looked at the amulet. "Who are these?"
- "The angelAngelAngels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s who are in charge of medicine: Snvi, Snsvi, and Smnglof (In English: Senoy, Sansenoy and Semangelof). While God created Adam, who was alone, He said, 'It is not good for man to be alone' (Genesis 2:18). He also created a woman, from the earth, as He had created Adam himself, and called her Lilith. Adam and Lilith immediately began to fight. She said, 'I will not lie below,' and he said, 'I will not lie beneath you, but only on top. For you are fit only to be in the bottom position, while I am to be the superior one.' Lilith responded, 'We are equal to each other inasmuch as we were both created from the earth.' But they would not listen to one another. When Lilith saw this, she pronounced the Ineffable Name and flew away into the air. Adam stood in prayer before his Creator: 'Sovereign of the universe!' he said, 'the woman you gave me has run away.' At once, the Holy One, blessed be He, sent these three angels to bring her back.
- "Said the Holy One to Adam, 'If she agrees to come back, what is made is good. If not, she must permit one hundred of her children to die every day.' The angels left God and pursued Lilith, whom they overtook in the midst of the sea, in the mighty waters wherein the EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ians were destined to drown. They told her God's word, but she did not wish to return. The angels said, 'We shall drown you in the sea.'
- "'Leave me!' she said. 'I was created only to cause sickness to infants. If the infant is male, I have dominion over him for eight days after his birth, and if female, for twenty days.'
- "When the angels heard Lilith's words, they insisted she go back. But she swore to them by the name of the living and eternal God: 'Whenever I see you or your names or your forms in an amulet, I will have no power over that infant.' She also agreed to have one hundred of her children die every day. Accordingly, every day one hundred demons perish, and for the same reason, we write the angels names on the amulets of young children. When Lilith sees their names, she remembers her oath, and the child recovers."
Editions
- Salonica, 1514, two known surviving copies
- Constantinople, 1519, one known complete copy in the British LibraryBritish LibraryThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
, and a defective one at the Bodleian - Venice, 1544, reprinted by Steinschneider, 1854; most later editions are based on this one.
External links
- SIRACH, THE ALPHABET OF T. Witton Davies (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
- The Alphabet Of Ben Sira - A Not So Divine Comedy Rabbi Josh Yuter
- Ben Sira, The Alphabet of, Crawford Howell Toy, Louis Ginzberg, Jewish EncyclopediaJewish EncyclopediaThe Jewish Encyclopedia is an encyclopedia originally published in New York between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. It contained over 15,000 articles in 12 volumes on the history and then-current state of Judaism and the Jews as of 1901...
. - Straight Dope Article on Lilith
- http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~humm/Topics/Lilith/alphabet.html Fragment from the Alphabet of Ben Sirah