The Literature given at the head of each chapter does not profess to be more than a selection. Editions of original texts, and text-critical discussions, are not given, as references to these will be found in the Literature cited. CHAPTER I The Wisdom of Jesus, the Son of Sirach; or Ecclesiasticus [LITERATURE.—Fritzsche, _Die Weisheit Jesus Sirachs erklärt und übersetzt_ (1859); Edersheim, in Wace, II, pp. 1-239; Ryssel, in Kautzsch, I. pp. 230-475; Schechter, _Studies in Judaism_ (Second Series), pp. 55-101 (1908); Hart, _Ecclesiasticus_ ... (1909); Oesterley, _Ecclesiasticus_, in “The Cambridge Bible” (1912); Box and Oesterley, in Charles, I, pp. 268-517.] I. THE TITLE OF THE BOOK “Ecclesiasticus,” the name with which we are most familiar, gives no indication as to the contents of the book; it has, however, been the title whereby the book was known in the Western Church ever since the third century. St. Jerome retained the familiar title in his Latin Version of the Bible, and it has continued in the Church ever since. On account of its manifold instruction in conduct of life it was much used in the early Church, especially in the case of catechumens; the title, therefore, of “Ecclesiasticus” was probably given to it because it was the ecclesiastical or Church book _par excellence_. What the original title was we do not know; but in most manuscripts of the Greek Version the title given is: “Wisdom of Jesus the son of Sirach”; in the Syriac Version it is: “Wisdom of Bar Sira.”[344] Both these were translations from the Hebrew, so that we shall not be far wrong in believing that the original title ran: “The Wisdom of Ben-Sira,” or, “The Wisdom of Jesus Ben-Sira.”[345] The Greek translator, in the Prologue to the book, speaks of his grandfather “Jesus” as the author. In the Talmud the book is referred to as: “The Book of Ben-Sira”; the name “Jesus” would have been omitted by the Rabbis for obvious reasons. II. THE AUTHOR AND HIS BOOK