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The '''Book of Sirach''', otherwise called ''The Wisdom of Jesus the son of Sirach, or, '''Ecclesiasticus''''', originally written in Hebrew, is part of the books of the [[Septuagint]], which is the Old Testament accepted as inspired and canonical by the [[Orthodox Church]] in the ''Greek Orthodox Bible''.  

The '''Book of Sirach''', otherwise called ''The Wisdom of Jesus the son of Sirach, or, '''Ecclesiasticus''''', originally written in [[Hebrew]], is part of the books of the [[Septuagint]], which is the Old Testament accepted as inspired and canonical by the [[Orthodox Church]] in the ''Greek Orthodox Bible''.  

The Book of Sirach is the longest extant book of wisdom preserved from ancient times, as written between roughly 200 and 175 B.C. by Yeshua ben Eleazar ben Sira (Ben Sira). He was a [[Hellenistic]] Jewish scribe who lived during the era of the [[Second Temple]].

The Book of Sirach is the longest extant book of wisdom preserved from ancient times, as written between roughly 200 and 175 B.C. by Yeshua ben Eleazar ben Sira (Ben Sira). He was a [[Hellenistic]] Jewish scribe who lived during the era of the [[Second Temple]].

Ben Sira's grandson translated the text into Koine Greek and added a prologue sometime around 117 BCE.[3] This prologue is generally considered to be the earliest witness to a tripartite canon of the books of the Old Testament[5] and thus the date of the text is the subject of intense scrutiny by biblical scholars. The ability to precisely date the composition of Sirach within a few years provides great insight into the historical development and evolution of the Jewish canon. Although the Book of Sirach is not included in the Hebrew Bible, it is included in the Septuagint.

Ben Sira's grandson translated the text into Koine Greek and added a prologue sometime around 117 BCE. This prologue is generally considered to be the earliest witness to a tripartite canon of the books of the Old Testament and thus the date of the text is the subject of intense scrutiny by biblical scholars. The ability to precisely date the composition of Sirach within a few years provides great insight into the historical development and evolution of the Jewish canon. Although the Book of Sirach is not included in the Hebrew Bible, it is included in the [[Septuagint]].

This book is found in the books of the Old Testament of the ''[[Vulgate]]'' and included in the canon of inspired scripture by the [[Third Council of Carthage (397)]]. It is included in the canon of the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Ethiopian Orthodox Bible]]. Since the [[Council of Trent]] it is [[dogma]]tically accepted as inspired and canonical by the [[Catholic Church]] in the ''Catholic Bible''— books of the Bible accepted as divinely inspired by the majority of Christian believers in the United States and throughout the world.<ref>The '''Catholic Church''' is the world's largest [[Christianity|Christian]] body comprised of several distinct [https://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/catholic_rites_and_churches.htm "Rites"]. The [[Catholic Church|Catholic Church (Latin Rite)]] is the largest religious body in the United States, with over 60 million adherents (4 times as large as the second largest church, the Orthodox).<br/>[http://www.pewforum.org/2013/02/13/the-global-catholic-population/ “The Global Catholic Population,” © 2011, Pew Research Center.]<br/>[http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_romcath.html The Largest Catholic Communities]<br/>

This book is found in the books of the Old Testament of the ''[[Vulgate]]'' and included in the canon of inspired scripture by the [[Third Council of Carthage (397)]]. It is included in the canon of the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Ethiopian Orthodox Bible]]. Since the [[Council of Trent]] it is [[dogma]]tically accepted as inspired and canonical by the [[Catholic Church]] in the ''Catholic Bible''— books of the Bible accepted as divinely inspired by the majority of Christian believers in the United States and throughout the world.<ref>The '''Catholic Church''' is the world's largest [[Christianity|Christian]] body comprised of several distinct [https://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/catholic_rites_and_churches.htm "Rites"]. The [[Catholic Church|Catholic Church (Latin Rite)]] is the largest religious body in the United States, with over 60 million adherents (4 times as large as the second largest church, the Orthodox).<br/>[http://www.pewforum.org/2013/02/13/the-global-catholic-population/ “The Global Catholic Population,” © 2011, Pew Research Center.]<br/>[http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_romcath.html The Largest Catholic Communities]<br/>