Discovering, Deciphering and Dissenting : : Ben Sira Manuscripts after 120 years / / ed. by James K. Aitken, Renate Egger-Wenzel, Stefan C. Reif.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter DG Plus DeG Package 2019 Part 1
• MitwirkendeR: Aitken, James K.,; Beentjes, Pancratius C.,; Calduch-Benages, Núria,; Corley, Jeremy,; Dhont, Marieke,; Dihi, Haim,; Egger-Wenzel, Renate,; Goff, Matthew,; Joosten, Jan,; Macintosh, Andrew A.,; Mizrahi, Noam,; Nicholls, Mark,; Noam, Vered,; Olszowy-Schlanger, Judith,; Reif, Stefan C.,; Reiterer, Friedrich Vinzenz,; Rey, Jean-Sébastien,; Reymond, Eric D.,; Wright, Benjamin G.,
• HerausgeberIn: Aitken, James K.,; Egger-Wenzel, Renate,; Reif, Stefan C.,
• Place / Publishing House: Berlin ;, Boston : : De Gruyter, , [2019]; ©2019
• Year of Publication: 2019
• Language: English
• Series: Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature Yearbook , 2018
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (XII, 401 p.)

The discovery of Hebrew manuscripts of Ben Sira in the Cairo Genizah has shaped and transformed the interpretation of the book. It is argued here that a proper appreciation of the manuscripts themselves is also essential for understanding this ancient work.Since their discovery 120 years ago and subsequent identification of leaves, attention has been directed to the interpretation of the ancient book, the Wisdom of Ben Sira. Serious consideration should also be given to the Hebrew manuscripts themselves and their particular contributions to understanding the language and transmission of the book. The surprising appearance of a work that was preserved by Christians and denounced by some Rabbis raises questions over the preservation of the book. At the same time, diversity among the manuscripts means that exegesis has to be built on an appreciation of the individual manuscripts. The contributors examine the manuscripts in this light, examining their discovery, the codicology and reception of the manuscripts within rabbinic and medieval Judaism, and the light they throw on the Hebrew language and poetic techniques.The book is essential reading for those working on Ben Sira, the reception of the deuterocanon, and Medieval Hebrew manuscripts.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- I. Discovery and Disputes -- Notes on Jumbo’s Desk -- Charles Taylor as a Man of St John’s -- How Ben Sira Crossed my Path -- II. The Hebrew Manuscripts and Rabbinic Circles -- Some First Editions of Genizah Manuscripts of Ben Sira -- The “Booklet” of Ben Sira -- Scribal Practices in Ben Sira Manuscript B -- The Persian Glosses and the Text of Manuscript B Revisited -- The Synoptic Problem and the Reception of the Ben Sira Manuscripts -- Various Attempts at Producing a Ben Sira Polyglo -- Ben Sira—Biblical Sage, Rabbi, and Payyeṭan -- Ben Sira: A Rabbinic Perspective -- III. The Poetry of the Book -- The Poetry of Ben Sira Manuscript C -- Ben Sira’s Hebrew Poetry in Comparison with the Psalter -- Poetic Imagery in the Book of Ben Sira -- The Theological and Philosophical Concepts of Ben Sira -- IV. The Language of the Book -- The Hebrew of the Ben Sira Manuscripts from the Genizah -- Transmission and Transformation of Ben Sira’s Poetic Language -- The Contribution of the Language of The Book of Ben Sira to Biblical Hebrew Philology -- Biographies of Authors -- Index of References -- Index of Authors -- Index of Subjects