Wisdom of Sirach

[JM]

"Pleasant speech gains more friends for itself, and a sweet-speaking tongue will multiply pleasant exchanges. Let those who are at peace with you be many, but let only one in a thousand be your advisor. If you make friends, test them thoroughly and don't trust them quickly. Some are friends when it is convenient, but they won't stay around during hard times. There are friends who turn into enemies, and they will reveal your disgraceful arguments. There are friends who are companions at your table, but they won't stay during hard times. They will act as if your belongings are theirs, and they will be bold toward your household slaves. If you are brought low, they will be against you, and they will abandon you. Stay away from your enemies, and be careful with your friends. Trustworthy friends are a strong shelter; whoever finds one has found a treasure. Trustworthy friends have no price, and no one can estimate their worth. Trustworthy friends are life's medicine, and those who fear the Lord will find them. Those who fear the Lord will direct their friendships well, because they will associate with people of like mind." Wisdom of Sirach 6:5-17

 

[Shane R]

The Book of Common Prayer calls Sirach 'Ecclesiasticus'. I was at a clergy retreat in Waxahachie, Texas some years ago (which is where my profile pic was taken) and the appointed OT lesson for Morning Prayer was from the 43rd chapter of Ecclesiasticus. The host had invited some guys from Dallas Theological Seminary, which is Baptist, for the day and they were thoroughly flummoxed -blubbering about how Ecclesiastes only has 12 chapters. Those guys were very rude, insolent, and obnoxious. For purportedly educated individuals, they were pretty ignorant.

 

[Daniel Marsh]

cool

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

The Book of Common Prayer calls Sirach 'Ecclesiasticus'. I was at a clergy retreat in Waxahachie, Texas some years ago (which is where my profile pic was taken) and the appointed OT lesson for Morning Prayer was from the 43rd chapter of Ecclesiasticus. The host had invited some guys from Dallas Theological Seminary, which is Baptist, for the day and they were thoroughly flummoxed -blubbering about how Ecclesiastes only has 12 chapters. Those guys were very rude, insolent, and obnoxious. For purportedly educated individuals, they were pretty ignorant.

Sounds about right. LOL.

 

[RileyG]

I'm not a Lutheran, but I absolutely love this book of the Old Testament, coming from a RC who officially has it in their canon.

 

[RileyG]

The Book of Common Prayer calls Sirach 'Ecclesiasticus'. I was at a clergy retreat in Waxahachie, Texas some years ago (which is where my profile pic was taken) and the appointed OT lesson for Morning Prayer was from the 43rd chapter of Ecclesiasticus. The host had invited some guys from Dallas Theological Seminary, which is Baptist, for the day and they were thoroughly flummoxed -blubbering about how Ecclesiastes only has 12 chapters. Those guys were very rude, insolent, and obnoxious. For purportedly educated individuals, they were pretty ignorant.

They probably weren't aware the books of the apocrypha.

 

[Shane R]

They probably weren't aware the books of the apocrypha.

Which is indefensible for a group of people attempting to portray themselves as Christian intellectuals.

 

[RileyG]

Which is indefensible for a group of people attempting to portray themselves as Christian intellectuals.

Yeah that makes sense. I'm also aware of other books not included in the Catholic canon (such as 3 & 4 Maccabees, Enoch etc).