Homeric Rewriting in Greek Sirach

James K Aitken

doi:10.1163/15685330-12341402

Abstract

Abstract It has been recognized in recent scholarship that the Greek translation of Sirach is subtle in its use of word-play and inner-Greek allusion. One such case, the story of the wandering man in Sir (31)34:9-13, can be shown to be a narration of two types of person, the one who wanders for positive learning and the one who errs and is in danger of death. It is thus not the personal experience of the author who has the freedom to travel in the new Hellenistic empires, but a moral tale modelled upon the two types of Odysseus that developed in the Greek tradition. This demonstrates the crafting of the source by the translator on the discourse level and hints at his educational background. It also has consequences for the larger structure of the unit in Sirach and further undermines the idea of a personal biography of Ben Sira.

Highlights

Greek Sirach has been poorly served by its interpreters
It has been recognized in recent scholarship that the Greek translation of Sirach is subtle in its use of word-play and inner-Greek allusion
The story of the wandering man in Sir (31)34:9–13, can be shown to be a narration of two types of person, the one who wanders for positive learning and the one who errs and is in danger of death. It is not the personal experience of the author who has the freedom to travel in the new Hellenistic empires, but a moral tale modelled upon the two types of Odysseus that developed in the Greek tradition

Summary

Introduction

Greek Sirach has been poorly served by its interpreters. Its consistent translation technique has led to its being largely ignored for the contribution it can make to translation studies and for the important place it occupies in the history of Septuagint studies. This interpretation of two types of person in Sirach recalls a figure from Greek literature that played a prominent role in Classical and Hellenistic writers This reminiscence is not incidental, since it shapes and accounts for the meaning in Sirach’s passage. As much as the text of Homer itself is important, and the word-play and rhetorical features of the Odyssey are certainly reflected in Sirach, so too is the reception of the figure of Odysseus which shaped later understanding of his character.

38 Translation

53 Translation

10 Conclusion