Women in the Wisdom of Ben Sira and the Book of Judith: A Study in Contrasts and Reversals

Abstract

Ben Sira's attitude toward women is uncongenial to most contemporary Western readers. Ben Sira makes other favorable comments about women, but the emphasis is chiefly on the value a woman can have for a man. The book of Judith provides a sharp contrast to many of the statements Ben Sira makes about women and their roles in society. In describing the life, actions, and speeches of Judith, the book reverses a number of stereotypes and biases the Jewish community of Ben Sira's day held about men and women. These contrasts and reversals are the basis of this study of the intertextuality between the book of Judith and the Wisdom of Ben Sira as well as other books of the Old Testament (O.T). The book of Judith was written of course primarily as a good story of the Lord's rescue of Israel by the hand of a woman. Keywords: Ben Sira; book of Judith; Israelite women; Jewish community; Old Testament (O.T); wisdom writer