A Sermon on the Prologue to Jesus Sirach
By Valerius Herberger
Here is Valerius Herberger’s (1562–1627) sermon on the prologue to the book of Sirach. Check it out to see why Lutherans love this book and why its contents are so important for us today.
Share this sermon with your friends, and if you’re interested in regularly following along Herberger’s sermons on Sirach, don’t miss the weekly devotional!
Be present, O Blessed Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, unto the glory of Your Name, and the edification the Church, Amen!
On the Prologue of Jesus Sirach to His Book
In the name of Jesus Christ who reigns, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. May He also, through His grace and blessings, aid our intentions to begin, to continue, and to finish! May He be praised most highly and loved, together with God His heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit, in eternity, Amen!
O pious ones, O those devoted to the will of God: With God we have decided to treat and expound in these sermons the exceptionally beautiful Book of Jesus Sirach, which every household father ought to diligently read and acquaint himself with, together with his children and servants. So that it may advance the honor of God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, and that it may also redound to an exceptional and marked edification of our Christendom, we lay the foundation for it today with loving prayer and heartfully call to God: “Let it please you, O Lord, to deliver me” (Psa 40:13). “Stand by me, O Lord my God. Help me, according to Your grace. I will greatly praise You with my mouth, and I will extol You among the multitude” (Psa 109:26, 30).
With passion, hear at this blessed beginning the prologue of Jesus Sirach to his book:
Many great people have set forth wisdom for us from the Law, the Prophets, and others who have followed them. Therefore, it is right for Israel to be praised for its wisdom and teaching. Not only should those who have and read it become wise from it, but they should also serve others with instruction and writing. My grandfather, Jesus, after striving greatly in his reading of the Law, the Prophets, and many other books which have been left to us by our fathers, and having become greatly practiced in them, undertook to also write something concerning wisdom and good habits, so that those who gladly learn and desire to have knowledge would all the more gain understanding and become prepared to lead a good life. Therefore, I ask you to kindly receive it, diligently read it, and show forbearance if we are not able to speak as well as the famous orators. For what has been written in Hebrew does not sound the same when it is brought into another language. Not only my book, but that of the Law, the Prophets, and also the other books sound much different when spoken in their own language. When I came to Egypt in the 38th year of the Ptolemaic King Euergetes, where I then remained for life, I gained the opportunity to read and to write much that is good. Therefore, I deemed it good and necessary to expend the industry and effort in translating this book. Because I had time, I labored with much diligence in making this book and bringing it to light, so that those living abroad who desire to become accustomed to good habits may live according to the Law of the Lord.
My beloved friends, two things belong to true Christianity, says Athanasius, the former bishop of Nicaea in Bithynia: faith and good works. A blessed comfort in the heart, and a chaste conduct in the external life. Faith ascends to God in heaven. Love, or the Christian conduct through which faith becomes active, shows itself to the neighbor here on earth. For this reason, St. Paul also brought these two parts together when he prayed for God to grant the Christians at Ephesus the power according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened through His Spirit in the inner man, and for Christ to dwell in their hearts through faith, that they be rooted and grounded in love (Eph 3:16–18). In these two parts, our Christianity moves like a wagon on two tracks. For it is not enough to hear beautiful consolation from the regular gospel lessons and other comforting words; rather a Christian life must come along with it. Most blessed are those who make pure works from God’s Word. So that no one may complain that he does not know the most necessary rules of life which belong to the upright deeds of Christianity, I have undertaken, in the name of God, to read and summarize Sirach alongside the catechism and the regular Sunday readings.
Moreover, the book is certainly worthy of being used, particularly because:
1. The Holy Christian Church has always held Jesus Sirach in high regard. For this reason, many good, ancient hymns were taken from it. What was dear to our pious ancestors ought not to be inimical to us, especially what they took from the Bible, for we have nothing to do with statutes of men and superstitions.
2. Many learned people have long worked on Sirach and have built upon it with great benefit like a fruitful little mine of treasure, such as Mathesius, Huberinus, etc. In my time, M. Cörber of Freistadt preached on Sirach, and Martinus Arnoldus has already preached on it here in Frauenstadt before. Thus, it will do us no harm to do so again this time. We also wish to obtain unto our salvation. As for me, I desire to faithfully carry out my office with teaching and expounding, and you may do your part by diligent listening, but be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, lest you deceive yourselves (Jas 1:22).
3. It has always been customary to let schoolchildren read Sirach after the catechism, so that the dear, tender youth may be instilled, as with mother’s milk, with the fear of God and Christian life from the very beginning. For to neglect the youth in this manner is just as grave a sin, Luther says, as cheating a virgin with her crown of honor.
4. Sirach treats only necessary matters, which accord with the holy Ten Commandments. Here there are no fables of the knight St. George, of great Christopher, and others about whom the monks in monasteries used to prattle. Rather, we hear of only salutary things, matters which are most necessary for Christianity, which Sirach has explained and commended with nothing but the veritable narrative from the Bible.
5. When we expound this book and diligently exhort our hearers, as customarily occurs in all sermons, to faithfully follow all which Sirach tells us, then we thereby publicly attest that it is an utter falsehood which our adversaries spread, namely that we evangelicals teach absolutely nothing about good works in our churches.
Therefore, in the name of the holy and highly praised Trinity, we desire to maintain our intention, and to take up the prologue of the author and consider two points.
1. Who made this book;
2. For what reason and what purpose it was made, and what its benefit to us ought to be.
May the God of Heaven, for whose honor we understake this, grant us success and blessings at the beginning, middle, and end, that the precious little seeds of His Word taken from this book may find good soil in our hearts and bring forth a thousand-fold fruit. Amen! Amen!
On the First Part
O devout hearts, God has always had people in the world who served Him righteously and admonished others to fear God. In the first world, He had dear Abel, the holy man Seth, and Enoch, who was taken up alive into heaven. For because he had led a godly life, God took him, and he was seen no more (Gen 5:24). Later, in the second world, God had dear Noah. Two thousand years before Christ’s birth, He had dear Abraham. Eighteen hundred years before, He had dear Isaac; seventeen hundred before, Jacob; sixteen hundred before, Joseph; fourteen hundred before, Moses; thirteen hundred before, Joshua; twelve hundred before, Gideon; eleven hundred before, Samson; one thousand before, David; nine hundred before, Solomon; eight hundred before, Elijah and Elisha; seven hundred before, Jonah and Hosea; six hundred before, Isaiah and Jeremiah; five hundred before, Daniel and Ezekiel; four hundred before, Zechariah and Haggai; and a little later, Malachi. This one is the seal of the prophets, the last of the prophets of the Old Testament. He preached of the first prophet of the New Testament, John the Baptizer, who appeared almost five hundred years after him.
Between such times, astonishing things took place in the Church, as the history of the Maccabees shows. Nevertheless, God was not inactive in the world, for two hundred and sixty-seven years before the birth of Christ, Ptolemy Philadelphus, the king of Egypt, founded a great library, the likes of which had never been found in the world, gathering together two hundred thousand books from various authors. When he heard of the Bible as one of the most excellent books, which was only to be found among the Jews in Jerusalem, he wrote to Jerusalem for this book. Not only did he receive the Hebrew Bible from the high priest Eleazar, but this same high priest also sent him seventy-two learned men who translated the Bible for him into the Greek language. This king treated these learned men well, since through their help and hard work, he made an immortal name for himself.
After his death, his son Ptolemy Euergetes succeeded him, two hundred and forty-five years before the birth of Christ. He followed the praiseworthy steps of his father, and because he was also a great lover of the sciences, scores of learned men flocked to him, for honor nourishes the arts. Where the learned are esteemed, there they multiply, whereas manure damages the palm trees. At this time, Sirach, a respectable and exceedingly humble man of thirty-eight years, also moved from Jerusalem to Egypt, and brought with him his book, his Loci Communes of glorious, noteworthy sayings and realia of the most learned rabbis, which his grandfather Jesus had collected and written down. There, he took the opportunity through the help of this most excellent library to increase such writing and to translate them from Hebrew into the Greek language.
Thus, the old Jesus Sirach went forth once more, expanded and improved by the younger Jesus Sirach, in the Greek language, from which our German version was later handed down to us through the outstanding diligence of blessed Luther, about whom much need not be said; the work praises the master.
And thus we have the author of this book. Sirach’s grandfather began it, his grandson expanded and improved it. Luther, in his preface to the book, holds that the old Sirach, who began this book, was named Amos Sirach, who was the chief prince of the house of Judah, from the royal line of the seed of David, and therefore related to Christ by blood. It is certain that Christ’s kindred were generally endowed with greater gifts than others and were greater artisans (see Mathesius on Bezalel).
The praise of this old Sirach stands in the text, namely, that he was:
1. A man of much reading. He was an industrious man who had read quite a lot, and was zealous to read the Law, the Prophets, and the other books. See, it is not a mortal sin if one is diligent about reading books, and especially about reading the Bible. “Procure books of the Bible,” says Chrysostom, “which are medicine for the soul; for the cause of all evil is to be ignorant of the Scriptures.” Jesus Himself admonishes in John 5:39, “Search the Scriptures.” The Ethiopian eunuch is remembered with eternal praise for reading the Bible on his journey in the chariot, namely the prophet Isaiah (Acts 8:28). Marullus says St. Cecilia always carried the New Testament with her on her breast, even when she had something to do.
2. Furthermore, the elder Sirach was a man of great discernment. He not only diligently read good books, but he also practiced what he read and knew how he should apply it to his benefit. These things belong together. A fanatical mind ought not to read everything.
3. It is also noted in the text how and in what way he was adept at producing this book. First, he read much in good books, then he practiced what is contained in them. He weighed everything that he found in the writings of the fathers to see if it is edifying and in agreement with God’s Word. For he did not want to compile his book from the fables of Aesop or from the writings of other prudent pagans, but rather from Moses, from the prophets, and from the best and most reliable fathers. And after he had thus reflected upon each and every thing, only then did he decide to also write something about wisdom and good morals. One should not write whatever comes to mind. Solomon had already lamented this in his own time: “Of making many books there is no end” (Eccl 12:12). Therefore, nowadays we see so many pamphlets, which are suitable for nothing other than to annoy and give offense. A good writer writes everything with good deliberation. Each should carefully consider his action and intention before putting it into effect. For this reason, Sirach’s grandfather is rightly praised.
We must not forget the praise of the young Sirach, who diligently worked on his grandfather’s book and successfully completed it.
1. His writing is now already eighteen hundred and forty years old, soon to be two thousand, as we write fifteen hundred and ninety-five years after the birth of Christ. Many great books have perished, but this one God has specially preserved alongside the writings of the prophets and the other biblical books. Therefore, it should be all the more dear to us.
2. This Sirach lived between the time of Malachi and John the Baptist. Even if we do not consider him an equal to these men, his words nevertheless carry a special force, which we will, God willing, soon discover.
3. Sirach wrote this book in the thirty-eighth year of his life, when he was almost forty. He did not rush into it, as those many who think art will die with them. However, sometimes young people are so endowed with marvelous gifts that they surpass many of the elders.
4. Sirach is an example of a pious child; he upholds the ideas of his grandfather, he does not deviate from the path of his honorable family and does nothing to dishonor them. It is becoming for all children that they esteem the good teachings of their parents.
Master Philip Melanchthon often praised to others the fact that his mother took care to say this proverb: “He who wants to eat, more than his plow can feed, will lead a life that’s shallow, perhaps even die on the gallows.” M. Valerius recently noted the ancient rhyme spoken by my kinsman Nicolai Herberger: “With much, one can a house maintain; with little, one is still sustained.” If he was not ashamed to learn something from a lowly workman, then there is no shame for us to learn something from the wise teacher of discipline and virtue, Sirach.
Some are too proud to learn anything from others. They are autodidacts, or self-taught sciolists, who in the end are nowhere useful for anything.
It is also especially praiseworthy of the young Sirach that he follows in the footsteps of his pious and diligent grandfather. No one should bring shame upon their honorable family. Every child should think about how to preserve the memory of their parents and grandparents with honor.
5. He acts very prudently in that at the time when he is reading much that is good, he also heeds the little fragments, following Christ’s admonition: “Gather up the remaining fragments, lest any go to waste” (John 6:12). When God’s Word is richly taught, when it is abundant and common, one should give it heed, for a time may come when God sends a famine into the land, not as a hunger for bread or a thirst for water, but rather of hearing the Word of the Lord. “They shall wander from sea to sea; they shall rove from north to east, seeking the Word of the Lord, and they shall not find it” (Amos 8:11–12). Augustine uses the metaphor of an ant, stating he was unable to comfort a Donatist because he was not like a diligent ant, gathering in his healthy days the grains of statements from God’s Word. Joseph gathered and stored so much grain in Egypt during the seven good years that the land could be sustained in the subsequent famine (Gen 41:49). Oh, how pleasant it is for a Christian during a time of tribulation if he has gathered up a good supply of beautiful statements from the preaching of the divine Word from his youth and has kept them well in his heart. “I had much affliction in my heart,” says David, “but Your consolations delighted my soul” (Psa 94:19). “This is my comfort in my affliction; for Your Word gives me life. If Your Law had not been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction” (Psa 119:50, 92). “Lord, in these one lives, and in them is the life of my spirit,” says Hezekiah (Isa 38:16). For this reason, Jeremiah also prays, “Your Word sustains us, when we receive it, and Your Word is the joy and comfort of my heart” (Jer 15:16).
6. We must equally marvel at Sirach’s humility. He apologizes for the simple manner of speaking in this book and asks that it would be kindly received and diligently read, and that forbearance be shown to him and his grandfather, if they are not able to speak as well as the famous orators. We rightly express great thanks to Sirach for his polite apology, for in so doing he reveals that his writing is not a canonical book which was dictated to him by the Holy Spirit in an immediate or direct fashion. For in the canonical books of Holy Scripture, no such apology is needed, even though they do not rely upon grandiose words, or adornments like a harlot, or upon the effect of dazzling words, but rather upon the glorious matters themselves. Bad fish require a lot of spices and herbs, whereas there is no need for decoration when the wine being served is good. Painted inkpots usually contain the worst ink. Who would not rather have a good roast from a wooden bowl than broth from a silver dish?
7. Sirach’s wisdom is praiseworthy, for, just like a bee, he collected in his book the sweetest and most edifying sayings from God’s Word, and he knows how to apply them skillfully in their proper place. “A word spoken at the proper time is like golden apples, oranges, and lemons in silver bowls” (Prov 25:11).
He can say, like Lucretius: “As from every flower good is gathered by the bee, so must our every word be as sweet as honey.”
Theodoret says: “Therefore, imitate the bees; fly with your mind through the meadows of Holy Scripture and the most beautiful flowers of the renowned fathers, and construct for yourself a honeycomb of faith. If you come across an herb that is not suitable for eating but may nevertheless serve for honey in its time, it is reasonable to break off what is useful and leave that which does not nourish. For bees also occasionally sit upon poisonous bushes. They gladly leave the poison behind but gather what is good and useful from it.”
Sirach possesses such a fine, controlled mind in that he knows which things accord with the faith from what he read in other books besides the Holy Scriptures. In a similar way, Caesar Augustus, under whom Christ was born, read books and extracted from them short, notable sayings which he later skillfully employed in his letters and decrees when he was in power. For this reason, when he was still a boy, the council in Rome forbade calling him a puer, that is, a boy. Therefore, Virgil says, “I knew him as a young man (juvenis).”
On the Second Part
Let us now consider the reasons why the elder and younger Sirach wrote this book. In the prologue, the reasons are presented one after the other.
1. First, that the praise and honor of Israel would be known far and wide, for it is indeed true that “He has not dealt thus with any other nation; nor do they know His judgments” (Psa 147:20). Other peoples have their Aristotle, Plato, Cicero, etc. While all of these are certainly erudite individuals, in the end, they are nothing but blind moles, who burrow into the ground and show knowledge only in earthly matters, as can be seen with Simonides before King Hiero, who could not tell him who God is but always had to ask for a deferral from one day to the next.
2. One must not keep the good solely for oneself but must also let one’s neighbor enjoy it. One should serve others with teaching and writing. Those who have a good heart toward God and their neighbor, because they themselves are pious, would prefer that all people were also devout. They do not wish to bury the seal which God has bestowed upon them. Those who are wise would rather hold fire in their mouth than a good proverb. For this reason, each should, according to their ability, also promote the well-being and salvation of others through good teaching and exhortations. We are not born solely for ourselves. Good people are like lambs, they benefit their neighbors in their lives and after their deaths. Woe to those who lead others astray; they are truly like the decoy birds which are traps placed and prepared to catch others, as fowlers do with cages. Their houses are full of deceit, as a birdcage is full of decoy birds (Jer 5:26ff).
3. The young Sirach wishes to establish an honorable memorial for his grandfather. For in expanding, improving, and publishing his grandfather’s book, he is simultaneously erecting a great epitaph for him, which has now stood for a long time and will also remain until the end of the world.
4. So that those who enjoy learning and desire to be wise may become all the more prudent and adept in leading a good life. This is a great benefit and splendid fruit of this work. Sirach and his grandfather well know that many people will be served thereby. Cursed is the work which has no reward! Indeed, cursed is the work which has no use! For this reason, Alexander the Great sent an entire bushel of peas to a useless artist who would throw peas onto the point of a needle and said, “Now throw your entire life! Throw!” Sirach also says of those who desire to learn and become wise that this book should serve this purpose and be useful. Mark this henceforth in all future sermons on this book: If you are zealous to learn, you will learn much. Passion and pleasure for one thing make all toil and labor light.
5. The young Sirach wishes to use his time to read and write much that is good, and not to misuse or squander it, as the most precious treasure, as so many do who make such poor use of so much beautiful time, spending it only on games and vain overindulgence of food and drink. Concerning such company Isaiah cries out: “Woe to those who rise up early to chase after strong drink, and those who stay up into the night that they may burn with wine. They have harp, lyre, tambourine, flute, and wine at their feasts, and they do not consider the deeds of the Lord. They do not look to the work of His hands” (Isa 5:10–11). Idleness is the beginning of all vice and the devil’s resting place. Even when one spends idle hours doing absolutely nothing, it is a great sin, for man should not live like a senseless beast. Sallust says, “Each and every one who wills to be more than the senseless animals ought to strive not to spend their life in silence, as the dumb brutes.”
6. Sirach deems it good and necessary to place diligence and effort into this book. Indeed, it is good and necessary to instruct people in the fear of God and good morals. But the world does not believe it; it speaks of other things, saying they are good and necessary. For example: Nowadays, it is said to be good and necessary that one should not be entirely focused on heaven above and look to God alone; but one must also take care not to offend others. It is good and necessary sometimes, especially in trade and dealings, to misuse the name of God and swear, lie, and deceive by it. It is good and necessary that one does not honor holy days; one cannot constantly sit in church and hear God’s Word; something in one’s livelihood will soon be neglected. The opportunity for gain does not come every day; how quickly one misses out on the market. O citizens, citizens, money must be sought first; virtue after wealth. Money is the key word; one must strive for it above all else; there is still enough time for piety and a virtuous life.
7. Sirach and his grandfather also wish to serve foreign peoples, so that the foreigners who desire to learn may habituate themselves to good morals, so that they may live according to the Law of the Lord. They desire to help fill heaven and spread the knowledge of God. This is a great and proper good work, which David, when he repented, vowed to God to perform: “I will teach transgressors Your ways, so that sinners turn to You” (Psa 51:15). And the Lord Jesus especially and firmly bound Peter to this: “When you turn, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32).
Conclusion
What purpose should it serve then? Sirach indicates this at the conclusion of his prologue: That they may live according to the Law of the Lord. And earlier, he spoke of wisdom and good morals. This is the sum of the entire book. Initially, he sets forth therein certain rules for life and choice maxims. At the end, he presents special, memorable examples for an application, just like a beautiful chronicle.
Thus, in this book, the following are explained:
1. The Ten Commandments are explained together with the Table of Duties, for there each one, of whichever age, gender, state or condition they may be, finds their own appropriate lesson. It is the best house book.
2. A beautiful practice is demonstrated therein for how one should make use of the Gospels and Epistles, which are appointed and expounded for all the Sundays and feast days, in one's life and conduct.
3. Here it is taught what is the greatest wisdom under heaven, namely, that one should learn to know God as the fountain and source of all wisdom, and to wisely direct one's life.
4. Sirach shows what the best and proper good works are which please God.
5. It is taught how the wise should adapt themselves to the times and conduct themselves properly in both adversity and prosperity.
6. In this book, it is taught how one should protect oneself from burns to the conscience, stains on one’s honor, deprivation in one’s sustenance—in sum, from sin, dishonor, and ruin.
Indeed, the book of Jesus Sirach may well be called The Christian Book of Discipline or The Customary and Civil Law of Christians. Huberinus calls it The Christian’s Book of Counsel, because the best advice for the best life is given and presented in this book. Luther also recommends it in the highest manner in his preface to the book and says: “It is a useful book for the common man, for all its effort is directed towards making a citizen and father of a home God-fearing, pious, and wise in how he acts towards God, God’s Word, priests, parents, wife, children, his own body, possessions, servants, neighbors, friends, enemies, authorities, and anyone else.” Therefore, we can call it a book of household discipline or of the virtues of a pious master of a house, which also is and should be called the true spiritual discipline.
Now I must impress this upon you: Sirach will not, in the coming sermons, adapt himself to you, but rather will proceed equally, saying the truth to one just as to the other. Therefore, each ought to amend his life now before his time comes. The straight edge or iron angle does not conform to the stone, but rather the stone must be adapted to the straight edge in order to be hewn according to it. Just as Sirach says, “Therefore, I ask you to kindly receive it, diligently read it” etc., so also to you I now say: I ask all of you, my beloved, cherished friends, let Sirach be a dear and pleasant book to you, kindly hear it, and diligently consider it. Scipio Africanus never let Xenophon depart from his hand, but carried this book around with him both on the field and in camp. Plato was so fond of the writings of Sophron, that he not only read them daily, but when he was about to die, he laid the book beneath his head in place of a pillow. Arcesilaus the philosopher called Homer nothing short of his beloved. He always took this book to bed and would never lay himself to sleep or arise without having first read something in Homer. Such love Alexander the Great also bore towards the same book, in that he always kept Homer’s Iliad under his pillow beside a dagger. As soon as he received the golden chest of Darius which was adorned with many precious stones, he said: “I have no better way to safeguard my Homer than to place him in this beautiful chest.”
Much more ought Christians to treat the books of Holy Scripture, as did King Alfonso of Aragon, who read the Bible fourteen times through, and the blessed, noble elector of Saxony, Duke Augustus, who, shortly before his end, read the entire Bible within four weeks and in thirty weeks read through all the tomes of Luther. Let these good examples, and especially this dear book of Sirach be commended to you now. Take the lead, O you officials, and diligently attend to the sermons on Sirach. O parents, bring your children; O house fathers and mothers, bring your servants, that they may come to church, and later at home you may speak to each other concerning it.
You have heard, therefore, from this blessed prologue at the beginning: First, who wrote this book? The elder and younger Sirach. Second, for what reason and what purpose was it written, and what ought its benefit be to us? It is to be our household and discipline book, that we learn wisdom and good morals from it, so that we may lead a Christian life well-pleasing to God in all godliness and decency.
We also thank the eternal, almighty God for this beautiful book, and ask that He would bestow grace, life, and blessing, that we may hear and use it to the honor of His name, the noticeable betterment of our lives, and our eternal salvation!
Praise to God on the highest throne we raise,
To the Father of all good things,
And to Jesus Christ His most beloved Son,
Who shepherds us always as His own!
And to God the Holy Ghost whose aid,
He lends to us all our days,
That to Him we may be found ever-pleasing,
Here in time and there in eternity. Amen.
Farewell Blessing
May Jesus Christ, God’s Son, grant us all such a heart, that, along with the entire Holy Scriptures, we would also heartily hold the Book of Jesus Sirach dear, that we would discern true wisdom therein, and indeed recognize God as the source of all wisdom, that we may noticeably improve our lives by it, so that we may, together with dear Sirach, be saved eternally. Amen!
Valerius Herberger, Erklärung des Haus- und Zucht-Buchs Jesus Sirach ([1598] 1739 Edition)
A Portrait of Valerius Herberger