Five Reasons to Preach on Sirach
An Excerpt from Valerius Herberger's Sermon on the Prologue to Sirach
In his sermon on the prologue to Sirach, Valerius Herberger (1562–1627) offers five reasons why he is preaching on this apocryphal book. I’m very excited about translating these sermons. See below!
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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 of 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.
Valerius Herberger, Erklärung des Haus- und Zucht-Buchs Jesus Sirach ([1598] 1739 Edition)
Lucas Cranach the Younger, Christ Blessing the Children (c. 1545–50)