RT Article
T1 Itinerant sages: The evidence of Sirach in its ancient Mediterranean context
JF Journal for the study of the Old Testament
VO 44
IS 3
SP 315
OP 336
A1 Uusimäki, Elisa 1986-
LA English
PB Sage
YR 2020
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1692343483
AB This article examines passages in Sirach which posit that travel fosters understanding (Sir. 34.9-13) and that the sage knows how to travel in foreign lands (Sir. 39.4). The references are discussed in the context of two ancient Mediterranean corpora, that is, biblical and Greek literature. Although the evidence in Sirach is insufficient for demonstrating the existence of a specific social practice, the text at least attests to an attitude of mental openness, imagining travel as a professional enterprise with positive outcomes. This article argues that the closest parallels to Sir. 34.9-13 and Sir. 39.4 are not to be found in the Hebrew Bible or Hellenistic Jewish literature but in (non-Jewish) Greek writings which refer to travels undertaken by the sages who roam around for the sake of learning. The shared travel motif helps to demonstrate that Sirach belongs to a wider Hellenistic Mediterranean context than just that of biblical literature.
K1 Bibel. Jesus Sirach, 34,9-13
K1 Ancient Greek writings
K1 Mediterranean antiquity
K1 Second Temple Judaism
K1 Sirach
K1 Education
K1 Mobility
K1 Sages
K1 Travel
DO 10.1177/0309089219862814