Itinerant sages: The evidence of Sirach in its ancient Mediterranean context

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...

Description complète

Enregistré dans:  
Détails bibliographiques
Auteur principal: Uusimäki, Elisa 1986- (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
Vérifier la disponibilité: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
En cours de chargement...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Publié: Sage [2020]
Dans: Journal for the study of the Old Testament
Année: 2020, Volume: 44, Numéro: 3, Pages: 315-336
Sujets / Chaînes de mots-clés standardisés:B Bibel. Jesus Sirach 39,4 / Voyage / Compréhension / Éducation / Mobilité / Sage / Juifs hellénisés / Grec / Littérature
Classifications IxTheo:HB Ancien Testament
Sujets non-standardisés:B Travel
B Mediterranean antiquity
B Sirach
B Education
B Bibel. Jesus Sirach, 34,9-13
B Ancient Greek writings
B Mobility
B Sages
B Second Temple Judaism
Accès en ligne: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Résumé: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.
ISSN:1476-6728
Contient:Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the Old Testament
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/0309089219862814