Saturday, September 11, 2004
I was once more going through the book of Sirach for some background work on the possible identity of the author of "Sapientia Saeculorum" when I found this passage about the wise man. Chapter 39 of Sirach is in contrast with Chapter 38, about the workmen (the techne of the Greek philosophers) who... Sign in to see full entry.
Wednesday, September 8, 2004
Back From Distraction: The Stairway To Heaven
The author of the Sapientia Saeculorum has an interesting interpretation of Isaiah 11:2-3. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom, and of understanding, the spirit of counsel, and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and of piety. And he shall be filled with the... Sign in to see full entry.
Friday, September 3, 2004
Getting Distracted
In my desire to make sure that I have before me a non-Christian even non-Biblical piece of writing, I decided to go through the Wisdom books of the Old Testament. I immediately picked up a book called "The Wisdom of Ben-Sirach" which is one of the so-called "Deutero-canonical" books because these... Sign in to see full entry.
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
A Snag: Pre-Christian Or Not?
Before I slept last night, I read through Paul's first letter to the Corinthians since it was going to be the text for the daily masses this week. And when I reached 1 Cor. 3:19, I was dumb-founded, for it read "the wisdom of this world is folly before God". It was in the first paragraph of the... Sign in to see full entry.
Sunday, August 29, 2004
Pre-Christian Jewish Sage?
Fascinating lines. If this is pre-Christian, then it should probably be numbered among the works of Jewish philosophers along the lines of Philo of Alexandria perhaps? The Holy Scriptures teach those who wish to be inflated by words that they cannot arrive at that which they desire if not by... Sign in to see full entry.
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Sapientia Saeculorum -- A Compilation of the Wisdom of the Ages
I put on my rubber gloves and put the ancient book on a wooden bookrest. Sparky the dog is doing her best to get my attention for an extra pat on the head. But I can't be disturbed at the moment. I have my Lewis and Short Latin dictionary by my side, a notebook and a pencil. I am going to translate!... Sign in to see full entry.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
It Starts With An Old Book
Mang Kiko, the old sacristan led me through a dusty corridor one floor beneath the old church. "There it is, friar" he said, pointing to an old desk covered with cobwebs. "We transferred all these things here several years ago from the old convent when it got burned." There were a lot of things on... Sign in to see full entry.