14 February, 2026 – BIBLE

The Bible – Old Testament

Sirach

Index

Int. For. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21.

22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31.

32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41.

42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51.

Chapter 15

1 He who fears the LORD will do this; he who is practiced in the law will come to wisdom.

2 Motherlike she will meet him, like a young bride she will embrace him,

3 Nourish him with the bread of understanding, and give him the water of learning to drink.

4 He will lean upon her and not fall, he will trust in her and not be put to shame.

5 She will exalt him above his fellows; in the assembly she will make him eloquent.

6 Joy and gladness he will find, an everlasting name inherit.

7 Worthless men will not attain to her, haughty men will not behold her.

8 Far from the impious is she, not to be spoken of by liars.

9 Unseemly is praise on a sinner’s lips, for it is not accorded to him by God.

10 But praise is offered by the wise man’s tongue; its rightful steward will proclaim it.

11 Say not: “It was God’s doing that I fell away”; for what he hates he does not do.

12 Say not: “It was he who set me astray”; for he has no need of wicked man.

13 Abominable wickedness the LORD hates, he does not let it befall those who fear him.

14 When God, in the beginning, created man, he made him subject to his own free choice.

15 If you choose you can keep the commandments; it is loyalty to do his will.

16 There are set before you fire and water; to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand.

17 Before man are life and death, whichever he chooses shall be given him.

18 Immense is the wisdom of the LORD; he is mighty in power, and all-seeing.

19 The eyes of God see all he has made; he understands man’s every deed.

20 No man does he command to sin, to none does he give strength for lies.

The Bible – Old Testament

Sirach

Index

Int. For. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21.

22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31.

32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41.

42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51.

The Bible – Old Testament

Sirach

Index

Int. For. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21.

22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31.

32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41.

42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51.

Introduction

The Book of Sirach derives its name from the author, Jesus, son of Eleazar, son of Sirach (⇒ Sirach 50:27). Its earliest title seems to have been “Wisdom of the Son of Sirach.” The designation “Liber Ecclesiasticus,” meaning “Church Book,” appended to some Greek and Latin manuscripts was due to the extensive use which the church made of this book in presenting moral teaching to catechumens and to the faithful.

The author, a sage who lived in Jerusalem, was thoroughly imbued with love for the law, the priesthood, the temple, and divine worship. As a wise and experienced observer of life he addressed himself to his contemporaries with the motive of helping them to maintain religious faith and integrity through study of the holy books, and through tradition.

The book contains numerous maxims formulated with care, grouped by affinity, and dealing with a variety of subjects such as the individual, the family, and the community in their relations with one another and with God. It treats of friendship, education, poverty and wealth, the law, religious worship, and many other matters which reflect the religious and social customs of the time.

Written in Hebrew between 200 and 175 B.C., the text was translated into Greek sometime after 132 B.C. by the author’s grandson, who also wrote a Foreword which contains information about the book, the author, and the translator himself. Until the close of the nineteenth century Sirach was known only in translations, of which this Greek rendering was the most important. From it the Latin version was made. Between 1896 and 1900, again in 1931, and several times since 1956, manuscripts were discovered containing in all about two thirds of the Hebrew text, which agrees substantially with the Greek. One such text, from Masada, is pre-Christian in date.

Though not included in the Hebrew Bible after the first century A.D., nor accepted by Protestants, the Book of Sirach has always been recognized by the Catholic Church as divinely inspired and canonical. The Foreword, though not inspired, is placed in the Bible because of its antiquity and importance.

The contents of Sirach are of a discursive nature, not easily divided into separate parts. Sir 1-43 deal largely with moral instruction; ⇒ Sirach 44:1-⇒ 50:24 contain a eulogy of the heroes of Israel and some of the patriarchs. There are two appendices in which the author expresses his gratitude to God, and appeals to the unlearned to acquire true wisdom.

The Church uses the Book of Sirach extensively in her liturgy.

Index

Int. For. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21.

22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31.

32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41.

42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51.

Itálica

A pocos kilómetros al norte de Sevilla, en el municipio de Santiponce, se encuentran las impresionantes ruinas de Itálica, la primera ciudad romana fundada en Hispania y también fuera de Italia. Su origen se remonta al año 206 a. C., cuando se asentaron aquí soldados heridos tras la Segunda Guerra Púnica sobre un antiguo poblado turdetano, en un lugar estratégico junto al río Baetis, entre las ciudades de Hispalis (Sevilla) e Ilipa (Alcalá del Río).

Itálica alcanzó su máximo esplendor durante los siglos I y II d. C., especialmente bajo los emperadores Trajano y Adriano, ambos nacidos en esta ciudad. La fama de Itálica en Roma se vio reforzada por este hecho, convirtiéndola en una de las colonias hispanas más prestigiosas del imperio.

Entre los restos que hoy podemos visitar destacan las murallas que protegían la ciudad, el anfiteatro —donde se realizaban espectáculos y luchas de gladiadores—, el templo de Trajano (Traianeum), las termas mayores, conocidas también como de la Reina Mora, y varias casas con mosaicos y estructuras que muestran la vida cotidiana de sus habitantes. La ciudad, aunque nunca fue capital de provincia, tuvo gran relevancia durante la época imperial y siguió manteniendo cierta importancia hasta la época visigoda, cuando incluso sus murallas fueron restauradas por el rey Leovigildo en el siglo VI.

Durante la etapa musulmana, Itálica pervivió bajo el nombre de Talikah o Taliqa, y algunos autores árabes documentaron personajes con la nisba al-Talikí. No fue hasta el siglo XII cuando la ciudad quedó prácticamente abandonada, conocida ya como Campos de Talica o Sevilla la Vieja, aunque sus ruinas continuaron siendo utilizadas como cantera de materiales durante siglos.

Itálica también es célebre por ser cuna de emperadores romanos, un hecho destacado desde el siglo XVI por historiadores y poetas como Rodrigo Caro. Sus ruinas han despertado la admiración de viajeros de todo el mundo y, a pesar de los saqueos y la utilización de sus materiales a lo largo de los siglos, se ha ido recuperando y protegiendo como uno de los yacimientos arqueológicos más importantes de España. Desde 1912 fue declarada Monumento Nacional y hoy se encuentra dentro de un área arqueológica protegida por la Junta de Andalucía, equipada con técnicas modernas de conservación.

Visitar Itálica es adentrarse en los orígenes de la presencia romana en Hispania: recorrer sus calles, imaginar su anfiteatro en pleno espectáculo o contemplar los restos de templos y casas que han sobrevivido más de dos mil años. Situada a solo 7 km de Sevilla, ofrece a los viajeros de la Ruta de la Plata una experiencia única, donde historia, arqueología y paisaje se mezclan para contar la fascinante historia de la primera colonia romana fuera de Italia.

RUTA DE LA PLATA