Abstract

The discovery in 1964 of a Hebrew Ben Sira Scroll dating from the 1st Century BCE confirmed the authenticity of the mediaeval Ben Sira manuscripts from the Cairo genizah, that have been found between 1896 and 1931. The end of the 1960’s saw a shift in Ben Sira research. The dominance of philological and text critical studies disappeared and was replaced by a steadily growing attention for literal, theological, historical and sociological aspects. In this contribution, P.C. Beentjes offers an overview of research between 1994 and 1998 concentrating on monographs and doctoral theses dealing with the Book of Ben Sira