The Aramaic Bible: Targums in their Historical Context

166 The Aramaic Bible: Tar gums in their Historical Context
promise which is fulfilled in the construction of the Second Temple
because the rebuilt sanctuary has been 'prepared for eternal glory'. 8
His high regard for the cult and the priestly office suggest that he
was a priest scribe. Therefore he can say that God entrusted not only
Moses with the 'Torah of Life' but also Aaron:
In his commandments he gave him authority in statutes and judgements,
to teach Jacob the testimonies, and to enlighten Israel with his law. 9
Ben Sira still understands the exegesis of the Torah as a priestly
privilege. The offices of priest and prophet do not exist in opposition
to one another because for him prophets had only a temporary function
between Joshua and the construction of the Second Temple. In the
present time the priestly exegete of the holy scriptures, enlightened by
God's Spirit, has replaced the prophets.
Ben Sira thus forms a spiritual-intellectual pivotal point. He is a
wise man of synthesis who unites contrary aspects: Wisdom and
Torah, universal knowledge and observance of the scriptures, sapiential
reason and faith based on revelation, priestly concern with order
and prophetic inspiration, Temple cult and ethical action. But he finds
himself faced with a threatening crisis. This daring synthesis cannot
hold in this form. His emphatic warning to all the priests to remain
united 10 and his critical analysis of the Zeitgeist shows that his
attempted synthesis is connected with a threat. This crisis becomes
evident in the experiment of the 'Hellenistic reform' in Jerusalem
which was initiated by the leading priests. This reform leads the
community in Jerusalem to the brink of self-destruction.
In effect he has arrived at a crossroads: how can it continue to be
true that exegesis of scriptures remain a privilege of the priests, if he
himself does not any more regard wisdom as a privilege of an aristocratic
group, but instead invites all who want to learn into his
school? 11 And if he himself describes his activity as exegete and poet
in prophetic terms and claims to do his work by the divine charism of
the Spirit, will this not lead to a new form of 'inspired exegesis', such
as one meets in the apocalyptic texts? And if the priestly aristocracy
8. Sir. 49.10, 12.
9. Sir. 45.5, 17; cf. 45.26; Mai. 2.7; Deut. 33.10.
10. Sir. 41.8-9; cf. 2.3; 4.19 etc; M. Hengel, Judaism and Hellenism (London:
SCM Press, 1974), p. 271.
11. Sir. 51.23; cf. 51.29.