wrath

The twenty-seventh chapter in the Book of Sirach (NABRE) looks at the role of wrath, anger, and vengeance in connection with faith. It’s worth being aware that the Book of Sirach is one of the deuterocanonical writings that is recognized as belonging in the Bible by the Catholic Church but not accepted as canonical by most Protestant Christian denominations. The major difference is that it predates Christ but originally was written in Greek rather than in Hebrew. The argument against preserving it hinges on the suggestion that it was heavily influenced by Greek thought.

The Book of Sirach 27:30 (NABRE) addresses the topic of wrath, which also shows up in numerous other places in Scripture, especially in the Old Testament. By context in the Book of Sirach, we see that it looks at the wrath of humans against humans rather than wrath of God against humans, although the word can refer to either. The word used in the Book of Sirach for wrath is the Greek word manis, which is significant because it also is the first word and key theme of Homer’s Iliad, a story about the great revenge Achilles takes on his own people and his enemies.

In Greek thought, Achilles’ behavior is seen as virtuous and held up as a model. How does the reading from the Book of Sirach treat the same core concept? On that basis, how corrupted by Greek thought do you think the author of the Book of Sirach is? Based on the Gospel According to Matthew 18:21-35 (NABRE), what does Jesus see as the role of revenge in serving God?

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Scripture & the Rosary: New Testament Mysteries, Old Testament Parallels, a 26-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, looks at the biblical foundations of the Rosary. The study includes lessons on Pope St. John Paul II’s Rosarium Virginis Mariae (Rosary of the Virgin Mary), the Apostles’ Creed, and the Luminous Mysteries as well as the original 15 Mysteries of the Rosary. Color photographs of stained glass windows depict key scenes in the lives of Jesus and Mary. In lieu of a sample, check out our free digital lessons.

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