Is Sirach the same as Ecclesiastes?

No. Ecclesiastes is in every Bible and is a short reflection on whether anything lasts. Sirach, also called Ecclesiasticus, is a long book of practical advice found in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles only. The similar names are a genuine trap.

Jesus ben Sira, a teacher in Jerusalem, around 180 BC. His grandson translated it into Greek and wrote the preface. It is one of the few Old Testament books whose author names himself.

Why is Sirach also called Ecclesiasticus?

The Latin name means roughly the church book, given because it was so widely used for teaching. Both names refer to the same fifty-one chapters.

Random Verse from Sirach

1,591 verses across 51 chapters, in the Douay-Rheims. One of the seven books the Catholic Bible carries and the Protestant Bible does not.

A faithful friend is a strong defence: and he that hath found him, hath found a treasure.

Sirach 6:14DRC

TranslationFrom

Drawing from 1,591 verses

Sirach is the longest of the seven at fifty-one chapters, and the most quotable. It is also called Ecclesiasticus, which causes endless confusion with Ecclesiastes. They are different books.

A teacher named Jesus ben Sira wrote it in Hebrew around 180 BC, and his grandson translated it into Greek and added a preface explaining why translation is hard. That preface is one of the earliest pieces of writing anyone has on the problem of putting a text into another language.

The content is practical to a degree that can be startling. How to speak and when not to. How to treat aging parents. Lending money to friends and what it costs you. Table manners. Doctors. Grief and how long to keep it up. What to look for in a friend, which is the subject of the passage in chapter 6 that most people know even if they do not know where it comes from.

If Proverbs is the closest comparison, Sirach is longer, warmer, and more willing to admit that following the advice is difficult.

It is in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles rather than Protestant ones. Because it is written as short separate sayings, it is the deuterocanonical book best suited to reading one verse at a time.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sirach the same as Ecclesiastes?: No. Ecclesiastes is in every Bible and is a short reflection on whether anything lasts. Sirach, also called Ecclesiasticus, is a long book of practical advice found in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles only. The similar names are a genuine trap.
Who wrote Sirach?: Jesus ben Sira, a teacher in Jerusalem, around 180 BC. His grandson translated it into Greek and wrote the preface. It is one of the few Old Testament books whose author names himself.
Why is Sirach also called Ecclesiasticus?: The Latin name means roughly the church book, given because it was so widely used for teaching. Both names refer to the same fifty-one chapters.