Ben Sira on Family, Gender, and Sexuality

The Book of Ben Sira, the longest Jewish wisdom book, is a combination of wisdom poems about a personified female wisdom figure, and of teachings on everyday issues including marriage, family life, self-control, desires, and sexual promiscuity. Its author demonstrates an anxiety regarding matters of sexuality in the discussions of social relations, including marriage, family life, and in warnings against sexual wrongdoing.This study examines all teachings concerning sexuality in the context of family relations and gender issues with a special regard to the differences between the Hebrew original text of the book and its Greek translation.