secundum benedictionem Aaron de populo tuo : et dirige nos in viam justitiæ, et sciant omnes qui habitant terram quia tu es Deus conspector sæculorum.
The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach, or Ecclesiasticus 36:19 Commentary
1 historical voiceHow the Church has read Sirach 36:19 across two millennia — Matthew Henry, John Calvin, Augustine of Hippo, John Chrysostom and more, gathered verse by verse from the public domain.
Voices across the centuries
Medieval 1
ON ECCLESIASTICUS 8:7
Zion is translated as “contemplation.” And the holy church is rightly called “contemplation,” because it is from there that the hearts of the faithful contemplate the joys of the heavenly kingdom. The Lord fills them with his unspeakable words and instructs them with knowledge of the divine books, in which are proclaimed the inexpressible power of God and the incomparable glory of his majesty. Moreover, by the signs of miracles he manifests his power among all peoples, so that, for this reason, it will be a motive for terror and for honor among all the surrounding nations. Thus we read in the Acts of the Apostles that while Paul preached and performed miracles in the city of Ephesus, “all were filled with fear,” that is, the Jews and the Gentiles who lived there, “and they glorified the name of the Lord Jesus. Many who had embraced the faith came to confess their actions in public. And many who had followed magic arts brought their books and burned them before all. The value of all of these was calculated, and they found it to be fifty thousand drachmas of silver. In this way the word of God grew and was strengthened.”