Luke Judge

I just finished reading the entry, “Book of Sirach” (720-728) by Michael Phua, in the Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry, & Writings, and once again, I am duly impressed with the content of this entry. rather than interact with the various sections of Phua’s entry, I would rather discuss some of the highlights for me as the reader.
T-S 12.864 (= ms A), containing Ben Sira 5:10–7:29 and 11:34–14:11First, I was mildly surprised that in Phua’s words that the textual history of Sirach is “notoriously complex” (720). I did know that a Hebrew version existed alongside a Greek version (LXX), but I was not aware that there are at least two forms of Sirach in the Greek version (G I and G II), no fewer than nine Hebrew manuscripts, along with two Hebrew versions (H I and H II). This does not include several manuscripts in Syriac version along with an Old Latin translation. second, I really liked Phua’s description of Ben Sira as a “transitional sage” (721). Phua writes:

 He is, on the one hand, a traditional wisdom teacher, and on the other hand, an interpreter of the Scriptures. As a transitional figure, he was doing more than what the traditional wisdom teachers were doing. he interpreted Scriptures, making it part of the subject of his inquiry (721).

Third, I was happy to see Phua’s treatment of the section of Sirach that is traditionally deemed the Praise of the Fathers (Sir 44-49), as rewritten Bible. Phua notes that certain characteristics of the figures in this section are not found in the OT (e.g. Abraham’s observance of the law [Sir 44:20], Aaron receiving more attention than Moses [45:6-22; cf. 45:1-5]; 724). Fourth, Phua explains that Ben Sira is the first in Jewish tradition to explicitly correlate the wisdom and Torah (e.g. Sir 24:23). fifth, and perhaps most strikingly, as Phua points out, is the figure of Solomon, considered the wise king par excellence, is considered anything but wise according to Ben Sira (e.g. Sir 47:13, 14, 19; 726).

Lastly, Phua has a helpful section labeled “Sirach and the new Testament” (726-727). Here he points to similar saying of Jesus in the Gospels with some of Ben Sira’s, along with some notable differences as well as the Epistle of James. Phua includes 36 authors in his bibliography along with 38 separate works.

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Learning another language can be a daunting experience. At first you have high hopes, after all you are motivated and if millions of other people do it, why should you not succeed! after a little while the sobering process kicks in and we begin to wonder; why is it so terribly difficult!

There are a few aids we can use to ease the process of vocabulary learning. one of them are Picture Dictionaries.Picture Dictionaries differ greatly from regular dictionaries. we know them from our childhood days. They contain different themes – such as “on the farm” or “In the supermarket” and will show many illustrations – mostly things and situations that fit this specific theme. Studying with a picture dictionary is as relaxing as going through a magazine. Luckily there are Picture dictionaries around to cater for the adult market, either in print or online.

A software program called German Audio Gallery

features more than 800 digitized words and phrases in German. Topics include Alphabet, Weather, Numbers, etc. The software includes quizzes and subject dictionaries. there is a quiz for each chapter, so you can test your new knowledge, and German-English and English-German dictionaries.

Most printed German picture dictionaries aim for the children’s market but a lot of them are suitable for the  adult language learner to make memorizing words more fun with their visual and context sensitive approach. The amount of content we are able to pick up this way is amazing. Words are abstractions of something real. when learning pairs of words (in our case in German & English) in a conventional textbook or dictionary we are dealing with two abstractions tied together. when looking  up new vocabulary in picture dictionaries  the words are directly associated with pictures, very useful since most of us learn better in a visual way.

Millet Books publishing house offers a wide range of picture dictionaries in German language for the German language learner. Book Depository is an online bookstore based in the UK who deliver books to Australia without charging postage. A good resource for German language books and other material which might be unavailable at your local book store.

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Time and time again, translators and interpreters have used public speaking widely in order to achieve their professional goals. What Pericles of Athens said more than 25 centuries ago is still true today: “One who forms a judgment on any point but cannot explain” it clearly “might as well never have thought at all on the subject.” Translation is about communication of ideas across a wider range of international audiences by persuading them to accept those ideas. During modern times, many women and men around the globe have spread their ideas and influence to international audiences by means of public speaking. Famous US speakers include H. Ross Perot, Barbara Jordan, Martin Luther King, Billy Graham, Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, Cesar Chavez, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama. In other countries, we see the power of public speaking employed by such people as former leaders, peace activists, scientists, doctors and other great humanitarians such as Nobel Prize winners. Going over this list we get the feeling of universal insignificance – in oder words, this is none of our business. Yet, translation, interpretation and communcatioun of high quality are on such a demand that we will certainly need them one day or another. Imagine you were in any of these situations.

Imagine you were one of seven manager trainees in an international software company. Only one of you will get a lower-management position that has just become available. The trainees’ credentials will be evaluated at a meeting very soon. One by one, your colleagues are screened based on competence, past accomplishments, and the skills that they would bring as the next manager in your company. They have no foreign language experience and lack public speaking skills. You, however call upon all the skills you have developed from your Portuguese Translation Services

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