This preface surveys developments in Ben Sira research, pertinent to
the topic, since the publication of the first edition in 2002. Because the
second edition is not a rewriting of the first edition, this preface seeks to
take account of the last two decades of Ben Sira scholarship. The original
edition of the study was the revised and updated form of my 1996 doctoral
dissertation at the Catholic University of America, Washington DC. The
work was written under the guidance of the late Alexander Di Lella (1929-
2019), known especially for his Anchor Bible commentary, which he wrote
jointly with Patrick Skehan. My 2002 volume also acknowledges its debt
to the 1996 essay collection, based on papers given at the 1995 Salzburg
symposium on friendship in Ben Sira
