A new history of ecclesiastical writers containing an account of the authors of the several books of the Old and New Testament, of the lives and writings of the primitive fathers, an abridgement and catalogue of their works ... also a compendious history of the councils, with chronological tables of the whole / written in French by Lewis Ellies du Pin.

(gg) Some of the Ancients have attributed this Work to Salomon.] St. Cyprian and St. Ambrose have cited it under his name. St. Hilary testifies, that several Persons in his time attributed it to him. This opinion is impossible to be maintain∣ed, not only because we know who is the Author, but also because in ch. 47. there is mention made of the Prophets that lived after Salomon. Eusebius; St. Jerome, the Author of the Abridgment attri∣buted to Athanasius, St. Epiphanius, St. Chrysostom; St. Austin, Caesarius of Arles, and many others, have acknowledged the true Author of it, who was Jesus the Son of Syrach. St. Jerome says, he lived under the High-Priest Simon the Son of Onias the Second, and that he wrote this Book after the Version of the Septuagint, or at least, that he lived in their time: And first he proves it by the Preface of his Grandson, who says he collected these Books of his Grandfather in the time of Ptolomy Euergetes, who immediately succeeded Ptolomy Philadelphus. Secondly, because he com∣mends the High-Priest Simon the Just, Son of Onias the First, ch. 50. and afterwards the Translator praises Jesus the Son of Sirach, as one that lived in the time of that High-Priest. Thirdly, because, ch. 2. he seems to speak of the Persecution, which the Jews suffered under Ptolomy the Son of Lagus, and in the first year of Ptolomy Philadelphus. Hueti∣us believes, that Joseph the Son of Syrach is the same with a certain Jew named Ben Sira, who has writ∣ten the Proverbs in Hebrew, but this opinion does not appear to be well grounded.