2 Baruch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Books of the Old Testament (For details see Biblical canon) |
| Hebrew Bible or Tanakh Common to Judaism and Christianity |
Included by Orthodox and Roman Catholics, but excluded by Jews and Protestants:
|
Included by Greek & Slavonic Orthodox:
|
Included by Georgian Orthodox:
|
Included by Ethiopian Orthodox:
|
Included in Syriac Peshitta Bible:
|
2 Baruch also known as the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch is a Jewish pseudepigraphical text written in the late 1st century CE or early 2nd century CE, after the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans in 70 CE. It is not part of the canon of either the Jewish or most Christian Bibles but is part of the Syriac Peshitta. It has 87 sections.
Although the canonical Book of Jeremiah portrays Baruch as Jeremiah's scribe, 2 Baruch portrays him as a prophet in his own right, and superior to Jeremiah. It has a similar style to the writings attributed to Jeremiah - a mix of prayer, lamentation, and visions. It is generally seen by scholars as having been written in reaction to the fall of Jerusalem, and particularly the Temple in Jerusalem. According to the text, the Temple's sacred objects were rescued from destruction by angels, and await the temple's rebuilding.
The first part of the text is structured in triplets - three fasts each followed by three visions and three addresses to the people. The visions are notable for their discussion of theodicy, the problem of evil, and an emphasis on predestination. The second part of the text is a long letter, which many scholars believe was originally a separate document, which discusses the importance and primacy of Jewish law.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Text of 2 Baruch in its ancient versions: Syriac, Greek, and Latin
- Translation from "The Apocrypha and Pseudeipgrapha of the Old Testament", R. H. Charles
- Jewish Encyclopedia: BARUCH, APOCALYPSE OF (Syriac)
- 2 Baruch at earlyjewishwritings.com
