Baruch (Judaism)

Baruch early Jewish book included in the Septuagint, but not included in the Hebrew Bible and placed in the Apocrypha in the Authorized Version. It is named for a Jewish prince Baruch (fl. 600 BC), friend and editor of Jeremiah the prophet (see Jeremiah , book of the Bible). Baruch comprises: a message from the exiled Jews to the Jews still at home, including a prayer for Palestinian Jews to use, confessing sin and asking divine mercy; a hymn in praise of wisdom, including a reference to the incarnation of Wisdom in the form of the Torah, i.e., the law of God, understood in the early Church as an allusion to the incarnation of Jesus; a consolation of Jerusalem containing a lament; finally chapter 6, which is a letter of Jeremiah warning the exiles against idolatry. While there exist versions of Baruch in Syriac, Ethiopic, Latin and other ancient languages, these are based on the Greek, which in turn probably derives from a Hebrew original. Critics disagree greatly over the dates of Baruch; some see it as a collection of works by several authors. For the Apocalypse of Baruch, or Syriac Baruch, see Pseudepigrapha . For further bibliography, see Apocrypha .

Baruch. Scribe and companion of the prophet Jeremiah. In apocryphal literature, several books are attributed to him, and further fragments of such books have been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The Book of Baruch (1 Baruch) is one of the additions to the book of Jeremiah in the Septuagint.

2 Baruch (Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch) describes the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem, written to encourage Jews after the destruction of the second Temple.

3 Baruch (Greek Apocalypse of Baruch) describes Baruch's vision of the seven heavens.

The Rest of the Words of Baruch (4 Baruch or Paralipomena Jeremiae) is a legendary account of Jeremiah's return from exile and his death.

Baruch, book of A miscellaneous collection of prayers and narrative from the 2nd cent. BCE attributed to Jeremiah's scribe Baruch. It was contained in the Greek LXX (though it may have been originally composed in Hebrew) and is therefore classified as part of scripture by Catholics, but its absence from the Hebrew OT puts it in the Apocrypha for Protestants.

The work claims to be written during the Babylonian Exile, advocates prayers for gentile rulers, and has affinity with the Wisdom literature (such as Job 28). (It is sometimes referred to as 1 Baruch to distinguish it from the two following.)