The Apocalypse of Baruch: Translated From the Syriac

by R.H. Charles (Translator)

The 'Apocalypse of Baruch' (or '2 Baruch') was evidently written originally in Hebrew, translated into Greek, and then from Greek into Syriac. This book presents a vivid picture of the hopes and beliefs of Judaism during the years 50-100 C.E. Its composition was thus contemporaneous with that of the New Testament and is therefore of great interest to both the religion of Judeans and the early Christ-followers. Two rabbis have been suggested as the author of the work: Rabbi Akiba and Rabbi Joshua ben Hananiah.

190 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1896

About the author

Robert Henry Charles (1855–1931) was an Irish biblical scholar and theologian. He left parochial work in 1889 to devote himself to biblical research and became the greatest authority of his time in matters of Jewish eschatology and apocrypha. He became a canon at Westminster Abbey in 1913 and archdeacon there in 1919. His books include Eschatology (1913, 2nd ed), Between the Old and New Testaments (1914), and his edition of The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament. (1913). He is known particularly for English translations of apocryphal and pseudepigraphal works, and editions including Jubilees (1895), the Book of Enoch (1906), and the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (1908) which have been widely used. Among his other publications are The Apocalypse (1920), Divorce and Nullity (1927), and The Resurrection of Man (1930). He was educated at the Belfast Academy, Queen's College, Belfast and Trinity College, Dublin. He gained a D.D. and became Professor of Biblical Greek at Trinity College.

Reviews

[Erick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the Apocalypse of Ezra (4 Ezra), the Apocalypse of Baruch is a notable work in the genre of apocalyptic. Like the former work, the Apocalypse of Baruch is pseudepigraphic; Baruch was not the actual author. Instead, the author was probably a Jew living in the first century that saw his generation as being reminiscent of Baruch's. To truly appreciate works like this one has to acknowledge that pseudepigraphy was not seen in quite the same way then as we would today. It wasn't really a ruse. It was more an attempt to honor the personage the author is adopting, while also appealing to a larger readership when the message itself was deemed important by the actual author.

These visionary works I find endlessly fascinating. The symbolism is often profoundly archetypal and universal. When one has delved into these works to the degree that I have, one starts to be able to decode the cryptic language somewhat. And, honestly, it aids in reading canonical works like Daniel and the book of Revelation. One starts to appreciate that attempting to interpret apocalyptic works in the insipidly literalistic way that dispensationalists do, accuracy couldn't be further from the result.

I strongly encourage especially Christians to study works like this. As I mentioned in my review for 4 Ezra, 1 Enoch is one of the most important in regards to apocalyptic thought. One will start to see echoes in the New Testament in various places. I have no doubt at all that the world view found in Enoch was shared by Jesus, the disciples and the writers of the New Testament. One can only really deny this out of ignorance. There are a couple of collections of apocalyptic works available for any one who is interested.

[Santiago González (puntoartica) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy buen apócrifo la verdad. Visiones molonas, libro edificante y de agradable lectura. Forma parte de la Peshitta de los cristianos siriacos. También es interesante para conocer ese periodo entre el judaísmo del Segundo Templo y el futuro judaismo rabínico.

[Michael Jeffries · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems like a non canonical dispensational piece with apocalyptic fluff. The taming of an eagle to use as a messenger is cool though!