Greek Baruch Apocalypse

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The Greek Baruch Apocalypse (also: 2. Baruch , abbreviated: 2Bar or gr Bar , occasionally also: 3Bar ) belongs to the so-called pseudepigraphs of the Old Testament . It is a Jewish pseudepigraphic script that was created in the 2nd century AD at the earliest, in any case after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 AD, or after the 2nd Jewish-Roman War 132 –135 AD, perhaps not until the 3rd century AD.

The script is ascribed to the biblical person Baruch , but is certainly not written by him. Today the book is not counted in either the Jewish or the Christian Bible canon .

Text transmission

The writing is preserved in some Greek and Church Slavonic manuscripts. The Greek versions have clear traces of revision with a Christian touch, which are missing in the Church Slavonic versions, which suggests that there was an older Jewish version and a more recent Christian version of the text.

content

As in the Syrian Baruch Apocalypse , the book describes visions of the prophetic disciple Baruch, which concern the destruction of the temple (allegedly that in 586 BC by Nebuchadnezzar II ). In both books, Baruch learns that although the earthly temple has been destroyed, the eternal cult of God is carried on in heaven by the angels, so that the temple does not have to be rebuilt. Ultimately, it is a consolation for the Jewish religious community that has lost its sanctuary.

  • Chapters 1-5: Baruch weeps for the fall of Jerusalem. An angel appears and leads him through the different heavens, where he u. a. learn from the fate of the builders of the Tower of Babel (cf. Gen 11), from the fate of all evil people (they are devoured by a dragon named Hades ) and the history of the tree of knowledge (cf. Gen 2-3). The tree is identified with Noah's vine (Gen 9:20), which is obviously a Christian interpolation because of the connotation with the Lord's Supper.
  • Chapter 6-9: Baruch walks through the other heavenly spheres of the sun, moon and stars. The description of astronomical ideas is strongly influenced by Hellenistic ideas.
  • Chapter 7-11: Baruch walks through the fourth and fifth heaven, where the fate of the righteous is revealed to him. He meets the Archangel Michael , who guards the access to the higher heavens, which remain closed.
  • Chapter 12-17: Baruch learns that the angels stand by the people on earth, accompany them and report about them in heaven. Here the visions end and Baruch is brought back to earth.

See also

Editions and translations

  • Wolfgang Hage, The Greek Baruch Apocalypse , JSHRZ V / 1, Gütersloh 1974, pp. 15–44.

literature

  • Ferdinand Hahn, Early Jewish and Early Christian Apokalyptik , BThSt 36, Neukirchen-Vluyn 1998, pp. 84f.

Web links

Wikisource: The edition by Paul Rießler (German)  - sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See RGG⁴, Abbreviations (2007), p. 2: 2Bar , TRE / IATG² (1992), p. XXXIV: ApcBar (gr) , ThWNT: gr Bar . Ferdinand Hahn, p. 76f .: 3. Baruch. For the various names cf. Wolfgang Hage, p. 17.
  2. ↑ http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=329&letter=B#1023
  3. ↑ http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=329&letter=B#1024