Baruch | |
|---|---|
 Baruch ben Neria from thePromptuarii Iconum Insigniorum (1553). | |
| Prophet, Righteous | |
| Honored in | Judaism Christianity Rastafari |
| Feast | 28 September 15 November |
| Major works | Book of Baruch |
Baruch ben Neriah (Hebrew:בָּרוּךְ בֶּן־נֵרִיָּהBārūḵ ben Nērīyyā; c. 6th century BC) was thescribe, disciple, secretary, and devoted friend of theBiblicalprophetJeremiah. He is traditionally credited with authoring theBook of Baruch.[1]
According toJosephus, Baruch was aJewisharistocrat, a son ofNeriah and brother ofSeraiah ben Neriah, chamberlain of KingZedekiah ofJudah.[2][3]
Baruch became the scribe of the prophet Jeremiah and wrote down the first and second editions of his prophecies as they were dictated to him.[4] Baruch remained true to the teachings and ideals of the great prophet, although like his master he was at times almost overwhelmed with despondency. While Jeremiah was in hiding to avoid the wrath of KingJehoakim, he commanded Baruch to read his prophecies of warning[5] to the people gathered in theTemple in Jerusalem on a day offasting. The task was both difficult and dangerous, but Baruch performed it without flinching and it was probably on this occasion that the prophet gave him the personal message (Jeremiah 45).
Both Baruch and Jeremiah witnessed theBabylonian siege of Jerusalem of 587–586 BC. In the middle of the siege of Jerusalem, Jeremiah purchased an estate inAnathoth on which the Babylonian armies had encamped (as a symbol of faith in the eventual restoration of Jerusalem;Jeremiah 32) and, according to Josephus, Baruch continued to reside with him atMizpah.[3]
He was carried with Jeremiah toEgypt, where, according to a tradition preserved by Jerome,[6] he soon died. Two other traditions state that he later went, or was carried, toBabylon byNebuchadnezzar II after the latter's conquest of Egypt.
Baruch's prominence, by reason of his intimate association with Jeremiah, led later generations to exalt his reputation still further. To him were attributed theBook of Baruch and two other Jewish books.[a]
In 1975, a claybulla purportedly containing Baruch's seal and name appeared on the antiquities market. Its purchaser, a prominentIsraeli collector, permitted IsraeliarchaeologistNahman Avigad to publish the bulla.[7][8] Although its source is not definitively known, it has been identified as coming from the "burnt house" excavated byYigal Shiloh. The bulla is now in theIsrael Museum. It measures 17 by 16 millimetres (0.67 by 0.63 in), and is stamped with an oval seal, 13 by 11 millimetres (0.51 by 0.43 in). The inscription, written in theancient Hebrew alphabet, reads:[9]
| Line | Transliteration | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | lbrkyhw | [belonging] to Berachyahu |
| 2 | bn nryhw | son of Neriyahu |
| 3 | hspr | the scribe |
In 1996, a second clay bulla emerged with an identical inscription; presumably stamped with the same seal. This bulla also was imprinted with afingerprint;[10]Hershel Shanks, among others, speculated that the fingerprint might be that of Baruch himself;[11][12] the authenticity of these bullae however has been disputed.ibid.And they are now considered a forgery by most scholars.[13]
In the second edition ofRichard Elliott Friedman's bookWho Wrote the Bible?, in which he defended thedocumentary hypothesis, he put forward the claim that theDeuteronomist, who is generally thought to have either written or edited the books fromDeuteronomy toII Kings, was Baruch ben Neriah. He defended this assertion by comparing a number of different phrases in theBook of Jeremiah with phrases in other books. Some[who?] reject this claim on the grounds that it goes beyond the evidence.
Therabbis described Baruch as a faithful helper and blood-relative of Jeremiah. According to rabbinic literature, both Baruch and Jeremiah, beingkohanim and descendants of the proselyteRahab, served as a humiliating example to their contemporaries, inasmuch as they belong to the few who harkened to the word of God.[14] AMidrash in theSifre regarded Baruch as identical with theEthiopianEbed-melech, who rescued Jeremiah from the dungeon,[15] and states that he received his appellation Baruch ("blessed") because of his piety, which contrasted with the loose life of the court, as the skin of an Ethiopian contrasts with that of a white person.[16] According to aSyriacaccount, because his piety might have prevented the destruction of the Temple, God commanded him to leave Jerusalem before the catastrophe, so as to remove his protective presence.[17] According to the account, Baruch then saw, fromAbraham's oak atHebron, the Temple set on fire by angels, who previously had hidden the sacred vessels.[18]
TheTannaim are much divided on the question whether Baruch is to be classed among the Prophets. According toMekhilta,[19] Baruch complained[20] because the gift of prophecy had not been given to him. "Why," he said, "is my fate different from that of all the other disciples of the Prophets?Joshua servedMoses, and theHoly Spirit rested upon him;Elisha servedElijah, and the Holy Spirit rested upon him. Why is it otherwise with me?" God answered him: "Baruch, of what avail is a hedge where there is no vineyard, or a shepherd where there are no sheep?" Baruch, therefore, found consolation in the fact that when Israel was exiled to Babylonia there was no longer occasion for prophecy.
TheSeder Olam (xx.), however, and theTalmud,[21] include Baruch among the Prophets, and state that he prophesied in the period following the destruction. It was in Babylonia also thatEzra studied the Torah with Baruch. Nor did he think of returning toJudea during his teacher's lifetime, since he considered the study of theTorah more important than the rebuilding of the Temple;[22] and Baruch could not join the returning exiles by reason of his age.[23]
Some Christian legends (especially from Syria and Arabia) identify Baruch withZoroaster, and give much information concerning him. Baruch, angry because the gift of prophecy had been denied him, and on account of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, left Israel to found the religion of Zoroaster. The prophecy of theVirgin birth of Jesus, and of theAdoration of the Magi, is also ascribed to Baruch-Zoroaster.[b] It is difficult to explain the origin of this curious identification of a prophet with a magician, such as Zoroaster was held to be, among the Jews,Christians, and Arabs. De Sacy[24] explains it on the ground that in Arabic the name of the prophet Jeremiah is almost identical with that of the city of Urmiah, where, it is said, Zoroaster lived.
However, this may be, the Jewish legend mentioned above (under Baruch in Rabbinical Literature), according to which the Ethiopian inJeremiah 38:7 is undoubtedly identical with Baruch, is connected with this Arabic–Christian legend. In theClementine Recognitions Zoroaster was believed to be a descendant ofHam;[25] and, according toGenesis 10:6, Cush, the Ethiopian, is a son of Ham. According to the "Recognitions",[26] the Persians believed that Zoroaster had been taken into heaven in a chariot ("ad cœlum vehiculo sublevatum"); and according to the Jewish legend, the above-mentioned Ethiopian was transported alive into paradise,[27] an occurrence that, like the translation of Elijah,[28] must have taken place by means of a "vehiculum." Another reminiscence of the Jewish legend is found in Baruch-Zoroaster's words concerning Jesus: "He shall descend from my family",[29] since, according to theHaggadah, Baruch was a priest; andMaria, the mother of Jesus, was of priestly family.
In theEastern Orthodox Church Baruch is venerated as asaint, and as such is commemorated on September 28 (which, for those who follow the traditionalJulian Calendar, falls on October 11 of theGregorian Calendar).
TheCatholic Church considers Baruch as a Saint along with otherbiblical prophets,[30] his feast days are 28 September and 15 November.[31][32]
Some sources set a date for his commemoration on 21 October.[33]
The tomb of Baruch is unknown. It is reported to be a mile away from that ofEzekiel, near a town known Mashhad Ali;[34] however there is no record of it existing. Rabbinic sources reported that a strange plant, the leaves of which are sprinkled with gold dust, grows on it.[35] According to theSyriac Apocalypse of Baruch, he was translated to paradise in his mortal body.[36] The tomb is said to have been miraculous as well, and was supposedly a place for Jewish pilgrimage.[37]
However, there is a tomb within theAl-Nukhailah Mosque inAl-Kifl dedicated to Baruch.[38] Corresponding with the earlier legend, it is located near to theTomb of Ezekiel, which is also in the same building.
§61 The patriarchs, prophets and certain other Old Testament figures have been and always will be honored as saints in all the Church's liturgical traditions
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
Jastrow, Morris; Levi, Gerson B.; Kent, Charles Foster; Jastrow, Marcus; Ginzberg, Louis; Gottheil, Richard (1906)."Baruch". InSinger, Isidore; et al. (eds.).The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.| International | |
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