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This article explores the paratexts of the epistles attributed to Baruch, the scribe of Jeremiah, in Syriac, Peshitta Old Testament manuscripts. In early manuscripts, the epistles ascribed to the figure Baruch are, most commonly, either included in the Jeremiah corpus or embedded in the work known as 2 Baruch. This article argues that 2 Baruch has had a larger influence on the Syriac Christian corpus-building and literary imagination than has been hitherto acknowledged. This hypothesis would explain both the inclusion of two epistles of Baruch in the Peshitta Jeremiah corpus and the appearance of unprecedented readings in the titles and introductory addresses of the epistles attributed to Baruch in this corpus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "The Name 'Berechiah' in Zechariah 1" by Mark Leuchter examines the name of the prophet Zechariah and its significance in various sources from the Persian period. It is suggested that the name "Berechiah" may have been inspired by Baruch b. Neriah, the scribe of the Book of Jeremiah. The study also explores the role of Baruch b. Neriah in the Book of Jeremiah and his significance as a scribe and interpreter of the prophecies. It is demonstrated that the prophetic texts of the Book of Zechariah have a close connection to the Jeremiah tradition and that the name "Berechiah" establishes a connection to Baruch and the Book of Zechariah. [Extracted from the article]

This short study seeks to highlight the rhetorical use of creation imagery in the sapiential Torah exhortation of Baruch 3:9–4:4. A methodology of rhetorical criticism will principally be used to investigate the style of this "ecologically" insightful part of the poem as well as its function in the wider message of the exhortation. The few short phrases of 3:33–35 effectively bolster the overall exhortation to adhere to the divine commandments as Israel is thereby invited to an imitation of creation in its reverent, unhesitating, joyful and Patriarch-like obedience to the divine will. To paraphrase this idea, "Hear O Israel, be like the light and the stars! Learn from creation and you will live." Finally, this study seeks to contribute to the more recent attention to the Book of Baruch by commenting further on the previously accentuated unoriginality of this marvelous short work of Second Temple Jewish literature, especially with regard to its employment of some bright "ecological" wisdom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last three decades have seen a resurgence in scholarly interest in the concepts of time and temporality in Jewish Studies, which has included a focus on ancient Jewish texts. In this paper, I examine the different ways that four texts which have not received a lot of attention employ concepts of time and temporality to help fashion a Jewish identity. Judith, the Letter of Aristeas, Baruch, and the Wisdom of Solomon take different approaches, which I call historiographical, translational, exilic, and thanatological time, to shape the identity of their audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Este artigo tem como objetivo apresentar aproximações entre os pensamentos de Jacob Levy Moreno e Baruch Spinoza, destacando a concepção de corpo, bem como a ética da alegria e do encontro inerente à filosofia dos dois autores. Portanto, o texto apresenta a convergência de sentidos entre alguns conceitos da Teoria dos Afetos de Spinoza e os do campo teórico do Psicodrama. O artigo também destaca contribuições dos dois pensadores para o campo da Psicologia Social e explicita a colaboração da teoria espinosana para o âmbito da psicoterapia de abordagem psicodramática.

This article proposes an integrative analysis of the ouranology of 3 Baruch. This apocalyptic work, properly read, manifests complex ouranological conceptions well integrated not only into early Jewish literature and Hellenistic thought, but also into later mystical traditions. The unique worldview of the book has heretofore given rise to a complex set of interpretive problems; the detailed comparative approach of the present article not only provides a reasonable solution, but also sheds light on the cosmological conceptions of other early Jewish documents and the traditions lying behind them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent scholarship has reflected upon the relationship between sensus fidelium and scripture, but the Old Testament appears marginalized in this undertaking. This essay argues that the church can learn from Israel's faith for the concept of sensus fidelium. It presents the 'canonical approach' as an exegetical tool to bring the church as a reading community into conversation with many generations of believers in Israel and its own tradition. Furthermore, it provides one example of how a contemporary interpretation of an Old Testament text might deepen the understanding of the infallibility of the whole church in relation to its failures and sins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that universalistic themes of the apocalyptic work 3 Baruch should be seen as evidence for the integrity of the text's ending. The author of the work emphasizes the unity of the human condition through a firmly structured cosmology and universalistic moral demands. The text presents the figures associated with the Tower of Babel, a vision of a phoenix protecting the world, and a heavenly temple scene with the archangel Michael, as helping the seer Baruch to acknowledge God's dominion over the world. 3 Baruch presents God's glory as tied to a concern for all people and control over the cosmos. The structure and episodes created by the author of the text work to downplay Jewish particularism and halakhic commands as a response to the destruction of the Temple by the Romans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Second Temple Judaism great importance is attributed to penitence and the confession of sins. In this period we observe the development of the socalled "penitential prayers." In this study on the Book of Baruch we intend to examine some expressions of penitence, particularly ones where the emphasis is on the state of the body. The decision to focus on this aspect is motivated by the close connection existing between penitence/prayer and the body of the worshipper/penitent. In the biblical mentality the notion of the body is one of the key aspects of revelation and salvation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay examines continuities and discontinuities between Apocryphal Baruch and the Qumran Apocryphon of Jeremiah C, and attempts to situate these texts relative to one another and within their shared social matrix. Special attention is paid to their specific usage of scripture, their respective interpretations of the Babylonian exile, their implied understanding of efficacious Jewish religious practice in the second and first centuries B.C.E., and how these were further reflected in the reputation of their protagonists: the prophet Jeremiah, and his scribal companion Baruch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article shows that the two narrative fragments of the Qumran second century B.C.E. Apocryphon of Jeremiah C(4Q385a 18 and 4Q389 1) elaborate traditions of the prophet Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch. The juxtaposition of the two types of traditions in a single work attests to its early date. Such an early period, and perhaps even earlier one, is also reflected by the Hebrew Vorlage of the book of Jeremiah. Like the Greek translation this Hebrew Vorlage probably juxtaposed as appendix the book of Baruch 1:1-3:8 to the book of Jeremiah. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the affinities and divergences between the processes that the traditions about Jeremiah underwent within extra-biblical literature and those that occurred within the Hebrew Bible itself. The narratival frameworks of many of the pseudepigraphical stories about Jeremiah focus on the period following the destruction of the city and the traditions regarding Jeremiah's fate in the wake of the destruction take a fluid form in post-biblical literature. Accordingly, the article deals particularly with the fate of the prophet by the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem; the traditions about Jeremiah in chains; the historization process linking Jeremiah and Gedaliah; the different geographical traditions regarding the location of Jeremiah after the exile; the development of the traditions regarding Jeremiah and his relation to Baruch; and the portraying of prophecy as needing preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay presents scholarship on 2 Baruch published from 2000 to 2009 and discusses the main topics, perspectives and debates addressed in these recent contributions. The first part of the essay provides a general introduction to 2 Baruch, offering a brief overview of the literary contents and historical context of the text, as well as a short résumé of the main debates of scholarship in the period 1866—1999. The second, main, part addresses four topics: (1) recent text editions, translations and critical editions, (2) contributions addressing the composition of 2 Baruch, (3) significant thematic studies, and (4) studies dedicated to the provenance, social situation and reception of 2 Baruch. These issues are discussed with an eye for two prominent debates in recent scholarship on the Pseudepigrapha: first, the debate of the provenance of the Pseudepigrapha, and second, the methodological debate of the relationship between narrative fiction and the historical situation of ancient writings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The story of Jeremiah's Scroll and its journey (Jer 36) uses a spatial strategy to link together a set of four separate and distinct locations. They function as part of a chain of events and a series of staged readings. Using a dictated scroll and a professional scribe as his surrogates, the prophet is able to reach into the most restricted realms of authority. His message to the people of Jerusalem will follow a path from his own hidden chambers to the temple complex and on to the office suite in the royal palace. Eventually, the scroll will be read before the king in his private audience chamber completing a journey that has forged a chained linkage of readings and evoked a variety of reactions. What becomes clear in these linked scenes is the manner in which significant space can be manipulated and shaped to achieve the aims of the storyteller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]