2 Baruch

Historical printed page 504

47 48 {21} 6 ω] tN σι II BARUCH 46. 2.--48. 5 And truly we shall be in darkness, And there shall be no light to the people who are left. ) For where again shall we seek the law, Or who will distinguish for us between death and life?’ And I said unto them: ‘The throne of the Mighty One I cannot resist ; Nevertheless, there shall not be wanting to Israel a wise man Nor a son of the law to the race of Jacob. But only prepare ye your hearts, that ye may obey the law, And be subject to those who in fear are wise and understanding ; And prepare your souls that ye may not depart from them. Ι For if ye do these things, Good tidings shall come unto you. [Which I before told you of ; nor shall ye fall into the torment, of which I testified to you before.’ xlvi. But with regard to the word that I was to be taken I did not make (it) known to them or to my son. ] And when I had gone forth and dismissed them, I went thence and said unto them: ‘ Behold! aves I go to Hebron: for thither the Mighty One hath sent me.’ And I came to that place where the word had been spoken unto me, and I sat there, and fasted seven days. XLVIII. 1-47. PRAYER OF BARUCH. And it came to pass after the seventh day, that I prayed before the Mighty One and said ‘O my Lord, Thou summonest the advent of the times, And they stand before Thee ; Thou causest the power of the ages to pass away, And they do not resist Thee ; . Thou arrangest the method of the seasons, And they obey Thee. Thou alone knowest the duration of the generations, And Thou revealest not Thy mysteries to many. And Thou weighest the lightness of the wind. Thou explorest the limit of the heights, Thou makest known the multitude of the fire, | | And Thou scrutinizest the depths of the darkness. | XLVI. 4. a son of the law = ΠΥ Ὁ “3, i.e. one bound to observe the Law. An answer to the question put in iii, 6% The expression seems to occur here first in existing literature. The verse means: There never should be lacking wise ! teachers and obedient servants of the Law. The expression has nothing to do with don “3 as Ryssel suggests. 5. be subject. Obedience to the Rabbis is here enforced. ; 6c-7. This addition was made by the final editor to adapt the fragment of B? just given to its new context. Contrast xvi. 1. 6c. the torment. This refers to xliv. 12, 15. 7. I was to be taken. Cf. xiii. 3, note, xlviii. 30. The idea of the ascension into heaven of great heroes in Jewish j history was a familiar one. See Commentary in loc. Also N.T. (Mark xvi. 19; Acts i. 2, 11, 22: 1 Tim. iii. 16). THE SEVENTH SECTION, XLVII-LXXVII. First we have Baruch’s fast of seven days, followed by his prayer (xlvii, 2—xlviii. 24). Then in the dialogue ensuing various revelations are made to Baruch touching the coming woes and the judgement (xlviii. 26-41), and the resurrection (I-lii). There follows a Messiah Apocalypse (liii-Ixxiv = A), In Ixxvi Baruch is told of his coming translation, and in Ixxvii he addresses the people. : This section is composite; xlviii-lii is derived from B?; liii-lxxiv from A*; Ixxv—Ixxvi from B®; and Ixxvii rom Bi. XLVII. 1. Why this journey to Hebron? Baruch has received no such command in our text. This verse is probably original to B' or B*; it seems, moreover, corrupt. After dismissing the people, Baruch addresses them ! The ‘gone forth’ and ‘went thence’ possibly refer to ‘the cavern in the earth’ in xxi. 1. As chapters xxi-xxiv. I, Xxx. 2-5, xli, xlii belong to B*, and in some sense form a whole, they may be connected with the cavern as their scene, If so, xlvii. 1 belongs to B?. 2. Conflicts with verse 1, and is due, like xiii. 3, to the final editor. 504