Baruch Ben Neriah

Book excerpt: This work traces the evolution of a biblical figure whose legacy grew from that of a scribe who edited or wrote the Book of Jeremiah to a divine sage granted a tour of heaven itself. It charts the significance of a minor figure who gradually became a larger-than-life hero in the Jewish and Christian popular imagination. In addition to exploring biblical and postbiblical depictions, it also shows how the various portrayals reveal the leadership models and religious values of early Jewish and Christian communities. It suggests that these communities reinvented Baruch to meet the pressing issues of their day. The text examines the scribe as depicted in the Bible, noting his distinction as one of the few characters whose existence can be attested by archaeological evidence. A loyal friend of Jeremiah, Baruch is recorded to have received a mysterious oracle from God in the midst of Jerusalem's destruction by the Babylonians. The volume explores how beliefs about this message provided the postbiblical impetus for Baruch's transformation into an apocalyptic seer.