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Dr. Ehrenkrook
RELGST 1210
19 October 2012
2 Baruch
The beginning of Baruch starts in the twenty-fifth year of Jeconiah, king of Judah, when the word of the Lord came to Baruch, the son of Neriah. God asks, “Have you seen all that this people are doing to Me, that the evils which these two tribes which remained have done are greater than (those of) the ten tribes which were carried away captive?” The people of Israel are not folling the commandments he gave to them. “The former tribes were forced by their kings to commit sin, but these two of themselves have been forcing and compelling their kings to commit sin. For this reason, behold I bring evil upon this city, and upon its inhabitants, and it shall be removed from before me for a time, and I will scatter this people among the Gentiles that they may do good to the Gentiles. And my people shall be chastened, and the time shall come when they will seek for the prosperity of their times.” This is not the kind, loving and forgiving God that kids learn about in bible school. This God is planning on destroying a city, so he then picks out a man in that city, Baruch, and tells him to leave. Then God plans on delivering up this land to the people that hate the Jews. This is also unique because God refers to the fact that he is destroying the city of his people.
God then says that he is telling Baruch this so that him and people like him may “retire” from the city. The reason God will save Baruch’s people is that his works form a “strong pillar” and his prayers form a “strong wall”
Baruch asks God what would happen after the city is destroyed. Baruch wonders why God will submit his people to the gentiles. Baruch appears to be willing to follow God’s plan, but at this point he is skeptical. God’s response to Baruch’s skepticism is that the land shall be given up for a time, and the people will be tormented for a time, but the world will not be given up into oblivion. Baruch essentially did not see God’s plan as fair to his people.
On the next day, the army of the Chaldees had surrounded the city. Baruch grieved for the city and the people who would now be under the rule of a foreign kingdom. Then angels appeared and swooped up Baruch. One angel gave God’s message: “Earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the mighty God, and receive what I commit to you, and guard them until the last times, so that, when you are ordered, you may restore them, so that strangers may not get possession of them. For the time comes when Jerusalem also will be delivered for a time, until it is said, that it is again restored forever.” So it appears that the angel is trying to give the people hope that another time of Jewish rule will come again. Then something very counter-intuitive happens: the Angels destroy the walls and foundation of Jerusalem. The reasoning behind the angels destroying the walls is so that the army will not take credit for destroying the mighty city of God. This shows a very human characteristic in the divine, because the angels seem to destroy their own city just so no one else can say they did it. The Chaldees entered the city and slew a few people then took the rest captive. Baruch mourned and fasted for seven days. Baruch showed that this event had an emotional impact on him.
As Baruch fasted for seven days, God told him to send Jeremiah to go support the captured Jews in Babylon. Baruch went to the gates of the temple and said:
6 “Blessed is he who was not born, Or he, who having been born, has died.
7 But as for us who live, woe unto us, Because we see the afflictions of Zion, And what has befallen Jerusalem.
8 I will call the Sirens from the sea, And you Lilin, come you from the desert, And you Shedim and dragons from the forests: Awake and gird up your loins unto mourning, And take up with me the dirges, And make lamentation with me.
9 Ye husbandmen, sow not again; And, O earth, wherefore give you your harvest fruits? Keep within you the sweets of your sustenance.
10 And thou, vine, why further do you give your wine; For an offering will not again be made from there in Zion, Nor will first-fruits again be offered.
11 And do ye, O heavens, 'withhold your dew, And open not the treasuries of rain:
12 And do thou, O sun withhold the light of your rays. And do thou, O moon, extinguish the multitude of your light; For why should light rise again Where the light of Zion is darkened?
13 And you, you bridegrooms, enter not in, And let not the brides adorn themselves with garlands; And, you women, pray not that you may bear.
14 For the barren shall above all rejoice, And those who have no sons shall be glad, And those who have sons shall have anguish.
15 For why should they bear in pain, Only to bury in grief?
16 Or why, again, should mankind have sons? Or why should the seed of their kind again be named, Where this mother is desolate, And her sons are led into captivity?
17 From this time forward speak not of beauty, And discourse not of gracefulness.
18 Moreover, you priests) take you the keys of the sanctuary, And cast them into the height of heaven, And give them to the Lord and say: "Guard Your house Thyself, For lo! we are found false stewards."
19 And you, you virgins; who weave fine linen And silk with gold of Ophir, Take with haste all (these) things And cast (them) into the fire, That it may bear them to Him who made them, And the flames send them to Him who created them, Lest the enemy get possession of them”
Baruch’s sorrow has a tone of depression and revenge. He is saying that nature should basically stop bearing fruits and the moon should stop producing light, because Zion no longer exists. Baruch is visibly upset with how Zion was destroyed. After this speech, he then turns his attention toward Babylon. Baruch does not think that it is fair that Babylon can prosper while Zion is desolate. Baruch thinks about what has happened and fasts for another 7 days. God then gives Baruch another revelation saying that the nations prospering now will be in the same anguish that he faces. This seems to be another one of God’s ways to reassure Baruch. It does not seem to be enough for Baruch. Baruch says that there are a lot of people who have sinned and they have lived in prosperity. It does not seem fair that the people involved with these issues should live a good life. This means that their sons will be the ones paying for their father’s sins. He does not think that there will be many nations left to be punished. Baruch wants to see something bad happen to these people and he wants it to be worse than what happened to his people. The important question to take away from Baruch’s questioning is: What good will come to the righteous? Gods answer: The world is that to come for the righteous.
God tells Baruch that he did not judge well the evil that befalls those who sin. God is basically telling Baruch that bad things are happening to these people that wronged the Jews. God also promises to Baruch that the impious will be tormented. Baruch replies saying that time is short. He wants God to hurry up with his punishments of the wicked and rewards for righteous. Baruch appears to be holding himself to a level higher than man. Baruch would probably consider himself the profit of God. God replies to Baruch’s statement about time with basically saying that time is irrelevant. After a few exchanges, Baruch seems like he is arguing with God. He should not be arguing with God. Disobeying God is the reason all these bad things are happening. God says that he has shown him life and death before him. God also says that it does not matter because he is the judge and the end comes quickly.
Baruch fasts for another seven days and says, “…and I sanctified my soul there, and I ate no bread, yet I was not hungry, and I drank no water, yet I thirsted not…” This sentence really shows a strong commitment not only because he ignored his basic instincts, but he did not even long for food or a drink. Only someone of biblical importance would be able to not drink for seven days and not feel thirsty. As if it were possible, Baruch’s tone starts to get more and more depressed. Baruch prays to God for him to hasten his judgment and fulfill his promise that the Jews will have Zion once again. God’s response is a series of metaphors saying that the time has not come for the promise to be fulfilled. God’s metaphors were clever and precise.
God then reveals the coming judgment. Baruch again asks what the fate will be of his enemies, or the people that captured Jerusalem. God says that their enemies will have many great torments befall them. Baruch asks how long they will be tormented. God told Baruch of 12 parts to the troubles of their enemies: 1. The beginning of commotions 2. The slaughtering of the great 3. The fall of many into death 4. The drawing of the sword 5. Famine and Drought 6. Earthquakes and terrors 7. Missing 8. Ghosts and demons 9. Fall of fire 10. Rape and violence 11. Injustice and Unchasity 12. Disorder and all of previous
Then the Anointed one will come and dead will be resurrected. In the resurrection, the souls of the righteous will rejoice and the souls of the wicked will be damned. The Anointed one is the messiah destined to save the righteous. Messianism is the main motifs of 2 Baruch and most Jewish literature involving apocalypticism. Baruch must now instruct the people of Israel of the evils that are to come. Baruch says to his people, “Hear, O Israel, and I will speak to you, And give ear, O seed of Jacob, and I will instruct you. Forget not Zion, but hold in remembrance the anguish of Jerusalem. For lo! The days come, when everything that is shall become the prey of corruption and be as though it had not been.” Baruch is basically telling the people that they should keep Israel in their hearts and follow the commandments. Baruch has a vision where the Anointed one will go around slaying the rulers of the 4 kingdoms. Baruch is also told of his death and commanded to talk to the people once more before fasting. Baruch was told that he was going to depart from this place and he must continue with leading these people. It shows a lot of courage to obey a God when he knows he is going to die anyways. Baruch goes to the people and reminds them again to keep obeying the law and that another interpreter shall be with them. This is another reinforcement of the strong theme of obeying the law. Baruch really wants to make shure that these people are going to obey the law.
Baruch returns to Hebron to talk to God. There he prays and fasts for seven days. This is now the third time Baruch fasts for seven days. Baruch sleeps one night and has a dream of Black and White waters. Baruch prayed to god for an interpretation of these waters because he felt they were a vision. In this text, nothing happens without meaning.
God interprets the vision as follows: The first black waters: Adam's transgression, Second bright waters: Abraham and his generation, Third black waters: wickedness in Egypt, Fourth bright waters: Aaron and Moses, Fifth black waters: Amorites, Sixth bright waters: David and Solomon, Seventh black waters: Jeroboam and kings of Israel, Jezebel, Eighth bright waters: Hezekiah, Ninth black waters: Manasseh, Tenth bright waters: Joseph, Eleventh black waters: Destruction and Captivity, Twelfth bright waters: Zion rebuilt, Last blackest waters: Wickedness at end of age; righteous escape to Holy Land, to Anointed One, Last bright waters: Those nations called by the Anointed One, Kingdom of the Anointed One.
Baruch returns to the people of Jerusalem to tell them of his vision. First, Baruch tells them that their punishment was for not obeying the law. Baruch instructs the people of Israel and sends letters to the exiled in the Babylon. The message asked for them to obey the law in preparation of judgment.
Overall, the message received from reading 2 Baruch is that the commandments are important to obey. The disobedience of the people of Zion led to the destruction of their temple, and the death and enslavement of the people. Another theme emphasized in this text was the belief of a messiah that will save the people of Zion. This text emphasized greatly the rewards and punishments of following the law. God is the judge and executioner of man.