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'''Baruch ben Neriah''' (c. [[6th century BCE]]) was the [[scribe]], disciple, secretary, and devoted friend of the [[Hebrew Bible|Biblical]] [[prophet]] [[Jeremiah]]. According to [[Josephus]], he was a [[Jew]]ish [[aristocrat]], a son of [[Neriah]] and brother of [[Seraiah ben Neriah]], chamberlain of King [[Zedekiah]] of [[Kingdom of Judah|Judah]].<ref>[[Book of Jeremiah|Jer.]] li. 59</ref><ref>[[Josephus]], "[[Jewish Antiquities]]." x. 9, § 1</ref> [[#In Arabic-Christian legend|Some sources]] identify him with [[Zoroaster]].

Baruch wrote down the first and second editions of Jeremiah's prophecies as they were dictated to him by the prophet.<ref>Jer. xxxvi</ref> 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 the hiding to avoid the wrath of King [[Jehoakim]], he commanded Baruch to read his prophecies of warning<ref>Jer. xxxvi. 1-8</ref> to the people gathered in the [[Temple in Jerusalem]] on a day of [[fasting]]. 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.<ref>Preserved in Jer. xlv</ref>

Both Baruch and Jeremiah witnessed the [[Siege of Jerusalem (586 BCE)|Babylonian siege of Jerusalem]] of 587–586 BCE. In the middle of the siege Jerusalem, Jeremiah purchased estate in [[Anathoth]] on which the Babylonian armies had encamped (as a symbol of faith in the eventual restoration of Jerusalem),<ref>(Jer. xxxii)</ref> and according to Josephus Baruch continued to reside with him at [[Mizpah in Benjamin|Mizpah]].<ref>Josephus, "Ant." x. 9, § 1</ref> Reportedly, Baruch had influence on Jeremiah; on his advice Jeremiah urged the Israelites to remain in Judah after the murder of [[Gedaliah]]<ref>(Jer. xliii. 3)</ref>

He was carried with Jeremiah to [[Egypt]], where, according to a tradition preserved by Jerome,<ref>on [[Book of Isaiah|Isa.]] xxx. 6, 7</ref> he soon died. Two other traditions state that he later went, or was carried, to [[Babylon]] by [[Nebuchadnezzar 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 the [[Book of Baruch]] and two other Jewish books.<ref>see [[Apocalypse of Baruch]]</ref>

==Rabbinical literature==

The [[rabbi]]s described Baruch as a faithful helper and blood-relative of Jeremiah. According to rabbinic literature, both Baruch and Jeremiah, being [[kohen|kohanim]] and descendants of the proselyte [[Rahab]], served as a humiliating example to their contemporaries, inasmuch as they belong to the few who harkened to the word of God.<ref>Sifre, Num. 78 [ed. Friedmann, p. 20b], and elsewhere; compare also Pesikta xiii. 3b</ref> (Note that [[Halakha|Jewish Religious law]] prohibits a Kohen from marrying a prostitute or former prostitute.) A [[Midrash]] in the [[Sifre]] regarded Baruch as identical with the [[Ethiopia]]n [[Ebed-melech]], who rescued Jeremiah from the dungeon;<ref>Jer. xxxviii. 7 et seq.</ref> 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.<ref>Sifre, Num. 99</ref> According to a [[Syriac]] [[2 Baruch|account]], 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.<ref>Syriac Apoc. Baruch, ii. 1, v. 5</ref> According to the account, Baruch then saw, from [[Abraham]]'s [[Mamre|oak]] at [[Hebron]], the Temple set on fire by angels, who previously had hidden the sacred vessels.<ref>ib. vi. vii.</ref>

==Status as a prophet==

The [[Tannaim]] are much divided on the question whether Baruch is to be classed among the Prophets. According to [[Mekita]],<ref>''Bo'', end of the introduction</ref> Baruch complained<ref>Jer. xlv. 3 et seq.</ref> 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]] served [[Moses]], and the [[Holy Spirit]] rested upon him; [[Elisha]] served [[Elijah]], 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. The ''[[Seder Olam]]'' (xx.), however, and the [[Talmud]],<ref>Meg. 14b</ref> include Baruch among the Prophets, and state that he prophesied in the period following the destruction. It was in Babylonia also that [[Ezra]] studied the Torah with Baruch. Nor did he think of returning to [[Judea]] during his teacher's lifetime, since he considered the study of the [[Torah]] more important than the rebuilding of the Temple;<ref>Meg. 16b</ref> and Baruch could not join the returning exiles by reason of his age.<ref>Cant. R. v. 5; see also ''Seder Olam'', ed. Ratner, xxvi.</ref>

==Grave==

Baruch's grave became the subject of later legends. According to a [[Muslim]] tradition reported by sources including [[Petachiah of Ratisbon]], an [[Arab]]ian king once ordered it to be opened; but all who touched it fell dead. The king thereupon commanded the Jews to open it; and they, after preparing themselves by a three days' fast, succeeded without a mishap. Baruch's body was found intact in a [[marble]] coffin, and appeared as if he had just died. The king ordered that it should be transported to another place; but, after having dragged the coffin a little distance, the [[horse]]s and [[camel]]s were unable to move it another inch. The king, greatly excited by these wonders, went with his retinue to [[Muhammad]] to ask his advice. Arrived at [[Mecca]], his doubts of the truth of the teachings of [[Islam]] greatly increased, and he and his courtiers finally accepted [[Judaism]]. The king then built a "[[yeshiva|bet ha-midrash]]" on the spot from which he had been unable to move Baruch's body; and this academy served for a long time as a place of pilgrimage.

Baruch's tomb is a mile away from that of [[Ezekiel]], near [[Mashhad Ali]] {{Fact|date=February 2007}}; and a Jewish rabbinic source reported that a strange plant, the leaves of which are sprinkled with gold dust, grows on it.<ref>''Gelilot [[Eretz Yisrael]]'', as quoted in Heilprin's "Seder ha-Dorot," ed. Wilna, i. 127, 128; variant in "Itinerary" of Pethahiah of Regensburg, ed. Jerusalem, 4b</ref> According to the ''[[Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch]]'', he was translated to paradise in his mortal body.<ref>xiii., xxv</ref> The same is stated in ''Derekh Eretz Zu??a'' (i.) of Ebed-Melech. Those who regard Baruch and Ebed-melech as identical find this deduction is evident.

==Arabic-Christian legends==

The Arabic-Christian legends identify Baruch with [[Zoroaster]], 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 Palestine to found the religion of Zoroaster. The prophecy of the birth of [[Jesus]] from a virgin, and of his adoration by the [[Magi]], is also ascribed to Baruch-Zoroaster.<ref>Compare the complete collection of these legends in Gottheil, in "Classical Studies in Honor of H. Drisler," pp. 24-51, New York, 1894; Jackson, "Zoroaster," pp. 17, 165 et seq.</ref> 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, [[Christian]]s, and Arabs. De Sacy<ref>"Notices et Extraits des MSS. de la Bibliothèque du Roi," ii. 319</ref> 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 in Jer. xxxviii. 7 is undoubtedly identical with Baruch, is connected with this Arabic-Christian legend. As early as the Clementine "Recognitiones" (iv. 27), Zoroaster was believed to be a descendant of [[Ham]]; and, according to Gen. x. 6, Cush, the Ethiopian, is a son of Ham. According to the "Recognitiones",<ref>iv. 28</ref> 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,<ref>"Derek Ere? Zu??a," i. end</ref> an occurrence that, like the translation of Elijah,<ref>II Kings ii. 11</ref> 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",<ref>''[[Book of the Bee]]'', ed. Budge, p. 90, line 5, London, 1886</ref> since, according to the Haggadah, Baruch was a priest; and [[Virgin Mary|Maria]], the mother of Jesus, was of priestly family.

==Historicity==
[[Image:Bulla-(belonging) to Berekhyahu-son of Neria-the scribe.jpg|thumb|Clay bulla with the imprint of Baruch's seal]]
In 1975, a clay [[bulla (seal)|bulla]] purportedly containing Baruch's seal and name appeared on the antiquities market. Its purchaser, a prominent [[Israel]]i collector, permitted Israeli [[archaeologist]] [[Nahman Avigad]] to publish the bulla.<ref>Avigad 114-118; Shanks, "Jerahmeel" 58-65</ref> Its source is not definitively known but it has been identified as coming from the "burnt house" excavated by [[Yigal Shiloh]]. The bulla is now in the [[Israel Museum]]. It measures 17 by 16 mm, and is stamped with an oval seal, 13 by 11 mm. The inscription, written in the [[ancient Hebrew alphabet]], reads:<ref>Avigad 118</ref>
<h1>
{| class="wikitable"
! Line

! Transliteration
! Translation
|-
! 1
|''lbrkyhw''
| (belonging) to Berechiah
|-
! 2
|''bn nryhw''
| son of Neriah
|-
! 3
|''hspr''
| the scribe
|}

In 1996, a second clay bulla emerged with an identical inscription; presumably it had been stamped with the same seal. This bulla also was imprinted with a [[fingerprint]];<ref>Shanks, "Fingerprint" 36-38</ref> [[Hershel Shanks]], among others, speculated that, while it was impossible to prove, the fingerprint might be that of Baruch himself.

Some commentators have questioned the authenticity of both bullae.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sbl-site.org/Article.aspx?ArticleId=374|title=Jerusalem Syndrome in Biblical Archaeology|publisher=Society of Biblical Literature|author=Goren, Yuval|accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sbl-site.org/Article.aspx?ArticleId=373|title=The Antiquities Market, Sensationalized Textual Data, and Modern Forgeries: Introduction to the Problem and Synopsis of the 2004 Israeli Indictment|author=Rollston, Christopher A., Vaughn, Andrew G.| publisher=Society of Biblical Literature| accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==References==
*Wright, J. Edward, ''Baruch ben Neriah: From Biblical Scribe to Apocalyptic Seer'' (University of South Carolina Press, 2003) ISBN 1-57003-479-6
*[[Nahman Avigad|Avigad, Nahman]], ''Jerahmeel & Baruch,'' ''[[Biblical Archaeology Review]]'' 42.2 (1979). 114-118.
*[[Hershel Shanks|Shanks, Hershel]], ''Jeremiah's Scribe and Confidant Speaks from a Hoard of Clay Bullae,'' ''Biblical Archaeology Review'' 13.5 (1987) 58-65.
*Shanks, Hershel. ''Fingerprint of Jeremiah’s Scribe.'' Biblical Archeology Review 2 (1996): 36-38.
*''The Seal of Seraiah,'' ''Eretz Israel'' 14 (1978, Ginsberg festschrift) 86-87.
*{{JewishEncyclopedia
|article=Baruch ben Neriah
|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=328&letter=B
|author=
}}

Baruch ben Neriah - Revision history

WikSysop at 13:37, 15 July 2007