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2 Baruch

Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch

About this book
Chapter 51

1 And it shall come to pass, when that appointed day has gone by, that then shall the appearance of those who are condemned be afterwards changed, and the glory of those who are justified. 2 For the appearance of those who now act wickedly shall become worse than it is, as they shall suffer torment. 3 Also as for the glory of those who have now been justified in My law, who have had understanding in their life, and who have planted in their heart the root of wisdom, then their splendour shall be glorified in changes, and the form of their face shall be turned into the light of their beauty, that they may be able to acquire and receive the world which does not die, which is then promised to them.⁠ 4 For over this above all shall those who come then lament, that they rejected My law, and stopped their ears that they might not hear wisdom or receive understanding. 5 When therefore they see those, over whom they are now exalted, but who shall then be exalted and glorified more than they, they shall respectively be transformed, the latter into the splendour of angels, and the former shall yet more waste away in wonder at the visions and in the beholding of the forms.⁠ 6 For they shall first behold and afterwards depart to be tormented. 7 But those who have been saved by their works. And to whom the law has been now a hope, And understanding an expectation, And wisdom a confidence, Shall wonders appear in their time. 8 For they shall behold the world which is now invisible to them, And they shall behold the time which is now hidden from them: 9 And time shall no longer age them. 10 For in the heights of that world shall they dwell,⁠ And they shall be made like the angels, And be made equal to the stars, And they shall be changed into every form they desire, From beauty into loveliness, And from light into the splendour of glory. 11 For there shall be spread before them the extents of Paradise, and there shall be shown to them the beauty of the majesty of the living creatures which are beneath the throne, and all the armies of the angels, who are now held fast by My word, so that they do not appear, and are held fast by a command, that they may stand in their places until their time comes. 12 Moreover, there shall then be excellence in the righteous surpassing that in the angels. 13 For the first shall receive the last, those whom they were expecting, and the last those of whom they used to hear that they had passed away. 14 For they have been delivered from this world of tribulation, And laid down the burden of anguish. 15 For what then have men lost their life, And for what have those who were on the earth exchanged their soul?⁠ 16 For then they did not choose for themselves this time, Which, beyond the reach of anguish, could not pass away: But they chose for themselves that time, Whose outcomes are full of lamentations and evils, And they denied the world which does not age those who come to it, And they rejected the time of glory, So that they shall not come to the honour of which I told you before.’

Texts in conversation

Compare Philippians 3:21 and 2 Baruch 51:3

New Testament · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

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Summary

Philippians promises that bodies will be transformed into incorruptible bodies, connecting the resurrection to heavenly citizenship. 2 Baruch echoes a similar Jewish tradition and describes how the righteous will become incorruptible when resurrected.

Passages

Philippians 3:21

New Testament
15 Therefore let those of us who are “perfect” embrace this point of view. If you think otherwise, God will reveal to you the error of your ways. 16 Nevertheless, let us live up to the standard that we have already attained. 17 Be imitators of me, brothers and sisters, and watch carefully those who are living this way, just as you have us as an example. 18 For many live, about whom I have often told you, and now, with tears, I tell you that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, they exult in their shame, and they think about earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven—and we also eagerly await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform these humble bodies of ours into the likeness of his glorious body by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself.
56–63 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Philippians

2 Baruch 51:3

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch
1 And it shall come to pass, when that appointed day has gone by, that then shall the appearance of those who are condemned be afterwards changed, and the glory of those who are justified. 2 For the appearance of those who now act wickedly shall become worse than it is, as they shall suffer torment. 3 Also as for the glory of those who have now been justified in My law, who have had understanding in their life, and who have planted in their heart the root of wisdom, then their splendour shall be glorified in changes, and the form of their face shall be turned into the light of their beauty, that they may be able to acquire and receive the world which does not die, which is then promised to them. 4 For over this above all shall those who come then lament, that they rejected My law, and stopped their ears that they might not hear wisdom or receive understanding. 5 When therefore they see those, over whom they are now exalted, but who shall then be exalted and glorified more than they, they shall respectively be transformed, the latter into the splendour of angels, and the former shall yet more waste away in wonder at the visions and in the beholding of the forms. 6 For they shall first behold and afterwards depart to be tormented.
70–135 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 2 Baruch

References

"... The politeuma in Philippians 3:20–21 also acts politically when sending out a savior (σωτῆρ). The believers are desperately awaiting him “from there” (ἐξ οὗ). Saviors are gods, men, and women, who save people or communities in times of crisis and help to improve living conditions. Human saviors act by commission of the gods. The political leader Aratus, for example, is praised as a savior before the savior Gods “because to thy native city thou hast brought a sacred and heavenly reign of law.” ... The saving act makes the human savior the agent of divine power. Politeumata send out citizens on rescue missions ... who the other citizens of the heavenly politeuma are is not mentioned. Because the politeuma already acts by sending the σωτήρ, it is not very likely that only the future or exiled members, the Philippians, are in view. A politeuma of angels is more probably in mind, as in the case of the Dead Sea Scrolls. In any case, the σωτήρ Jesus Christ clothes the citizens to be saved with an appropriate heavenly garment that represents his body of glory ... (Compare Daniel 12:2–3; 1 Enoch 104:2, 4; 4 Ezra 7:97, 125 ... see 1 Enoch 108:11; 2 Baruch 51:1-10; Ascension of Isaiah 8:26; 9:9) ..."
Angela Standhartinger, “Apocalyptic Thought in Philippians,” in The Jewish Apocalyptic Tradition and the Shaping of New Testament Thought, ed. Loren T. Stuckenbruck (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2017), 233–244.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Philippians 3:21 and 2 Baruch 51:3

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