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2 Baruch

Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch

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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 Romans 8:17 and 2 Baruch 51:3

New Testament · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

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Summary

Romans presents Jesus’ followers as heirs who suffer before future glory. 2 Baruch similarly describes the righteous later transformed with shining faces and lasting bodies, reflecting this Jewish tradition where present difficulty becomes future honor.

Passages

Romans 8:17

New Testament
15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness to our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 And if children, then heirs (namely, heirs of God and also fellow heirs with Christ)—if indeed we suffer with him so we may also be glorified with him. 18 For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be compared to the coming glory that will be revealed to us. 19 For the creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God.
55–58 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Romans

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.
70–135 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 2 Baruch

References

"... The above interpretation of Romans 8:17 as introducing a description of a transformation of the children of God at the time of the parousia in 8:18–30 is supported by the use of “glory” in eschatological contexts in 4 Ezra and 2 Baruch. In the description of the experiences of the souls of the ungodly and the righteous after death in 4 Ezra 7:78–101, the term “glory” appears five times. As soon as the soul of a person leaves his or her body, it “adores the glory of the Most High” (7:78). Those who have not kept the laws of the Most High “wither with fear since they see the glory of the Most High, before whom they sinned now while they were alive, and before whom they are to be judged in the last times” (7:87), while those who have kept his laws “see with great joy the glory of him who receives them, for they shall have rest in seven orders” (7:91). While the first three mentions of glory in this passage establish it as a divine attribute, the latter part of the description of the “seven orders” of rest for the righteous looks forward to “the glory which awaits them in the last days” (7:95). The sixth order is “when it is shown to them how their face is to shine like the sun, and how they are to be made like the light of the stars, being incorruptible from then on” (7:97), and the seventh is confident joy, “for they hasten to behold the face of him whom they served in life and from whom they are to receive their reward when glorified” (7:98). Thus, although “glory” remains primarily a divine quality in 4 Ezra, this passage on the afterlife reveals that the righteous will partake in it in the last days ..."
Karina M. Hogan, “The Apocalyptic Eschatology of Romans,” in The Jewish Apocalyptic Tradition and the Shaping of New Testament Thought, ed. Loren T. Stuckenbruck (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2017), 155–174.

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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Romans 8:17 and 2 Baruch 51:3

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