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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 Jubilees 23:30 and 2 Baruch 51:5

Pseudepigrapha, Hebrew Bible Expansions · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

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Summary

Jubilees describes the righteous at peace, rejoicing as they observe the punishment of the unrighteous. 2 Baruch shows the unrighteous wasting away as they watch the joy of the righteous. Both follow a similar tradition but from opposite perspectives.

Passages

Jubilees 23:30

Pseudepigrapha, Hebrew Bible Expansions
29 And they shall complete all their days and live in peace and in joy, And there shall be no Satan nor any evil destroyer; For all their days shall be days of blessing and healing. 30 And at that time the Lord will heal His servants, And they shall rise up and see great peace, And drive out their adversaries. And the righteous shall see and be thankful, And rejoice with joy forever and ever, And shall see all their judgments and all their curses on their enemies. 31 And their bones shall rest in the earth, And their spirits shall have much joy, And they shall know that it is the Lord who executes judgment, And shows mercy to hundreds and thousands and to all that love Him
170–125 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Jubilees

2 Baruch 51:5

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch
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.
70–135 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 2 Baruch

References

"... Paul often mentions a hope for the eschatological transformation of the body. Even in this case, the body is not removed but merely changes appearance. (Wisdom of Solomon 9:15; Jubilees 23:31) The body of humiliation becomes the body of his glory. Ταπείνωσις is the humiliation and powerlessness of Israel in Egypt or of Hagar in Sarah’s house. The apocalyptic seer condemns: “Woe to you, mighty, who with might oppress the righteous one” (1 Enoch 96:8). But unlike other apocalyptic traditions, it is not clear in Philippians 3:21 which injustice has caused the humiliation of the righteous. The transformation is preceded neither by a post-mortal judgment nor by a trumpet call, nor any other of the apocalyptic scenarios to which Paul alludes elsewhere. There is not even mention of the resurrection which was longed for in Philippians 3:10. On the contrary, as with Philippians 2:15, the text follows the apocalyptic traditions in which only the righteous are promised an eschatological future existence among the heavenly beings and the stars and in which they are clothed with a “garment of glory.” (Compare Daniel 12:2–3; 1 Enoch 104:2, 4; 4 Ezra 7:97, 125. A glorious garment first appears in the earliest text of 1QS 4:6–8: “And the reward of those who walk in it (the spirit of the sons of truth) will be healing ... eternal enjoyment with endless life, and a crown of glory, with majestic raiment in eternal light.” But see 1 Enoch 108:11. Compare 2 Baruch 51:5, 10; Ascension of Isaiah 8:26; 9:9. These garments of glory or light honor the righteous (Compare Wisdom of Solomon 5:14; 1 Enoch 108:11), but see also the dress of the heavenly world (2 Enoch 22:8–10), and in the following texts the dress of the first human before the fall (1QS 4:22–3; 1QHa 4:14–15; 2 Baruch 51:10; 3 Baruch 4:16; Apocalypse of Abraham 13:14) In the Parables of Enoch, this happens on Judgment Day when “the kings, the governors, the high officials, and the landlords” are judged by the “The Lord of the Spirits.” ..."
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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Jubilees 23:30 and 2 Baruch 51:5

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