Baruch

Despite being cited relatively rarely by ancient exegetes, the book of Baruch enjoyed authority and inclusion in most Bible manuscripts because of its association with the prophet Jeremiah. In modern scholarship, the book of Baruch can be read as an example of the creative reuse of scriptures by a Jewish author (or authors) of the Hellenistic or Roman period. Its message about alienation, sin, repentance, and restoration is presented from different angles through the genres of confessional prayer, wisdom poem, and prophetic poem of consolation. Its Deuteronomic theology, which unites the various parts of the book, is very typical of the literature of ancient Judaism. At the same time, it is a powerful reminder to take responsibility for one’s own part in perpetuating structures of social injustice, even when one feels oppressed by them.