Second Baruch: A Critical Edition of the Syriac Text

Daniel M. Gurtner is Associate Professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary (St Paul, MN USA). Among his publications are The Torn Veil: Matthew's Exposition of the Death of Jesus (SNTSMS 139; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007).

• PrefaceAbbreviationsIntroduction§1: Introduction§2: The Text of Second Baruch§3: Original Language§4: Provenance§5: Relation to 4 Ezra§6: Date§7: Genre§8: The Epistle of 2 Baruch§9: Structure and Contents§10: Translation(s)2 Baruch: Text and TranslationSyriac Apocalypse of BaruchEpistle of Second BaruchIndices:Subject IndexIndex of Ancient TextsConcordances:Concordance to the Syriac of 2 BaruchConcordance to the Greek of 2 BaruchConcordance to the Latin of 2 BaruchBibliography

Second Baruch is preserved in two sections, explains Gurtner, an apocalypse and an epistle, and is a thoroughly Jewish text written shortly after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 CE, that tries to make theological sense of the historical tragedy. He offers an accessible edition of the Syriac text of both parts, along with an English translation. The few surviving fragments in Greek or Latin are inserted at the proper location. His introduction pays close attention to the relationship between the book at 4 Ezra, which deals with the same issues in a slightly different manner. Other topics include the text, original language, provenance, genre, and structure and contents." -Eithne O'Leyne, BOOK NEWS, Inc.