The Dates and Provenance of 2 Baruch
As the narrative of the text opens, the setting is ostensibly during the crisis of the Babylonian ransacking of Jerusalem in 587/6 B.C. As is often the case during this time period in Jewish literature, this takes the form of an apocalypse in seeking to provide an answer to perplexing theological questions during a time of crisis. It is evident, however, that the 587/6 B.C. destruction is only an analogy for the more recent destruction of the Second Temple in A.D. 70. There are several reasons for concluding this. It is widely recognized that 2 Baruch bears many resemblances to 4 Ezra. At the macro level, there are structural similarities. In 4 Ezra the structure of the book is laid out in seven divisions, corresponding to a series of seven visions; in 2 Baruch, there are also seven distinct divisions, with each division break signified by a fast.1 There are also verbal correspondences and a close literary relationship. These factors lead one to conclude that there is a dependence of the one upon the other. Though there would be exceptions, it would appear that many scholars prefer to see that 2 Baruch is dependent upon 4 Ezra. This conclusion helps with the dating of the book. If 2 Baruch is dependent upon 4 Ezra, then the earliest date that can be placed upon it is the end of the first century or the beginning of the second century A. D.2 This would then make the author of the book another voice responding to the terrible destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70 and its consequent theological perplexities.
As for the provenance, Klijn lists three reasons for suggesting Palestine as the geographical location for writing. The first is the language. That it was written in Hebrew would indicate a Palestinian region. Second, the content, Klijn says, reveals a close acquaintance with rabbinic Judaism. Last, he believes the perspective of the author indicates solidarity with the Jewish Diaspora.3
Notes
1Michael E. Stone, "Apocalyptic Literature," in Jewish Writings of the Second Temple Period, Michael E. Stone, ed. (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984): 409.
2Ibid., 410.
3A. F. J. Klijn, "2 (Syriac Apocalypse of) Baruch," in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: Apocalyptic Literature & Testaments, ed. James H. Charlesworth Vol. 1 (New York: Doubleday, 1983): 617.
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