4 Baruch (Paraleipomena Jeremiou)
Jens Herzer
Society of Biblical Literature
A little-known text of Hellenistic Judaism, 4 Baruch (or Paraleipomena Jeremiou) reflects the situation in Palestine on the eve of the Bar-Kokhba War by retelling the story of the Babylonian captivity of the Jewish people. Neglected for far too long, 4 Baruch is now made accessible to scholars and students alike through a critical edition of the Greek text, a new English translation, and a substantial commentary on this early Jewish writing of the beginning of the second century C.E. The commentary elaborates its historical and literary setting and provides a theological interpretation of its religious ideas. On the basis of his close and careful reading of the text, Jens Herzer argues for the basic integrity of 4 Baruch as a genuine Jewish work that was preserved after the war by a Christian group that also added a Christian ending.