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Which parts of the Book of Jeremiah may have been written or compiled by Baruch?
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Jeremiah
Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem, oil on panel by Rembrandt, 1630: in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
The Book of Jeremiah is a complex work with a long literary history, and the contributions of Baruch, the prophet's scribe, are central to its composition.
According to scholarly analysis, Baruch’s involvement includes the following:
- Dictated Prophecies: Baruch is credited with writing down the prophecies against Israel, Judah, and other nations from Jeremiah's dictation, as described in chapter 36. Some of these original words are believed to be preserved within the book's basic stratum of oracles against Judah and Jerusalem.1
- Narrative Sections: The second major part of the book (chapters 26–45), which consists primarily of prose and refers to Jeremiah in the third person, was likely compiled by Baruch. These sections include reports and collections of sayings concerning the prophet's life and ministry.1
While Baruch is traditionally associated with these portions of the canonical book, he is also the namesake of the separate Book of Baruch, an apocryphal work that is distinct from the canonical Book of Jeremiah.23