Baruch was the secretary to whom Jeremiah dictated in the year 605 the oracles he had pronounced since the beginning of his ministry in 626 B.C. These oracles are found in the Book of Jeremiah. Baruch was taken to Egypt along with Jeremiah by the party of Jews who feared reprisals after the assassination of Gedaliah, who held authority in Jerusalem after its fall to Nebuchadnezzar. It is probable that both Baruch and Jeremiah died in Egypt.

  Baruch was more than Jeremiah’s secretary, recording faithfully recording faithfully what was dictated to him by the prophet. Baruch shared in the prophetic role and was held in high esteem by later generations. This becomes evident when we study the Book of Baruch for scripture scholars tell us that although the book bears Baruch’s name, it is highly unlikely that he wrote any part of it. However, a number of unknown authors writing well after Baruch’s time used his name because of his influence and fame so as to make their work more acceptable. We have seen this type of literature already in the Wisdom books that were attributed to the greatest sage, Solomon, although he could not have written all of this literature.

  The introduction says that the book was written in Babylon by Baruch during the Exile and sent to Jerusalem to be read at liturgical gatherings. Historical evidence points to Baruch remaining in Egypt with Jeremiah where they lived out the rest of their years. There are a number of other historical points that make it impossible for Baruch to be the actual author.

  The Church has accepted this book as inspired by God on the basis of the material it contains. It is similar, in this way, to the Lamentations of Jeremiah which were not composed by Jeremiah. Although the Hebrew Bible and the Protestant Bible do not contain the Book of Baruch, the Council of Trent settled definitively for Catholics its canonicity. The early Church accepted Baruch more readily than some of the other books that are now in the official Bible.

  The purpose of the authors seems to be encouragement to those Jews who did not return from the Exile in 538 and who remained dispersed. For them the return did not satisfy their understanding of God’s promise of restoration. The book presents to those dispersed people the reason for their distress, the source of their salvation, and the certainty that they will be restored. However, it is not the earthly Jerusalem that is to be restored but the Jerusalem at the end of time which is described in the second prophetic discourse (4:30-5:9). The return of 538 was only the foreshadowing of the return that would satisfy every heart. The use of exaggerated language in this prophetic discourse tells us that something more was meant than just a taking up residence again in the Jerusalem of old.

  In that passage mentioned above, a new name will be given to this new Jerusalem by God. This conferring of a name involves not only the giving of a name but the bestowing of the attributes indicated. Here is the pertinent passage as given in the Jerusalem Bible translation: “Jerusalem, take off your dress of sorrow and distress, put on the beauty of the glory of God for ever, wrap the cloak of the integrity of God around you, put the diadem of the Eternal on your head: since  God means to show your splendor to every nation under heaven, since the name God gives you for ever will be, “Peace through integrity, and honour through devotedness’”(5:1-4).

  A few verses later on, the prophet refers to the theme of God flattening the mountains and filling the valleys “so that Israel can walk in safety under the glory of God” (5-7). The prophet Isaiah used this idea which was repeated by St. Luke in describing the role of John the Baptist.

  The Book of Baruch is more a collection of items than a unified piece of literature. After an introduction, there is the prayer of the exiles acknowledging guilt by expressing hope. A wisdom poem follows which stresses the importance of wisdom, the fact no man can find wisdom, and that wisdom is the Law. After the poem we have two prophetic discourses. The book concludes with a letter from Jeremiah giving many arguments against idolatry. The whole book is only six chapters in length, a rather short book of prophecy.

   The book is of special importance in giving us an understanding of the lives of those Jews who never returned from the Exile and managed to preserve their identity. They adapted to the local circumstances but maintained contact with Jerusalem through letters, alms, and the sharing of prayers. They survived as Jews because of the prayers in their synagogues, their devotion to the Law, their hope for a Messiah, and their resistance to Idolatry. The Orthodox Jews of today continue to survive on more or less the same foundation.