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3 Baruch

✦ ─── ⟐ ─── ✦

The Greek Apocalypse of Baruch, translated by H. Maldwyn Hughes, in R. H. Charles's Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament (1913)

Weeping over Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of Jerusalem, Baruch is met by an angel who leads him on a guided tour through five heavens, in the manner of 1 Enoch and the Testament of Levi: a plain where the builders of the Tower of Babel labor as beasts, the sun's fiery chariot and the phoenix that shields the earth from its heat, the serpent that drinks the sea, and finally the archangel Michael, who descends to receive the good and evil deeds of humanity -- brought before him as full, half-full, and empty baskets of flowers -- and to reward or punish accordingly. Originally a Jewish apocalypse of the early second century, it survives in a sixteenth-century Greek manuscript reworked by a Christian editor who added a passage reconciling the story's forbidden vine with the Eucharist and sharpened its ending into a warning to unconverted Jews. Unknown to modern scholarship until 1896, it was identified by M. R. James from a passage in Origen and first edited in 1897.

Contents

Introductory Note (1913, R. H. Charles)

Condensed from Charles's critical introduction.

Until the end of the nineteenth century this apocalypse was unknown to modern scholarship, its existence surmised only from a line in Origen describing "the book of the prophet Baruch" as evidence "that the seven worlds or heavens are more plainly indicated" there. In 1896 M. R. James recognized a British Museum manuscript -- a Greek apocalypse describing five heavens, not seven, its conclusion evidently incomplete -- as the book Origen meant, and edited it in 1897. A previously known but more abridged Slavonic version, mentioning only two heavens, had been published in 1886. Neither version, Charles notes, is more than a condensation of a fuller original.

In its present form the book is a second-century composite: a Jewish apocalypse of Baruch's ascent through the heavens, reworked by a Christian redactor whose hand is clearest in a long passage in chapter iv reconciling the story of the forbidden vine with the Eucharist, and in the drastically rewritten concluding chapters, where the three classes of angels bringing full, half-full, and empty baskets of flowers become a vehicle for warning unconverted Jews and urging patience on Christians dealing with them. The original Jewish conclusion is lost; what survives past this point is substantially the redactor's own construction.

The book takes its place within a family of Jewish and Christian texts describing the plural heavens -- the Testament of Levi, 2 Enoch, the Ascension of Isaiah, and later Rabbinic tradition all number and furnish the heavens differently, and Charles sets out each scheme in detail; 3 Baruch's own five heavens hold, in turn, the builders of the Tower of Babel, the tower's designers, the sun and moon with the great sea-serpent and the phoenix, a pool visited by bird-formed souls of the righteous, and finally Michael's descent to weigh the deeds of humanity. Its doctrine of angelic mediation -- three named classes of angels each interceding for a different kind of person -- is, Charles argues, the book's most distinctive theological contribution, standing alongside 1 Enoch, Tobit, and the Testament of Levi rather than marking any real advance toward Gnosticism, despite some scholars' claims to the contrary. On the Fall, the book identifies the forbidden tree as the vine planted by the angel Sammael, and -- notably -- never mentions inherited depravity or death as consequences of Adam's sin, closer in this to 2 Baruch's teaching that each soul is answerable for its own fall.

Charles's own detailed textual apparatus -- his verse-by-verse comparison of the Greek and Slavonic witnesses, his discussion of the book's relation to 1 and 2 Baruch, the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, and other apocalyptic literature -- is not reproduced here; his conclusions on the book's date (composed near the start of the second century, with the Christian reworking following soon after AD 136) and authorship (a Judaism "tempered by a Hellenic-Oriental syncretism," per Charles, rather than a fully Gnostic system) are given above.

Prologue

x A narrative and revelation of Baruch, concerning those ineffable things which he saw by com- _ mand of God. Bless Thou, O Lord. AQ revelation of Baruch, who stood upon the river ¢ Gel | weeping over the captivity of Jerusalem, when also Abimelech was preserved by the hand of God, at the farm of Agrippa. And he was sitting thus at the beautiful gates, where the Holy of holies lays Verily I Baruch was weeping in my mind and sorrowing on account of the people, and that Nebuchadnezzar the king was permitted by God to destroy His city, saying: Lord, why didst Thou set on fire Thy vineyard, and lay it waste? Why didst Thou do this? And why, Lord, didst Thou not requite us with another chastisement, but didst deliver us to nations such as these, so that they reproach us and say, Where is their God? And behold as I was weeping and saying such things, I saw an angel of the Lord coming and saying to me: Understand, O man, greatly beloved, and trouble not thyself so greatly concerning the salvation of Jerusalem, for thus saith the Lord God, the Almighty. For He sent me before thee, to make known and to show to thee all (the things) f God. For thy prayer was heard before Him, and entered into the ears of the Lord God. And when he had said these things to me, 1 was silent. And the angel said to me: Cease to provoke God, and I will show thee other mysteries, greater than these. And I Baruch said, As the Lord God liveth, if thou wilt show me, and I hear a word of thine, I will not continue to speak any longer. God shall add to my judgement in thé day of judgement, if I speak hereafter. And the angel of the powers said to me, Come, and I will show thee the mysteries of God.

The First Heaven

And he took me and led me where the firmament has been set fast, and where there was a river

which no one can cross, nor any strange breeze of all those which God created. And he took me and led me to the first heaven, and showed me a door of great size. And he said to me, Let us enter through it, and we entered as though dorne on wings, a distance of about thirty days’ journey. And he showed me within the heaven a plain; and there were men dwelling thereon, with the faces of oxen, and the horns of stags, and the feet of goats, and the haunches of lambs. And I Baruch asked the angel, Make known to me, I pray thee, what is the thickness of the heaven in which we journeyed, or what is its extent, or what is the plain, in order that I may also tell the sons of men? And the angel whose name is }Phamael} said to me: This door which thou seest is the door of heaven, and as great as is the distance from earth to heaven, so great also is its thickness ; and again as great as is the distance (from North to South, so great) is the length of the plain which thou didst see. And again the angel of the powers said to me, Come, and I will show thee greater mysteries. But I said, I pray thee show me what are these men. And he said to me, These are they who built the tower of strife against God, and the Lord banished them.

The Second Heaven

And the angel of the Lord took me and led me to a second heaven. And he showed me there also a door like the first and said, Let us enter through it. And we entered, being borne on wings ἃ distance of about sixty days’ journey. And he showed me there also a plain, and it was full of men, whose appearance was like ¢hat of dogs, and whose feet were like those of stags. And I asked the angel: I pray thee, Lord, say to me who are these. And he said, These are they who gave

Michael and the Logos (Quis rer. div. haeres, xiii), it is probable that the Philonic powers correspond with the archangels.

the first heaven. See Introd. ὃ τὸ (1).

counsel to build the tower, for they whom thou seest drove forth multitudes of both men and women, to make bricks ; among whom, a woman making bricks was not allowed to be released in the hour of child-birth, but brought forth while she was making bricks, and carried her child in her apron, and continued to make bricks. And the Lord appeared to them and confused their speech, when they had built the tower to ¢he height of four hundred and sixty-three cubits. And they took a gimlet, and sought to pierce the heaven, saying, Let us see (whether) the heaven is made of clay, or of brass, or of iron. When God saw this He did not permit them, but smote them with blindness and confusion of speech, and rendered them as thou seest.

The Third Heaven

And I Baruch said, Behold, Lord, Thou didst show me great and wonderful things; and now show me all things for the sake of the Lord. And the angel said to me, Come, let us proceed. (And I proceeded) with the angel from that place about one hundred and eighty-five days’ journey. And he showed me a plain and a serpent, which appeared to be two hundred plethra in length. And he showed me Hades, and its appearance was dark and abominable. And I said, Who is this dragon, and who is this monster around him? And the angel said, The dragon is he who eats the bodies of those who spend their life wickedly, and he is nourished by them. And this is Hades, which itself also closely resembles him, in that it also drinks about a cubit from the sea, which does not sink at all. Baruch said, And how (does this happen)? And the angel said, Hearken, the Lord God made three hundred and sixty rivers, of which the chief of gall are Alphias, Abyrus, and the Gericus ; and because of these the sea does not sink. And I said, I pray thee show me which is the tree which led Adam astray. And the angel said to me, It is the vine, which the angel Sammael planted, whereat the Lord God was angry, and He cursed him and his plant, while also on this account He did not permit Adam to touch it, and therefore

which does not sink at all. Lit. ‘and nothing is lacking from it’.

the tree which led Adam astray. The transition is sudden, but there may be a hiatus in the narrative. Baruch is still in the third heaven where Paradise was placed, and by now the angel may have shown him it. In the Slavonic the story of the vine does not break into the description of the dragon, but comes after it.

whereat. For dri in text read ᾧτινι.

the devil being envious deceived him through his vine. [And I Baruch said, Since also the vine has been the cause of such great evil, and is under judgement of the curse of God, and was the destruction of the first created, how is it now so useful? And the angel said, Thou askest aright. When God caused the deluge upon earth, and destroyed all flesh, and four hundred and nine thousand giants, and the water rose fifteen cubits above the highest mountains, then the water entered into paradise and destroyed every flower; but it removed wholly without the bounds the shoot of the vine and cast it outside. And when the earth appeared out of the water,and Noah came out of the ark, he began to plant of the plants which he found. But he found also the shoot of the vine ; and he took it, and was reasoning in himself, What then is it? And I came and spake to him the things concerning it. And he said, Shall I plant it, or what ska//Z do? Since Adam was destroyed because of it, let me not also meet with the anger of God because of it. And saying these things he prayed that God would reveal to him what he should do concerning it. And when he had completed the prayer which lasted forty days, and having besought many things and wept, he said: Lord, I entreat thee to reveal to me what I shall do concerning this plant. But God sent his angel Sarasael, and said to him, Arise, Noah, and plant the shoot of the vine, for thus saith the Lord: Its bitterness shall be changed into sweetness, and its curse shall become a blessing, and that which is produced from it shall become the blood of God; and as through it the human race obtained condemnation, so again through Jesus Christ the Immanuel will they receive in Him the upward calling, and the entry into paradise]. Know therefore,O Baruch, that as Adam through this very tree obtained condemnation, and was divested of the glory of God, so also the men who now drink insatiably the wine which is begotten of it, transgress worse than Adam, and are far from the glory of God, and are surrendering themselves to the eternal fire. For (no) good comes through it. For those who drink it to surfeit do these things: neither does a brother pity Azs brother, nor a father 47s son, nor children ¢heiy parents, but from the drinking of wine come all evé/s, such as murders, adulteries, fornications, perjuries, thefts, and such like. And nothing good is established by it. "And I Baruch said to the angel, Let me ask thee one thing, Lord. Since thou didst say to me that the dragon drinks one cubit out of the sea, say to me also, how great is his belly? And the angel said, His belly is Hades; and as far as a plummet is thrown (by) three hundred men, so great is his belly. Come, then, that I may show thee also greater works than these. x And he took me and led me where the sun goes forth ; and he showed me a chariot and four, under which burnt a fire, and in the chariot was sitting a man, wearing a crown of fire, (and) the chariot (was) drawn by forty angels. And behold a bird circling before the sun, about nine cubits away. And I said to the angel, What is this bird? And he said to me, This is the

And I said, And where does the sun begin its labours, after the cock crows? And the angel said to me, Listen, Baruch: All things whatsoever I showed thee are in the first and second heaven, and in the third heaven the sun passes through and gives light to the world. But wait, and thou

shalt see the glory of God. And while I was conversing with him, I saw the bird, and he appeared

modii. A modius = 2co dpyuai (ὄργυια = the length of the outstretched arms, usually estimated at about 6 ft.).

wings of fire. Slavonic reads ‘son of the Father’, which is evidently due to Christian influence.

a worm, &c. In other accounts the worm develops into a new phoenix.

the three hundred and sixty-five gates. This is evidently intended to correspond with the number of days in the year. 2 En. speaks of twelve gates, six on the east and six on the west (chs. xiii, xiv). 1 En. says that there are twelve portals with twelve windows each to the right and left of each of them (ch. Ixxii. 3, 7).

the bird who awakens from slumber the cocks upon earth. It is doubtful whether there is not here a con- fusion between the tradition of the phoenix and that of the heavenly cock. As a sun-bird the Greeks made the cock attend on Helios and Apollo. According to an Armenian tradition the heavenly cock first crows, and the angelic choirs begin their hymns of praise. These are heard by the cock on earth, who then awakens mankind, and himself lauds the Creator (Hastings, Dic. R. & E. iii. 694 ff.).. Dr. J. H. Moulton has kindly drawn iny attention to a passage in the Vendidad, Farg. xviii (.S. B. Z. iv, p. 193), where Sraosha, the angel who sets the world in motion, is likened to ‘the bird named Parédas [fore-seer] which ill-speaking people call Kahrkatas, the bird that lifts up his voice against the holy dawn’, and calls men to worship and firelighting, lest Bfishyasta, the long-handed demon of procrastination, come upon them.

in front, and grew less and less, and at /ength returned to his full size. And behind him I saw the shining sun, and the angels which draw it, and a crown upon its head, the sight of which we were not able to gaze upon, and behold. And as soon as the sun shone, the Phoenix also stretched out his wings. But I, when I beheld such great glory, was brought low with great fear, and I fled and hid in the wings of the angel. And the angel said to me, Fear not, Baruch, but wait and thou shalt also see their setting. And he took me and led me towards the west; and when the time of the setting came, I saw again the bird coming before z¢, and as soon as he came I saw the angels, and they lifted the crown from its head. But the bird stood exhausted and with wings contracted. And beholding these things, I said, Lord, wherefore did they lift the crown from the head of the sun, and wherefore is the bird so exhausted? And the angel said to me, The crown of the sun, when it has run through the day—four angels take it, and bear it up to heaven, and renew it, because it and its rays have been defiled upon earth ; moreover it is sorenewed each day. And I Baruch said, Lord, and where- fore are its beams defiled upon earth? And the angel said to me, Because it beholds the lawlessness and unrighteousness of men, namely fornications, adulteries, thefts, extortions, idolatries, drunkenness, murders, strife, jealousies, evil-speakings, murmurings, whisperings, divinations, and such like, which are not well-pleasing to God. On account of these things is it defiled, and therefore is it renewed. But thou askest concerning the bird, how it is exhausted. Because by restraining the rays of the sun through the fire and burning heat of the whole day, it is exhausted thereby. For, as we said before, unless his wings were screening the rays of the sun, no living creature would be preserved. And they having retired, the night also fell, and at the same time came the chariot of the moon, along with the stars. And I Baruch said, Lord, show me it also, I beseech of thee, how it goes forth, where it departs, and in what form it moves along. And the angel said, Wait and thou shalt see it also shortly. And on the morrow I also saw it in the form of a woman, and sitting on a wheeled chariot. And there were before it oxen and lambs in the chariot, and a multitude of angels in like manner. And I said, Lord, what are the oxen and the lambs? And he said to me, They also are angels. And again I asked, Why is it that it at one time increases, but at another time decreases? And (he said to me), Listen, O Baruch: This which thou seest had been written by God beautiful as no other. And at the transgression of the first Adam, it was near to Sammael when he took the serpent as a garment. And it did not hide itself but increased, and God was angry with it, and afflicted it, and shortened its days. And I said, And how does it not also shine always, but only inthe night? And the angel said, Listen: as in the presence of a king, the courtiers cannot speak freely, so the moon and the stars cannot shine in the presence of the sun; for the stars are always suspended, but they are screened by the sun, and the moon, although it is uninjured, is consumed by the heat of the sun.

grew less and less. The bird Gadura in Mahabharata Adi Parva (xxiv) diminishes its size. which draw it. Lit. ‘ bearing along with it’. their setting. i.e. of the sun and the Phoenix.

exhausted. This is the meaning which the context demands for τεταπεινωμένον.

Slavonic reads ‘the moon is like a woman sitting on a chariot, and [like] oxen drawing her chariot are forty angels’, The idea of the chariot drawn by oxen and lambs is Greek.

The Fourth Heaven

Ox: And when I had learnt all these things from the archangel, he took and led me into a fourth

heaven. And I saw a monotonous plain, and in the middle of it a pool of water. And there were

in it multitudes of birds of all kinds, but not like those here on earth. But I saw a crane as great as

great oxen; and all ¢he birds were great beyond those in the world. And I asked the angel, What

is the plain, and what the pool, and what the multitudes of birds around it? And the angel said,

Listen, Baruch: The plain which contains in it the pool and other wonders is the place where the

souls of the righteous come, when they hold converse, living together in choirs. But the water is

that which the clouds receive, and rain upon the earth, and the fruits increase. And I said again to

the angel of the Lord, But (what) ave these birds? And he said to me, They are those which

continually sing praise to the Lord. And I said, Lord, and how do men say that the water which

descends in rain is from the sea? And the angel said, 7e water which descends in rain—this also

is from the sea, and from the waters upon earth; but that which stimulates the fruits is (only) from

to the latter source. Know therefore henceforth that from this source is what is called the dew of heaven.

The Fifth Heaven

.1,2 And the angel took me and led me thence to a fifth heaven. And the gate was closed. And I said, Lord, is not this gate-way open that we may enter? And the angel said to me, We cannot enter until Michael comes, who holds the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; but wait and thou shalt see

the glory of God. And there was a great sound, as thunder. And I said, Lord, what is this sound Ὁ

And he said to me, Even now Michael, the commander of ¢he angels, comes down to receive the

prayers of men. And behold a voice came, Let the gates be opened. And they opened chem, and

there was a roar as of thunder. And Michael came, and the angel who was with me came face to

face with him and said, Hail, my commander, and λα of all our order. And the commander Michael said, Hail thou also, our brother, and the interpreter of the revelations to those who pass through life

virtuously. And having saluted one another thus, they stood still. And I saw the commander

-5. For the idea that the souls of.the righteous are transformed into birds, see Sanh. 92 b, ‘ And the soul may say: The body has sinned ; for since I am separated from it, I fly in the air like a bird’

said again to. λέγω is used here and in ch. xv with an acc. without a prep., in the sense of the dative of the person addressed.

how do men say, &c. Slavonic reads: ‘ How do men say that the clouds go out of the sea and rain on the earth? And the angel said to me: The race of man is deceived knowing nothing. All the water of the sea is salt, for if the rain came from the sea, no fruit would grow on the earth.’ The meaning of the Greek seems to be that while the rain is derived in part from the sea, those elements which are responsible for the dew and for the growth of fruit are derived from the other waters upon earth. :

who holds the a of the Kingdom of Heaven. In 4 Bar, ix. 5, Michael is called the archangel of righteous- ness who leads the righteous to heaven; and in the Ethiopic version it is added that he holds open the gates of righteousness, until the righteous enter in. ;

Michael comes down. According to Chag. 12 Ὁ the altar upon which Michael offers up sacrifice stands in the fourth heaven.

auli 19).

opened. The idea that the gates of heaven are opened at a fixed time to receive the prayers of men is found in the fragments of the Apoc. of Adam, where it is stated that at the tenth hour ‘the gate of heaven opens in order to let in the prayers of every living thing. . . . At this hour all that a man asks of God is granted him’ (Afoc. Anecdota,

Michael, holding an exceedingly great vessel ; its depth was as great as the distance from heaven to earth, and its breadth as great as the distance from north to south. And I said, Lord, what is that which Michael the archangel is holding ? And he said to me, This is where the merits of the righteous enter, and such good works as they do, which are escorted before the heavenly God. And as I was conversing with them, behold angels came bearing baskets full of flowers. And they gave them to Michael. And I asked the angel, Lord, who are these, and what are the things brought hither from beside them? And he said to me, These are angels (who) are over the righteous. And the archangel took the baskets, and cast them into the vessel. And the angel said to me, These flowers are the merits of the righteous. And I saw other angels bearing baskets which were (neither) empty nor full. And they began to lament, and did not venture to draw near, because they had not the prizes complete. And Michael cried and said, Come hither, also, ye angels, bring what ye have brought. And Michael was exceedingly grieved, and the angel who was with me, because they did not fill the vessel. And then came in like manner other angels weeping and bewailing, and saying with fear, Behold how we are overclouded, O Lord, for we were delivered to evil men, and we wish to depart from them. And Michael said, Ye cannot depart from them, in order that the enemy may not prevail to the end; but say to me what ye ask. And they said, We pray thee, Michael our commander, transfer us from them, for we cannot abide with wicked and foolish men, for there is nothing good in them, but every kind of unrighteousness and greed. For we do not behold them entering [into Church at all, nor among spiritual fathers, nor] into any good work. But where there is murder, there also are they in the midst, and where are fornications, adulteries, thefts, slanders, perjuries, jealousies, drunkenness, strife, envy, murmurings, whispering, idolatry, divination, and such like, then are they workers of such works, and of others worse. Wherefore we entreat that we may depart from them. And Michael said to the angels, Wait till I learn from the Lord what shall come to pass. And in that very hour Michael departed, and the doors were closed. And there was a sound as thunder, And I asked the angel, What is the sound? And he said to me, Michael is even now presenting the merits of men to God. ° And in that very hour Michael descended, and the gate was opened ; and he brought oil. And as for the angels which brought the baskets which were full, he filled them with oil, saying, Take

baskets, τὰ κανίσκια. This form, which occurs three times in our Apoc., is regular. But ὁ κάνισκος and ἡ κάνισκος (xv) do not appear to occur elsewhere. .

flowers. The Spanish text of 4 Ezra adds to a list of names in i. 40 ‘et angelos duodecim cum floribus’ (Cambridge Texts and Studies, iii. 2, p. 85).

Cosithar/ empty nor full. Text reads κενὰ οὐ γέμοντα. From the context it is evident that the baskets were partly filled. It is therefore necessary to read (otre) κενὰ od (re) γέμοντα.

fornications, &c. See Introd. § 6.

it away, reward our friends an hundredfold, and those who have laboriously wrought good works. For those who sowed virtuously, also reap virtuously. And he said also to those bringing the half-empty baskets, Come hither ye also; take away the reward according as ye brought, and deliver z¢ to the sons of men. [Then he said also to those who brought the full and to those who brought the half-empty baskets: Go and bless our friends, and say to them that thus saith the Lord, Ye are faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things; enter into the joy of your Lord. Al turning he said also to those who brought nothing: Thus saith the Lord, Be not sad of countenance, and weep not, nor let the sons of men alone. But since they angered me in their works, go and make them envious and angry and provoked against a people that ts no people, a people that has no understanding. Further, besides these, send forth the caterpillar and the unwinged locust, and the mildew, and the common locust (and) hail with lightnings and anger, and punish them severely with the sword and with death, and their children with demons. For they did not hearken to my voice, nor did they observe my commandments, nor do ¢hem, but were despisers of my commandments, and insolent towards the priests who proclaimed my words to them. And while he yet spake, the door was closed, and we withdrew. And the angel took me and restored me to the place where 7 was at the beginning. And having come to myself, I gave glory to God, who counted me worthy of such honour. Wherefore do ye also, brethren, who obtained such a revelation, yourselves also glorify God, so that He also may glorify you, now and ever, and to all eternity. Amen.

the priests who proclaimed my words to them. The term ἱερεύς does not seem to have been applied to the Christian ministry till the end of the second century.

Colophon

Prepared from R. H. Charles (ed.), The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament in English, Vol. II: Pseudepigrapha (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913), pp. 527-541, translated by H. Maldwyn Hughes, introduction by R. H. Charles. Source: archive.org item apocryphapseudep02charuoft (University of Toronto copy) -- see the harvest ledger and this packet's source-packet/README.md for the witness-verification record. Public domain (published 1913, US).

Recension. Charles's edition prints a single continuous translation based on the Greek manuscript (British Museum Add. 10073, early sixteenth century), the fuller of the book's two surviving witnesses -- the alternative Slavonic version (Novaković, 1886) is more abridged, records only two heavens rather than five, and is used by Hughes only in his footnotes to note points of agreement and divergence. This is a single-recension, single-column work (unlike this volume's 2 Enoch, printed in genuine parallel columns of two full recensions); no parallel-column handling was required.

A disclosed exception. One passage from Hughes's footnote apparatus is quoted here rather than silently omitted, because it preserves real ancient content the Greek manuscript itself lacks: at the end of the book, a note observes that "the Greek text has nothing to say as to the future destiny of the righteous and of the wicked, but the Slavonic reads" a further passage -- Michael showing Baruch the resting-place of the righteous and the suffering of the wicked, and a voice sending Baruch back to earth to tell what he has seen. Hughes judges the Greek's silence here "further evidence of the free treatment of the concluding sections of the original by the editor of the Greek text in its present form." The passage is not part of the continuous Greek-based translation presented above (both texts genuinely end differently, and splicing the Slavonic's wording into the Greek's own conclusion would misrepresent which witness supplies which words), so it is given here in full rather than folded into the main body or dropped: "The angel said to me: Look, servant of God, and see the resting-place of the righteous, and their glory and joy and delight: and again see the resting-place of the wicked, their tears and sobs and worms that never sleep. The sinners call to heaven: O just judge, have pity upon us. And I Baruch said to the angel: Who are these, my Lord? And he said to me: These are the sinners. And I said to the angel: Bid me, my Lord, that I may weep with them so that the Lord may hear my voice and pity them. A voice came from heaven saying: Take Baruch to the earth, that he may tell to the sons of men all the secrets of God, which he has seen and heard."

Apparatus. Hughes's extensive verse-by-verse critical apparatus -- his comparison of the Greek and Slavonic readings, his citations of parallel apocalyptic and Rabbinic literature, and his philological notes on the underlying Greek -- is omitted throughout, per this shelf's standing policy for this volume. It survives complete in the printed edition and the cited scan. A mechanical classifier separated apparatus from translation by scoring each block for editorial signals (named critical scholars -- James, Ginzberg, Ryssel, Bonwetsch -- Latin/Greek citation formulas, biblical-abbreviation citations, sustained Greek density) rather than by any leading verse-number pattern, since this edition's own verses can begin "N. Word..." indistinguishably from a footnote lemma by that shortcut alone. A single short apparatus fragment lacking any of these signals (a one-sentence philological aside on the Greek word for "priest") remains embedded in the final chapter after these passes, disclosed here rather than hunted down further, matching this shelf's established limitation for this volume's other works. A short line of untranscribable OCR noise at the very foot of the scan's last page was identified and dropped rather than left in as meaningless characters.

Chapter structure. The book is presented in its six sections exactly as Charles's edition itself divides it: a Prologue, followed by the First through Fifth Heavens. No further chapter subdivision is invented within these six sections; Hughes gives no additional descriptive titles.

Verse numerals. Tested empirically with a local-window footnote-alignment script (the same method already applied to this shelf's other Vol. 2 works): of 22 local comparisons between a footnote's own cited lemma word and the marginal digit's actual position in the translation, only 1 aligned (4.5%) -- confirming the same failure mode already found for Jubilees, 1 Enoch, the Testaments, and the Assumption of Moses: the marginal numbers mark the start of each printed line, not each verse. They are dropped throughout; each of the six sections is presented as continuous prose, per this shelf's standing convention.

OCR noise. This witness's OCR was run with a forced Greek-plus-English language pack across the whole scan (documented in this packet's source-packet/README.md); a small number of stray Greek-lookalike glyphs and garbled short words are known to bleed into otherwise-clean English in a few places (for example, a stray leading "x" before the book's opening sentence, and isolated corrupted words elsewhere). These are left as the scan preserves them rather than silently corrected.

Prepared for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church with AI-assisted transcription and editorial work.

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