Michel Desjardins

Law in 2 Baruch and 4 Ezra

2 Baruch and 4 Ezra are Jewish apocalyptic works composed perhaps in

Palestine, probably in the second half of the first century c.E.,2 and most
likely in Hebrew.3 Striking similarities in form and content have solidified
the connection between these works since the publication of 2 Baruch just
over a century ago. Yet there remains widespread disagreement on exactly
how they are related. Some prefer to date 2 Baruch before 4 Ezra, while a
few take the opposite stand; and, although a direct literary connection
between them is often postulated, their use of a common source is by no
means ruled out. There are also major differences of opinion concerning

1 For 2 Baruch see A. F. J. Klijn, Die syrische Baruch-Apokalypse, Jüdische Schriften aus
hellenisch-römischer Zeit, 5 (Gütersloh: Gerd Mohn, 1976), 114; and 2 (Syriac
Apocalypse of) Baruch: A New Translation and Introduction, in J. H. Charlesworth
(ed.), The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Vol. 1: Apocalyptic Literature and Testa-
ments (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1983), 617. For 4 Ezra see B. M. Metzger, The
Fourth Book of Ezra: With Four Additional Chapters, in The Old Testament Pseudepig-
rapha, 520.
2 For both 2 Baruch and 4 Ezra the usual range of dates is from about 100 to 130 C.E. Cf.
Klijn, Die syrische Baruch-Apokalypse, 114; and 2 (Syriac) Baruch, 617; L. Ginzberg,
Baruch, Apocalypse of (Syriac), in The Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, 551-52; R. H.
Charles, The Apocalypse of Baruch (London: Adam and Charles Black, 1896), lxv;
J. Myers,I and II Esdras, Anchor Bible, 42 (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1974), 129-31;
W. O. E. Oesterley, II Esdras (London: Methuen, 1933), xliv-xlv; and G. H. Box, IV
Ezra, in R. H. Charles (ed.), The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament
in English, Vol. 2 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913), 552-53. A slightly earlier date, i.e.,
95-96, for 2 Baruch has been suggested by P. Bogaert, Apocalypse de Baruch, Sources
Chrétiennes, 144 (Paris: Les Editions du Cerf, 1969), 270-95. A date near 100 for 4 Ezra is
quite likely—cf. 3:1, and the calculation of the eagle vision in chapters 11-12 which seems
to take us to the end of the first century. And while a great deal of evidence from 2 Baruch
points to a pre-70 date, some specific passages (esp. 32:1-3; 85:3) and the general setting of
the Temple destruction suggest a date for this work between 75 and 100.
3 For 2 Baruch see Charles, The Apocalypse, xliii-liii; Klijn, 2 (Syriac) Baruch, 616;
Ginzberg, Baruch, 555. Note that Bogaert (Apocalypse, 353-83) thinks that it could
have also been composed in Greek. For 4 Ezra see Box, IV Ezra, 547-49; Oesterley, II
Esdras, xlvi; Myers, I and II Esdras, 115-19; Metzger, The Fourth Book, 520; and
J. Schreiner, Das 4. Buch Esra, Jüdische Schriften aus hellenish-römischer Zeit, 5
(Gütersloh: Gerd Mohn, 1981), 294-95. L. Grys thesis that it was composed in Aramaic
has not gained acceptance: Les dires prophétiques dEsdras, Tome 1 (Paris: Librairie
Orientaliste Paul Geuthner, 1938), xxiii-xciii. As primary texts for this paper I have used
the following: S. Dedering, Apocalypse of Baruch, in The Old Testament in Syriac
According to the Peshitta Version, part 4, fasc. 3 (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1973); R. L.
Bensly, The Fourth Book of Ezra, Texts and Studies, 3/2 (Cambridge: University Press,
1895); and the English translations in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha by Klijn
(2 Baruch) and Metzger (4 Ezra). John Corbett provided valuable assistance in Syriac.
4 2 Baruch earlier: Charles, The Apocalypse, lxxi; 4 Ezra earlier: Box, IV Ezra, 553;
Schreiner, Das 4. Buch Esra, 301; E. P. Sanders, Paul and Palestinian Judaism
(Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1977), 427. Both positions are defensible.

Michel Desjardins is a graduate student in the Centre for Religious Studies, University of
Toronto, where he is completing a dissertation on sin in Valentinian Gnosticism.
26

their content. For instance, while 4 Ezra has usually been seen as more
akin to Christianity due to its alleged critique of the Law,5 some recent
studies have put this theory on its head and argued that it exhibits instead an
extreme type of works-righteousness soteriology.6 As it stands, then, we
are faced with two works which display a host of similarities and seem to

emerge from comparable milieux, while exhibiting enough differences and

problems of interpretation to allow for opposing viewpoints.
The role that Law plays in these two works is central and controver-
sial. Some have seen little or no difference between their understanding of
Laws but for others the difference has seemed significant.9 In addition, a
few scholars have argued that their viewpoint in this regard differs radically
from what we find in rabbinic Judaism,l but criticism of this position has
been vigorous.&dquo; This paper examines how Law functions in 2 Baruch and
4 Ezra. 12 What concerns me in particular is the isolation of these authors
major themes, for an examination of the role that Law plays in these themes
will be a practical way of gauging their understanding of Laws

2 Baruch

a Introduction
For theyouth of this world has passed away, and the power of creation is already exhausted,
and thecoming of the times is very near and has passed by. And the pitcher is near the well,
and the ship to the harbor, and the journey to the city, and life to its end. Further, prepare
yourselves so that, when you sail and ascend from the ship, you may have rest and not be
condemned when you have gone away.... Therefore, there is one Law by One, one world and
an end for all those who exist. Then he will make alive those whom he has found ... and at the
same time he will destroy those who are polluted with sins (85:10-11, 14-15).

This passage occurs at the end of Baruchs letter to the nine and a half tribes
(chs. 78-87),14 the letter as such closing 2 Baruch and in many ways serving
5 Cf. especially Oesterley, II Esdras (see n. 2 above), xxv.
6 Notably Sanders (Paul [see n. 4 above], 409-18), who argues that this viewpoint exists in
contemporary Judaism only in the minds of the critics of that religion.
7 D. Rössler has pointed out that Law occurs more than seventy times in 4 Ezra, 2 Baruch,
andI Enoch (Gesetz und Geschichte: Untersuchungen zur Theologie der jüdischen
Apokalyptik und der pharisäischen Orthodoxie [Neukirchen: Kreis Moers, 1962], 45).
8 E.g., W. Harnisch, Verhängnis und Verheissung der Geschichte: Unterschungen zum
Zeit- und Geschichtsverständnis im 4. Esra und in der syr. Baruchapokalypse (Göt-
tingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1969), 178-79.
9 E.g., Bogaert, Apocalypse (see n. 2 above), 391.
10 Notably Rössler, Gesetz (see n. 7 above), passim.
II Especially Sanders, Paul (see n. 4 above), 409-18; and A. Nissen, Tora und Geschichte
im Spätjudentum: Zu Thesen Dietrich Rösslers, Novum Testamentum 9 (1967), 241-77.
Their objections are valid.
12 For surveys of scholarship see Klijn, Die syrische Baruch-Apokalypse (see n. 1 above),
119-22, and A. L. Thompson, Responsibility for Evil in the Theodicy of IV Ezra: A Study
Illustrating the Significance of Form and Structure for the Meaning of the Book (Mis-
soula, MT: Scholars Press, 1977), 85-107.
13 For an appreciation of the importance that form and structure can have in understanding
the authors intent, see Harnisch, Verhängnis (see n. 8 above); Thompson, Responsibil-
: and J. E. Breech, These FragmentsI Have Shored against my Ruins: The Form and
ity
Function of 4 Ezra, Journal of Biblical Literature 92 (1973), 267-74.
14 As he calls the Jews, exiled in 722 B.C.E., throughout the work (but cf. 1:2).
 27

as a recapitulation of the preceding arguments. It helps us to appreciate the

three major themes of this work: the imminence of the new age, the coming
retribution (which is aimed at the Gentiles), and the salvation which awaits
the righteous. The last point is the dominant one, and the determinative role
which Law plays in this salvation will be the focus of the following discus-
sion.

b The imminence of the end and the punishment of the

Gentiles
This authors conception of history, which is not unknown in other
apocalyptic works, is that Adams transgression resulted in death (54:15)
and a world of corruption (40:3), but this historical period will soon
come to an end when God renews his creation forever (32:6; 44:12).S God
will decide when the new age is to come into being. He is in complete
control (21:4-11) and will bring the present world to an end in the appointed
time (23:40), when the predetermined number of mortals has been born (ch.
23). Within this historical framework, the emphasis is placed on the period
which will immediately precede the inauguration of this renewed creation
whose arrival is deemed imminent. Mankind should expect a time of
extreme suffering and turmoil, the last, blackest waters (chs. 69-70), in
this period, to be followed by the coming of the Messiah, who will usher in
the last bright waters (73:1-2) and the spread of his kingdom on earth.
The Messiahs role on earth will be to provide his people with all that
they might desire, and to punish the nations who have oppressed Israel.
The Gentiles may now lead happy and prosperous lives, and persecute
Israel, but God will ensure that this suffering is avenged (chs. 40, 72). The
punishment will be meted out by Gods Messiah in the end time, and will be
reinforced by their exclusion from the world to come (chs. 11-13, 24, 39-40,
82). The Israelites are said to have brought on their own fate by transgress-
ing the Law (ch. 77), and should have been punished even more severely
than they were (79:2). Yet it is the Gentiles who are despised for their
oppression and are threatened with punishment. Throughout this work the
author is noticeably unconcerned with these transgressing Israelites.

c Salvation for the righteous

i The role of the law in salvation

For why do you look for the decline of your enemies? asks Baruch in 52:6.
Prepare your souls for that which is kept for you, and make ready your
souls for the reward which is preserved for you. As important as the
imminence of the end time and the coming retribution are to the author of
2 Baruch, his dominant concern is still with the righteous, and what the
Israelites can do to ensure their salvation. And with regard to the righteous
ones, those whom you said the world has come on their account, says God,
15 See Harnisch, Verhängnis (see n. 8 above), 89-322, for the best description of the
doctrine of the two ages in 2 Baruch and 4 Ezra; also Rössler, Gesetz (see n. 7 above),
55-70.
28

yes, also that which is coming is on their account. For this world is to them
a struggle.... And that, accordingly, which will come, a crown with great
glory (15:7-8). There is some indication throughout this work that many
will be damned-perhaps even the majority (18:1-2; 53:6~but generally an
effort is made not to reduce drastically the number of those who can be
saved. Baruch says in 21:11 that while many have sinned once, many
others have proved themselves to be righteous. It is mainly for this
considerable segment of his people that the author is concerned.
Ones attitude to the Law is the determining factor in guaranteeing
salvation or punishment in the coming age. Suffering can be of some help in
this regard (78:6; perhaps also 13:10), but it is the attitude taken to the Law
that is decisive (32:1; 42; 44; 54:13-14; 57:1-2; 84:2-11). Just as the wrath of
God awaits those who have disregarded the Law and oppressed the people
of the Law, so salvation awaits those who follow the Law: We know that
we do not fall as long as we keep your statutes (48:22).16
Adherence to the Law is also considered beneficial for man in this age.
Adams sin is said to have resulted in death for all, but each person is able,
nonetheless, to determine the course his life will take (54:15-19). There is no
suggestion that the Law could not be kept faithfully, or that sufferings had
to come upon the people of Israel. However, the sufferings which resulted
from Israels failure to follow the Law have already occurred and the end
time is at hand, so adherence to the Law is urged for future rather than
present gain. One such future gain concerns the possibility of sharing in the
coming messianic kingdom. Only the righteous-and seemingly only those
who are also living in the Holy Land when this kingdom arises (29:2)―will
participate (32:1). Obedience to the Law, therefore, could have led to
rewards on earth, and can still do so in the earthly messianic kingdom.
Another of our writers concerns is to indicate that the Law has been
handed down from Moses through a long line of interpreters to Baruch. Just
as the Law has a crucial role to play in mankinds salvation, so Moses role
in transmitting this Law was determinative. The importance of the
shepherds who have interpreted and expounded the Law since Moses
time is acknowledged by the peoples pleas to Baruch not to leave them
(32:9-33:3; 46:3; 77:11-14). The comment in 57:2 about the unwritten Law
being in force at the time of Abraham reveals that those who came before
Moses also had access to Gods word; yet one ought not to downplay the
importance which Moses, and the Law he introduces in writing, have for
the people. Besides the seer, Moses is the key human figure in this work.
He is the shepherd par excellence, and Baruch makes a point of comparing
himself to him in 84:2-6.1
16 For a discussion of this ius talionis mentality in 2 Baruch see Hamisch, Verhängnis (see
n. 8 above), 198-201.
17 Moses elevated position is not stressed as consistently in 4 Ezra, but in the final chapter
the crucial importance of the Lawgiver and his Law is underscored: Ezra is presented not
only as following Moses, but also as serving an analogous function (14:3-7). There are also
suggestions in 4 Ezra that the oneness of the Law (alluded to in 5:23-27) does not mean
that the Law was introduced to mankind first by Moses, or that his written account
represents its full extent. In 3:22 we are told that the Law has been in the peoples heart
ab initio, and 14:6 mentions the seventy other secret books which were revealed to Ezra
 29

ii The description of the law

Law is not defined directly in 2 Baruch. It is only described by analogy, and
the breadth of these comparisons is such that Law comes to take on a
magisterial position. The descriptions of Law as light, understanding,
and wisdom are more fundamental, but some of the other comparisons
also play an important role. There is a tendency throughout 2 Baruch to
combine these descriptions and to repeat them.
What will happen, asks Baruch in 41:3, to those apostates who have
separated themselves from your statutes and who have cast away from
them the yoke of your Law? This comment may reflect the way some Jews
felt about their obligation to follow the Law. Yet nothing in chapter 41
suggests that adherence to the Law was considered burdensome. Indeed,
elsewhere the author invariably describes Law in a positive and liberating
manner. As well, there is evidence from other Jewish sources (e.g., Abot
3:7) that Gods yoke (Pss. Sol. 7:8; 17:32) and wisdoms yoke (Sir.
51: 26) were not considered to be a harsh burden, but rather an expression of
ones obedience to the divine call.
Another way of describing the Law, which has a credal and liturgical
ring it, was expressed in the introductory quotation to this section: there
to
is one Law by One (85:14; cf. also 48:24). This phrase is consistent with the
tendency in 2 Baruch to trace the Law to Moses and then through a long
series of shepherds, who alone are capable of handing down faithfully
what they received. The normative, uninterrupted element of this chain of
tradition is a distinctive feature of our work.
It is possible that the authors use of the phrases the yoke of the Law
and one Law by One reflects a Jewish/Christian polemic. The question of
apostasy is not stressed in 2 Baruch, but in chapters 41-42 there is talk
about those who have withdrawn. Some New Testament evidence (e.g.,
Acts 15:10; Gal. 5:1) indicates that the yoke was considered by a segment
of the early Christian community at least to be burdensome and unneces-
sary. The connection in chapter 41 between the phrase yoke of the Law
and apostates, therefore, could allude to some Jews who had left the faith to
become Christians. Similarly, one can imagine the expression there is one
Law by One being used apologetically by Jews to defend themselves
against Christians who were arguing for a distinctive interpretation of the
Law and were calling Jesus the Son of God. While an underlying
Jewish/Christian polemic is possible, 2 Baruch elsewhere offers little to
encourage such an interpretation. For one thing, the phrase the yoke of the
Law is not expressed polemically in chapter 41. More importantly, the
question of Jews who are not following the Law and are about to be
punished is not of much concern to the author. The onus therefore lies on
those who would argue that these expressions are indicative of a
Jewish/Christian controversy.
Your law is life, says Baruch in 38:2 (cf. also 45:2; 46:3), and in chapter
57 it becomes evident that what is meant by this expression is the promise
as they had been to Moses. Law can be considered co-terminous with Tanak in 2 Baruch
(even though it was known before Moses), while in 4 Ezra Tanak does not contain it all.
30

of life which the Law provides to those who are faithful to it. Obeying the
Law does make a difference as to how one will be treated in the coming age;
it is the determining factor in providing new and lasting life in the renewed
creation.
The comparison of Law to light or a lamp is one of the major metaphors
in 2 Baruch. When Baruch says to God in 54:13, For with your counsel,
you reign over all creation which your right hand has created, and you have
established the whole fountain of light with yourself, the light he is
referring to is the Law. More commonly, in 2 Baruch light is balanced by
darkness, which can signify absence of the Law (59:2) or its proper
interpretation (77:13-14), or the refusal to follow it (ch. 18). The first time we
encounter this metaphor is in chapters 16-18, and its most extended use is in
the account of the apocalypse of the clouds (ch. 53) and its interpretation
(chs. 55-74). In a vision Baruch sees a dark cloud cover the entire world and
rain down twelve times, alternating between black and bright waters, and
culminating in a much darker black water pouring down and causing
massive destruction. This is followed by the lightning crushing the cloud
into the earth, stopping the destruction and then lighting the whole earth.
The subsequent interpretation makes it clear that this vision is a presenta-
tion of human history divided into good and bad epochs: the six black
waters were times when the Law was transgressed, usually by key indi-
viduals, while the six bright waters form the counterpart. The final darker
waters are part of the messianic woes which are to precede the end, and the
lightning signifies the coming of the Messiah. Blackness and brightness in
this vision, then, are an extension of the metaphor which equates Law with
light, and light is only possible when the Law is adhered to.
G. Vermes has highlighted the frequency of this metaphor in Jewish
literature from biblical through rabbinic times, a practice which is encour-
aged by the great similarity of the terms in Hebrew (orah-torah) and
Aramaic (ortah-orytah). 18 Although this linguistic play is not possible in
the Syriac version of the work, the original Hebrew (or Aramaic) may have
encouraged the author to use these terms as frequently as he does.
The most distinctive metaphors for Law in this work are understand-
ing and wisdom. It is true, says God to Baruch in 15:5, that man would not
have understood my judgment if he had not received the Law and if he were
not instructed with understanding. But now, because he trespassed, having
understanding, he will be punished. Reception of the Law means reception
of understanding. Understanding is connected with Law elsewhere in this
manner (38:1-4; 44:14, 33, 36; 51:3-7), and tends also to be included in

conjunction with wisdom, which is the single most frequent metaphor for
Law in our work. An extended comparison of these three terms occurs in
chapter 51. Baruchs curiosity about what shape the dead will take in the
18 G. Vermes, Torah is Light, Vetus Testamentum 8 (1958), 437; also Harnisch, Ver-
hängnis (see n. 8 above), 202-08. Some striking uses are in Ps. 119:105 (Thy word is a
lamp to my feet, and a light to my path) and in Pseudo-Philo: Moi. Dieu, jallumerai pour
lui [Abraham] ma lampe; elle habitera en lui.... Je lilluminerai de la lumière éternelle
(9:8). Cf. also 19:4 (the final words of Moses): car Dieu a révélé le but de lunivers, en
vous donnant ses commandements et en allumant parmi vous une lampe éternelle
(Sources Chrétiennes
, 229).
 31

coming age (ch. 49) prompts God to reply that initially the dead will be
raised with the same bodies they had at death in order to convince everyone
that they have indeed been raised (ch. 50). After this the shape of the
righteous and the wicked will be changed:
For the shape of those who now act wickedly will be made more evil than it is [now] so that
they shall suffer great torment. Also, as for the glory of those who proved to be righteous on
account of my law, those who possessed intelligence in their life, and those who planted the
root of wisdom in their heart-their splendor will then be glorified by transformations, and the
shape of their face will be changed into the light of their beauty so that they may acquire and
receive the undying world which was promised to them. Therefore, especially they who will
then come will be sad, because they despised my Law and stopped their ears lest they hear
wisdom and receive intelligence (51:2-7).

This passage not only links wisdom, Law, and understanding (here trans-
lated as intelligence), but also touches on the major motifs surrounding the
notion of Law in 2 Baruch: adherence to the Law is connected with the
future judgment and glorification of the righteous, who will reap their
rewards in the world to come, as opposed to the others, who reap their
rewards now and will suffer the consequences later.

4 Ezra
a Introduction
The themes in 2 Baruch would have been well received by Jews in Eastern
Europe in the 1930s. Persecution at the hands of the Gentiles forms the
backdrop of the work, and it reflects a passionate hope for an imminent end
to be accompanied by punishment for the persecutors and rewards for the
righteous. Gods mercy and justice are unquestioned, and the author pleads
with his audience to obey the Law in order to be granted salvation in the
world to come. If man lives up to his side of the covenantal agreement he
can expect God to reciprocate. In contrast, 4 Ezra has a definite post-
Holocaust mood to it. Suffering is so extensive that the basic elements of
the faith have been cast into doubt and a fundamental reappraisal of
existence is required. The confident, declarative tone of 2 Baruch is re-
placed by a succession of whys which seriously call into question the
justice of God and the efficacy of the Law.
We also move from a well-reasoned and cohesive presentation in
2 Baruch to a work which leaves a host of questions unresolved. One such
question concerns the radical break in content and tone which occurs after
the first three visions. Another is the difference in viewpoint expressed by
Ezra and the angel with whom he is communicating, especially in the first
three visions, and one cannot help wondering which figure is intended to
represent the authors viewpoint. While this dialogue format is also present
in 2 Baruch, no such tension exists there between the parties. D. R6ssier
and A. L. Thompson believe that the seers voice represents the authors
alter ego!9 while E. P. Sanders and W. Harnisch have argued the oppo-
19 Rössler, Gesetz (see n. 7 above), 106. Thompson, although critical of recent scholars for
their desire to choose sides on this issue, nonetheless states (Responsibility [see n. 12
above], 157): Ezras voice was the one that the author really wants to be heard.
32

site, stating that the divine position best reflects the authors.2 According
to J. E. Breech, who has modified Harnischs position somewhat, just as
the function of the first three dialogues between seer and angel is to express
the religious confusion which the authors community faced after 70 c.E.,
the last four visions set the overall tone and serve to console the prophet
and comfort the community by re-affirming Gods power and majesty.21 As
suggestive as this interpretation is, I find that it is not only the angels
replies which serve to express the religious problematic facing the commu-
nity, but Ezras questioning as well. Furthermore, the transition which we
do indeed encounter from pessimism to optimism in the fourth vision does
not console an alert audience; it reflects another facet of the Angst which
troubles the author.22 We are in the presence of a man who is driven to
express viewpoints which at times are irreconcilable.23

b The three major themes

i Introduction: A comparison with 2 Baruch
The longing in 2 Baruch to know more about the end of time is found in
4 Ezra as well, as is the belief that it will soon arrive.24 Furthermore, this
age (6:9) not only is said to be transitory and inferior, as in 2 Baruch, but is
also depicted as becoming worse as time goes on (5:51-56; 14:7): man has
become progressively less righteous, and his sufferings have increased
proportionately. The two other major themes in 2 Baruch are not ex-
pressed to such a degree in 4 Ezra. The author shows but passing concern
with the punishment of Gentiles (but cf. 7:37-38), and although the angel
does reveal an interest in discussing the fate of the righteous (8:55; 9:13),
little time is spent on this issue. Rather, the authors central concern is
encapsulated in 4:12, where we find Ezra lamenting: It would be better for
us not to be here than to come here and live in ungodliness and to suffer and
not understand why. The first theme alluded to in this statement pertains
20 Sanders, Paul (see n. 4 above), 417-18; Harnisch, Verhängnis (see n. 8 above), 60-67; on
page 61 he mentions that E. Brandenburger (Adam und Christus [Neukirchen: Neukirch-
ener Verlag, 1962]) was the first to argue that the author of 4 Ezra wants to represent his
views through the angels mouth and to polemicize against the seers position.
21 Breech, These Fragments (see n. 13 above), 271.
22 To be sure, Breech is not unaware of the disharmony present in the work. Thompson
argues that although the latter half of the book provides no rational solution to the
problems raised in the first half—and indeed that there is little correlation of content
between the two sections—the author has nevertheless somehow been able to construct
an "experiential theodicy" which permits him to set aside his anxieties in the end
(Responsibility [see n. 12 above], 295). By this he seems to mean that even when rational
solutions fall short of the mark, confidence in God need not die (341). As suggestive as
this thesis is, it assumes more of a unity to the work than I am willing to accord it. For a
survey of modem scholarship on this work see Sanders, Paul (see n. 4 above), 409-13.
23 Cf. the statement by B. Violet: Die Esra-Apokalypse ist von einem Manne geschrieben,
der nicht schreiben wollte, sondern schreiben musste. See Die Apokalypsen des Esra
und des Baruch in deutscher Gestalt, Die griechische christliche Schriftsteller der ersten
drei Jahrhunderte, 32 (Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichssche Buchhandlung, 1924), xxxix.
24 As Breech has noted (These Fragments [see n. 13 above], 271), each of the first three
visions is structured similarly: the seers distress is followed by his complaint, which, in
turn, leads to an extended dialogue with Uriel. The closing section in each of these
exchanges focusses on the end time (4:33-5:13; 5:56-6:28; 8:63-9:22).
 33

to mans ungodliness, and it will become clear how to a large extent this is a
function of his evil tendency. The suffering which now confronts and
overwhelms Israel, and which will certainly continue for almost everyone
in the future, is the authors second and dominant concern. Finally, the
problem of theodicy lies behind the other two issues. What role Law plays
in these themes will once again be the focus of the following discussion.

ii Man lives in ungodliness

An evil heart has grown up in us, says Ezra, and it has alienated us from
God and has brought us into corruption and the ways of death (7:48). In
4:30 we are told that a grain of evil seed was sown in Adams heart from the
beginning and produced much ungodliness. It is likely that what we have
here is an early form of the yetzer ha-na , a concept which takes on greater
importance in the rabbinic sources.25 The location of this evil disposition in
the heart or its identification with the heart, both of which are found in
4 Ezra, become common in the rabbinic descriptions of the yetzer ha-ra ,
where the study and application of the Law are often depicted as being the
best ways to counter this force. 26
The connection between the Law and this evil disposition is made in
the following key section of 4 Ezra (the seer is speaking):
Yet you did not take away from them [those after Moses] their evil heart, so that your Law
might bring forth fruit in them. For the first Adam, burdened with an evil heart, transgressed
and was overcome, as were also all who were descended from him. Thus the disease became
permanent; the Law was in the peoples heart along with the evil root, but what was good
departed, and the evil remained (3:20-22).
Adam transgressed, at least in part, because of the cor malignum, and this
evil disposition became permanent. When God gave his people the Law, he
did not root out this evil, but it was allowed to stay and seems to have been
more powerful than the Law.2 The author is concerned with knowing why
God did not remove it when he gave the Law, yet the angel never addresses
this particular question. The final words of the above quotation might lead
one to deduce that the Law had no effect at all over this granum seminis
mali and that mankind was doomed from the start to do evil and suffer the
consequences. Yet it becomes clear later (e.g., 8:56-62) that, in spite of this
25 Much has been written about the yetzer ha-ra. Concerning 4 Ezra in particular see
Harnisch, Verhängnis (see n. 8 above), 167-75; also Myers commentary on 3:20-22 in his
I and II Esdras (see n. 2 above). Thompson (Responsibility [see n. 12 above], 29-84) has

attempted to trace the pre-rabbinic, Palestinian roots of this notion, finding hints of it in
Sirach and the DSS, while at the same time declaring that 4 Ezra would appear to provide
the earliest undisputed evidence for this concept. He also states: The yetzer concept is
virtually non-existent in the more Hellenistic sources of Judaism, although attempts have
been made to establish its usage in Philo and II Enoch (63).
26 See S. Schechter, Aspects of Rabbinic Judaism: Major Concepts of the Talmud (New
York: Schocken Books, 1961), 242-93. See also Thompson, Responsibility (see n. 12
above), 50. Examples include Sukkah 52a; Baba Bathra 17a; Abodah Zarah 5b; and
Kiddushin 30b.
27 Rabbinic sources attributed the creation of the evil yetzer to God, and although this could
also be read into 4 Ezra, it is nowhere explicitly discussed. See Schechter, Aspects,
264-65.
34

force, man is free to act as he chooses, and that the Law is there to guide
him. In addition, 4 Ezra states that if a man succumbs to this evil disposi-
tion and sins, there are opportunities until death to repent (9:11).Zg The evil
disposition, then, sown in Adams heart ab initio, has resulted in man living
a life of ungodliness. The Law is there to encourage him to make full use of
what freedom he has to fight this tendency which is present in each one of
us, but the usefulness of the Law is severely restricted by the power of the
cor malignum .
iii Man suffers
As a result of the evil disposition, man is constantly encouraged to do evil,
thereby bringing upon himself divine retribution and suffering. Ezra talks
about the suffering which has come upon Israel in this world and wonders
how it is that a nation which has known God (3:32) has fared so badly. If
indeed God has chosen for himself one people whom he has loved and
to whom he has given the Law (5:27), why are they under the subjugation of
the Gentiles, of whom God has said that they are nothing, and that they are
like spittle (6:56)? This, in spite of the fact that in the authors mind Israel
has managed to follow at least some of the Law some of the time, with some
following it most of the time. The angels reply in 7:1-16 even goes so far as
to say that because Adam transgressed man must suffer in this age in order
to be saved in the next one. This perspective is somewhat different from
what we find in 2 Baruch, where it seems that the people of Israel could
have kept the Law and avoided punishment, but chose not to: Adams
transgression results only in death being inherited, not transgression.
Keeping the Law in 4 Ezra, then, has not helped mankind much in the
present age.
All of this changes with ones own death and with the dissolution of the
present age, for following the Law has more of an effect on future rewards
than on present gains. Ezras questioning leads the angel in 7:75-99 to detail
how many will continue to suffer after their death and before the judgment
day (a question untouched in 2 Baruch). In this state, he replies, punish-
ment will be meted out at least in part due to ones previous attitude to the
Law (7:79), and the rewards will be given to those who keep the Law of the
Lawgiver (7:89). Nonetheless, the basic refrain is again intoned: most will
end up suffering during these times, and few will have kept the Law
perfectly (7:89). Obeying the Law in ones lifetime will also serve as a
protection during the stressful end time (63:23), as we saw in our discussion
of 2 Baruch.
In the coming age almost all who have been created will suffer, as Ezra
and the angel agree in 7:48 (cf. also 7:61; 8:3; 9:14-22), prompting Ezra to
28 Sanders, declaring this work to be the closest approach to legalistic works-righteousness
which can be found in the Jewish literature of the period (Paul [see n. 4 above], 416), has
downplayed this possibility of repentance which is nevertheless present in our work (and
in 9:11 the statement even comes from the angels mouth, said by Sanders to represent the
authors viewpoint). Sanders correctly observes that obedience must be perfect (420) in
4 Ezra, but the author does state that repentance can lead the believer back into the
covenantal relationship necessary for salvation.
 35

ask: For what good is it to all that they live in sorrow now and expect
punishment after death? (7:117). Yet, although mans fate is almost surely
to be a pitiful one, adherence to the Law is the only factor which can alter
that. The clearest indication of the Laws role in mans future is in 6 :55-
7 :25, where Ezra begins by asking Uriel why the Gentiles and not Israel rule
the world (6:55-59). The angel replies that, since Adams transgression,
suffering is needed for man to be saved (note that he does not say that
stricter adherence to the Law would help). In the next phase of the discus-
sion, Ezra states that the ungodly Jews suffer now and will also suffer in the
future, and he encourages God to have mercy on them; but the angel replies
(7:19-25) that those who disregarded the Law will perish. They knew what
they had to do and so will suffer the consequences. Ezras continued pleas
to God to have mercy on those who have not followed the Law, who have
no store of good works (8:36) at death, fall on deaf ears: man has the
freedom to obey the Law, is the reply, and he has the responsibility to do
so. If he chooses not to do so in this age, nothing can save him in the age to
come.
The Laws function is to help one after death (in 4 Ezra), and during
the end time and after the death of this age (in both works). There is one
passage in 4 Ezra, however, that suggests that the Law has a role to play in
the end time itself. The interpretation of the sixth vision includes the
following:
And he, my Son [the Messiah], will reprove the assembled nations for their ungodliness (this
was symbolized by the storm), and will reproach them to their face with the evil thoughts and
with the torments with which they are to be tortured (which were symbolized by the flames);
and he will destroy them without effort by the Law (which was symbolized by fire) (13:37-38;
translators parentheses).

The general context of destruction and the specific mention of fire to

symbolize the Law help us to appreciate the judgmental role of Law in this
statement, yet what is striking is the use of Law by the Messiah in that end
time. Assuming that the reading is correct,29 the phrase he will destroy
them ... by the Law likely means that the Law serves as a measuring stick
against which the nations are judged and subsequently destroyed. In other
words, the function of the Law as the earthly means whereby people have a
chance to gain future rewards would remain the intent of this passage, and
the Messiahs use of the Law in that end time would be to judge how well
the people have kept it until then.

iv Man does not understand why

In 2 Baruch wisdom and understanding are repeatedly identified with Law,
and the Law-light metaphor reinforces this view that adherence to the Law
enlightens man: it gives him privileged understanding of Gods wisdom.
This then allows him to face his present distress confidently, with the
29 This reading comes from the Syriac. The Latin version has He will destroy them ... and
the Law rather than by the Law, thereby relegating the use of Law to pre-messianic
times, as is consistent elsewhere in 2 Baruch and 4 Ezra. The lectio difficilior is probably
to be preferred.
36

knowledge that God will save him in the end and punish those who perse-
cuted him. This is echoed faintly in 4 Ezra, especially in the final chapters
of the work (13:55-56; 14:25-47), but the dominant view, especially
throughout the first three visions, is that adherence to the Law does not
lead to wisdom and understanding. The seer is deemed righteous, and time
and time again he is said to possess the spirit or power of understanding
whereby he inquires about Gods motives for acting as he does (e.g., 5:22).
Yet he can never be privy to Gods wisdom: the creature cannot hope to
understand fully the mind of the creator (4:2-21). This desire to know,
coupled with the inability ever to understand Gods ways-even by follow-
ing the Law-is cause for torment: for every hour I suffer agonies of heart,
while I strive to understand the way of the most High and to search out his
judgment (5:34).
Obedience to the Law provides the knowledge and the confidence
necessary to face the present suffering for the author of 2 Baruch, but in
4 Ezra there is need to stress faith in the salvific effects of Gods wisdom.
This is not to say that faith is meant to supplant obedience to the Law; in
fact, they are virtually interchangeable. Salvation occurs on account of
mans works or on account of his faith (9:7; 13:23), and those whose store
of good works (8:36) will be rewarded are also said to have stored up
treasuries of faith (6:5). The problem of theodicy in 4 Ezra does not lead to
an abandonment of the Law as a means of salvation, but it does render the

relatively frequent mention of faith understandable.

Conclusion

By now it should be evident that there are few significant differences in the
way Law functions in 2 Baruch and 4 Ezra. For both authors, the Law is
considered to be a whole that has been divinely provided, and adherence to
it is the guarantee of eternal life while its rejection will just as surely lead to
eternal suffering. This is true as much in 4 Ezra as it is in 2 Baruch.3 There
are differences of emphasis, though, which must not be overlooked. The
author of 2 Baruch is decidedly more optimistic about the possibility of
keeping the Law faithfully in this world, so is more apt to focus on the
salvation which awaits the Israelites and the punishment that the Gentiles
can expect. In 4 Ezra one has the feeling that keeping the Law, although
possible, can be done only with great difficulty, especially due to the evil
inclination which forces man to live an ungodly life. Correspondingly, the
emphasis is placed on the suffering that faces Israel, in the present as well
30 This point needs to be stressed because it has been misunderstood by some. Cf. Oester-
leys comment (II Esdras [see n. 2 above], 86-87) that there exists a striking difference
between the view of the efficacy of works in 2 Baruch and 4 Ezra—that in the former the
righteous are saved by their works while in the latter these works are unnecessary. So
also Charles remark (The Apocalypse [see n. 2 above], lxix) that 4 Ezra guards care-
fully against the doctrine of salvation by works by making salvation depend on works
and faith combined. Cf. also Bogaert (Apocalypse [see n. 2 above], 391): Lauteur de
IV.Esdras de son côté ne mentionne la Loi que pour rappeler les infractions dont elle est
lobjet. Note also that it is not the knowledge of Gods mysteries which guarantees
salvation in these apocalyptic works—pace K. Rudolph, Gnosis: The Nature and His-
tory of Gnosticism (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983), 278.
 37

as in the future. Also, while adhering to the Law allows for the greater or
lesser probability of eternal life for both authors, only in 2 Baruch does
faithfulness to the Law help to decide ones fate in the present world. This
remains hypothetical, of course, because this author sees himself as writing
at the end of history, and his overriding concern is what advantage keeping
the Law now will have for mankind in the future: Law can provide life or
death, and in both our works ones attitude to the Law in this world is of
ultimate significance.
Can we now speculate about the communities out of which these
works emerged? First, it is safe to state that in both cases we are in the
presence of a process of reflection on some dreadful experience which has
brought on severe hardships. The literary apocalyptic framework of
2 Baruch and 4 Ezra serves well to reflect upon this experience: present
suffering is due to peak soon in the end time and then terminate with the
inauguration of the messianic kingdom, which will be followed by the
judgment day and the introduction of the new age where salvation or
damnation awaits everyone. The imminence of the end and the accompany-
ing rewards for the faithful would surely have helped to reduce the despair,
even for the author of 4 Ezra.
These works also help us to appreciate the range of reactions possible
in Jewish communities facing severe suffering. A relatively optimistic tone
is reflected in 2 Baruch in which the end of this world and the present
suffering is deemed imminent, and judgment day is viewed with anticipa-
tion because it will provide salvation for those who have kept the Law and
punishment for the others. On the other hand, 4 Ezra stresses the suffering
which is now taking place and the suffering which will continue for most
after their death and in the world to come. The judgment day, then, is
viewed with dread and Gods justice in this schema is called into question.
The last point concerns the decisive role which Law plays in the
soteriology of both 2 Baruch and 4 Ezra. Assuming a late-first-century
date for these works, this observation indicates how a focus on the Law
served to sustain some communities at least after the destruction of the
Temple. This was a time of transition, when some claimed to have been left
in darkness and in the thick forest and in the aridness of the desert (2 Bar.
77:14); but the authors of 2 Baruch and 4 Ezra, for all their differences,
counselled against absolute despair and would have agreed that the Law
will abide. If you, therefore, look upon the Law and are intent upon
wisdom, then the lamp will not be wanting (2 Bar. 77:16).