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548 Bartolocoi, Giulio

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

Bavnch, Apocalypse of

which they

The

'wrote.

latter

added

to this

work

a fifth volume, the "Bibliotheca Latina Hebraica," Rome, 1694, which contained the works and the names of Christian authors who had written in Latin

on Jews and Judaism. It was from Battista that Bartolocci obtained the idea and plan of the " Bibliotheca Magna Rabbinica, as well as part of the material.

Battista

began the

composition of the book in a chronological order, which order was abandoned by Bartolocci. Richard Simon, in writing in his " Bibliotheque Critique" about Bartolocci's work, says " It contains much of Jewish learning, but little of judgment, and is conspicuous for a profound ignorance in the most common matters that concern criticism." Complaints were also made that he devoted too much space to refutations of Jewish arguments and that his transla:

tions

from the Talmud were

faulty.

On

the other

hand, Wolf attributes to Bartolocci the motive and stimulus for his own work, which has more than superseded Bartolocci's. Even with its faults, the "Bibliotheca Rabbinica " was a great undertaking. It was the first attempt on a large scale to give to the world an account of the literature of the Jews. It is not a mere bibliographic and biographic compilation, but contains also a number of dissertations on Jewish customs, observances, religious ideas on the River Sambation, on the beginnings of Hebrew typography, and the

like.

Some Hebrew

treatises are reprinted in full

"Alphabet of Ben

for example,

Sira," "Megillat Antiochus," "Otiot de-R. Akiba, " and a part of Eldad ha-Dani's mythical journey. Several attempts were made to render Bartolocci's work more accessible. The first who thought of publishing Bartolocci's work, with the omission of

Hebrew texts, etc. was the Oxford scholar Edward Bernard. Adrian Reland of Holland even attempted to publish in Amsterdam such an extract of the "Bibliotheca." But he failed to execute the its

,

548

zing is suggested by Jeremiah's solemn warning, uttered during the fourth year of Jehoiakim, when Baruch was deciding upon his life-work: "Seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not " (Jer. xlv. 5). To the teachings and ideals of the great

prophet he remained true, although like his master he was at times almost overwhelmed with despondency. He it was who wrote down the first and second editions of Jeremiah's prophecies as they were dictated to liim by the prophet (Jer. xxxvi.). The supreme test came when he was commanded by his master to read to the people gathered in the temple on a fast day certain of the prophecies of warning Jeremiah himself was in conceal(Jer. xxxvi. 1-8). ment to avoid the wrath of the unprincipled Jehoakim, and the task was both difficult and dangerous; but Baruch performed it without flinching. It was probably on this occasion that the prophet gave him the personal message preserved in Jer. xlv. In the final siege of Jerusalem (586 B.C.), Baruch was present with Jeremiah in person and witnessed the purchase by the prophet of his ancestral estate in Anathoth(Jer. xxxii.). Josephus states that he continued after the fall of Jerusalem to reside with Jeremiah at Mizpah ("Ant." x. 9, § 1). That his influence with the latter was great is shown by the fact that the people suspected that it was on account of his advice that Jeremiah urged them to remain in Judah after the murder of Gedaliah (Jer. xliii. 3). He was carried with Jeremiah to Egypt, where, according to a tradition preserved by Jerome (on Isa. xxx. 6, 7), he soon died. Two other traditions state that he later went, or was carried, to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar after the latter's conquest of Egypt. Baruch's prominence, by reason of his intimate association with Jeremiah, led later generations to exalt his reputation still further. To him were attributed two later Jewish books (see Baruch:, Apoc-

alypse J.

of).

JK.

C. P. K.

plan, there appearing in print the biographies alone

famous exegetes as Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Kimhi, Levi ben Gershom, and Abravanel, which were embodied in his " Analecta Rabbinica " (Utrecht, Bartolocci left in manuscript a work on the 1702). difficult expressions in the Mishnah.

In Rabbinical Literature:

of such

Bibliography: Wolf, Bihl. Hebr. i. 6-9; Zunz, Z. O. p. 13; Nouvelle Bingraphie Vniverselle, s.v.; Fiirst, Bihl.Jud.i. 89,

iii.,

lxxiv.; Steinstiineider, Cat.

Zeit.f. Hebr. Bibl.

ii.

Bodl. No. 4496; idem, in

51.

M.

g.

BARUCH

Ra.— G.

Son of Zabbai or Zaccai, who took strengthening the wall of Jerusalem in the

1

.

part in time of Nehemiah (Neb. iii. 20). 2. A priest who signed the covenant with Nehemiah (Neh. x. 7). 3. A Judahite whose son Maaseiah was a resident of Jerusalem (Neh. xi 5). j. .ra. G. B. L. 4.

Biblical

Data



The

disciple, secretary,

and devoted friend of the prophet Jeremiah. He was a son of Neriah, and brother of Seraiah, King Zedekiah's chamberlain (Jer. Ii. 59), and, according to Josephus ("Ant." x. 9, § 1), a member of a very distinguished family. That he had ambitions which be had reason for believing he was capable of reali-

Faithful helper

and blood- relation of Jeremiah. Both Baruch and Jeremiah being priests and descendants of the proselyte Rahab, they served as a humiliating example to their contemporaries, inasmuch as they belong to the few who barkened to the word of God (Sifre, Num. 78 [ed. Friedmann, p. 206], and elsewhere; compare also Pesikta xiii. 3b). Baruch is identical with the Ethiopian Ebed-melech, who rescued Jeremiah from the dungeon (Jer. xxxviii. 7 et seq.); and he received his appellation because of his piety, which contrasted with the loose life of the court, as the skin of an Ethiopian contrasts with that of a white person (Sifre, Num. 99). As his piety might have prevented the destruction of the Temple, God commanded him to leave Jerusalem before the catastrophe, so as to remove his protective presence (Syriac Apoc. Baruch, ii. 1, v. 5). Baruch then saw, from Abraham's oak at Hebron, the Temple set on fire by angels, who previously had hidden the sacred vessels

(ib.

vi. vii.).

The Tannaim are much divided on the question whether Baruch is to be classed among the Prophets.

tion),

According to Mekilta (Bo, end of the introducBaruch complained (Jer. xlv. 3 et seq.) because