Traversing the Heavens: The State of Scholarship on 3 Baruch

Abstract

It is often remarked that 3 Baruch has been largely overlooked by scholarship. This article explores how this situation has arisen and what the implications might be. By examining the history of scholarship on 3 Baruch, this article proposes that several factors have been at work. First, the challenging nature of the text itself: it is often confusing, it assumes significant prior knowledge in the audience, and it exists in Greek and Old Church Slavonic versions that vary in content. Second, and more significantly, the initial negative reception set a tone that influenced much subsequent scholarship. Third, the vagaries of academic interest have often consigned 3 Baruch to the sidelines. Instances where it has fit the trend have generally produced introductory material, but little exegesis. These factors have, until recently, led scholarship to overlook the exegetical value of the Slavonic tradition, and more broadly, to undervalue 3 Baruch as a source for the study of early Judaism and Christianity. This article encourages a more sympathetic attitude to 3 Baruch and a more critical approach to academic inquiry.