Universalism in 3 Baruch

Abstract

This article argues that universalistic themes of the apocalyptic work 3 Baruch should be seen as evidence for the integrity of the text's ending. The author of the work emphasizes the unity of the human condition through a firmly structured cosmology and universalistic moral demands. The text presents the figures associated with the Tower of Babel, a vision of a phoenix protecting the world, and a heavenly temple scene with the archangel Michael, as helping the seer Baruch to acknowledge God's dominion over the world. 3 Baruch presents God's glory as tied to a concern for all people and control over the cosmos. The structure and episodes created by the author of the text work to downplay Jewish particularism and halakhic commands as a response to the destruction of the Temple by the Romans.