Texts witnessed only in the Septuagint: Table of Contents

[Edited by Ellopos from Wikipedia articles.]

Book of Baruch

Occasionally referred to as 1 Baruch, the book is named after Baruch ben Neriah, Jeremiah’s scribe, its purported author. It contains reflections on the theology and history of Israel, discussions of wisdom, and addresses to residents of Jerusalem and the Diaspora. Some scholars propose that it was written during or shortly after the period of the Maccabees.

Although the earliest known manuscripts of Baruch are in Greek, there is linguistic evidence that the beginning of Baruch (1:1-3:8) was originally translated from a Semitic language.

Although not in the Hebrew Bible, it is found in the Septuagint and in the Vulgate Bible, Eritrean/Ethiopian Orthodox Bible and also in Theodotion’s version. It is grouped with the prophetical books which also include Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the Twelve Minor Prophets. In the Vulgate, the King James Bible Apocrypha, and many other versions, the Letter of Jeremiah is appended to the end of the Book of Baruch as a sixth chapter; in the Septuagint and Orthodox Bibles chapter 6 is usually counted as a separate book, called the Letter or Epistle of Jeremiah.

Athanasius, Cyril of Jerusalem, Epiphanius of Salamis and Pope Innocent I listed the Book of Baruch as canonical.

The Synod of Laodicea (in 364) declared Baruch canonical. The same happened with the Synod of Hippo (in 393), followed by the Council of Carthage (397) and the Council of Carthage (419). Later, Augustine of Hippo (C. 397 AD) would confirm in his book On Christian Doctrine (Book II, Chapter 8) the canonicity of the book of Baruch.

The Decretum Gelasianum which is a work written by an anonymous scholar between 519 and 553 contains a list of books of Scripture presented as having been declared canonical by the Council of Rome under Pope Damasus I, bishop of Rome 366-383. This list mentions the book of Baruch as a part of the Old Testament Canon.