Apocalypse of Baruch and the Assumption of Moses by R. H. Charles

by R.H. Charles

Early in the 20th century, R.H. Charles translated and edited a series of apocryphal texts, which included Baruch's direct conversations with God that Baruch had in a series of visions during the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. These conversations produced predictions for the end times. Of particular note is the apocalypse when the Messiah appears again on earth. This alternate tale of the apocalypse inspires hope - evil is punished, condemned to hell and cast off the earth, while those "left behind" are actually the righteous who will enjoy, literally, heaven on earth. Also included in this edition is The Assumption of Moses, an apocryphal fragment noted to have influenced other descriptions of the apocalypse included in the Bible.

Paperback

First published January 31, 2006

About the author

Robert Henry Charles (1855–1931) was an Irish biblical scholar and theologian. He left parochial work in 1889 to devote himself to biblical research and became the greatest authority of his time in matters of Jewish eschatology and apocrypha. He became a canon at Westminster Abbey in 1913 and archdeacon there in 1919. His books include Eschatology (1913, 2nd ed), Between the Old and New Testaments (1914), and his edition of The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament. (1913). He is known particularly for English translations of apocryphal and pseudepigraphal works, and editions including Jubilees (1895), the Book of Enoch (1906), and the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (1908) which have been widely used. Among his other publications are The Apocalypse (1920), Divorce and Nullity (1927), and The Resurrection of Man (1930). He was educated at the Belfast Academy, Queen's College, Belfast and Trinity College, Dublin. He gained a D.D. and became Professor of Biblical Greek at Trinity College.