Some characteristics of the book of The Letter of Jeremiah
This little book, known as “The Epistle of Jeremy” in King James Version, is often presented as chapter 6 of Baruch, but it is clearly independent. It is easy to account for its association with Baruch, however. Just as Baruch consists of a “letter” written to Jerusalem by Baruch, this is a “letter” said to be written by Jeremiah to the exiles in Babylon. Since Baruch was a close companion of Jeremiah, these two writings were quite naturally grouped together. Translators choosing to present this as chapter 6 of Baruch must, of course, add it to their outline of Baruch, but in such a way that it is not incorporated into Baruch’s book, which is Baruch’s communication to Jerusalem.
The Letter of Jeremiah is a warning against the worship of idols. It is often characterized as a long sermon based on Jer 10.11 (a unique verse in the book of Jeremiah; it is in Aramaic rather than Hebrew), which reads “Thus shall you say to them: ‘The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.’ ” It draws from certain passages in the Hebrew Bible, particularly Jer 10.2-15 and Psa 115.3-8; but there are parallels as well to Deut 4.27-28; Psa 135.15-17; Isa 40.18-20; 41.6-7; 44.9-20; and 46.5-7. All these passages deal with the theme of the folly of worshiping idols.
It is a commonplace to point out that this book is repetitious, has little literary merit, and demonstrates no logical progression in its thought. To an extent this is true, but it may underestimate the earnestness of the author or the realities of the situation that he, or his intended audience, faced. People do not go to this much trouble over a matter of little concern. Although there is no logical progression from one point to another, the author uses various images to demonstrate how illogical it is to worship idols. The key to understanding the author may be his use of the word “fear” as applied to these “gods,” especially in verses 4-5. The meaning is “awe,” “reverence,” “veneration.”
People of whatever religious tradition are often awe-struck when confronted with a mode of worship foreign to their experience, particularly if there is something about the setting that is architecturally or artistically or musically designed to produce feelings of reverence and awe. Perfectly devout Christians may be moved at a Buddhist shrine, for example, or at the communal solidarity of Muslim worship, or the intensity of prayer in a synagogue. Traditional Baptists find themselves discovering awe in the processional of Episcopal worship, and High Church Anglicans have found the spirit moving in Pentecostal worship. Nonbelievers are moved by the solemnity of light coming through cathedral windows. Atheists have found themselves caught up somehow in the excitement of voodoo ritual. Transfer this experience to the world of the Jewish people several centuries before the time of Christ. The Jews were in an alien country, a minority among a population of people more powerful than they were. Some of the remains of ancient Babylon are impressive even today. Could an ancient Jew, a stranger in a strange land, confronting the atmosphere of Babylonian religion with its brightly colored buildings and impressive ceremonies, not be moved? Could that person not feel some sense of presence there?
The author of The Letter of Jeremiah knew this, and knew how strong the temptation would be for his people to be influenced by the contagious enthusiasm of the Babylonians in their worship. So he reasons with them. Unlike the God of Israel, who cannot be confined to an image, these “gods” were nothing but handmade objects, having less power than the hands that crafted them. There is some satire in the author’s approach, but he is in no position to ridicule Babylonian worship. He knows of a real danger, and he is just as earnest as he can be.
It is true that the book is largely repetitious and there is no discernible outline. But an obvious structure is provided by the fact that there is a refrain that comes nine times (verses 16, 23, 29, 40, 44, 52, 56, 65, and 69) in similar wording, a variation on “they are not gods, so do not fear them.” It is difficult, however, to see distinct themes developed in any of these “stanzas” set off by the refrain. Still, it is helpful to the reader to subdivide the text, and in this Handbook we will follow Harrington’s lead in dividing it into the following units, marked by the refrain:
1-7 Introduction
8-16 First warning: Idols are not gods
17-23 Second warning: Idols can’t protect themselves
24-29 Third warning: Idols don’t feel anything
30-40a Fourth warning: Idols cannot give anything back to people
40b-44 Fifth warning: It is useless to worship idols
45-52 Sixth warning: Idols are only made by human beings
53-56 Seventh warning: Idols are powerless
57-65 Eighth warning: Idols can be stolen by robbers
66-69 Ninth warning: Idols have no power at all
70-73 Tenth warning: Idols are helpless
Circumstances of writing The Letter of Jeremiah
Scholars do not believe the prophet Jeremiah wrote this book. It is dependent on biblical passages that date from after Jeremiah (see above), and it is not up to Jeremiah’s standards in depth of thought or literary quality. The author is unknown, although the letter that Jeremiah wrote to the exiles in Babylonia (Jer 29) probably gave him the idea of composing a “letter” in Jeremiah’s name.
The date of writing is uncertain. It must have been written after the latest passages in Isaiah, to which it refers (about 540 B.C.). The book itself is referred to in 2 Macc 2.1-4, which means that it must have been written before the first century B.C. There is a tendency in scholarship to center on a date around 317 B.C., which is suggested by the reference to “seven generations” in verse 3. Seven generations (of forty years) after the Babylonian invasion of 597 B.C. would place us at 317 B.C. (see the comments on verse 3). Moore believes this should be taken seriously as a clue, but admits that the current Greek translation of the book may date from the second century B.C. It is generally supposed that the book was written in Judea, but the author seems to be genuinely familiar with Babylonian religion. Consequently, some scholars think of Babylonia as the place of writing. This would generally involve a dating in the late fourth century B.C. (that is, around 317).
It is generally accepted that the book was written in Hebrew. Even references to Old Testament passages appear to be from the Hebrew Bible rather than from the Greek translation. No Hebrew copies are known, however. A small Greek fragment of verse 44 was found among the Dead Sea Scrolls (from Cave 4).
Since the entire subject matter of this letter is the folly of worshiping idols, we must suppose it to have been written for Jews who might be tempted into this sin, probably away from their Judean homeland. However, the troubles suffered by the Jews living in Judea in Maccabean times, when pressure to conform to Greek ways was strong, could have prompted the writing, or at least the translation.
Special problems in translating The Letter of Jeremiah
Person of discourse: The letter contains two places (verses 3 and 7) in which God speaks in the first person. All the surrounding discourse is best seen as the words of the prophet. Rather than interrupt the discourse to say “God says…” or something similar, it is probably easier to translate the first person references to God as third person references, as Good News Translation has done.
Verse numbers: Verse numbers in The Letter of Jeremiah vary from edition to edition and translation to translation. The principal difference is that verse 1 of many versions (including Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation) is in others an unnumbered introductory statement; but this is not the only place where the numbering differs among translations. The numbering of Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, which coincide, is used in this Handbook.
The manufacture of images: It is a good idea for the translator to have in mind a mental picture of the kind of idol our author speaks of, for he often refers to its appearance and manufacture. Our knowledge of these cult objects is derived from objects actually found by archeologists, and from ancient religious texts. Divine images from Mesopotamia range in size from only a few centimeters tall to full human size. Those that our writer is concerned with are freestanding images or statues (not carved out against a background) and life size, or at least close to it. The image could be seated, as a king on a throne, or standing. It was placed in surroundings made to resemble a royal throne room. It was fashioned with a wooden core, which was then overlaid with metal: gold, silver, or copper. The metal could be applied in thin plates, or beaten onto the core from as thin a material as gold leaf. Some statues could have been molded from a less precious metal, and then ornamented with gold or silver. Precious stones were used for the eyes. The statue was dressed in rich clothing. By tradition, certain materials had to be used, and the craftsmen had to be skilled. The way these “gods” were carved and decorated was stylized. Two features, a horned crown and a garment trimmed with pleats, distinguished images of gods from images of worshipers, which were sometimes made as offerings to the gods. Different gods were represented by particular symbols or weapons, rather than by a distinctive appearance.
Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.