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Baruch the Scribe: Preserver of Knowledge and Model for Librarians Roger White Ed.D

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Baruch the Scribe: Preserver of Knowledge and Model for Librarians Roger White Ed.D Volume 52 Article 3 Issue 1 Volume 52: 1 & 2 combined issue 2009 Baruch the Scribe: Preserver of Knowledge and Model for Librarians Roger White Ed.D. Azusa Pacific nU iversity The Christian Librarian is the official publication of the Association of Christian Librarians (ACL). To learn more about ACL and its products and services please visit http://www.acl.org/ Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/tcl Part of the Library and Information Science Commons Recommended Citation White, Roger Ed.D. (2009) "Baruch the Scribe: Preserver of Knowledge and Model for Librarians," The Christian Librarian: Vol. 52 : Iss. 1 , Article 3. Available at: http://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/tcl/vol52/iss1/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ George Fox University. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Christian Librarian by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ George Fox University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Baruch the Scribe: Preserver of Knowledge and Model for Librarians Roger White, Ed.D. Introduction time a symbolic act illustrating the pending fate Professor, University Libraries and sinking of Babylon (Jeremiah 51:60-64). Azusa Pacific University Baruch, the loyal scribe of the prophet Jeremiah, is a bible character whose career can Because much more is known about Baruch be considered a vocational forerunner to that both from the biblical text and supporting ABSTRACT of the professional librarian. His life and legacy references, his life and vocation will be used yield several important lessons applicable to as the focus for the current discussion. Baruch This article discusses how the Old those working in libraries today. In Hebrew, was involved in many activities during his Testament character Baruch serves as an inspiration for contemporary Baruch is described as a soper (Jeremiah 36:26, professional career that have relevance for Christian librarians. Events 32), which is translated scribe (“Scribe,” 1996). contemporary librarians. Faithfulness to his from his scribal career parallel In Old Testament times, a soper was usually vocation is both exemplary and inspirational. In several common experiences of library professionals including someone who served in a secretarial role for fact, his hand still leaves a mark, quite literally, archiving materials, maintaining dictation, transcribing documents, and letter on his work to this day even though he lived and promoting a collection, writing, but also for accounting, record keeping, thousands of years ago. dealing with criticisms from and preserving texts (“Scribe,” 1996). The administrators and community leaders, and becoming weary etymological connection between historical A Review of Baruch’s from overwork. How he handled scribal duties and those of a professional librarian Professional Career himself in the midst of these is reflected in contemporary definitions of the activities is noteworthy as is God’s The book of Jeremiah recounts several response to his service. The life word scribe. The Oxford English Dictionary and legacy of Baruch provide lists scribe as the oldest meaning for the word episodes from the life of Baruch reflecting several parallels and encouraging librarian (“Librarian,” 1989). In some cases, activities and experiences similar to those lessons applicable to all those historical figures have been identified for faced by contemporary professional librarians. called to serve in libraries. inspirational purposes as patron saints of The stories take place during the time when librarians, including Aldhelm (Gibson, 1982), the Babylonians are poised to invade Judah Catherine of Alexandria (Calamari & DiPasqua, and take the city of Jerusalem. Jeremiah is 2007), Jerome (Kaschins & Kemp, 1988), and warning the people of the impending danger Lawrence (Calamari & DiPasqua, 2007). and proclaiming God’s call to repentance and God’s assurance of ongoing faithfulness By taking a closer look at Baruch, whose name (cf. 36:4). In the process, Baruch the scribe is means, “blessed” (“Baruch,” 1996), lessons and called on to assist in preserving and distributing perspectives relevant to contemporary library Jeremiah’s message and he plays a key role in professionals can be gleaned from the life the unfolding political drama surrounding of this faithful practitioner. Baruch’s scribal the delivery of the prophecies. The biblical work included serving in traditional roles of account of Baruch’s career extends over four secretary (amanuensis) and stenographer, but non-consecutive chapters of the book of also included being principle compiler and Jeremiah and the following review of those editor of much of Jeremiah’s work, especially chapters emphasizes elements of the narrative what is now Jeremiah 36-45 (Brueggemann, that might be of special interest to librarians 1998). From the biblical text, we learn that and other professional preservers and guardians Seraiah, Baruch’s brother (Jeremiah 51:59), of knowledge. also served Jeremiah for a time in some scribal related activities. Jeremiah instructed Seraiah to Jeremiah 32: Archiving Important Documents transport a scroll to Babylon for reading aloud, In a gesture intended to show God’s faithfulness after which he was to tie a stone around the Peer Reviewed to the people of Jerusalem, Jeremiah publicly scroll and throw it in the Euphrates River. This buys some land from his cousin (cf. Leviticus latter action (a type of weeding task) was at the 25:25) even though foreign enemies are about 6 The Christian Librarian, 52 (1 & 2) 2009 to overtake and occupy the city. Jeremiah asks of the politically sensitive nature of the Baruch to archive the title-deed from the book’s content, they encourage him to hide real estate purchase (verses 11-14). He is told (verses 16, 19). to take both the sealed and open contracts spelling out the conditions of the sale and Baruch’s book is then taken and stored in one place them in a clay jar to preserve them (verse of the scribe’s special collection areas, and later 15). Typically these earthenware containers this new acquisition is abstracted for the king would be sealed with pitch (an effective (verse 20). As a result of hearing this book storage method later employed with the review, the king decides to read the original Dead Sea Scrolls). Following the occupation and requests it be retrieved from the stacks of the territory and the exile, returning (verse 21a). As the scroll is being read aloud, families would be able to verify ownership the king begins to cut out pages with a knife of the land by referencing the carefully stored and destroy them in a fire even though some documents. This foreshadowed homecoming of the scribes urge him not to do so (verses exemplifies God’s faithfulness to the people, 21b, 23, 25). By the conclusion of the reading, the very circumstances Jeremiah’s actions the scroll had been bowdlerized (expurgating were attempting to highlight. Following the offensive parts) and burned completely. The signing of the contract and the completion of king then orders Baruch and Jeremiah (note the land transaction Baruch faithfully carries order in text) to be seized, but God hides out the public filing and safekeeping of the them (verses 24, 26). purchase deeds. As Scalise (2004) has noted, it God instructs Jeremiah to make a second is possible that elements of the deed’s text may edition of the scroll and Baruch assists him in make up part of this chapter (esp. verses 6-15) producing (reissuing) a revised and expanded along with the colophon-related testimony version (verse 28, 32). God also issues a penalty (inscribed publication details) provided by the to the king for questioning the content and scribe. We see in this account how Baruch is rejecting the message presented in the scroll, By taking a closer entrusted with important documents and how symbolized by damaging and burning it look at Baruch ... he fulfills the role of an archivist. (verses 29-31). lessons and Jeremiah 36: Developing, Maintaining, In this passage we see Baruch carrying out a perspectives relevant and Distributing a Collection number of duties analogous to those practiced by a circulation librarian or collection to contemporary Baruch collects and records Jeremiah’s developer. The integrity and condition of prophetic message in an appropriate media library professionals library materials is maintained and the material format (verse 4). He makes it accessible to is made available to patrons. can be gleaned from people in the temple by reading it a number of times aloud on Jeremiah’s behalf (verses Jeremiah 43: Criticized for Nature of Content the life of this 5-6, 8, 10). Afterwards, Baruch brings the faithful practitioner. document to a meeting with his professional Jeremiah’s message is disliked so much by some counterparts in the temple and gives them a of his critics that they falsely accuse Baruch private reading at their request (verses 11-15). of provoking Jeremiah to speak against them Provenance (a document’s history) is sought (verse 3). It is a classic case of the messenger as the group of scribes and related officials being blamed for the message, or in this case, attempts to assess the genuineness of the the person maintaining Jeremiah’s corpus of material, accredit its authority, and determine work being accused of slanting the content its credibility (Kidner, 1987; Brueggemann, of the still unfolding prophecy. In the midst 1998). Part of the material review included of the confusion surrounding the impending inquiring about the acquisition procedure Babylonian occupation, the accusers forcibly (verse 17) so Baruch explains the step-by-step take Baruch and Jeremiah along with others process he followed in making the scroll (verse to Egypt in direct defiance of God’s command 18). Believing him to be in danger because that the people of Judah not go there (verses 7 The Christian Librarian, 52 (1 & 2) 2009 5-7).
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