; and by Charles from ten
MSS. (_Apocalypse of Baruch_, 1896, pp. 124-167). The entire book was
translated into English by the last-named writer (_op. cit._ pp. 1-167),
and into German by Ryssel (Kautzsch's _Apok. und Pseud._, 1900, ii. pp.
413-446).

The Syriac is translated from the Greek; for Greek words are occasionally
transliterated, and passages can be explained only on the hypothesis that
the wrong alternative meanings of certain Greek words were followed by the
translator. The Greek in turn is derived from the Hebrew, for
unintelligible expressions in the Syriac can be explained and the text
restored by retranslation into Hebrew. Thus in xxi. 9, 11, 12, xxiv. 2,
lxii. 7 we have an unintelligible antithesis, "those who sin and those who
are justified." The source of the error can be discovered by retranslation.
The Syriac in these passages is a stock rendering of [Greek: dikaiousthai],
and this in turn of [Hebrew: TSDQ]. But [Hebrew: TSDQ] means not only
[Greek: dikaiousthai] but also [Greek: dikaios einai], and this is the very
meaning required by the context in the above passages: "those who sin and
those who are righteous."[3] Again xliv. 12 the text reads: "the new world
which does not turn to corruption those who depart _on its beginning_ and
has no mercy on those who depart to torment." Here "on its beginning" is
set over antithetically against "to torment," whereas the context requires
"to its blessedness." The words "on its beginning"--[Hebrew: KR'SHW], a
corruption of [Hebrew: B'SHRW]--"to its blessedness." Again in lvi. 6 it is
said that the fall of man brought grief, anguish, pain, trouble and
_boasting_ into the world. The term "boasting" in this connexion cannot be
right. The word = [Greek: kauchema] = [Hebrew: THLH](?), corrupt for
[Hebrew: MCHLH], "disease." A further ground for inferring a Hebrew
original is to be found in the fact that paronomasiae not infrequently
discover themselves in the course of retranslation into Hebrew. One
instance will suffice. In xlviii. 35, "Honour will be turned into shame,
strength humiliated into contempt ... and beauty will become a scorn"
contains three such:

[Hebrew: KBWD YHPK LQLWN `Z YWRD 'L BWZ WWPY YHYH LDWPY]

(see Charles, _Apoc. Bar._ pp. xliv.-liii). The necessity of postulating a
Hebrew original was first shown by the present writer, and has since been
maintained by Wellhausen (_Skizzen u. Vorarbeiten_, vi. 234), by Ryssel
(_Apok. und Pseudepig.