Letter of Jeremiah

A forceful polemic against idolatry, purporting to be a letter from Jeremiah to the Jewish exiles in Babylon. In the Vulgate, it is appended as the sixth chapter of Baruch.|||Although the letter is extant only in Greek, certain linguistic and stylistic elements point to an original composition in Hebrew or Aramaic. The Greek text is attested in the Peshitta and the Syro-Hexapla.|||Possibly composed about 300 BCE by a Jew living in Babylonia. The Greek text certainly came into existence after Alexander's conquests, likely in the 3rd or 2nd centuries BCE.|||Deuterocanonical in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Not canonical in Protestant or Jewish traditions.|||A classic Jewish critique of idol worship, using reason and satire. Preserves and expands the legacy of the prophet Jeremiah.|||Moore, C. A. Daniel, Esther, and Jeremiah: The Additions. Anchor Bible. Doubleday, 1977.|||Doering, L. " The Letter of Jeremiah." In Texts and Contexts of the Old Testament. Brill, 2020.|||Charlesworth, J. H., ed. The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, vol. 2. Doubleday, 1985.|||Letter of Jeremiah — Early Jewish Writings|https://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/letterjeremiah.html|Full translation and scholarly resources.;; Letter of Jeremiah — Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_of_Jeremiah|Background and scholarly discussion.|||" They are not gods, so do not fear them." — Letter of Jeremiah (paraphrase of the refrain)