Book One: On the Sacred and Apocryphal Books
Chapter Eight: On the Book of Baruch
About the book of Baruch there was and is controversy, both because it is not found in the Hebrew codices, and because neither the ancient Councils nor the Pontiffs nor the Fathers, whom we cited above and who put together the catalogue of books, have in their expressive words made mention of this book. So for this reason John Driedo among Catholics denies that this book is canonical, in his first book on Scripture and Ecclesiastical Dogmas, last chapter at the last argument; among the heretics John Calvin 3 Institutes ch.20 sect.8 and Chemnitz in Exam. of Sess.4 of the Council of Trent.
For the rest, we are persuaded of the contrary by the authority of the Catholic Church, which in the Council of Trent sess.4 numbers the Prophet Baruch among the sacred books; and for the feast of Pentecost openly bids a reading to be read from the book of Baruch along with readings of other sacred books.
Nor are there lacking witnesses from the ancient Fathers for us to oppose to adversaries. Cyprian bk.2 Against the Jews ch.5 says, “Again Barcuh, “this is our Lord” etc.” and in his sermon on the Lord’s prayer, citing the epistle of Jeremiah which is the last chapter of Baruch, he says: “Through Jeremiah the Holy Spirit suggests and teaches, saying God must be adored by you in sense.” St. Hilary in his preface to his commentary on the Psalms puts by name in the canon the letter of Jeremiah. Blessed Cyril bk.10 Against Julian cites Baruch by name. Clement of Alexandria bk.2 Pedagogy ch.3 says, “The divine Scripture beautifully says somewhere” and cites Baruch ch.3, and Ambrose bk.1 On the Faith ch.2 cites the words of Baruch ch.3. “This is our Lord and another will not be compared with him.” He says, “There is one God, states Scripture” and later: “Why do we destroy him of whom so great a Prophet says “The Holy Spirit declares that another cannot be compared to him”?’ Theodoret expounds the whole book and, when writing on ch.2, openly calls it divine Scripture. Eusebius bk.6 On the Demonstration of the Gospel ch.19 cites Baruch ch.3 and later says, “Nothing needs to be added to the divine words”.
Next, the old Fathers everywhere cite this book under the name of Jeremiah, for the reason that Baruch was secretary and disciple of Jeremiah, ch.36, which was the reason that the Ancient Councils and Fathers did not put Baruch by name in the canon, namely because they judged this book to be part of the prophecies of Jeremiah. Clement of Alexandria, bk.1 Pedagogy, ch.10, cites in the name of Jeremiah the verse of Baruch 4: “Blessed are we Israel, because what pleases God is manifest to us”. Blessed Ambrose in bk.1 on Penance ch.8 recites in the name of Jeremiah certain verses from ch.3 and from ch.5 of this book, and in bk.3 of Hexaemer. ch.14 he sets down other things from ch.4. St. Basil bk.4 Against Eunomius, not far from the end, and St. John Chrysostom in his Sermon that Christ is God, against the gentiles, adduce the place from Baruch ch.3, “this is our God” in the name of Jeremiah. St. Augustine On the City of God bk.18 ch.33 says that the same place is cited by others in the name of Baruch, but by many in the name of Jeremiah. Finally the same place is cited in the name of Jeremiah by Pope Sixtus I in his epistle to all the faithful, Pope Felix IV in his epistle to Peter of Antioch, and Pope Pelagius I in his epistle to Vigilius.
Since this is so, Baruch certainly cannot be repudiated without repudiating Jeremiah as well. For as there was never any controversy among the ancient Fathers about the book of Jeremiah, so must one think also that no controversy existed among them about the book of Baruch.
Robert Bellarmine’s: Controversies of the Christian Faith – Volume 1: On the Word of God — HOME