Torah and Transformation: The Centrality of the Torah in the Eschatology of 2 Baruch

Light imagery features prominently in 2 Baruch in descriptions of the Torah and righteous individuals. While the Torah is pictured as a lamp that Moses lit and a light that illuminates the way of life, the righteous in 2 Baruch are those who possess the quality of splendor, a feature which falls under the light category and bears resemblance to descriptions of Torah in the text. It is this feature, splendor, which separates the righteous from the wicked and qualifies them to participate in the new age. Scholars of 2 Baruch have wondered about the quality of splendor and how righteous individuals attain it. This article responds to these queries by exploring the nature of the connection between the Torah as a source of light in 2 Baruch and the righteous as those who observe Torah and are characterized by the same light imagery.