(2) The second stage was the actual redaction of the book. At some time, po.ssibly not a great many j'ears after the prophet's death, some person or persons undertook' the work of gathering together all the fragments of his oracles and furnishing as complete a biography of him a-s possible. The biographical interest was perhaps the ])redoniinant one. -All the available materials, the original roll and other existing sources, were used, and probably the compiler liim.self, either from bis own knowleilge or by inijuiry, was able also to make considerable contributions. Hut how much belongs to sources ready to the com- piler's hand, and now much is dui; to himself, it is impossible to discover. As has been already said, Jeremiah may have preserved jottings of his speeches, or some contemporary such as Baruch may have done so, and these nuiy have lain before the editor; or, in a number of cases the prophet's words may already have been set in ft historical frame when they came into the compiler's hand. There ajipears to be something like lollcctions in the book, e.17. chs. IS-'-'n. 21-23. 27-2!l. 30-33, and the like, and some of these may have arisen at the hands of dillerent persons during the Kxile. There is nothing more likely than that a number of the historical pas-sages, with the |>rophet's words enclosed in them, may be from the hiind of nariich, who continued with ihc prophet after the fall of the city and accompanied him to Kgypt. But
some of the narr.atives are probably due to otiiet jierscms and some to the compiler. The various headings are from the hand of the compiler, but the inference from the identity of the heading in chs. 34. 35. 40. 44, that these historical pa.ssages are also the work of the compiler ( Kuen. ), is scarcely cogent, for the same heading ha-s been given to chs. 7 If., which the compiler certainly did not write. From the promiscuous way in which such historical narratives as chs. 26. 30. 35 have been placed in the book, it may perhaps be inferred that the.se pas.sages came as distinct and complete comj>osi- tions into the redactor's hand. However much in the book may be due to Baruch, everything shows that he was not the editor. The date of tli.i redaction cannot be strictly lixed. The reverence manifested for the prophet is no criterion of date, for this reverence, beginning after his death, con- tinued to increase- Kuenen ha.s suggested the second half of the Exile. The pass.age 2 K 25^* appears to be dependent on the fuller narrative, Jer 40'"-, and this fact would imply that the Book of Jer was in existence before the Book of Kings was closed, about the end of the Exile (on the other hand, 3<|">- •!• <-" taken from 2 K 25 is a later inter- polation). There is perhaps nothing in the Book of .ler which necessitates a later date, such pa.s.sages as 10'''* and chs. 50. 51 having been intro<luced into the book after its redaction. There is no doubt much in chs. 40-49 that might be of the post-exilic [leriocl. The complexion of chs. 30-33 might also imply a lower date than the Exile, but the want of 33"* in L.KX shows that the amplili- cation of these chs. went on after the book bad been comiviled. The redaction took place in Babylon or Balcstine, not in E'-j-pt.
(3) This Book of Jer thus edited is the archetype both of the Heb. and Greek. But this lK)ok umler- went modili<'ations, some pas.sages being added and .some amplilications of the text being intro- duced. This jirocess of enlargement forms the third stage in the history of tlie book. («) Some additions and in.sertions penetrated into all the MSS, e.ff. chs. .50. 51. 52, lO'-'" (except vv.»-*- >"), 1014. IS i7i»-i7_ jinfi much more. (6) Erom others the MSS at the basis of LXX remained free, e.g. 3314-M 3()4-i3^ a,„i iiiuch else, particularly in chs. 2.5. 27-29. This latter fact does not imply with certainty that all the ad<iitions in .M T are later than lA.X translation, becau.se contemporary MSS may have bad ilillerent histories even in the same country (treatment of MSS being so free), mid jiarticularly if circulating in dillerent countries. The ditl'crcnces between the Heb. ami (Ir. might certainly be ea-sier explained if wo could sup|Kise the .MS or .MSS on whiili I,X.\ is foiiiiilc<l carried early to Egypt. Egyptian .lews would prolmhly occupy thcTiiselves less with the original text than tlio.se in Babylon or Palestine, ami thus the MSS, even if tran.scribed, would more retain their primitive form. Amplilications of the text and interpolations really rellect the moods of religious life and hope, and this life wa-s fuller in I'alestinu than in Egj-pt.
v. I.ITKUAUV Stvlb. — The literary style of Jeremiah can .scarcely be spoken o}, because, strictly speaking, we have no literature from him. The narrative jiieces in the Imok are not from his own hand ; and even when fragments of his speeches are reported in these narratives, thev have in many cju'es piuwed through the narrator's mind, and may have been somewhat m<Hiilied. The presence of some or many characteristio phra.-<es of •leremiah in the re|Mirt« is not proof of their literal lidelity. And in any case such reiiorts are mere com|p^'nll^<, in rcganl to which the question of style can banlly be raised. The only part« of the book oD which a judgment in respect of style