Baruch was the faithful scribe of Jeremiah who wrote down the messages of the prophet in order to preserve them for future generations.

The ink used by Baruch and other ancient scribes was made by mixing soot, lampblack, or ground charcoal with water and gum. The scroll on which he wrote Jeremiah’s prophecies was probably made from the papyrus plant or from animal skins (Job 19:23-24).

While this writing was primitive by modern standards, it held up well. The manuscripts in the collection known as the Dead Scrolls, discovered in 1974, were still legible, even though they had been written about two thousand years before.

JEREMIAH 36:18 – Then Baruch answered them, He [Jeremiah] pronounced [dictated, NIV] all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book [scroll, NIV].