Fallen Angels and the History of Judaism and Christianity
Fallen Angels and the History of Judaism and Christianity
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USDIn the Book of the Watchers, an Enochic apocalypse from the third century BCE, the "sons of God" of Gen 6:1-4 are accused of corrupting humankind through their teachings of metalworking, cosmetology, magic, and divination. By tracing the transformations of this motif in Second Temple, Rabbinic, and early medieval Judaism and early, late antique, and Byzantine Christianity, this book sheds light on the history of interpretation of Genesis, the changing status of Enochic literature, and the place of parabiblical texts and traditions in the interchange between Jews and Christians in Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages.
- Wide-ranging scope, spanning over 1,000 years of Jewish and Christian history and integrating findings from traditionally distinct fields
- Interdisciplinary approach, combining textual analysis with social history
- Innovative approach to the history of the relationship between Judaism and Christianity
Reviews & endorsements
"Reed has written a superb piece of scholarship. In my experience it is rare for someone to be able to examine such a diversity of texts with such impressive skill and insight. ... It is really an excellent, impressive contribution." James C. VanderKam, The University of Notre Dame
"Excellent ... the difficult task of tracing the complex interaction between Judaism and Christianity over time is done with sophistication.... Anyone interested in the Book of Watchers, the development of the Enochic literature, or the complex development of Judaism and Christianity needs to interact with this significant study."
The Catholic Historical Review, Kevin Sullivan
Product details
November 2005Hardback
9780521853781
336 pages
235 × 162 × 26 mm
0.67kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Preface
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1. Angelic descent and apocalyptic epistemology: the teachings of Enoch and the Fallen Angels in the Book of Watchers
- 2. From scribalism to sectarianism: the angelic descent myth and the social settings of Enochic pseudepigraphy
- 3. Primordial history and the problem of evil: Genesis, the Book of Watchers, and the fallen angels in pre-Rabbinic Judaism
- 4. The parting of the ways? Enoch and the Fallen Angels in Rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity
- 5. Demonology and the construction of Christian identity: approaches to illicit angelic instruction among proto-Orthodox Christians
- 6. The interpenetration of Jewish and Christian traditions in late antiquity: the exegesis of genesis and the marginalization of Enochic literature
- 7. The apocalyptic roots of Merkabah Mysticism? The reemergence of Enochic traditions in post-Talmudic Judaism
- Epilogue
- Bibliography.
