Texts in Conversation
In 1 Enoch, the scorching summer sun is one of many signs that creation obeys God, listed to shame sinners who do not obey him. In Sirach, a similar picture of the noon sun burning up the land appears in a hymn praising God for the power of his works.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
1 Enoch 4:1
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
1 And again, observe the days of summer how the sun is high above the earth. You seek shade and shelter due to the sun's intense heat, and the ground also burns with growing heat, so you cannot walk on the earth or on a rock because of its heat.
Date: 300 BCE – 100 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
Sirach 43:2
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
1 The pride of the heavenly heights is the clear sky, the appearance of heaven, in the spectacle of its glory. 2 The sun, when it appears, bringing tidings as it rises, is a marvelous instrument, the work of the Most High. 3 At noon, it dries up the land. Who can stand against its burning heat? 4 A man tending a furnace is in burning heat, but the sun three times more, burning up the mountains, breathing out fiery vapors, and sending out bright beams, it blinds the eyes.
Date: 195–180 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Search:
Notes and References
"... A description of the signs of the (four) seasons is included at the end of the Astronomical Book. Outside the Enochic texts, Sirach 43:2-4 contains a description of the sun's heat and its effect on the earth that parallels I Enoch 4:1. When it is viewed in the light of these materials, the present section indicates that its author has crafted traditional material with purpose and symmetry ..."
George W. E. Nickelsburg, A Commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch Chapters 1-36, 81-108 (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2001), 156.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.
User Comments
,