Texts in Conversation
The opening of 1 Enoch 14 mirrors Nahum by using the language “the book of the words of ...” presenting its message as divinely authorized. This places it within the prophetic tradition that delivers revealed judgment, yet its use of heavenly court scenes alongside prophecy gives it a unique, blended style.
Share:
1 Enoch 14:1
Pseudepigrapha
1 The book of the words of righteousness, and of the reprimand of the eternal Watchers in accordance with the command of the Holy Great One in that vision. 2 I saw in my sleep what I will now speak with a tongue of flesh and with the breath of my mouth: which the Great One has granted to men to converse with and understand with the heart. 3 As He has created and granted to man the power of understanding the word of wisdom, so has He created me also and given me the power of reprimanding the Watchers, the children of heaven.
Date: 200-50 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Nahum 1:1
Hebrew Bible
1 This is an oracle about Nineveh; the book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite: 2 The Lord is a zealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and very angry. The Lord takes vengeance against his foes; he sustains his rage against his enemies. 3 The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will certainly not allow the wicked to go unpunished. He marches out in the whirlwind and the raging storm; dark storm clouds billow like dust under his feet.
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Search:
Notes and References
"... The first words of this verse are the title of the book, already paraphrased in 13:10. The form of the title (The Book of the Words of ...) is stereotyped. Compare Tobit 1:1; Nahum 1:1; 1 Baruch 1:1; 1 Enoch 1:1. This title has two major elements. The latter of these describes its contents; it is the heavenly court's reprimand of the watchers' sin. The first element, “The Book of the Words of Truth” (ספר מלי קושטא), and, indeed, the allusion to it in 13:10, are reminiscent of Daniel 10:21–11:1, with its reference to “the book of truth” and the angel’s introductory formula, “and now I shall tell you the truth”. In Daniel the angel recounts the contents of a book that records firmly fixed events that must come to pass.¹ Here the expression either indicates the irrevocable nature of the heavenly sentence or stresses that Enoch’s words are a trustworthy account of his vision and, in turn, of the decision of the heavenly court. For this meaning of קושטא as “truth” ..."
Nickelsburg, George W. E.
A Commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch Chapters 1-36, 81-108
(p. 252) Fortress Press, 2001
* 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.