The Books of Enoch, Aramaic Fragments of Qumran Cave 4

124 INTRODUCTION
Dei viderentur esse consimiles', replied: 'Multum transiit temporis ex quo
nati sumus, et numquam mortem subivimus, nee morte propria moriemur,
sed alieno gladio occisi erimus, et sic occumbemus.'^
An Abyssinian ascetic woman of the fifteenth century, whose 'Life' was
composed a few decades after her death by Philippos, a monk of the convent
of Dabra Libanos, used to make ecstatic voyages to Abodes of Saints:^
'E la madre nostra Krestos Samra alcune volte andava alia Terra dei Beati
e si tratteneva con loro a conversare per sette giorni. Dopo sette giorni tornava
in fretta alia sua dimora. Altre volte andava alia Terra dei Viventi
dove sono Enoc ed Elia e conversava con loro, ritornando poi celeramente
alia sua dimora. Cosi visse per molti anni.' Then she began new ascetic
practices: ten years in a pit, nailed to a pole; three years standing in an icy
lake, etc.
In the doctrines of various sects the person of Enoch plays an important
role, either negative or positive. Here is a passage of the Bogomil document
Altercatio Johannis (James, p. 190): 'And I asked the Lord and said: "What
shall be in that time?". And he said to me: "From the time when the devil
fell from the glory of the Father and lost his own glory, he sat upon the
clouds, and sent his ministers, even angels flaming with fire, unto men from
Adam, even unto Henoch his servant. And he raised up Henoch upon the
firmament and showed him his godhead, and commanded pen and ink to
be given him; and he sat down and wrote threescore and seven books. And
he commanded that he should take them to the earth and deliver them unto
his sons. And Henoch let his books down upon the earth and delivered them
unto his sons, and began to teach them to perform the custom of sacrifice,
and unrighteous mysteries, and so did he hide the kingdom of heaven from
men.
According to the secret doctrines of the Druses, 'Uhnuh is a passive
feminine principle, identified moreover with Eve, Tdris, and Hermes, and in
addition with the second emanation called Nafs and Huyya (pieces XII and
XXXII of the Druse Canon).
The figure of Enoch is equally popular among the Falasha, the Abyssinian
Jews, who, however, accept the Old Testament canon of the Ethiopic
Christians, in which the Book of Enoch is included.
' See P. Blanchon, Vie de la Bienheureuse 1894, pp. 184 and 199.
Alpais, Vierge, de Cudot, au diockse de Sens, * See E. Cerulli, Atti di Krestos Samrd,
II50 h 1211, Marly-le-Roi 1893, pp. 117-18 CSCO 163/Aeth. 33, p. 54 (teirt), 164/34,
(ii 5) and 174-5 (iv 3); J. de Backer, Acta p. 37 (translation).
Sanctorum, Novembris, ii. i (3 Nov.), Brussels