The Books of Enoch, Aramaic Fragments of Qumran Cave 4

248 THE BOOKS OF ENOCH
A small Coptic fragment, preserving a part of En. 93: 3-8, is closer to the
original than the Ethiopic text of this passage.
Thanks to two passages in 4QEn«, i iii 23-5 and iv 11-26, we now have a
much better understanding of the Apocalypse of Weeks (En. 93: 3-10+91:
11-17). Critics of the Ethiopic Enoch for the most part regard it as an older
fragment, inserted, just as it stood, into his composition by the author of the
Epistle of Enoch. The re-examination of texts already known, as also the
study of some Qumran texts, both published and unpublished, will allow us
to follow, with greater accuracy as to chronology and ideology, the development
of this literary genre, and also to understand the place of our Apocalypse
amongst similar literary works.
The earliest reference to a chronological work in which the sacred history
was divided up into seventy ages is to be found in En. 10: 11-12 (see 4QEn^
I iv 8-11; Aramaic fragments preserved, outside the brackets):
*[And the Lord said to Michael: '*Go then, Michael, and] make known to
Semihaza and to all his companions who have joined with [women in order to
defile themselves with them in their impurity, ^^that when] their children
have perished and (when they themselves) have seen the destruction [of
their loved ones, they will be chained up for] seventy generations [in the
vales] of the earth until the great day [of their judgement...]."'
The author of this section of the Book of Watchers, entitled ^Visions of
Enoch', which dates from perhaps as early as the Persian period (above,
pp. 30-5), thus reckons ^seventy generations' from the days of Enoch and
Noah (10: 1-3) until the end of time. The temporary imprisonment of the
wicked angels will in no way prevent them from exercising a baneful influence
on humanity, and in particular on the people of Israel, as will be described
in greater detail by the author of the Book of Dreams. In making only this
brief reference, the author of the Book of Watchers seems to assume that his
readers have direct knowledge of a work which divided the sacred history
into seventy ages. The existence of such a chronological composition and its
very early date seem to me easy to prove, taking as a point of departure two
Hebrew texts from Qumran, 4QI8O and 181.^ Here are the passages from
them which refer to our subject-matter:
" Published by J. M. Allegro, DJD v, pp. de Qumran, 1970, pp. 252-5 and pi. VI; a not
77-80, pis. XXVII and XVIII; essential correc- very satisfactory French translation and some
tions and remarks made by J. Strugnell, Revue remarks by A. Dupont-Sommer, Uannuaire