The Books of Enoch, Aramaic Fragments of Qumran Cave 4

34 INTRODUCTION
in a remarkably skilful and dramatic way by an accomplished writer who
knew how to knit together and interweave the two almost equal parts of his
work (En. 6-13 and En. 14-19) by means of various stylistic and phraseological
devices. The first section is objective and 'historical', told in the 3rd
person, but in 12: 3 and at the end of this part (13: 3-10) the author allows his
protagonist to speak. The dramatis personae are introduced into the action
one after the other, according to the degree of their spiritual eminence, and
move on the opposite poles of heaven and earth, of eternity and history:
the daughters of men and the sons of heaven (6: 1-2). Semihazah and his
companions who have existed since eternity (14: i) come down from heaven
to earth at a precise age and in a specific place (6: 3-8: 4); the clamour of
men rises to the gateways of heaven and to the ears of the four archangels
who dwell in the celestial sanctuary (8: 4-9: 3, anticipated in 7: 6 and taken
up again in 9: 2-3); the archangels consult other angels and plead the cause
of men to the Lord of Lords, master of eternity (9: 4-11); the Most High
orders four missions to the earth, which he assigns to the four archangels, and
delivers a discourse in which the decree of the punishment of the fallen angels
is contrasted with the promise of a chiUastic peace for the just and benediction
for all the children of men (lo-i i). On this grandiose tableau, which is
dominated by the theological aspect of the history of the universe, Enoch is
now projected, a hero who is at the same time human and divine (12: 1-2,
anticipated by the fleeting reference to the Son of Lamech, 10: 1-3). To the
four angeUc missions there will correspond four journeys of the patriarch.
The first mission of Enoch, the most modest because commissioned by an
anonymous archangel, 'the great Watcher and Holy One' (En. 12: 3; 4QEn^
I V 19-20), is to the second chief of the fallen Watchers (13: 1-2); as a
professional scribe, Enoch addresses 'Asa'el in an epistolary style, but with
a grim inversion of the usual formula: instead of 'peace to you', he begins
'there will be no peace for you'. As a dramatic consequence it is the Watchers
themselves who attempt to win over the inhabitant of paradise to their
cause; still acting as a scribe of justice, Enoch draws up their petition, but
it will prove to be legally ineffectual by virtue of the visions which descend
on him while he sleeps (13: 3-10). The first part begins and ends on earth,
at the beginning in a general way, at the end with great precision: 'close
to the waters of Dan, in (the territory of) Dan, which are to the south-west
of Hermon' (13: 7), 'in 'Abel-maya which is situated between Lebanon and
§enir'(i3:9).
The second section of the work (En. 14-19) is conceived as a letter and