The Books of Enoch, Aramaic Fragments of Qumran Cave 4

8o
INTRODUCTION
What interests us here is the fact that TertuUian seems to have had
available a manuscript of Enoch which contained both the Book of Watchers
and the Epistle: 'Enoch... idem Enoch'. This would be the first volume of the
Enochic Pentateuch of which we have spoken above (pp. 76-7). He does not
seem, on the other hand, to be acquainted with the Astronomical Book which
formed the second volume of this collection. But TertuUian's Enochic
allusions and quotations can scarcely be looked upon as evidence of a Latin
version of the Greek Enoch; he certainly knew Greek, could write it, and
often translated Greek texts straight into Latin. Cyprian's Enochic allusion
in De hahitu virginum 14^ is undoubtedly dependent on TertuUian; so
probably are Minucius Felix, Octavtus 26, and Commodian, Instrtictiones
adversus gentium deoSy I. iii {Cultura daemonum). But Lactantius, too, if he
was directly acquainted with the writings of Enoch, could read them in
Greek (see above, p. 21).
Neither does 'A Fragment of the Book of Enoch in Latin' pubUshed by
M. R. James,^ which contains the summary of En. 106: 1-18, seem to be
derived from a Latin translation, complete or incomplete, of the books of
Enoch. We find in it chronological details (the age of Lamech at the birth of
Noah; the flood after 500 years, cf. Gen. 5: 32 and 9: 28-9; forty days of the
flood) and other additions (e.g. the names of the three sons of Noah) which
prove in my opinion that this extract comes from a world chronicle. Lamech's
age, we are told, was annorum tricentorum quinquagenta at the time of the
birth of Noah. This false piece of information should probably be corrected
to trium et quinquaginta {tres et could have been wrongly read as trecety an
abbreviation of trecenti). Now 53 years is the age given in the Samaritan
Pentateuch (Gen. 5: 28). The chronicle from which the Latin extract of
En. 106 comes would thus be extremely early, of Graeco-Oriental origin,
if it employed, even sporadically, Greek Samaritan sources.
A detailed description of the manuscript from which James took the
fragment is given by G. F. Warner and J. P. Gilson.^ We should note that
the extract from the Book of Enoch is followed in it by three other passages,
and that all four alike refer to great sins of great sinners and their great
punishments. A short passage, with the title De uindictis magnis magnorum
peccatoruniy enumerates the punishments inflicted on the Devil, Adam, Cain,
^ G. Hartel, CSEL 3. i (1868), 197-8. f. 79^ 9-8oS 9, late ninth century, of continental
* Apocrypha Anecdota {Texts and Studies, origin),
ii. 3), 1893, pp. 146-50 (text p. 148; from ^ Catalogue of Western Manuscripts in the
the British Museum Royal MS. 5 E XIII, Old Royal and King's Collections, {(igzi), 116.