An Examination of the Punishment Motif in the Book of the Watchers 10:4–8 in Light of Greek Myths

The Book of the Watchers (1 Enoch 1–38; BW) describes a series of punishments that God renders against Asael (10:4–8). Several scholars have tried to identify possible traditions that stand behind these punishments in light of Jewish and Greek literatures. However, Henryk Drawnel recently challenges...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lee, Sanghwan (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2022
In: Journal of ancient Judaism
Year: 2022, Volume: 13, Issue: 1, Pages: 27-51
Further subjects:B The Book of the Watcher
B Greek literature
B 1 Enoch 1–36
B Crime and Punishment
B Asael narrative
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Summary:The Book of the Watchers (1 Enoch 1–38; BW) describes a series of punishments that God renders against Asael (10:4–8). Several scholars have tried to identify possible traditions that stand behind these punishments in light of Jewish and Greek literatures. However, Henryk Drawnel recently challenges such attempts, positing a Mesopotamian background. Although Drawnel has shown that interacting with Mesopotamian literatures has something to offer in grasping a fuller understanding of the mentioned passage, this article argues that Greek literatures are still valuable sources, potentially shedding further light on the design of the punishment motifs in BW. In order to demonstrate this supposition, I interact with the myths of Prometheus, Tantalus, and Teiresias. Ultimately, I suggest that scholars should be open to the possibility that various traditions, rather than a single tradition, stand behind the punitive descriptions in BW 10:4–8.
ISSN:2196-7954
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of ancient Judaism
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.30965/21967954-bja10013