Noah, book of

In the use which was made of this book in the final redaction of the Ethiopic Book of Enoch we have an admirable example of the methods pursued by Jewish editors. Though the Book of Noah has not come down to us inde- pendently, it has in large measure been incorpor- ated in the Ethiopic Book of Enoch, and can in part be reconstructed from that book. The Book of Noah is mentioned in Jubilees 10 and 21°, That 60. 65-69" 106-107 belonged originally to it, is obvious even on a cursory examination.

Thus in 60', which runs, ‘In the year five hundred, in the seventh month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the life of Enoch,’ it is clear that the final editor simply changed the name ‘Noah’ in the context before him into ‘Enoch,’ but very ignorantly ; for Enoch lived only 365 years, and the statement in the context is based on Gn 5®. Furthermore, the writer speaks of himself as the grandson of Enoch in 65°.

Again, 65-69” is allowed to stand by the editor as a confessed constituent of the Book of Noah; for it contains Noah’s interview with his grandfather Enoch, and Noah’s version of the Deluge and of judgment. Finally, in 106-107 there is an account of the marvellous birth of Noah, in regard to whom Methuselah goes to the ends of the earth to consult Enoch. ut besides these indisputable fragments of the book, it is most probable that 547-55?

is borrowed from the same source, and likewise Jubilees 735:39 101-16 In the earlier passage in Jubilees it is not only the subject-matter, iit also the carelessness of the editor or author of Jubilees, which leads to this identification ; for, after an account of the wicked- ness preceding the Flood given by the angel of God (7°), we come suddenly on a passage (76:39) in which Noah is represented as speaking in the first person, although throughout Jubilees it is the angel that speaks.

Finally, it isnot improbable that 41° 43-44. 59 belonged originally to the Book of Noah. We shall now attempt a short sketch of this book. According to 106-107, a son was born to Lamech. ‘And fis body was white as snow and red as a blooming rose, and the hair of his head and his long locks were white as wool, and his eyes beautiful’ (1067), And his eyes lighted up the house like a sun, and he opened his mouth and blessed the Lord of righteousness.

And Lamech in his fear consulted Methuselah, and Methuselah went off to the ends of the earth to consult Enoch (1005). Thereupon Enoch foretells the coming of the Flood in consequence of the wickedness wrought by the angels with the daughters of men, and the saving of this child Noah and his three sons, the fresh growth of sin after the Deluge, and the advent of the Messianic kingdom (106-107).

And later, when Noah became a man, he had a vision, and he saw the earth sinking down, and its destruction drawing nigh (65'). And, as formerly his grandfather Methuselah, so he too went to consult Enoch at the ends of the earth, 65?-% And Enoch tells him that all the dwellers on the earth are doomed because they had learnt the secrets and sorceries of the angels, and the violence and hidden power of the Satans, and the mysterious arts of manufacturing metals, 65°%7.

ere and elsewhere, in the Ethiopic Enoch as in Gn 2-4, the knowledge of such arts is held to transcend the limits of human nature. Civilization in its various aspects is traced to the fallen angels. As man Se forward in knowledge and culture he goes ackward in the fear of God, and becomes ever more and more alienated from the highest good.

NOAH, BOOK OF Thus it was one Satan that taught men to make the weapons of war, and another that instructed them to write with ink and paper (69%%), and a fallen angel that made known the arts of painting the face and beautifying the eyebrows, and working in metals and precious stones, 8'.

But to proceed : Enoch declares Noah to be guiltless of reproach concerning these secrets, and foretells his deliver- ance from the Flood, and the descent of a righteous race of men from him (65), After hearing some further disclosures, Noah leaves the presence of Enoch (66). ‘And in those days the word of God came unto me, and He said anto me; ‘‘ Noah, thy lot has come up before me, a lot without blame, a lot of love and uprightness.

”’ Thereupon God in- forms Noah that the ark was being prepared by angels, that he and his seed might be saved and be established in the earth (67!-8). But as for the fallen angels, they should be imprisoned in the burning valley amongst the metal mountains in the West. From this place where the angels were punished came the hot springs to which the kings and the mighty resorted for the healing of the body.

But later these waters will become the means of their punishment, even as they now are used to torment the angels (6748). The severity of this torment is set forth in a dialogue between Michael and Banas (68). Next, the names of the twenty-one chiefs of the fallen angels are enumer- ated, followed by those of five Satans (ἢ. The various evils wrought by the latter are then re- counted.

To GAdreél, the third, is attributed the fall of Eve, and to the fourth, Pénémfe, the instruction of mankind in the art of writing (098: 5), Knowledge is the source of perdition (69").

After the mention of certain other Satans or angels, it is told how Michael is the guardian of the mys- terious oath or formula whereby heaven and earth were founded and all creation upheld (69%4*5), At a still later date apparent y (60) Noah had a vision in the 500th year of his life, on the 14th day of the seventh month, and he beheld the heaven of heavens quake with a mighty quaking, and all the heavenly hosts greatly disquieted.

And the Head of Days sat on His throne, and all the angels and the righteous stood round Him (60*- 2). And Noah was filled with fear. Then Michael sent an angel to raise him up, and told him of the judgment to come, and of the monsters Leviathan and Behemoth, which were placed ΤΕΕΡΕΟΗΙΝΕΙΥ in the sea and in the wilderness of Dénd&in, on the east of Eden; but refused to answer Noah’s further questions regarding them (60°).

Then the angel accompanying Noah informs him about the angels or spirits which control the thunder and lightning, and the sea, the hoar frost, hail, snow, mist, dew, and rain (60"*5), We shall probably be right if we assign to the same source 41%, which treats of the secrets of the lightning and thunder, of the winds, the clouds, and dew, likewise of the chambers of the winds and hail and mist.

This passage further mentions the chambers of the sun and moon, and recounts with what regularit they traverse their orbits, and give thanks to God, and rest not by day or night; ‘for unto them thanksgiving is rest.

’ Of a kindred nature un- doubtedly are 43-44, which have for their subject the lightning and the stars of heaven, and the mysterious relation of the latter to the rigliteous, and 59, which treats of the judgments executed by the lightnings, and the luminaries, and the secrets of the thunder. Heretofore frequent references have been made to the Flood ; but in 547-55? there is a more exact account of this judgment.

Thus we are told that the Flood came about through the joining of the waters above the heavens—the male element— with the waters which are below the heavens— NO-AMON the female element. Thereby all who dwelt on the earth were destroyed. Then after the Flood God promised not to destroy the earth again, and as a pledge thereof set a sign in the heavens. For Noah’s address to his sons after the Flood we must turn to Jubilees 7% °°. This passage is either wholly or in part an excerpt from our book.

Noah warns his sons against the seductions of the demons, against the shedding or eating of blood. In Jubilees 10 the sons of Noah come to him complaining that the demons are leading their sons astray.

Thereupon Noah Vise to God for them, and God commands all the demons to be bound and imprisoned, but at the request of Mas- téma, their chief, God permits one-tenth of the demons to remain at liberty for the trial and a ea of man (101-11), The Book of Noah was, according to Jubilees 10%, committed to the care of Shem. This book is described in Syncellus’ Chron. p. 83 (ed. Bonn) as the Testament of Noah. There is also a late Hebrew Book of Noah. This is given in Jellinek’s Bet ha-Midrasch, iii.

155, 156. It is based in part on the Book of Noah discussed above. The portion of this Hebrew work which is derived from the older work is reprinted on p. 179 of Charles’ Lthiopic Version of the Hebrew Book o Jubilees, where attention is drawn to the parallels and verbal coincidences. A German translation of the entire book will be found in Rénsch, Das Buch der Jubilden, pp. 385-387, It is impossible to assi, eu definite date to the various fragments of the older book.

We can safely place them within the years B.C. 50 and A.D. 80. H. CHARLEs.