Enoch, a Man for All Generations: A Man for All Generations (Studies on Personalities of the Old Testament) [Hardcover]

James C. VanderKam (Author), James Crenshaw (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1995 | Series: Studies on Personalities of the Old Testament

Credited with predicting the flood and foretelling a second punishment but mentioned only briefly in the Hebrew Bible, Enoch is one of the most intriguing yet little-known characters of ancient Jewish and Christian literature. Genesis devotes just four verses to Enoch; yet this man became a central figure in many of the oldest surviving Jewish legends of apocalypse, the subject of a larger number of traditions during the intertestamental period, and a significant character in early Christian writing. In this examination of ancient references to Enoch and to Enochian themes, James C. VanderKam illumines the range of ancient testimonies to the man, his teachings, and his work. As he introduces readers to the mostly extrabiblical traditions surrounding Enoch, VanderKam addresses the significant question of how the canon of the Hebrew Bible came to be decided. He also uses the Enochian literature as a point of departure for an analysis of the apocalyptic literary tradition and the historical connection between Jewish and Mesopotamian thought.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"VanderKam, probably the leading authority on Enochic literature today, supplies a valuable survey of all the textual references within Jewish and Christian literature to Enoch and his career up to approximately 30 C.E. . . . Students of Enochic literature will find much here to stimulate their thinking."--Religious Studies Review

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

James C. VanderKam is the John A. O'Brien Professor of Hebrew Scriptures at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. His books include The Dead Sea Scrolls Today, An Introduction to Early Judaism, The Book of Jubilees, and The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 207 pages
• Publisher: University of South Carolina Press (November 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157003060X
• ISBN-13: 978-1570030604
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,003,644 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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13 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Survey of Enoch sources and traditions, October 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Enoch, a Man for All Generations: A Man for All Generations (Studies on Personalities of the Old Testament) (Hardcover)

I've recommended this book to several people who've wanted an introduction to the Enoch traditions outside the Bible. Although Vanderkam's treatment of both canonical and non-canonical books on the same dispassionate basis may bother some Christian readers, most of the book concerns unfamiliar material with which a bit of objectivity does not come amiss.

The only reservation I have is that both here and in his chapter on Enoch in 'The Jewish Apocalyptic Heritage in Christianity' mention is made of the quotes of 1Enoch (i.e. Ethiopic Enoch) found in 2Peter and Jude without any critical analysis of why the writers make these references. And on p.171 the common mistake of all translators of Jude 14 from Luther onwards "Enoch prophesied about these men" is repeated when all the Greek manuscripts clearly say "Enoch prophesied to these men". The difference between "about" and "to" may not seem important if one believes, as Luther did, that the Enoch being referred to was the Enoch of Genesis, but if the Enoch being referred to is the book (as the origin of "the seventh from Adam" in 1En.60:8 confirms) that implies that Jude did not identify his audience with the audience of 1Enoch. It seems like a small mistake but as Jude 14 is the primary NT quote of 1Enoch, this is not the place to allow a basic grammatical error to skew one's approach. More generally it shouldn't just be assumed without question that every reference to Jewish legends in the New Testament is a positive reference. The NT writers were as capable of both negative and positive reference as any writer today. On occasion Dr. Vanderkam appears to be doing the authors of 2Peter and Jude the injustice of automatically assuming that they were as gullible as some people today.