Enoch Seminar

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The Enoch Seminar is an academic group of international specialists in Second Temple Judaism and the origins of Christianity who share information about their work in the field and biennially meet to discuss topics of common interest. [1] The group is supported by the Department of Near Eastern Studies of the University of Michigan [2] and the Michigan Center for Early Christian Studies, [3] the group gathers about 200 university professors from more than fifteen countries.

Contents

Overview

The Enoch Seminar focuses on the period of Jewish history, culture and literature from the Babylonian Exile (6th century BC) to the Bar-Kochba revolt (2nd century AD) —the period in which both Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism have their roots. It is a neutral forum where scholars who are specialized in different sub-fields (OT Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, Dead Sea Scrolls, Josephus, Philo, New Testament) and are committed to different methodologies, have the opportunity to meet, talk and listen to one another without being bound to adhere to any sort of preliminary agreement or reach any sort of preordained consensus.

Participation at the meetings of the Enoch Seminar is by invitation only and is restricted to University professors and specialists in Second Temple Judaism and Christian Origins who have completed their PhD. Papers circulate in advance among the participants and the entire time at the meetings is devoted to discussion in plenary sessions or small groups. Since 2006, to graduate students, PhD candidates and post-doctorate fellows, the Enoch Seminar has offered a separate biennial conference (the Enoch Graduate Seminar).

Meetings

First Enoch Seminar (Florence 2001)

The First Enoch Seminar was held in Florence, Italy (19–23 June 2001) at the Villa Corsi-Salviati of the University of Michigan at Sesto Fiorentino. [4]

The conference was organized by Gabriele Boccaccini (University of Michigan, USA) in consultation with the other founding members of the Enoch Seminar. It explored the role of the early Enoch literature in the time prior to the Maccabean revolt and probed the hypothesis of the existence of “Enochic Judaism” as a distinctive form of Judaism in the early Second Temple period. [5]

The Proceeding were published in 2002 by Zamorani. [6]

Second Enoch Seminar (Venice 2003)

The second Enoch Seminar was held in Venice, Italy (1–4 July 2003) at Palazzo Sullam. [7]

The conference was organized by Gabriele Boccaccini (University of Michigan, USA), in consultation with the other senior members of the Enoch Seminar. It focused on the role played by the Enoch literature in shaping the ideology and the practice of the Essene movement and the Qumran community. [8]

The Proceeding were published in 2005 by Eerdmans. [9] An additional volume on the early Enoch literature was planned and published in 2007 by Brill Publishers. [10]
The second Enoch Seminar at Venice was followed by a conference on Jewish and Christian messianism, Il Messia tra memoria e attesa, jointly organized with the Italian biblical association BIBLIA. [11] The proceedings of the meeting were published in 2005 by Morcelliana. [12]

Third Enoch Seminar (Camaldoli 2005)

The Third Enoch Seminar was held at Camaldoli, Italy (6–10 June 2005) at the Foresteria of the Camaldoli Monastery. [13]

The conference was organized by Gabriele Boccaccini (University of Michigan, USA) in consultation with the other senior members of the Enoch Seminar. It focused on the ideology and date of the Parables of Enoch as a Second Jewish document and on its message about the coming of the heavenly messiah "Son of Man." [14]

The Proceeding were published in 2007 by Eerdmans. [15]

Fourth Enoch Seminar (Camaldoli-Ravenna 2007)

The Proceedings were published in 2009 by Eerdmans [16] and by the Journal Henoch . [17]

Fifth Enoch Seminar (Naples 2009)

The Proceedings were published in 2012 by Brill [18] and by the Journal Henoch.

Related Research Articles

"Son of man", "son of Adam", or "asa man", are phrases used in the Hebrew Bible, various apocalyptic works of the intertestamental period, and in the Greek New Testament. In the indefinite form used in the Hebrew Bible, it is a form of address, or it contrasts humans with God and the angels, or contrasts foreign nations, which are often represented as animals in apocalyptic writings, with Israel which is represented as human, or it signifies an eschatological human figure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dead Sea Scrolls</span> Ancient Jewish manuscripts

The Dead Sea Scrolls, also called the Qumran Caves Scrolls, are a set of ancient Jewish manuscripts from the Second Temple period. They were discovered over a period of 10 years, between 1946 and 1956, at the Qumran Caves near Ein Feshkha in the West Bank, on the northern shore of the Dead Sea. Dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE, the Dead Sea Scrolls include the oldest surviving manuscripts of entire books later included in the biblical canons, including deuterocanonical manuscripts from late Second Temple Judaism and extrabiblical books. At the same time, they cast new light on the emergence of Christianity and of Rabbinic Judaism. Almost all of the 15,000 scrolls and scroll fragments are held in the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum located in Jerusalem. The Israeli government's custody of the Dead Sea Scrolls is disputed by Jordan and the Palestinian Authority on territorial, legal, and humanitarian grounds—they were mostly discovered following the Jordanian annexation of the West Bank and were acquired by Israel after Jordan lost the 1967 Arab–Israeli War—whilst Israel's claims are primarily based on historical and religious grounds, given their significance in Jewish history and in the heritage of Judaism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Book of Jubilees</span> Ancient Jewish religious work of 50 chapters

The Book of Jubilees is an ancient Jewish apocryphal text of 50 chapters, considered canonical by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, as well as by Beta Israel. Jubilees is considered one of the pseudepigrapha by the Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant churches. Apart from the Beta Israel community, the book is not considered canonical within any of the denominations of Judaism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fallen angel</span> Angel expelled from heaven in Abrahamic religions

Fallen angels are angels who were expelled from Heaven. The literal term "fallen angel" does not appear in any Abrahamic religious texts, but is used to describe angels cast out of heaven or angels who sinned. Such angels often tempt humans to sin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Book of Enoch</span> Hebrew religious text ascribed to Enoch

The Book of Enoch is an ancient Jewish apocalyptic religious text, ascribed by tradition to the patriarch Enoch who was the father of Methuselah and the great-grandfather of Noah. The Book of Enoch contains unique material on the origins of demons and Nephilim, why some angels fell from heaven, an explanation of why the Genesis flood was morally necessary, and a prophetic exposition of the thousand-year reign of the Messiah. Three books are traditionally attributed to Enoch, including the distinct works 2 Enoch and 3 Enoch. None of the three are considered to be canonical scripture by most Jewish or Christian church bodies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watcher (angel)</span> Class of angelic beings in biblical texts

A Watcher is a type of biblical angel. The word is related to the root meaning to be awake. It occurs in both plural and singular forms in the Book of Daniel, where reference is made to the holiness of the beings. The apocryphal Books of Enoch refer to both good and bad Watchers, with a primary focus on the rebellious ones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damascus Document</span> Ancient Jewish Document

The Damascus Document is an ancient Hebrew text known from both the Cairo Geniza and the Dead Sea Scrolls. It is considered one of the foundational documents of the ancient Jewish community of Qumran.

<i>The Book of Giants</i> 3rd-century BCE Hebrew text

The Book of Giants is an apocryphal book which expands upon the Genesis narrative of the Hebrew Bible, in a similar manner to the Book of Enoch. Together with this latter work, The Book of Giants "stands as an attempt to explain how it was that wickedness had become so widespread and muscular before the flood; in so doing, it also supplies the reason why God was more than justified in sending that flood." The text's composition has been dated to before the 2nd century BC.

The Second Book of Enoch is a pseudepigraphic text in the apocalyptic genre. It describes the ascent of the patriarch Enoch, ancestor of Noah, through ten heavens of an Earth-centered cosmos. The Slavonic edition and translation of 2 Enoch is of Christian origin in the 8th century but is based on an earlier work. 2 Enoch is distinct from the Book of Enoch, known as 1 Enoch, and there is also an unrelated 3 Enoch, although none of the three books are considered canonical scripture by the majority of Jewish or Christian bodies. The numbering of these texts has been applied by scholars to distinguish each from the others.

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The Parable of the Empty Jar, is found in the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas. It does not appear in any of the Canonical gospels of the New Testament.

James R. Davila is an American biblical scholar. He is Professor of Early Jewish Studies and former Principal of St Mary's College, St Andrews. A specialist in Second Temple Judaism and Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Davila is a Participant at the Enoch seminar and a member of the Advisory Board of the journal Henoch.

<i>Henoch</i> (journal) Academic journal

Henoch: Historical and Textual Studies in Ancient and Medieval Judaism and Christianity is an academic journal established in 1979 by Paolo Sacchi that publishes on the history of Judaism broadly conceived, inclusive of the Second Temple, rabbinic and medieval periods, Christian origins and Jewish-Christian relations until the Early Modern Age. The editor-in-chief is Piero Capelli. The journal is published by Morcelliana.

Loren T. Stuckenbruck is a historian of early Christianity and Second Temple Judaism, currently professor of New Testament at the University of Munich, in Germany. His work has exerted a significant impact on the field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrei Orlov</span> American theologian

Andrei A. Orlov is an American professor of Judaism and Christianity in Antiquity at Marquette University. He "is a specialist in Jewish Apocalypticism and Mysticism, Second Temple Judaism, and Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. Within the field of Second Temple Jewish apocalyptic literature, Orlov is considered among the leading experts in the field of Slavonic texts related to Jewish mysticism and Enochic traditions." He "has established himself as a significant voice in the study of Second Temple Jewish traditions, especially those associated with 2 Enoch and other Slavonic Pseudepigrapha." Orlov is a veteran of the Enoch seminar and a member of the Advisory Board of the journal Henoch.

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4QInstruction,, also known as Sapiential Work A or Secret of the Way Things Are, is a Hebrew text among the Dead Sea Scrolls classified as wisdom literature. It is authored by a spiritual expert, directed towards a beginner. The author addresses how to deal with business and money issues in a godly manner, public affairs, leadership, marriage, children, and family, and how to live life righteously among secular society. There is some consensus that it dates to the third century BCE.

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Matthias Henze is the Isla Carroll and Perry E. Turner Professor of Hebrew Bible and Early Judaism at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

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References

  1. ↑ See G. Boccaccini, "The Contemporary Renaissance of Enoch Studies, and the Enoch Seminar," in The Early Enoch Literature, ed. G. Boccaccini and J.J. Collins (Leiden: Brill, 2007), pp. vii-x. ISBN   90-04-16154-6
  2. ↑ The Enoch Seminar is part of the activities of the "Judaism and Christianity in the Greco-Roman World (JCGRW)]" Program of the Department of Near Eastern Studies of the University of Michigan; see the JCGRW website.
  3. ↑ The Michigan Center for Early Christian Studies (MCECS) is a registered non-profit corporation of the State of Michigan, which promotes the advancement and diffusion of knowledge in the academic field of Early Christian Studies at the University of Michigan and throughout the state and specifically lists among its goals, "to support the international activities of the Enoch Seminar..., which brings scholars from around the world to discuss topics relative to Early Christianity;" see MCECS website.
  4. ↑ See G. Boccaccini, "The Rediscovery of Enochic Judaism and the Enoch Seminar," in The Origins of Enochic Judaism, ed. G. Boccaccini (Turin: Zamorani, 2002), pp. 9-13. ISBN   88-7158-107-5
  5. ↑ See J.J. Collins, "How Distinctive Was Enochic Judaism?," in Meghillot: Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls V-VI. A Festschrift for Devorah Dimant, ed. M. Bar Asher and E. Tov. (Haifa/Jerusalem: University of Haifa/Bialik Institute, 2007), pp. 17-34; G. Macaskill, "Priestly Purity, Mosaic Torah and the Emergence of Enochic Judaism," Henoch 29.1 (2007), pp. 67-89; and J.H. Charlesworth, "A Rare Consensus Among Enoch Specialists: The Date of the Earliest Enoch Book," in The Origins of Enochic Judaism, ed. G. Boccaccini (Turin: Zamorani, 2002), pp. 225-234 ISBN   88-7158-107-5.
  6. ↑ G. Boccaccini (ed.), The Origins of Enochic Judaism (Turin: Zamorani, 2002 = Henoch 24.1-2, 2002), with articles by Randal A. Argall, Andreas Bedenbender, Gabriele Boccaccini, James H. Charlesworth, John J. Collins, J. Harold Ellens, Mark Elliott, Esther Eshel, Hanan Eshel, Florentino García Martínez, Ithamar Gruenwald, Martha Himmelfarb, Michael A. Knibb, Helge S. Kvanvig, Luca Mazzinghi, Pierluigi Piovanelli, Paolo Sacchi, Brian Schmidt, Loren T, Stuckenbruck, David W. Suter, Eibert J.C. Tigchelaar, Benjamin G. Wright, and Adela Yarbro Collins. ISBN   88-7158-107-5
  7. ↑ G. Boccaccini, "From the Enoch Literature to Enochic Judaism," in Enoch and Qumran Origins, ed. G. Boccaccini (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), pp. 1-14. ISBN   0-8028-2878-7
  8. ↑ See J.H. Charlesworth, "The Books of Enoch or 1 Enoch Matters: New Paradigms for Understanding Pre-Seventy Judaism," in Enoch and Qumran Origins, ed. G. Boccaccini (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), pp. 436-454; J.J. Collins, "Enochic Judaism and the Sect of the Dead Sea Scrolls," in The Early Enoch Literature, ed. G. Boccaccini and J.J. Collins (Leiden: Brill, 2007), pp. 283-299; G. Boccaccini, "Enochians, Urban Essenes, Qumranites: Tree Social Groups, One Intellectual Movement," ibidem, pp. 301-327; D.R. Jackson, Enochic Judaism: Three Defining Paradigm Exemplars (London: T&T Clark International, 2004); P. Sacchi, Regola della Comunità (Brescia: Paideia, 2006); and E. Regev, Sectarianism in Qumran: A Cross-Cultural Perspective (Berlin: de Gruyter, 2007)
  9. ↑ G. Boccaccini (ed.), Enoch and Qumran Origins: New Light on a Forgotten Connection (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), with articles by William Adler, Matthias Albani, Jeff S. Anderson, Andreas Bedenbender, Stefan Beyerle, Gabriele Boccaccini, James H. Charlesworth, John J. Collins, Michael A. Daise, James R. Davila, Torleif Elgvin, Mark A. Elliott, Hanan Eshel, Peter W. Flint, Ida Fröhlich, Florentino García Martínez, Claudio Gianotto, Lester L. Grabbe, Ithamar Gruenwald, Charlotte Hempel, Matthias Henze, Martha Himmelfarb, Michael A. Knibb, Klaus Koch, Helge S. Kvanvig, Armin Lange, Erik W. Larson, Timothy H. Lim, Corrado Martone, George W.E. Nickelsburg, Pierluigi Piovanelli, Emile Puech, Annette Yoshiko Reed, John C. Reeves, Henry W. Morisada Rietz, Paolo Sacchi, Lawrence H. Schiffman, Loren T., Stuckenbruck, David W. Suter, Shemaryahu Talmon, Eibert J.C. Tigchelaar, Patrick Tiller, Liliana Rosso Ubigli, James C. VanderKam, Jacques van Ruiten, and Benjamin G. Wright. ISBN   0-8028-2878-7
  10. ↑ G. Boccaccini and J.J. Collins (eds.), The Early Enoch Literature (Leiden: Brill 2007), with articles by Andreas Bedenbender, Gabriele Boccaccini, John J.Collins, Florentino García Martínez, Martha Himmelfarb, Michael A. Knibb, Klaus Koch, Helge S. Kvanvig, George W.E. Nickelsburg, Pierluigi Piovanelli, Paolo Sacchi, Loren T. Stuckenbruck, David W. Suter, Eibert Tigchelaar, Patrick Tiller, James Waddell, and Benjamin G. Wright. ISBN   978-90-04-16154-2
  11. ↑ See G. Boccaccini, "Biblia e l'Enoch Seminar a Venezia: un felice connubio," in Il Messia tra memoria e attesa, ed. G. Boccaccini (Brescia: Morcelliana, 2005), pp. 7-11.
  12. ↑ See G. Boccaccini (ed.), Il messia tra memoria e attesa (Brescia: Morcelliana, 2005), with articles by Gabriele Boccaccini, Sergio Caruso, John J. Collins, James H. Charlesworth, Paolo De Benedetti, Rinaldo Fabris, Florentino Garcia Martinez, Ithamas Gruenwald, Amos Luzzatto, Bruno Maggioni, Corrado Martone, Paolo Sacchi, Lawrence Schiffman, and James VanderKam.
  13. ↑ G. Boccaccini, "The Enoch Seminar at Camaldoli: Re-Entering the Parables of Enoch in the Study of Second Temple Judaism and Christian Origins," in Enoch and the Messiah Son of Man: Rivisiting the Parables of Enoch, ed. G. Boccaccini (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007), pp. 3-16.
  14. ↑ P. Sacchi, "The 2005 Camaldoli Seminar on the Parables of Enoch: Summary and Prospect for Furutre Research," in Enoch and the Messiah Son of Man: Revisiting the Parables of Enoch, ed. G. Boccaccini (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007), pp. 499-512.
  15. ↑ G. Boccaccini (ed.), Enoch and the Messiah Son of Man: Revisiting the Book of Parables (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007), with articles by William Adler, Luca Arcari, Kelley Coblentz Bautch, Jonathan Ben-Dov, Gabriele Boccaccini, Daniel Boyarin, James H. Charlesworth, Sabino Chialà, John J. Collins, Jason von Ehrenkrook, Hanan Eshel, Ida Fröhlich, Charles A. Gieschen, Lester L. Grabbe, Darrell D. Hannah, Matthias Henze, Michael A. Knibb, Klaus Koch, Helge S. Kvanvig, George W.E. Nickelsburg, Gerbern Oegema, Daniel C. Olson, Andrei A. Orlov, Pierluigi Piovanelli, Paolo Sacchi, Loren T, Stuckenbruck, David W. Suter, Michael E. Stone, Eibert J.C. Tigchelaar, James C. VanderKam, Pieter M. Venter, Leslie W. Walck, Benjamin G. Wright, and Adela Yarbro Collins. ISBN   978-0-8028-0377-1
  16. ↑ G. Boccaccini and G. Ibba (eds.), Enoch and the Mosaic Torah: The Evidence of Jubilees (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009), with articles by Betsy Halpern Amaru, Kelley Coblentz Bautch, Jonathan Ben-Dov, John Bergsma, Lutz Doering, John Endres, Esther Eshel, William Gilders, Lester L. Grabbe, Matthias Henze, Martha Himmelfarb, David Jackson, Helge Kvanvig, Erik Larson, Hindy Najman, Andrei A. Orlov, Annette Yoshiko Reed, Eyal Regev, Jacques van Ruiten, Lawrence H. Schiffman, James Scott, Michael Segal, Aharon Shemesh, Loren T. Stuckenbruck, David Suter, James C. VanderKam, and Benjamin Wright.
  17. ↑ See P. Bertalotto and T. Hanneken (eds.), "Short Papers on Enoch and Jubilees presented at the Fourth Enoch Seminar," Henoch 31.1 (2009), with articles by Christoph Berner, Siam Bhayro, Gianantonio Borgonvo, Daniel K. Falk, William Loader, Bilhah Nitzan, Stephane Saulnier, Daniel Thomas, and Cristiana Tretti, Andreas Bedenbender, Calum Carmichael, Karoly Dobos, Henryk Drwanel, Maxine Grossman, Jamal Hopkins, Giovanni Ibba, Dorothy Peteres, and Stephen Pfann
  18. ↑ Andrei A. Orlov, G. Boccaccini and J. Zurawski (eds.), New Perspectives on 2 Enoch: No Longer Slavonic Only (Leiden: Brill, 2012)
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