Neujahr on Babylonian Influence: Technical Lore Defines Impact
Explore Matthew Neujahr’s test for Babylonian influence on early Jewish apocalypses, Genesis 6, 1 Enoch, and technical scribal lore.
Aramaic Scribal Culture and Babylonian Influence in Second Temple Judaism
Explore Seth Sanders’s case that Aramaic scribal culture, not simple borrowing, shaped Second Temple Jewish texts like Enoch and Aramaic Levi.
Did the Watchers Bring Sexual Desire to Humanity? Rivka Nir’s Argument Reviewed
Rivka Nir argues that the Watchers introduced corrupt sexual desire. This review tests her case across 1 Enoch, Qumran, and the New Testament.
Doedens’s Case for a Later Syriac Development of the Sethite Reading
When did the Sethite reading of Genesis 6 emerge? Doedens traces its earliest evidence through Julius Africanus, Syriac writers, and Athanasius.
Cory Anderson on Jude’s Use of 1 Enoch as Inspired Authority
Cory Anderson argues Jude likely viewed 1 Enoch as inspired and authoritative, reading it eschatologically and christologically.
Where Did the Watchers Come From? Amar Annus on Apkallu Sages
Amar Annus argues that Jewish writers reshaped Mesopotamian apkallu traditions into the Watchers story of rebellious heavenly teachers and forbidden knowledge. Here is what the comparison can—and cannot—show about Genesis 6 and 1 Enoch.