Author:
Livinus Augustinus Hogeterp Albert
Abstract
The study of early Christianity has often been approached from the perspective of the Graeco-Roman world, with its acculturation being determined by Rome more than by Jerusalem, and by Hellenists more than by Hebrews. This teleological perspective tends to overlook settings of ancient Near Eastern traditions which remain understudied. A case in point may concern Enochic traditions. Examples range from Enoch being part of the Lucan Jesusʼs genealogy (Luke 3:23–28 at v. 37), to Enochic apocalyptic woes paralleling Lucan woes (Luke 6:24–26), to Enoch being a paradigm of deathless faith (Hebrews 11:5), and to Enochic discourse being quoted in terms of prophecy in Jude 14–15. This chapter will revisit intertextuality and interdiscursivity of early Christian literature with Enochic traditions, taking into account the Enochic writings among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The chapter then evaluates how this adds to the understanding of Christian cultural heritage in the discussion of “Western identity.”
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