Peter Gentry on Enoch in Jude

 

My comments:
First, Jude appears to be referring to 1 Enoch in other places besides 14-15, specifically Jude 6 to 1 Enoch 10:12-13, and the list of natural elements in Jude 12-13 to 1 Enoch 80:3, 4, 6, 7. Thus, with three textual matches, the earliest representation of which being the texts of 1 Enoch, a common source explanation appears less likely. Additionally, what about portions of 1 Enoch that are reflected outside of Jude in the rest of the NT, including Peter and Revelation?

Second, while 1 Enoch lists names of demons, can it really be said that this is a genealogy? Hebrew genealogies list ancestry, whereas the lists of demons in 1 Enoch are just that, a long list of names.

Third, the Greek of Jude 14-15 does not need to match the Greek of 1 Enoch 1:9, especially if it was likely recited from memory.

Lastly, even though 1 Enoch is not canonical and has misinterpretations,^[1] as it is an amalgamation, parts of it are more appropriate for reading than others. It was evidently an important text as reflected in its presence in Qumran Cave 4.

Anyway, I really like Peter Gentry, and am grateful to Patterns of Evidence: The Moses Controversy for introducing me to him.

To repeat and emphasize:

The whole reason behind the “common source” is to protect Jude from quoting a non-canonical book at 14-15. But as 1 Enoch is an amalgamation, parts of it are safer to refer to than others, like Enoch’s pronouncement at 1 Enoch 1:9. The likelihood that Jude’s audience was familiar with this is enough reason to quote it.

Also, where is the “common source”? Currently the earliest source is 1 Enoch as witnessed in the DSS. Lastly, it is more than just Jude 1:14-15 that refers to 1 Enoch, that only does so by direct citation and quotation.

Footnotes:
^[1] See: Were the sons of God in Genesis 6 fallen angels? Who were the Nephilim? by Peter Gentry.