authorship and pseudepigraphy in early christian literature 25
the origin of the book indicate the deceptive character of the authorial
attribution of early Jewish apocalyptic pseudepigraphy.25
now, Methuselah, my son, I shall recount all these things to you and write
them down for you. I have revealed to you and given you the book concern-
ing all these things. Preserve, my son, the book from your father’s hands in
order that you may pass it to the generations of the world.
1 enoch 104:9–12
a remarkable passage in First Enoch may have declared that it was legit-
imate to publish the message of enoch under one’s own name and to
thereby plagiarize it. But the exact meaning of the ambiguous passage is
disputed.26
do not be deceived in your hearts, nor lie, nor pervert the words of truth,
nor speak falsely about the words of the holy one, nor praise your idols; for
all your lies and all your deception do not lead to righteousness... sinners
will pervert and write against the words of truth and alter most things, and
they lie and invent great forgeries and write the books in their own names.
Would that they write truthfully all my words in their own names and nei-
ther take away from nor alter these words, but to write truthfully all that
I testify against them. and again I know a second mystery, that my books
will be given to the righteous and the pious and the wise to cause joy in the
truth, and they will believe them and will rejoice in them and all the righ-
teous will rejoice exceedingly in learning from them all the paths of truth.
2 enoch 47:1–2 [ J]
In the pseudepigraphical Second Book of Enoch, enoch addressed his son
Methuselah with the words:27
and now, my children, place the thought on your hearts, and give heed to
the sayings of your father which I am making known to you from the lips
of the lord. and receive these books in your father’s handwriting, and read
them. for the books are many; and in them you will learn all the deeds
of the lord. there have been many books since the beginning of creation,
and there will be until the end of the age; but not one of them will make
things as plain to you as (the books in) my handwriting. If you hold firmly
to them, you will not sin against the lord.
25 trans. by e. Isaak, OTP 1.60.
26 My translation of M. Black (ed.), Apocalypsis Henochi Graeci (PVtg 3; leiden: Brill,
1970), 43.
27 trans. by f. I. anderson, OTP 1.174.