Enochic Judaism — a Judaism without the Torah and the Temple?respect the Apocalypse is more in line with the books of Kings and the
Chronicler.
These differences do not disturb the unanimity of the two narrative
records of history. If we regard Neh 8-10 as an example of a master narrative,
the Apocalypse is an alternative narrative. Some features are included, others
are neglected, but they belong to the repertoire out of which Neh 8-10 is
formed. At this point the Apocalypse does not contest the communicative
force of Neh 8-10. They both claim that true Israel rests on the election of
Abraham and the commitment to the Torah. In this vein Hoffmann con
cludes that although the apocalyptics claim to be the only true interpreters
of the Torah, there is no degradation of or critical attitude toward the Mo
saic Torah in the Apocalypse.^38
There are, however, some disturbing elements to be considered. The first
is the communicative framework of the Apocalypse.^39 Enoch addresses his
speech to his sons (4Q212, iii, 19-20 = 1 En 93:2). These sons are characterized
as the "sons of righteousness, the chosen of eternity and the plant of truth"; cf.
for the last NrQX'' in iii, 19-20. The same wording occurs in the election
of Abraham in the third week (93:5), and in the election of the chosen ones in
the seventh week (93:10); cf. NH^S? t3t2?p "plant of everlasting righteous
ness," in iv, 12-13. In this way the history of Israel is embedded in a speech of
Enoch, drawing a line from himself and his sons to Abraham and to the cho
sen of the seventh week, freed from a "perverse generation."
A further complication becomes clear when we consider the structure
of the whole Apocalypse. Although it is clear that the pattern of unities of
seven and the number seven are of utmost importance,^40 these are not the
only structuring elements. VanderKam has pointed out that besides the
schemes of seven the Apocalypse is structured symmetrically in the relation
between the weeks.^41 Berner has elaborated this feature.^42 The symmetrical
- Hoffmann, Das Gesetz, 187.
- Cf. Berner, Jahre, i33f.
- Cf. K. Koch, "Sabbatstruktur der Geschichte: Die sogenannte Zehn-Wochen-
Apokalypse (lHen 93,1-10; 91,11-17) und das Ringen um die alttestamentlichen Chronologien
im spaten Israelitentum," in Vor der Wende der Zeiten (Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener,
1996), 45-76; Collins, The Apocalyptic Imagination (New York: Crossroad, 1987), 5of; Collins,
Apocalypticism in the Dead Sea Scrolls (London and New York: Routledge, 1997), 52-56;
Berner, Jahre, 156-68; Kvanvig, "Cosmic Law and Cosmic Imbalance" (forthcoming). - J. C. VanderKam, "Studies in the Apocalypse of Weeks," CBQ 46 (1984): 511-23
(here 518-21). - Berner, Jahre, 149-55.