Enochic and Mosaic Traditions in Jubilees:
The Evidence of Angelology and Demonology
Annette Yoshiko Reed
For those who propose the existence of a distinctive "Enochic Judaism" in
second temple times and/or who see an opposition between Enochic and
Mosaic traditions, the retellings of the angelic descent myth in the Book of
the Watchers and Jubilees have proved pivotal (1 En 6-16; Jub 4:15-22; 5:1-11;
7:21-25; 8:3-4; 10:5). Paolo Sacchi has drawn attention to the Book of the
Watchers' claim that evil originated with the antediluvian descent of the an
gels (cf. Gen 6:1-4), proposing that this idea lies at the heart of a distinctive
movement within second temple Judaism.^1 Building on Sacchi's work,
Gabriele Boccaccini has interpreted Jubilees' version of the angelic descent
myth, not only as evidence for its dependence on the Book of the Watchers,
but also as an emblem of its alignment with "Enochic Judaism."^2 In his esti
mation, Jubilees "stems from the same priestly party that produced the
- P. Sacchi, Jewish Apocalyptic and Its History, trans. W. J. Short, JSPSup 20 (Sheffield:
Sheffield Academic Press, 1997), esp. 47-87; Sacchi, "History of the Earliest Enochic Texts," in
Enoch and Qumran Origins: New Light on a Forgotten Connection, ed. G. Boccaccini (Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), 401-7. - G. Boccaccini, Beyond the Essene Hypothesis: The Parting of the Ways between
Qumran and Enochic Judaism (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 86-98. For a survey of the ev
idence for Jubilees' use of Enochic literature, see, e.g., J. Bergsma in this volume.
For their comments and suggestions on earlier forms of this essay, special thanks to
B. Halpern-Amaru, G. Boccaccini, D. Boyarin, G. Davenport, T. Hanneken, M. Himmelfarb,
H. Kvanvig, and H. Najman; it also benefited much from the lively discussion in the Enoch
Seminar session on angels and demons in Jubilees.