Fallen angels

This is the first of two volumes of James Charlesworth's definitive edition of the “OT pseudepigrapha”, a rather motley group of texts which for various reasons weren't included in the Bible, at least not in the main stream Jewish or Christian editions. The first volume includes translations of apocalyptic literature and so-called “testaments”, often with a similar apocalyptic content. Here are some of the highlights!

1 Enoch is the most “sensational” text, and the one giving rise to the wildest speculations among conspiracy theorists and other fringe groups, who see it as “proof” for the existence of UFOs or a conspiracy within the Church to “suppress” the Truth of the Matter. Being a respectable scholar, Charlesworth doesn't so much as mention these speculations, instead concentrating on the book's provenance, textual history and importance for Christian theology. The latter is probably considerable, since 1 Enoch mentions a Messianic figure called the Son of Man, who was “given a name before the creation of time”, was concealed in the presence of the Lord prior to the creation of the world, shall sit on the right hand of God and be “the light of the Gentiles”. Sounds familiar? Unsurprisingly, the early Church Fathers accepted the Book of Enoch as canonical, and it's explicitly quoted in the New Testament. Otherwise, 1 Enoch is mostly known for its story about the fallen angels and the Nephilim...

3 Enoch is another classic, being the story of Rabbi Ishmael's mystical journey to God's throne and chariot, and hence a prime example of Jewish “throne mysticism” (analyzed at length in Gershom Sholem's book “Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism”). The rabbi learns that the angel Metatron is really Enoch, and that he is now known as the Lesser YHWH!

4 Ezra is also important, being a text quoted by none other than Columbus as proof that the Atlantic Ocean can't be as large as the cognoscenti of his day suggested, and that a passage to India could therefore be found in the west.

Two other intriguing additions to this volume are the Sibylline Oracles in a Christian version (itself a redaction of a Jewish variety) and the Treatise of Shem, which deals with astrology!

Probably not for the general reader (or the general UFO-logist), but if the meandering history of the Jewish and Christian canon is your thing, this is an indispensable addition to your library.