As I’ve commented before this whole subject is a bottomless pit and there is no end of threads you can pull (to mix me some metaphors).

In the Book of Giants we actually have some names provided for individual giants. A couple of them jump out immediately.

Gilgames
Hobabish

Scholars believe these names derive from sources in Mesopotamia going back to the Epic of Gilgamesh. (Remember Gilgamesh was the offspring of a human man and a goddess. In many of the traditions he is depicted as…you guessed it… a giant!) The second name is most interesting. Hobabish seems to be a corrupted form of the name Humbaba, in the Epic the divine being who inhabits the Cedar Forest, the site of Gilgamesh’s first adventure. If this is the case then these are the only references to the Epic outside of cuneiform texts.

In the sixth century BCE, the Akkadian language began to be marginalized by Aramaic, with its own alphabet. Akkadian cuneiform remained in use in the literary tradition for several centuries. The last surviving cuneiform inscription, an astronomical text, was written in 75 CE. At long last the memory of this method of writing, whose origins that can be traced back to 3200 BCE, was lost to time, only to be rediscovered in the Nineteenth century. Along with it disappeared the memory of the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the great works of ancient literature.

If anyone is interested in the story let me recommend a fascinating book, ** you do not have permission to see this link **

Just for completeness sake, some scholars believe that a memory of Gilgamesh survives in the Samson stories in the Book of Judges.

—

Now back to Our Story.

The stuff about giants in the Bible seems marginal until you begin to look at specific sources. Then it gets…interesting.

NOTE: The details of what I’m about to relate owes much to writer Brian Godawa, a popularizer of Bible related subjects aimed at evangelical Christian audiences. He puts the info together in simple and straightforward ways that critical scholars seldom do. It is weird at times to realize Godawa actually believes in the Watchers and the Giants and the Flood, etc. But his info is extremely useful.

Clans, tribes, etc that claim giants as ancestors in the Bible:

Anakim (Num. 13:28-33; Deut. 1:28; 2:10-11, 21; 9:2; Josh. 14:12)
Amorites (Amos 2:9-10)
Emim (Deut. 2:10-11)
Rephaim (Deut. 2:10-11, 20; 3:11)
Zamzummim (Deut. 2:20)
Zuzim (Gen. 14:5)
Perizzites (Gen. 15:20; Josh. 17:15)
Philistines (2 Sam. 21:18-22)
Horites/Horim (Deut. 2:21-22)
Avvim (Deut. 2:23)
Caphtorim (Deut. 2:23)

Towns, cities or locations in the Bible that were said to have had giants in them:

Gob (2 Sam. 21:18)
Hebron/Kiriath-arba (Num. 13:22; Josh. 14:15)
Ar (Deut. 2:9)
Seir (Deut. 2:21-22)
Debir/ Kiriath-sepher (Josh. 11:21-22)
Anab (Josh. 11:21-22)
Gaza (Josh. 11:21-22)
Gath (Josh. 11:21-22)
Ashdod (Josh. 11:21-22)
Bashan (Deut. 3:10-11)
Ashteroth-karnaim (Gen. 14:5)
Ham (Gen. 14:5)
Shaveh-kiriathaim (Gen. 14:5)
Valley of the Rephaim (Josh. 15:8)
Moab (1 Chron. 11:22)

Enemies of Israel described in the Bible either implicitly or explicitly as giants:
 
Goliath (1 Sam. 17)
Lahmi, Goliath’s brother (1 Chron. 20:5; 2 Sam. 21:19)
Ishbi-benob (2 Sam. 21:16)
Saph/Sippai (2 Sam. 21:17; 1 Chron. 20:4)
Arba (Josh. 14:15)
Sheshai (Josh.15:14, Num. 13:22)
Ahiman (Josh. 15:14, Num. 13:22)
Talmai (Josh. 15:14, Num. 13:22)
An unnamed warrior giant (1 Chron. 20:6)
And unnamed Egyptian giant (1 Chron. 11:23)
Og of Bashan (Deut. 3:10-11)

So what’s the point here? There is a significant thread of giant lore in these ancient sources. And the conquest of the Promised land is intimately tied up with it. Perhaps this explains the genocidal fury of the Israelites. The war against the Canaanites is a continuation of the war against the Giants, offspring of the sin of the Watchers. The corruption of humanity is revealed by the continuing presence of the Giants. The land must be purified.

If as some scholars believe, the Flood narrative is secondary to the tradition, then this ongoing war against the Giants makes a lot more sense. So this ancient tradition is a variation on a story that spans different cultures and ages. The semi-divine heroes must vanquish the forces of chaos, the Giants, so that humankind may build civilization. .

BJH1960, I have a book of essays about the Epic of Gilgamesh somewhere that discusses the possible parallels. I’ll try to dig it out. In Mesopotamian iconography Gilgamesh is commonly depicted fighting a lion. Judges contains a similar episode about Samson. Also, Samson’s name, “man of the sun”, seems to have some etymological relationship to Shamash, the solar deity in the Epic. There are other literary associations.

Before I move on to the next episode in the Book of Enoch let me say one more thing about the giants. The thought of the sect known as the Manicheans was heavily influenced by the Enoch literature, including the Book of the Giants. We have a fragmentary version of the latter produced by them. The founder, Mani, was born and raised by a family who were part of a Jewish Christian gnostic sect called the Elcesaites which can ostensibly be traced back to the Essenes. This is getting far afield but it does show how widely and broadly the web of transmission of this Enoch related material spread.

It’s too bad we don’t have a complete copy of the Book of the Giants. Many scholars would trade important body parts for such a find. Here’s hoping that out there in some as yet undiscovered cave there is a sealed jar with complete copies of all the Enoch related material in Aramaic waiting out the centuries!

Will do.

In the meantime…

If anyone thought we were going to escape the matter of textual variants and interpolations in 1 Enoch well now comes that part! Just as we have two accounts of the creation side by side in Genesis, and two intertwined accounts of the Flood , and in 1 Samuel two accounts of Saul’s reign (one pro-, one anti-), now we reach a variant account of the sin of the Watchers in chapter 8 of 1 Enoch. It’s not long so I will quote the entire chapter.

Asael taught men to make swords of iron and weapons and shields and breastplates and every instrument of war. He showed them metals of the earth and how they should work gold to fashion it suitably, and concerning silver, to fashion it for bracelets and ornaments for women. And he showed them concerning antimony and eye paint and all manner of precious stones and dyes. And the sons of men made them for themselves and for their daughters, and they transgressed and led the holy ones astray.

And there was much godlessness on the earth, and they made their ways desolate.

Shemihazah taught spells and the cutting of roots.
Hermani taught sorcery for the loosing of spells and magic and skill.
Baraqel taught the signs of the lightning flashes.
Kokabel taught the signs of the stars.
Ziqel taught the signs of the shooting stars.
Arteqoph taught the signs of the earth.
Shamsiel taught the signs of the sun.
Sahriel taught the signs of the moon.

And they all began to reveal mysteries to their wives and to their children.

(And) as men were perishing, the cry went up to heaven.

In chapter 6 Shemihazah was chief of the watchers and Asael was his tenth captain. Here Asael is leader of the Watchers and Shemihazah is one of his captains who taught humans magic. (The “cutting of roots” has magical associations. It’s not farming.) The consensus among scholars is that the Shemihazah legend is the most primeval and this section is an interpolation. As we progress we’ll see how it interrupts the flow of the text. Interestingly however, it was Asael who was most influential. If you know your Medieval Jewish demonology – and who doesn’t?- Azazel is one of Satan’s chief associates who figures in the lore of the scapegoat associated with the Day of Atonement. Poor Shemihazah. He was first but eventually got shunted aside.

Note the shift in the nature of the sin of the Watchers and the shift in the blame! No interspecies sex here. The Watchers teach humans forbidden arts. War material for the men, shiny trinkets and googaws for the women. Here the “sons of men” transgressed and “led the Holy Ones astray”. It’s our fault! And the earth cries out for our sin, not the sin of the giants!

Scholars point out how similar this story is to the Greek myth of Prometheus and many (including Nickelsburg) think there is probably a direct relationship. (In the same way that the lore of the Giants is thought to have been influenced by Hesiod.) VanderKam, his co-editor, in his own writings is less sure of a direct relationship. He points out the general messiness of these mythic complexes and notes that there is a lot of evidence for a Mesopotamian influence on early Greek thought.

I’m willing to defer to the experts and there’s a real question as to whether I’m even entitled to an opinion but this latter view makes more sense to me. We like our categories. We have Assyriologists and Egyptologists and Classicists and the border wars are sometimes fierce. Also, it’s helpful to remember that these ancient literary accounts are usually the later, most developed part of traditions that go back, not centuries, but millennia. So the simplest view is probably that there was this vast stew that had many cooks. And everybody seasoned to taste.

It is interesting to note the view of reality on display here. To these ancient thinkers there were no meaningless happenings. Everything could be a sign. The life of the cosmos and the life here on earth were intimately intertwined. A flash of lightning could reveal higher wisdom. Even now I think a lot of people would be willing to exchange the laws of physics, and the obvious mastery such knowledge bestows, for this comforting view of the cosmos. Pointlessness and purposelessness can be soul crushing. These ancients lived in a small, limited universe but everything mattered.

Higher Forces again…

There are just oodles of papers and documents available on the interweb. In just the last couple days I’ve found several papers relevant to our discussion about the Giants. So, before we proceed any further…

** you do not have permission to see this link **

** you do not have permission to see this link **

** you do not have permission to see this link **

All three of these papers were written by Matthew Goff, a scholar currently active in the field whose focus is on the Giants in the Enochic literature.

The first two articles are at ACADEMIA.EDU which will require you to register and create a password. The basic service is free and then you can download the papers as PDFs and read them at your leisure. The first paper is especially fine dealing as it does with the relationship between 1 Enoch and the Book of Giants. Start there!

The third paper is at RESEARCHGATE.NET and is available for immediate download. The paper originally appeared in a Swedish publication so the first few pages are in Swedish but fear not! Just scroll down until you reach the actual article which is in wholesome and godly English, as Jesus intended.

—

Sometimes it’s the small things that make the most impact. Nickelsburg points out a motif originating in Genesis shared by both variants of the Watchers’ story.

And the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen, your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. Genesis 4,10-11 NRSV

Then the earth brought accusation against the lawless ones. 1 Enoch 7,5 Nickelsburg

(And) as men were perishing, the cry went up to heaven. 1 Enoch 8,12 Nickelsburg

As we’ll see as we move through the Book of Enoch, Cain’s murder of Abel is presented as the first human sin and the origin of evil on earth. An act of violence, not Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden. I’ve always found this image of the earth crying out to be rather haunting and it will lead to one of the most chilling episodes in the entire book.

in chapter 22 Enoch is journeying through the cosmos with the angel Raphael as his guide. Raphael shows him the abode of the dead, a vast cave, where the dead await the Last judgement.

There I saw the spirit of a dead man making suit, and his lamentation went up to heaven and cried and made suit. Then I asked Raphael, the Watcher and the holy one who was with me, and said to him, ‘This spirit that makes suit—whose is it—that thus his lamentation goes up and makes suit unto heaven?’ And he answered me and said, ‘This is the spirit that went forth from Abel, whom Cain his brother murdered. And Abel makes accusation against him until his posterity perishes from the face of the earth, and his posterity is obliterated from the posterity of human beings’ 1 Enoch 22,5-7) Nickelsburg

If you close your eyes can your hear the cry of Abel echoing through that awful emptiness?

…please remove all of Colin’s current posts in this thread…

Sorry, this request bothered me a great deal and I did not make it lightly. Colin has clearly learned nothing from our recent discussions about the Rules and how to behave like adults in an open forum. In my opinion one of his comments in this thread crossed the line into anti-Semitism and that was the deciding factor for me.

Ok we have explored the basic scenario in the 1st Book of Enoch. This story of the Watchers having Carnal Knowledge of human women, teaching them forbidden arts, and the subsequent birth of the Giants from that Impious Congress is the foundational myth of the entire corpus. Every other part is either a retelling, or an expansion, or an explication, or a support of this central myth. A myth that has precursors and antecedents going back into the pre-literate mists of Mesopotamian imaginings and whose influence in later thinking it is impossible to adequately measure.

In chapter 12 the work is going to alter its focus a bit. Chapters 10 & 11 function as connecting tissue to take the variant strands and add some details to support the story as it widens out. I won’t take time to discuss the vexed question of authorship but at this point we start incorporating what are clearly difference sources edited into the larger whole. We’ve already seen two distinct variants, the Shemihazah narrative and the Asael narrative. Henceforth, Shemihazah will begin to recede and Asael will take the main focus although the original crime of sexual relations between humans and angels will not diminish in importance.

These two chapters are way too long to quote in their entirety so I’ll hit the high spots. of course I’m leaving a lot out by necessity and focusing on the parts that interest me. All passages are from Nickelsburg.

10:1-2 Then the Most High declared, and the Great Holy One spoke. And he sent to the son of Lamech, saying, “Go to Noah and say to him in my name, ‘Hide yourself.’ And reveal to him that the end is coming, that the whole earth will perish…

10:4-5 To Raphael he said, “Go, Raphael, and bind Asael hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness; And make an opening in the wilderness that is in ­Doudael. Throw him there…

10:9 And to Gabriel he said, “Go, Gabriel, to the bastards, to the half-breeds, to the sons of miscegenation; and destroy the sons of the watchers from among the sons of men…

10:11 And to Michael he said, “Go, Michael, bind Shemihazah and the others with him…

Just as we were introduced earlier to the Watchers and given their names and qualities, here we are given such information about the leaders of the righteous angels. This angelic quartet will appear repeatedly in later tradition. At Qumran they are named in the famous War Scroll. All will become prominent figures, especially Michael, but interestingly Sariel soon vanishes to be replaced by Uriel.

Sariel “God is my prince”
Raphael “God has healed”
Gabriel “God is my strength”
Michael “Who is like God?”

Second Temple Judaism spawned much speculation about Heavenly and Demonic hierarchies. Fill blown angelologies and demonologies came later but this is where it really got its start. As the conception of the Divine got more and more remote and lifted up and away, the need for divine intermediaries became acute. The “Most High” does not just walk up to you anymore like he did to Abraham. He sends his malakh.

Sariel is sent to Noah, bringing in the Flood narrative which in 1 Enoch so far has gotten rather short shrift. Many scholars think the Flood story is secondary to the tradition and given the later importance of the giants and their descendants in the Promised land it could very well be true. This episode parallels Genesis 6.

Raphael is instructed to bind Asael and cast him into a dark place in the wilderness to wait until the day of the “Great Judgement”. ­Doudael is not altogether explicable but there is a suggestion of a cave at the base of a large peak. Fortunately Enoch will journey to these nether regions later on in the narrative so we’ll get a close-up view. Note that this is a temporary prison. The final judgement is associated with a burning fire. And note that the fate of Asael is given precedence over Shemihazah in this section.

Gabriel is ordered to immediately destroy the Giants. And the question as to their descendants is simply not addressed. Later there will be much discussion about the creation of evil spirits from the destruction of the giants.

Michael is commanded to bind Shemihazah until the judgement also. Interestingly he is also commanded to destroy the giants which parallels the command to Gabriel. Perhaps this is the older part of the narrative and remembers when Shemihazah was the chief Watcher? Michael became an Archangel in later tradition. Here he is matched with Shemihazah which makes sense if they were the two leaders.

Chapter 11 is a beautiful hymn/prayer for the healing of the earth after the destruction caused by the rebel angels and their offspring. It hints at the renewal we find in Genesis after the Flood but interestingly there is no mention of the Flood in this passage. The destruction seems focused on the angelic rebellion. That is what is healed. The command for healing follows directly from the previous command for Michael.

Destroy all perversity from the face of the earth,
and let every wicked deed be gone;
and let the plant of righteousness and truth appear, and it will become a blessing,
(and) the deeds of righteousness and truth will be planted forever with joy.
And now all the righteous will escape,
and they will live until they beget thousands,
and all the days of their youth and their old age will be completed in peace.
Then all the earth will be tilled in righteousness,
and all of it will be planted with trees and filled with ­blessing;
and all the trees of joy will be planted on it.
They will plant vines on it,
and every vine that will be planted on it will yield a ­thousand jugs of wine,
and of every seed that is sown on it, each measure will yield a thousand measures,
and each measure of olives will yield ten baths of oil.

Amen!