Introduction.

The Book of Enoch, which we present here in Greek and in a German translation of the Ethiopic text, does not strictly belong in the circle of "Greek Christian writers," as it originated on Jewish soil in the pre-Christian era. However, its predominantly apocalyptic sphere of ideas had such an influence on the contemporary and immediately subsequent Jewish and New Testament literature, and it enjoyed such high standing among the older Church Fathers and Apologists of both Greek and Latin tongues, that its inclusion in this collection appears justified.

The Semitic original 1) All questions regarding the base language, whether Hebrew or Aramaic, the date of origin, and the literary composition of the work, as well as the homeland and character of the author, will be addressed by our colleague Prof. A. Meyer in his commentary on the Book of Enoch. of our book has been lost without a trace. The Jewish writings of the same or the immediately following period—the Book of Jubilees 2) Book of Jubilees 4, 17 ff., 21, 10; for other citations, see the notes. These are also compiled in Fabricius, Codex pseudepigraphus vet. test. Pseudepigraphical Codex of the Old Testament I 1722, p. 215 ff.; Schürer, Gesch. d. jüd. Volkes History of the Jewish People 3, III, p. 203 ff.; Charles, Book of Enoch, 1893, p. 33 ff.; Lawlor, "Early citations from the book of Enoch" in Journal of philology, Lond. 1897, p. 164—225., IV Ezra, the Apocalypse of Baruch, and the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, which demonstrably utilized it—have only come down to us in translations. What is found among the Rabbis 3) Zohar, ed. Mant. Vol. I, 37b, II, 55a and Menahem Recanati, cf. Fabricius, p. 208 and 216; Jellinek, "Hebr. Quellen f. d. B. Henoch" Hebrew Sources for the Book of Enoch in ZDMG 7, 249; Idem, Bet-ha-Midrasch House of Study/Midrashic collection II, 114 ff., IV, 129 ff., V, 170 ff.; Goldschmidt, das Buch Henoch The Book of Enoch, 1892, p. XII, 73, 74, etc. of the Middle Ages are merely vague memories that may rest on tradition, but hardly on actual knowledge of the work.

Like the rest of Jewish-Palestinian literature, the Book of Enoch was translated into Greek, but here too a malign star has ruled over the work: about four-fifths have been lost.