INTRODUCTION

The main purpose of this edition is to present, in transcription (with restorations), and with translation and notes, all the fragments identified among the manuscripts of Qumrân Cave 4 as forming part of different Books of Enoch. In the Introduction, the importance of this discovery is first briefly indicated; then, an attempt is made to resolve the familiar problems of literary criticism concerning the Enochic literature in the light of the fresh data furnished by the specimens of the original text. The character of the Greek version and of other ancient translations dependent on it is evaluated. Finally, a description is given, in rapid outline, of works attributed to Enoch from Roman times down to the late Middle Ages, with emphasis on the profound gap that separates these later writings from the Judaeo-Aramaic documents. A delicate problem addressed is that of the origin and dating of the Book of Parables, which forms the second section of the Ethiopic Enoch.