Origin of Evil Spirits: The Reception of Genesis 6:1-4 in Early Jewish Literature (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen Zum Neun Testament)

by Archie T. Wright

How do we account for the explosion of demonic activity in the New Testament? Archie Wright's work traces the development of the concept of evil spirits from the Hebrew Bible through post biblical Jewish literature. The author is concerned with the reception history of Genesis 6:1-4 in early Enochic and Philonic Judaism during the Second Temple Period. He suggests that the non-specificity inherent in the biblical text of Genesis 6:1-4 opened the basis for the later emergence of an aetiology of evil spirits as Jewish authors engaged with the text. As a result, Genesis 6 1:1-4 played an important part in the development of demonology in Second Temple Period Judaism. The author has lectured on Ancient History & Modern Hebrew at Oral Roberts University and taught Biblical languages & New Testament at the University of Durham, UK. Partial 1 Enoch 1-36--The Book of Structure. Date, Place, Authorship. Source-Critical Approach. Strategies for Interpreting Genesis 6.1-4. Reception of the "Sons of God" in the Book of Watchers. Rebellion Motif in the Book of Watchers. Reception of the Watcher Tradition in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Philo of Interpreting Genesis 6.1-4. Conclusions. Bibliography. References. Modern Authors. Index of Subjects.

Genres: Theology, Demons

280 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 2005

Reviews

[Steve Wiggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book of Genesis, as I note elsewhere (Sects and Violence in the Ancient World), has strange beginnings. Just six chapters in there’s an episode about the sons of God marrying the daughters of humans. Apparently their kids are giants. Conveyed in just four verses of Holy Writ, this story is left hanging in the air, only very briefly referenced elsewhere. Wright undertakes, in this revised doctoral dissertation, to trace the influence of these verses through its most elaborate expansion, the book of 1 Enoch. Also known as The Book of the Watchers, the first part of this ancient story fills in the details with even more confusing ones.

Like most dissertations, this book is technical, but it contains lots of information on this strange episode. Much of it serves to introduce the world of The Book of the Watchers and its afterlife in ancient literature. Detailed study of Genesis 6.-14 (whence the story catches the attention of Bible readers) and the material from 1 Enoch give a solid context from which to explore this world further. The one criticism, noted by the author in the preface (this is a revised edition) is that of transmission. We don’t know that Genesis 6 was earlier than 1 Enoch, or who borrowed from whom. Biblical dating is notoriously disputed.

After detailing the material from 1 Enoch over two chapters, Wright goes on to consider the Dead Sea Scrolls. They preserved several copies of material such as 1 Enoch and Jubilees. These stories apparently served to explain the origins of evil to the people of Qumran. Wright then explores the material in the complex writings of Philo of Alexandria. The book isn’t so much about demons as it is about the idea of evil spirits, as the title suggests, and whence it may have originated. This isn’t an easy read, but it’s a highly informative one. Anyone curious about these weird stories will learn a great amount through a close reading.

[Neil White · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a thesis that was updated for publication and so like most doctoral theses it is a dry read due to the necessity of trying to be as detailed as possible in explaining each topic. This work spends most of its time trying to discern how the enigmatic passage about the sons of God bearing children with human women is interpreted in documents like 1 Enoch, the Dead Sea Scrolls and Philo of Alexandria's work (as a contrasting perspective). There is some good information but it will probably be of limited interest to most readers.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This research goes into genesis 6, book of Enoch, and other ancient texts to ask the question, what are the traditions around the origin of evil spirits, how did these traditions come about and why.

5 stars as a doctoral thesis, I can't imagine many people's theses are actually readable like this. Unfortunately the fact that it is a thesis makes it less readable as a book.

I did not really get the point of argumentation over whether the description of the sons of God was neutral or negative. Seems to be pretty cut and dried from the context so this was confusing.

[John Waldrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

An astonishing read. I had never before been exposed to such a treatment of evil spirits using materials from Second Temple Judaism. Definitely worth the read to see evidence that demons are not fallen angels.