the-book-of-enoch-r-h-charles - Fallen Angels

186 Tlie Booh of Enoch [Sect. IV
up (his voice) and spake to his son Methuselah :
' To thee, my
son, will I speak : hear my words—incline thine ear to the dream-
vision of thy father. 3. Before I took thy mother Edna, I saw
in a vision on my bed, and behold a bull came forth from the
earth, and that bull was white ;
and after it came forth a heifer,
and along with this (latter) came forth two bulls, one of them
black and the other red. 4. And that black bull gored the red
one and pursued him over the earth, and thereupon I could no
longer see that red bull. 5. But that black bull grew and
that heifer went with him, and I saw that many oxen proceeded
from him which resembled and followed him. 6. And that
cow, that first one, went from the presence of that first bull in
writer gives a complete history of the
world from Adam down to the final
judgement and the establishment of
the Messianic kingdom. After the
example of Ezekiel men are symbolized
by animals. The leaders of the chosen
race are represented by domestic
animals, the patriarchs by bulls, and
the faithful of later times by sheep
(cf. Ezek. 345. «. 8 «"'•). This difference
may be intended to maik the later de-
clension of Israel in faith and righteous-
ness. The Gentiles are symbolized by
wild beasts and birds of prey (cf. Ezek.
.39^', where the enemies of Israel are
symbolized by the birds of tlie air and the
beasts of the field) ; the fallen watchers
by sktars ; unfallen angels by men. At
times the author is obliged to abandon
his symbolism, and he is not always
consistent in his use of it, as the same
symbol varies in meaning. Even the
divine name is adapted to the prevail-
ing symbolism. In the main the
narrative is based on the O.T., but at
times mythical elements from later
Jewish exegesis are incorporated.
LXXXV. 2. Cf. Prov. 51. 3.
Edna ;
cf. 83^. I saw in a vision
on my bed. Cf. Dan. 4"' 'I saw
in a vision of my head upon my bed'
(also 4' 7'). On my bed {q, ff). gmt
' of my bed '. u corrupt. Bull.
The Ethiopic word is lahm. This
word has various meanings in the
following chapters. In the sing, it =
bull or heifer; in the plur. it = bulls,
or cattle, or cows. The context must
determine the sense. The author uses
also the unequivocal word s6r, which
always means a bull. Ta'wa = vitulus
or vitula in these chapters. Eve is so
designated in this verse, i. e. a heifer,
to denote her as a virgin. In verse 6
she is called ' a cow '. Wliite is the
colour that symbolizes righteousness
throughout this vision ; cf. 85* 87'', &c.
Cf. Is. 1" Ps. 51' Rev. 7". Two
bulls (ff, n). Other MSS. 'other
young bulls '. Cain is black, as this
colour symbolizes his sin : Abel is red
—the colour emblematic of his martyr-
dom. 4. Bull. So I render ta wft
when it = vitulus, as in vv. 4, 5, 6.
5. That heifer. The same word is
used of Eve in verse 3. This heifer is
Cain's wife, and according to the Book
of Jubilees 4'> " his sister, by name
Avan. Oxen. This is the rendering
of the plural of lahm, and includes
bulls and cows. Him'° (q, fi). gmt
'them'. e. Eve seeks Abel.