Notes on the Seforim Chitzonim - pt.4

Enoch (חנוך) in the Midrash; List of the Seforim Chitzonim that We Have

Final part of a series on Seforim Chitzonim. Previous part here:

I cross-posted the whole 4-part series on my Academia.edu profile as a single article, with revisions, and re-ordered: “An Introduction to the Seforim Chitzonim“ (requires registration)

Another quote from from Jonathan Klawans’s book, Heresy, Forgery, Novelty: Condemning, Denying, and Asserting Innovation in Ancient Judaism (2019): as opposed to the dead sea scroll sect, and early Christianity,

"[f]or many Jews of the second temple period, creative prophecy was supposed to be a thing of the past"

Enoch (חנוך) in the Midrash

Based on Hebrew Wikipedia, ספר חנוך א':

The Book of Enoch was written in Aramaic, probably around the third century BCE. It was a popular composition during the Second Temple period, and many motifs from it were adopted or reworked in books like Jubilees (היובלים), the Book of Giants, the Testaments of the Sons of Jacob ( צוואות בני יעקב), and others. Josephus, Philo of Alexandria, and other writers specifically refer to the Enoch story.

In the second century CE, there is evidence of a significant effort by the sages to suppress the Enoch traditions in general and the angelic interpretation of Bereishit 6 in particular:

Bereishit 6:1-3:

ויהי כי־החל האדם לרב על־פני האדמה ובנות ילדו להם

When humankind began to increase on earth and daughters were born to them,

ויראו בני־האלהים את־בנות האדם כי טבת הנה ויקחו להם נשים מכל אשר בחרו

the [males among the] divine beings *divine beings Others “sons of God.” saw how pleasing the human women were and took wives from among those who delighted them.—

ויאמר יהוה לא־ידון רוחי באדם לעלם בשגם הוא בשר והיו ימיו מאה ועשרים שנה

יהוה said, “My breath shall not abide in humankind forever, since it too is flesh; let the days allowed them be one hundred and twenty years.”—

It is stated in Bereishit Rabbah, Parasha 26, paragraph 5, that Rabbi Simeon bar Yochai insisted that the "sons of God" are the sons of judges (based on the word "yadun" - ידון) and he would "curse anyone who called them sons of God.":

Bereishit Rabbah (26:5):

ויראו בני האלהים (בראשית ו, ב),

רבי שמעון בן יוחאי קרא להון בני דיניא,

רבי שמעון בן יוחאי מקלל לכל מאן דקרא להון בני אלהיא

And the sons of Elohim saw (Genesis 6:2) -

Rabi Shimeon ben Yochai called them sons of judges.

Rabi Shimeon ben Yochai would curse anyone who would call them 'sons of divine beings'.

The idea that a human body ascends to heaven as it is, and even receives honor and prestige in the upper world like the prophet Elijah, began to be perceived as foreign and even contrary to the values of the emerging Rabbinic-Jewish world. However, in the nascent Christian religion, there were efforts to find such signs and precedents, for obvious reasons.

Therefore, R’ Hama son of Hosha'ya conveyed: "Enoch is not written in the tome (book of lineage) of the righteous but in the tome of the wicked", and Rabbi Aibu states: "Enoch was a hypocrite, sometimes righteous and sometimes wicked, the Almighty measured until he was righteous and then took him up”:

Bereishit Rabbah (25:1)

ויתהלך חנוך את האלהים ואיננו כי לקח אתו אלהים (בראשית ה, כד),

אמר רבי חמא בר הושעיא אינו נכתב בתוך טימוסן של צדיקים אלא בתוך טימוסן של רשעים.

אמר רבי איבו חנוך חנף היה, פעמים צדיק פעמים רשע, אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא עד שהוא בצדקו אסלקנו.

אמר רבי איבו בראש השנה דנו בשעה שהוא דן כל באי עולם.

אפיקורסים שאלו לרבי אבהו אמרו לו אין אנו מוצאין מיתה לחנוך, אמר להם למה, אמרו לו נאמרה כאן לקיחה ונאמרה להלן (מלכים ב ב, ה): כי היום ה' לקח את אדניך מעל ראשך,

אמר להם אם ללקיחה אתם דורשים, נאמר כאן לקיחה ונאמר להלן (יחזקאל כד, טז): הנני לקח ממך את מחמד עיניך,

אמר רבי תנחומא יפה השיבן רבי אבהו.

מטרונה שאלה את רבי יוסי אמרה לו אין אנו מוצאין מיתה בחנוך, אמר לה אלו נאמר (בראשית ה, כד): ויתהלך חנוך את האלהים ושתק, הייתי אומר כדבריך, כשהוא אומר ואיננו כי לקח אתו אלהים, ואיננו בעולם הזה כי לקח אתו אלהים.

"And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him (Genesis 5:24).

Rabbi Hama son of Hosha'ya said: He is not written in the tome (טימוסן - τόμος) of the righteous but in the tome of the wicked.

Rabbi Aibu said: Enoch was hypocritical, sometimes righteous, sometimes wicked. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: 'While he is in his righteousness, I will take him up.'

Rabbi Aibu said: On Rosh Hashanah he judged him, at the same time that he He judges all the inhabitants of the world.

Heretics (אפיקורסים) asked Rabbi Abahu: 'We do not find death for Enoch.' He replied: 'Why [do you think so]?' They said to him: 'It says here "taking" (לקיחה) and it says there [with Eliyahu] (Kings II 2:5): "Today the Lord will take your master from you."' (כי היום ה' לקח את אדניך מעל ראשך)

He said to them: 'If you expound on the term "taking" (ללקיחה), it says here "He took him" and it says there (Ezekiel 24:16): "Behold, I am about to take from you the delight of your eyes."' (הנני לקח ממך את מחמד עיניך)

Rabbi Tanhuma said: Rabbi Abahu answered them well.

A noblewoman (מטרונה) asked Rabbi Yosi: 'We do not find death in Enoch.' He said to her: 'If it was said (Genesis 5:24): "And Enoch walked with God" (ויתהלך חנוך את האלהים ) and then stopped, I would say as you say. But since it says, "and he was not, for God took him," (ואיננו כי לקח אתו אלהים) he is not in this world because God took him.'"

List of the Seforim Chitzonim that We Have

The translation of the Seforim Chitzonim into Hebrew by Avraham Kahana and his assistants in 1932 greatly advanced research on the topic. In his book, he suggests categorizing the books based on their relation to the Tanakh, and the list below is based on this categorization. He suggests the following classification for the Seforim Chitzonim:

1. Books based on the Torah

2. Books based on the Prophets

3. Books based on the Writings

4. Other Deuterocanonical books

Seforim Chitzonim related to the Pentateuch

1. Adam and Eve ( אדם וחוה) - The original Hebrew source is lost. It's preserved in translations to Greek, Latin, and Hebrew (translated by Abraham Kahana).

2. Jubilees ( היובלים/היובלות) - Most of the original Hebrew source is lost. It's fully preserved only in a translation to Ge'ez (Classical Ethiopic). Fragments in Hebrew were found in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

3. Enoch ( חנוך) - Also known as the Ethiopian Enoch, or 1 Enoch. Most of the original Hebrew or Aramaic source is lost. It's preserved in a translation to the Ge'ez language. Portions in Aramaic were found in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

4. 2 Enoch (ספר חנוך ב) or Secrets of Enoch (רזי חנוך) - The original Hebrew or Aramaic source is lost. It's preserved in a translation to Old Church Slavonic.

5. 3 Enoch (ספר חנוך ג)

6. Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (צוואות השבטים / צוואות בני יעקב). Most of the original Hebrew or Aramaic has been lost. It's preserved in a Greek translation. Portions were found in Hebrew and Aramaic in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Cairo Geniza.

7. Testament of Abraham (צוואת אברהם) - Likely written by a Pharisee or Essene Jew. (Testament of Abraham is not in Kahana's collection, but it should belong to this classification.)

8. Apocalypse of Abraham (חזון אחרית הימים של אברהם) - Deals with Abraham's life and the apocalyptic visions he had. The original Hebrew or Aramaic is lost, with a few sections preserved in Old Church Slavonic.

9. Testament of Moses (עליית משה) - The original Hebrew or Aramaic has been lost. Portions remain in Latin and Ge'ez translations.

10. Joseph and Aseneth (יוסף ואסנת) - Originally written in Greek, probably by a Hellenistic Jew living in Egypt. 

Seforim Chitzonim related to Nevi’im

1. Wisdom of Solomon (ספר חכמת שלמה) - A Jewish-Hellenistic philosophical work. Parts of it might originate in Hebrew, but it's preserved in Greek.

2. Psalms of Solomon (מזמורי שלמה) - The original Hebrew is lost and is preserved in Greek.

3. Letter of Jeremiah (איגרת ירמיהו) - The original Hebrew is lost and is preserved in Greek.

4.  Ascension of Isaiah (עליית ישעיהו) - The original Hebrew or Aramaic is lost. Preserved in a Ge'ez translation.

5. 1 Baruch (חזון ברוך א' / הסורי) - Probably written in Hebrew. Both the original and the Greek translation are lost but are preserved in a Syriac translation.

6. 2 Baruch (חזון ברוך ב' / היווני) - Written in Greek.

Seforim Chitzonim related to Ketuvim

1. Testament of Job (דברי איוב) - The original Hebrew or Aramaic is lost, but it's preserved in a Coptic translation.

2. Vision of Ezra (חזון עזרא) - The original Hebrew is lost and is preserved in a Latin translation.

3. 3 Ezra (עזרא החיצוני) - The original Hebrew or Aramaic is lost and is preserved in Greek.

4. Psalm 151 and Psalms 152–155 (מזמור קנ"א ומזמורים קנ"ב–קנ"ה) - Psalms not included in the Book of Psalms. They were found in various translations and locations.

5. Additions to the Book of Esther (תוספות למגילת אסתר) - Including Mordecai's dream and other texts. The original Hebrew is lost, and it's preserved in Greek.

6.  Additions to the Book of Daniel (תוספות לספר דניאל) - Including the Prayer of Azariah and others. The original Hebrew is lost, and it's preserved in Greek.

7. Prayer of Manasseh (תפילת מנשה) - Likely in Greek. It refers to the prayer of King Manasseh mentioned in Chronicles.

Other Seforim Chitzonim

1. Ben Sira (ספר בן סירא) - Sayings of Shimon (some say Yeshua) ben Sira. Parts of the original Hebrew are lost, with fragments found in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Cairo Geniza.

2. Judith (ספר יהודית) - The original Hebrew is lost and is preserved in Greek.

3.  Toviah (ספר טוביה) – Most of the original Hebrew or Aramaic source is lost. It is preserved in a Greek translation. Fragments in Hebrew and Aramaic were found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. It's commonly believed that the Hebrew version is a translation of the Aramaic original, made for theological reasons.

4.  1 Maccabees (ספר מקבים א' (חשמונאים)) – The Hebrew original is lost. It is preserved in a Greek translation.

5.   2 Maccabees (ספר מקבים ב') – Written in Greek.

6.  3 Maccabees (ספר מקבים ג') – Parts of it are lost. Written in Greek.

7.  4 Maccabees (ספר מקבים ד') – Written in Greek.

8.  Letter of Aristeas (איגרת אריסטיאס) – Written in Greek.

9. Biblical Antiquities (קדמוניות המקרא) – The Hebrew original is lost. It is preserved in a Latin translation.

Dead Sea Scrolls

In addition to these sources, there are works found only in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Among these works are:

1. Genesis Apocryphon (המגילה החיצונית לבראשית)

2. Testament of Kehat (צוואת קהת)

3. Visions of Amram (חזון עמרם)