ABSTRACT
THE MYTH OF THE WATCHERS At the root of the apocalyptic tradition embodied in the books of Enoch is a mythic account of the origin of evil on earth through the agency of the Watchers or fallen angels (see Sacchi 1990). The fullest articulation of this myth is found in one of the oldest books of Enoch, the Book of the Watchers (1 Enoch 1-36). The fundamental myth utilized by the Book of the Watchers has been aptly characterized by Paul Hanson as “Rebellion in Heaven” (Hanson 1977:195-223). The creation itself is good, just as it is in Genesis 1. The Watchers, led by angelic figures named Asael and Semi?azah, revolt; they are not evil from the beginning. (Asael came to be identified with Azazel, the demon in the wilderness in Leviticus 16, as the tradition unfolded. The identification is attested at Qumran in 4Q180, a text variously known as “The Pesher on the Periods” or “The Ages of Creation” (Dimant 1979.)
The origin of this myth is unclear. Genesis 6 provides the starting point for the story with its enigmatic reference to “the sons of God” (or simply the divine beings, bnê ha’ elôhîm), who have intercourse with human women, but Genesis does not posit rebellion in heaven. The “sons of God” are not accused of any sin in Genesis; their action is reported in a neutral way. The Nephilim or “mighty men of old,” who were on the earth in those days and are usually taken to be the offspring of these unions, are described as “men of renown,” surely a positive reference. The Flood is brought on by the wickedness of humankind, and the inclination of the thoughts of their hearts. Milik argued that the brief and elliptic Genesis narrative presupposed the fuller story of the Watchers, which we find in 1 Enoch (Milik 1976: 31), but
this is unlikely. Genesis probably presupposes an older story of the cause of the Flood. The older myth, however, is more likely to conform to the Atrahasis epic, where the Flood is brought about by the increase of humanity rather than by sin (Batto 1992: 64-6). The Enochic Book of the Watchers clearly has its own sources, which variously ascribe leadership of the revolt to Semi?azah or Asael. These sources can have originated no later than the third century BCE (Stone 1978).
