Tenth Enoch Seminar (2019 Florence), conference

The Tenth Enoch Seminar (June 9-14, 2019), is an international conference organized by the Enoch Seminar.

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Tenth Enoch Seminar Overview

Theme: “Enoch and Enochic Traditions in the Early Modern Period: Reception History from the 15th Century to the End of the 19th Century”

Chairs: Gabriele Boccaccini (University of Michigan) and Annette Yoshiko Reed (New York University).

Date: June 9-14, 2019

Place: Florence, Italy

Registration

Registration for invited participants is now online. Please complete your registration here by February 28, 2019.

Attendance at the Enoch Seminar is by invitation only and is limited to university professors and scholars in the field. If you are interested in attending or participating in the Tenth Enoch Seminar, please contact Jason Zurawski.

All participants are expected to pay the registration fee, which will range from $0 - $165, depending on the participant's past involvement in Enoch Seminars or Nangeroni Meetings. Spouses and guests of participants are not required to pay the registration fee.

Lodging

Contribution (including 5 nights lodging and lunches), To be paid in Florence at the Seminar:

• 0: Authors of major papers
• 300 euros: Respondents
• 250 euros: Guests, spouses, etc. (children under 12 years old: free)
• 400 euros: All other participants

Extra nights before or after the meeting should be booked directly with the Villa Stella at booking@florentour.it.

Preliminary Schedule

Sunday, 9 June 2019

Arrivals Dinner

Monday, 10 June 2019

• 9am - 10:30 - Introduction

Annette Reed: The Legacy of Enoch from the Middle Ages

Gabriele Boccaccini: "The Reception History of Enoch From the Middle ages to the Nineteenth Century: Main Stages"

"The goal is this introductory paper is to offer an overview of what was known about the reception history of Enoch before our conference. Our Florence seminar is the first international gathering to explore this neglected chapter in the history of the reception of Enochic traditions from the 15th to the 19th century. The Christian cabalists (Pico della Mirandola, Johannes Reuchlin, Guillaume Postel) were the first to get interested in the rediscovery of the Enoch books. Thanks to the presence of Ethiopian monks in Rome it was known since the mid-16th cent. that the entire book of Enoch was preserved in Abyssinia. In 1606 Scaliger published Greek portions of the Book of the Watchers, opening the path to the publication of the first commentaries. Many attempts were made to recover the book of Enoch but only in 1773 Bruce brought back from Ethiopia four copies of the manuscript. The English translation by Laurence in 1821 marks the beginning of the modern study of 1 Enoch."

• 11am - 12: 30 - Giulio Busi: Pico della Mirandola, Enoch and Hermetism Respondent: Francis Borchardt

Lunch

• 2pm - 3:30 - Tobias Churton: Enoch in Esoteric Traditions and the Freemasonry Respondent: Lorenzo DiTommaso
• 4 pm- 5:30 - Ariel Hessayon: Knowledge and reception of the Ethiopic book of Enoch in Western Europe, c.1770 - c.1820 Respondent: Leslie Baynes

"In the first part of this paper I trace the history of the Scottish explorer James Bruce's personal copy of Ethiopic Enoch until its acquisition by the Bodleian Library in 1843. In the remainder I focus on Western European knowledge and reception of the Ethiopic version of the book of Enoch from about 1770 to 1820; that is a 50-year period beginning with the various scribal copies of the text made for Bruce at Gondar and ending just before the publication of Richard Laurence's English translation. The fundamental question that needs addressing is why did it take so long to produce and print a complete version in a major European written or spoken language? I will suggest that there are three main aspects to this answer."

• 5:30 - 7:00pm - 11th Enoch Seminar Committee Meeting

Tuesday, 11 June 2019

Morning

Visit to Florence

• Verrocchio and Leonardo (Palazzo Strozzi) and the new Museo dell'Opera del Duomo and Battistero
• Free time

4pm Florence Theological Seminary (p.za Tasso)

• Public session: Enoch and the Fallen Angels in the History of Art (Shelley Perlove)

A reception will follow at 6pm.

Wednesday, 12 June 2019

Morning (Reading sessions)

• 9-10:30am - Shaul Magid: Enoch in Jewish Traditions Respondent: Jacques van Ruiten

• 11-12:30pm - Kameliya Atanasova: Enoch in Islam Respondent: Cecilia Wassén

Afternoon

• 2pm - 3:30pm - Euan Cameron: The Book of Enoch in relation to the pre-modern Christian doctrines of spiritual beings Respondent: Francis Watson

The purpose of this paper has been to argue that a massive body of theology and biblical exegesis also stood in the way of treating Enoch, and some of the late antique traditions from which Enoch was possibly drawn, at all seriously. To delve into the Enochian traditions from the 13th to the 17th centuries would have entailed setting aside a formidable body of inherited and shared wisdom about angels, fallen and unfallen, their history, their natures, and how to deal with them. Even if the manuscript sources had been available much earlier than they were, it would have taken a major transformation in Western Christian metaphysics to welcome Enoch into the Christian canon. The rare murmurs of dissent from the scholastic norm are most interesting, but they are in a manner of speaking the exceptions which help to prove the rule.

• 4pm - 5:30pm - Gabriele Boccaccini: Enoch Commentaries Before Bruce Respondent: James Charlesworth

Richard Laurence is credited as the author of the first commentary on 1 Enoch in 1821. But his was not the first commentary on 1 Enoch. After the publication of the Syncellus fragments by Scaliger in 1606, the recovered text was considered long enough to support the composition of full commentaries, both written in Italian, by Pompeo Sarnelli in 1710 and Daniele Manin in 1820. The striking continuity between the works of Scaliger, Sgambati, Sarnelli, Fabricius, Manin and Laurence requires that we push back the time of the “rediscovery” of the books of Enoch at least two centuries. More than a sudden new beginning the Ethiopic text opened just a new stage (albeit fundamental) in a process that started in 1606 with the publication of the Syncellus fragments, and would continue then in the twentieth century with the recovery of the Aramaic fragments from Qumran. None of these stages should be studied apart from the others. We would like the group to discuss the elements of continuity or discontinuity between the study of 1 Enoch before and after the recovery of the Ethiopic text as well as the impact that the Syncellus fragments had in the theology and culture of early modern Europe and their legacy on the contemporary study of 1 Enoch. (Gabriele Boccaccini & Jim Charlesworth).

Thursday, 13 June 2019

Morning

• Florentina Badalanova Gellar: Enoch in the Slavonic Church and Daniel Assefa: The Archangel Uriel in 1 Enoch and other Ethiopian texts Respondent: Elena Dugan

• Jared Ludlow: Enoch in Mormonism Respondent: Lester Grabbe

The figure of Enoch plays an important role in the tradition of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormonism) due to members’ belief in additional scriptural accounts about him. This session reviews where additional Enochic accounts are found in the Latter-day Saint corpus, their transmission and use in later stages or phases, and possible origins for these stories and conceptions. One important question is the possible connection of some these additional Enoch stories with other earlier Enochic accounts, especially 1 Enoch. While it is clear that Latter-day Saints became familiar with 1 Enoch in the 1840s, it is less certain that it was known by Joseph Smith in 1830-1831 when many of these additional Enoch passages were first published. Regardless of origin, these Enoch stories became an important influence in the early Latter-day Saint effort to gather in one body to create an ideal society, Zion; and Latter-day Saints have maintained an interest and curiosity in early Enochic material mostly to ascertain parallels to and support for their additional accounts of this enigmatic figure.

Possible discussion questions:

• 1. What is the source of the Enoch material in the Latter-day Saints Book of Moses and the Doctrine and Covenants?
• 2. What aspects from the Latter-day Saint story of Enoch have parallels or similarities to other Enochic texts and traditions?
• 3. In what ways does Joseph Smith’s presentation of Enoch have similarities to the ancient phenomenon of “rewritten Bible” or Pseudepigrapha? Can we learn anything about creating religious tradition in modern times and/or anciently?
• 4. Boccaccini states in his paper on the reception history of Enochic traditions that Joseph Smith and the early Latter-day Saints were “the last major development of the character of Enoch in a religious context.” How so, and why have there not been others since then?
• 5. Many have approached the Latter-day Saint Enoch material from an apologetic angle to support the prophetic status of Joseph Smith, or from the opposite side to debunk him. What are some meaningful options between these two extremes to approach this material?

Afternoon

• Loren Stuckenbruck and Ted Erho: Enoch in Manuscript Traditions Respondent: Liv Ingeborg Lied

The paper by Erho and Stuckenbruck focuses on the possibilities and challenges in understanding the Ethiopic manuscript tradition to 1 Enoch as a witness to a Jewish text of the Second Temple period. The authors argue that, ultimately, the extant Ge'ez manuscripts, in themselves, should not be simplistically understood as transmitters of an ancient Jewish text, though they are not irrelevant to the study of Second Temple Judaism. Taking both the paper and the larger project of an edition of Ethiopic Enoch into account, several issues can be constructively discussed: (1) How can the Ethiopic manuscripts fruitfully be applied in textual scholarship on 1 Enoch; (2) how can a text edition reflect the text of Ethiopic Enoch as "a living tradition"; and (3) given that the surviving Ethiopic manuscripts, the European discovery of an extant text of Enoch and the development of academic models of textual scholarship all date from the 15th century and onwards: (how) are they entangled, how has the pre-modern/modern context influenced knowledge production, and how has a potential confluence affected our present conceptions of a “Book of Enoch” [as an ancient text]?

Short paper session:

• Francis Borchardt, "Enoch’s Testaments and Their Representation in the Art of William Blake"

This paper examines William Blake’s two pieces depicting the figure of Enoch in the act of teaching, the famous lithograph of 1806-1807 and the ink and watercolor work, usually dated somewhat earlier. In both of these works, Enoch is presented as seated at the center of a small group of bodies and texts. However, in the lithograph, the bodies are all active and productive, almost ignoring the figure of Enoch himself, while in the ink and watercolor piece, all the bodies are passive seemingly hanging on Enoch’s every word and absorbing his teachings. The differences between the two scenes are striking. This paper argues that, despite these differences both images depict Enoch as the ideal teacher. Building on the work of Newsom, Wright, and Vayntrub on literary depictions of instructional scenes, this paper suggests that Blake depicts two sides of effective pedagogy. On the one hand, he depicts Enoch in the active of teaching, with a silent and submissive audience absorbing his lessons. On the other he depicts the productive potential of Enoch’s curriculum in the bodies of those around him. In both cases, however, Enoch’s efficacy as teacher and source of knowledge is asserted.

• Ralph Lee, "The Reception and Function of 1 Enoch in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tradition"

This paper explores the use of 1Enoch from its emergence in the Ethiopian manuscript tradition in the 14th century and the theological function that it serves. The focus will be on the Apocalypse of Weeks, which is one of the most quoted parts of 1Enoch in Ethiopic classical literature, and is accompanied by commentary in material that dates from the 15th to the 17th centuries, and possibly later, and may be used to show some development in reflection on 1Enoch with the Ethiopian Christian tradition.

• Robert Hall, "Scales of Creation or Scales of Judgment? Variant Readings for Parables of Enoch 41 and 43"

Wrap-up session:

Friday, 14 June 2019

Breakfast and departures

Questions from the participants

• Which should be considered the main channel for the diffusion of Enochic traditions in early modern Europe? Christian Liturgy? The arts? Freemasonry? Or else?

• Why did it take nearly 50 years to produce and print a complete translation of Ethiopic Enoch in a major European written or spoken language? [I am referring to the period from roughly 1770 to 1820]

• Does the Ethiopian reflection on 1Enoch contribute significantly to the broader understanding of 1Enoch and its significance in Christian theology?

• By the end of the 19th century, translations and (critical) editions of the writings attributed to Enoch made these writings available to European and American scholars. These translations and editions were shaped by 19th century methods and models of textual scholarship and by a limited access to manuscript witnesses. How have these translations and editions shaped the conceptions of the writings attributed to Enoch, (how) has scholarship changed as new manuscripts have come to light, and how may new editorial ideals and digital interfaces change the understanding of these writings?

• Until the late 18th century, the Book of Enoch was not known in Western Europe in the shape of an extant text. It was known by title (mentioned in other accounts) and in the form of some quotes and excerpts. This means that for centuries the Book of Enoch was primarily a postulated book: talked about and imagined, but not read. What were the main frames and functions of the ongoing imaginations of a Book of Enoch in early modern Europe? How may the analytic category of imagined books (Mroczek)/books known only by title (Lied) help us nuance our understanding of the reception history of the Book of Enoch?

• A few times, the authority (authoritativeness) of 1 Enoch is mentioned. Among other things, it also stated that the authority was the subject of discussion in the history of Judaism and Christianity. How was the authority of 1 Enoch discussed in the past? Moreover, how could one describe the concept of authority? Is there a difference between canonicity and authority? Is there a difference in the concept of authority when speaking about 1 Enoch and about other (canonical?) books?

• Other non-canonical books [Jubilees; Testaments of the XII Patriarchs; Life of Adam and Eve; Testament of Abraham) were saved by the Church. What is the evidence of this in the Western Church?

• Would the greater emphasis on original sin, especially since Augustine, has played a part in the reduced interest of 1 Enoch in Western Christianity? Moreover, did the fact that Christianity became state religion played a role in the disappearance of interest in 1 Enoch?

• How could one explain “return” of 1 Enoch in Judaism after the Talmud (see a.o. the angelic interpretation of Gen 6 in PRE 22; Bereshit rabbati; Aggadat Bereshit; MHG)?

• What are some ideological and cultural continuities and discontinuities between the different groups of people who have transmitted pieces or the entirety of 1 Enoch over time? What does this tell us, if anything, about the nature of 1 Enoch?

• Did historical European cultural and racial attitudes towards Ethiopia influence the early reception of Ethiopic Enoch? If so, how?

• Because believers had the fullest certainty and fullest relief in their spiritual life on account of their secret knowledge, in real life they appear to avoid engagement in political affairs, taking things peaceably, not forcing issues? Is there a link between the violence of their beliefs and their non-violent stance in actual life?

• How do we evaluate the fact that many breakthroughs in the history of science come from nonsensical views in Apocalyptic texts, e.g. Newton's absorption in the Hermetica?

• Enoch is a created figure, a manufactured entity. Its presentation in forms literary and non-literary is presumably purposeful. But the portrait of Enoch in the Book of Watchers is not interchangeable with that painted by the hermetic philosophers. So can we speak of the "reception of Enoch"? Which Enoch? The portraits of Enoch bear a family resemblance but they are not of the same individual. Who, then, are these "Enochs" that stand behind the various texts and traditions in a literary trajectory that was neither uniform nor unbroken? What is their relationship, as they were imagined in their cultural settings, both manuscript and print? What were their social functions? What does all this suggest about the audiences for which such portraits were meaningful?

• How did Ethiopian scholars train their students for studying 1 Enoch? How did they form their minds? What methods did they expect their students to use for interpreting 1 Enoch?

• We’ve known for centuries that Eastern Orthodox churches (particularly the Ethiopian and Slavonic traditions) have played a fundamental role in the transmission of Enochic literature. Why? Can digging deeper into this question give us more insight? To take one example, how do particularly Orthodox conceptions of canon (see for example Eugen Pentiuc’s excellent discussion in The Old Testament in the Eastern Orthodox Tradition) play a role in the sustained presence of Enochic material in parts of the Orthodox east?

Prospective Participants

• Daniel Assefa (Capuchin Institute of Philosophy Addis Abeba)*
• Kameliya Atanasova (Washington and Lee University)*
• Florentina Badalanova Geller (Free University of Berlin)*
• Leslie Baynes (Missouri State University)*
• Andreas Bedenbender (University of Paderborn)*
• Gabriele Boccaccini (University of Michigan)*
• Francis Borchardt (Lutheran Theological Seminary, Hong Kong)*
• Giulio Busi (Berlin)
• Euan Cameron (Union Theological Seminary)*
• Calum Carmichael (Cornell University)*
• James H. Charlesworth (Princeton Theological Seminary)*
• Randall Chestnutt (Pepperdine University)*
• Tobias Churton (independent scholar)*
• Kelley Coblentz Bautch (St. Edwards University)
• Lorenzo DiTommaso (Concordia University Montreal)*
• Elena Dugan (Princeton University)
• Ted Erho (University of Munich)*
• Gabriella Gelardini (Nord University)*
• Lester Grabbe (University of Hull)*
• Robert Hall (Hampden-Sydney College)*
• Matthias Henze (Rice University)*
• Ariel Hessayon (University of London)*
• Giovanni Ibba (Florence Theological Seminary)
• Ralph Lee (University of Cambridge)*
• Liv Ingeborg Lied (Norwegian School of Theology)*
• Jared Ludlow (Brigham Young University)*
• Shaul Magid (Indiana University Bloomington)*
• Luca Mazzinghi (Pontificia Università Gregoriana)*
• Rivka Nir (Open University of Israel)*
• Shelley Perlove (University of Michigan)*
• Annette Yoshiko Reed (New York University)*
• Jacques van Ruiten (University of Groningen)*
• Loren Stuckenbruck (University of Munich)*
• Cecilia Wassen (Uppsala University)*
• Francis Watson (Durham University)*
• Benjamin Wright (Lehigh University)*
• Jason Zurawski (University of Groningen)*

Getting to the Seminar

The Seminar will take place at the lovely Villa La Stella (http://www.villalastella.it/en/)

Villa La Stella

Via Iacopone da Todi, 12

50133 Firenze

+39 055 5088018

Villa La Stella is located just outside of the city center of Florence, on the way up to Fiesole. From Peretola airport, you can take a taxi. It is only around 11 km, and there should be flat fare from the airport to anywhere in the city limits. From the main train station, Santa Maria Novella, you can also take a taxi. Or, you can take the number 7 bus towards Fiesole and get off at the stop "Di San Domenico" (13 stops, around 16 minutes). The bus stop is only 200 meters from the Villa.

External Links

• Enoch Seminar Website