Talk:2020 Aramaic Enoch Conference

It is difficult to offer a summary of such a rich conference. I must say that I enjoy immensely specialized conferences where all participants are specialists in the field and have a common passion about the field. We came from many different countries and have different approaches, interests and methods of inquiry, but we all united by the same passion. We all love Enoch. The online format has allowed us to gather all together from all corners of the globe and, surprise, surprise!, we are not a small group.

As a scholar of intellectual history, I would like to focus of 5 conclusions, which in now ways I claim they represent the general view shared by all participants at this conference. They represent my own conclusions.

1. The Enoch tradition started after the Babylonian exile in parallel with the consolidation of the Mosaic priestly tradition of the Torah. The Enochic scribes recycled some ancient mythological narratives by giving them a local (cultural, religious & geographical) flavor. We still struggle to understand the mechanism of transmission of these traditions and knowledges, especially from Babylon to the land of Israel. but I think that all papers have solidly affirmed such a connection and offered some interesting indications on how these traditions were transmitted or at least pushes us to pursue such a path of research.

2. Since the beginning Enochic traditions were characterized by a distinctive emphasis on the supernatural origin of evil (which I would affirm as the central generative idea of Enochic Judaism) as well as by a controversy against the Jerusalem temple and priesthood. In this sense Enochic Judaism can be characterized as a distintive form of Judaism, different from and alternative to Zadokite Judaism.

3. While describing a situation of corruption and decay on earth as the result of the rebellion on heaven, there was no plan of escape. Enochic Judaism was a "theology of compliant". They lamented the corruption of the universe, but they offered no way-out, except in a new creation at the end of times. They were resigned to living in an evil world. There was no alternative Enochic halakhah for this world, no purity code, no Enochic torah. All hope of redemption was postponed to the end of time; this world is rluled by evil forces. An yet, regardless of how hard if might be, in the judgment humans will be accountable according to their deeds. The Enochians were not competing with Moses-- they were just complaining.

4. Enoch traditions played a central role in Qumran (the calendrical and cultic controversies of the Qumran community had their antecedent in the Enochic controversies. Their roots wer ein the same traditions of dissent that had challenged th epower of the Zadokte priesthood. They never show any nostalgia for the time when the House of Z=adok was in werThere is a significant difference, however. Starting with Jubilees, Enochic traditions were combined with Mosaic traditions in order to create a distinctive halakha that since creation has protected the chosen people from the power of evil, and will do it until the end of time, provided the Israel follows the right halakha (the right calendar, the right ), what the majority of people apparently are not doing.

5. The Enochic tradition continued its way, unaffected by the way in which the Qumran I understand that what we know is only a limited fraction of what only a limited amount of the scrolls at the Qumran, but the fact that the more recent Enochic traditions are not preserved at Qumran seemed to me too conspicuous as to be merely accidental. This is certainly true for the Parables of Enoch but also for the section in the Epistle of Enoch (1 En 94:6 to 104:6) which even some internal elements seems to indicate to be a later interpolation of the texts. The text presents a series of three admonitions In fact when this section is eliminated the Enochic texts regains its consistency,

In any case, the most recent books of Enoch continue to present quite uncompromisingly a theology of complaint in which there is no way-out but in the establishment of the world to come and the coming of the Messiah Son of Man as the final judge and destroyer of evil.

=

It is always difficult to find the right words to conclude a conference and in particular, such a successful conference as the one we have experienced in these last three days.

Our conference was planned originally as a conference at the University of Lublin, Poland. COVID-19 forced us to go online. We have entered a new era in which this kind of meetings will become more and more frequent. I think we have proven, once again, that it can be done, and can be done successful . We have brought together specialists for all around the world. The current crisis will not end soon. Our next colloquium in November on the Gospel of Matthew will be online, and so will be our on John the Baptist in January, the next Enoch Graduate Seminar at the end of April, and the international Conference on Apocalypticism in late May, celebrating the two-hundredth anniversary of the publication of the first English translation of 1 Enoch in English

Even when we are able to resume our meetings in person, it will never be the same again. From now on, residential conferences will also have a larger online component. We have entered the cyberspace.

At the end of these three days of conference, I would like to thank all the organizers: first of all, Henryk Drawnel who unfortunately could not be with usa after all the work he did in organizing the event. I also would like to thank Lawrence Schiffman, Matthew Goff, Myriam Brand, James VanderKam, Gerbern Oegema, who have attended all three days of the conference and contributed to the daily opening sessions, as well as Rodney Caruthers and Deborah Forger who facilitated the meeting of the graduate students.

I would like to thank all the speakers, the chairs and all the many participants who with an average of 80-100 have attended each session. Many participants sometimes heroically joined the sessions very late in the evening or very early in the morning and in some cases during the night.

Special thanks go to our wonderful secretary (Joshua Scott), he made everything look so easy, while every day and every minute he was adjusting the program to our specific needs. Our thanks go to the University of Lublin and the Enoch Seminar for organizing the event and to the Frankel Center for Judaic Studies, the Michigan Center for Early Christian Studies, and the Alessandro Nangeroni International Endowment for their continued support. And a special thanks to all those who have contributed with a donation

This year the Enoch Seminar celebrates 20 years of activity. It was born in the year 2000 as an attempt to bring together all the major international specialists of Second Temple Judaism and in particular of Jewish Apocalypticism. Our first meeting in Florence in 2001 was on the origins of Enochic Judaism. Our second meeting in 2003 was in Venice on "Enoch and Qumran Origins". Many of us were there: foem Lawrence Schiffam, to Jim Vanderkam, Torleif Elgvin, Ida Froelich, Corrado martone, Loren Stuckenbruck, Eibert Tigchelaar, Liliana Rosso Ubibli, and myself

Among the speakers of the Venice conference in 2003 were also George Nickelsburg, Paolo Sacchi. Florentino garcia martinez, Helge Kvanvig, Shemariahu Talmon, Michael Knibb, Hanan Eshel, Klaus Koch, Emile Puech, who so much have contributed to the study of Aramaic Enoch.

We as scholars, and the Enoch Seminar as an organization, would not even exist without the memory of the past and the commitment to building the new generation of specialists in Second Temple Judaism. We are all closely related to each other. Being part of this collective history is a privilege and a responsibility. As scholars, we do not live isolated from the world and untouched by the evil of this world. But we will all be measured by the courage and determination with which we adapt to even the most difficult challenges and promote a climate of inclusiveness and friendship. Stay tuned, my friends: the best is yet to come.