77 generations

by peacefulpete 4 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  peacefulpete

  I think this has been discussed before but I'll open the topic again and perhaps some good discussion will come of it. The geneologies of Matt and Luke are not to be taken as historical. This should have been obvious to us by simply comparing the two but anyway that's water under the bridge. Matt was working with some sort of 14 x 3 pattern whereas Luke may have been influenced by 1 Enoch.

  And the Lord said to [the arch-angel] Raphael: 'Bind [the rebel] Azazel hand and foot and throw him into the darkness!' And Raphael made a hole in the desert, which was in Dudael, and cast him there. On top of him, he threw rugged and sharp rocks. And he covered Azazel's face in order that he may not see light and [...] may be sent into the fire on the great day of judgment. [...] And to Michael the Lord said: '[...] Bind them for seventy generations underneath the rocks of the ground until the day of their judgment is concluded.' [1 Enoch 10.4-6, 11-12]
  

  1 Enoch linked the judgment with the Messiah figure called 'son of man'. A Christian writer (origianl author or later interpolator) could hardly have not seen the opportunity.

  Enoch was called the seventh generation from Adam making 77 generations from Adam to the judgement by the 'son of man'. It seems likely that Luke with his 77 generations from Adam to Jesus was drawing from this tradition.
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  peacefulpete

  Jude quoting 1 Enoch says: 14 And prophesy also to these did the seventh from Adam -- Enoch -- saying, `Lo, the Lord did come in His saintly myriads,

  15 to do judgment against all, and to convict all their impious ones, concerning all their works of impiety that they did impiously, and concerning all the stiff things that speak against Him did impious sinners.' 14 And prophesy also to these did the seventh from Adam -- Enoch -- saying, `Lo, the Lord did come in His saintly myriads,

  Now Luke presently includes God ("Adam son of God") in the 77 yet retains the 7 from Adam to Enoch. So perhaps some editing out of someone from the list and "God" added to retain the 77.
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  peacefulpete
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  Leolaia

  The idea sounds quite plausible and I think I've encountered it before.

  A few minor points....Jude 14 is paralleled by 1 Enoch 60:8 which also refers to Enoch as the "seventh from Adam", and is possibly allusive to it. Second, the "Son of Man" figure is mentioned in 1 Enoch only in the "Book of Parables" which is the latest section of 1 Enoch, written probably in the first century AD, and thus 1 Enoch 10 from the earlier "Book of the Watchers" has no concept of eschatological judgment at the hands of a "Son of Man". As for the "Book of Parables", it may well have circulated independently originally and thus may not be easily connected with the "seventy generations" of ch. 10. These "seventy generations", moreover, are reminiscent of the "seventy shepherds" of the Animal Apocalypse in ch. 89, but these are post-exilic.
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  peacefulpete

  
  
  
  
  The leap wasn't so great (Messiah-judgement) that the author of Luke couldn't have made it without the section.