In
Chapter V of his Second Apology addressed to the Roman Senate (AD
150-157), Justin Martyr references the story of the fallen angels.
God
. . . committed the care of men and of all things under heaven to angels whom
He appointed over them. But the angels transgressed this appointment, and were
captivated by love of women, and begat children who are those that are called
demons; and besides, they afterwards subdued the human race to themselves,
partly by magical writings.
.
. . [Justin utilizes] the Enochic story in polemics with pagans to explain both
the existence of powerful pagan Gods and the existence of sin in the world. (Bruk
Ayele Asale, 1 Enoch as Christian Scripture: A Study in the Reception and Appropriation
of 1 Enoch in Jude and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahədo Canon [Eugene,
Oreg.: Pickwick Publications, 2020], 71, 72)
TERTULLIAN OF CARTHAGE
In
the works of Tertullian of Carthage (ca. 155-ca. 240), which seek to defend its
scriptural authority, we discover the first evidence that the authority of 1
Enoch is being questioned. On the Apparel of Women directly addresses
doubts arising from 1 Enoch not being included in the canon of the Hebrew
Scriptures: “I am aware that the Scripture of Enoch, which has assigned this
order (of action) to angels, is not received by some, because it is not
admitted into the Jewish canon either” (ANF 5:15). Tertullian assumes 1 Enoch
was omitted, possibly because it could not have survived the deluge if it was
written by the Patriarch and argues Noah could have easily preserved the
writings of his great grandfather. Elsewhere, Tertullian also stresses the inspiration
of Enoch by the Holy Spirit; “the Holy Spirit foreseeing from the beginning,
fore-chanted, through the most ancient prophet Enoch . . .” (ANF 3:70) (Ibid.,
73)
More
than any other early church theologian, Tertullian of Carthage indicates
knowledge of 1 Enoch and defends its authenticity and inspiration. (George W.
E. Nickelsburg, 1 Enoch 1 [Hermeneia—A Critical and Historical
Commentary on the Bible; Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2001], 89)
