Abel and Enoch: the Judgment
in the Short Recension.
Abel’s function as judge stems
from his status as first martyr and first accuser (Gen 5:10; cf. 1 Enoch 22:7)
and reflects the belief that the righteous will execute judgment against their
oppressors (cf., e.g., Wisd 5). It is possible that reference to Abel may have
been in the original Hebrew text of T Abr, or it may have resulted from a
translator’s interpretation of the Hebrew בן אדם (Son of Man) as “son of Adam,”
an interpretation that would have been facilitated by the presence of Adam in
the text. Enoch’s functions as Scribe and as proponent of the mercy of God have
counterparts in the Enochic corpus. His triple crown reflects rabbinic rather
than Egyptian conceptions. (George W. E. Nickelsburg, Jr., “Review of the
Literature,” in Studies on the Testament of Abraham, ed. George W. F.
Nickelsburg, Jr. [Septuagint and Cognate Studies 6; Missoula, Mo.: Scholars
Press, 1972, 1976], 13-14)
