BYU Studies Quarterly Volume 54 Issue 4 Article 11 2015 Textual and Comparative Explorations in 1 and 2 Enoch David J. Larsen Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq Part of the Mormon Studies Commons, and the Religious Education Commons Recommended Citation Larsen, David J. (2015) "Textual and Comparative Explorations in 1 and 2 Enoch," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 54 : Iss. 4 , Article 11. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol54/iss4/11 This Notice is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in BYU Studies Quarterly by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact scholarsarchive@byu.edu, ellen_amatangelo@byu.edu. Larsen: Textual and Comparative Explorations in 1 and 2 Enoch his conclusions for the Enochic writings to what early Christians believed about Christ, providing a helpful perspective. He tackles the question of the dating of some of the Enochic writings (he argues for an earlier date than is commonly suggested) and whether this extrabiblical text had an influence on canonical books such as Daniel. Zinner’s essay on Zion as Lady Wisdom, how this idea is expressed in both biblical and extrabiblical texts, and how Zinner sees parallels in Restoration scripture is a fascinating perspective that most LDS readers will not have encountered previously. Because Zinner engages the texts he analyzes at a high level of scholarship, this book will be of interest to those who have previous experience with a serious study of the Enochic, and related, literature. Latter-day Saint readers with at least a moderate interest in and experience with these texts will likely find the discussions of the Son of Man and also the last chapter involving Restoration scripture to be refreshing and useful. —David J. Larsen Samuel Zinner (PhD, University of Nebraska–Lincoln), an independent researcher and Holocaust scholar, publishes his extensive studies on 1 and 2 Enoch in a new book from The Interpreter Foundation. Zinner performs a valuable service in this series of nineteen essays by taking on some of the most difficult questions in the field of Enoch studies. He provides new and refreshing perspectives on a wide variety of topics that range from the issue of the identification in 1 Enoch of Enoch as “the Son of Man” to textual and historical problems in the texts of both 1 and 2 Enoch that have puzzled scholars for decades. His explorations respond to some of the biggest players in the field, including George Nickelsburg, James VanderKam, and Daniel Boyarin. The majority of the essays focus on issues surrounding the text of 1 Enoch, which is perhaps the more widely known and read of the Enoch writings, but he also touches on some interesting and important topics from 2 Enoch as well. The last Standing Apart: Mormon Historical chapter of the book provides an analysis Consciousness and the Concept of Aposby Zinner, who is not LDS, of the topics tasy, edited by Miranda Wilcox and of Zion/Jerusalem and Lady Wisdom in John D. Young (Oxford: Oxford Univerearly Jewish texts and also in Moses 7 sity Press, 2014). and the Tree of Life vision in 1 Nephi. Zinner takes an innovative approach While there have been dozens of importo a number of problems and controver- tant devotional books about Mormonsies in the field, making several positive ism and its doctrinal concept of the contributions. His discussions on the Great Apostasy, little has been pubtitle “Son of Man,” both as it is applied lished from a scholarly perspective. Ten to Enoch and as it is used in 1 Enoch and years ago, BYU Press published a colthe biblical book of Daniel, are helpful lection of new studies about the Aposfor making sense of a phenomenon in tasy in Early Christians in Disarray: early Jewish and Christian writings that Contemporary LDS Perspectives on the depicts the apotheosis (or deification) of Christian Apostasy (2005; reviewed in human beings so that they can function BYU Studies 44:3), and there has been a in the celestial realm. He also compares smattering of articles over the years on BYU Studies Quarterly 54, no. 4 (2015) Published by BYU ScholarsArchive, 2015 BOOK NOTICES Textual and Comparative Explorations in 1 and 2 Enoch by Samuel Zinner (Orem, Utah: The Interpreter Foundation; Salt Lake City: Eborn Books, 2014). 207 1