Goff, Matthew, Loren Stuckenbruck & Enrico Morano (eds.). 2016. Ancient tales of giants from Qumran and Turfan: Contexts, traditions, and influences (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 360). Mohr Siebeck.
While there has been much scholarly attention devoted to the Enochic Book of the Watchers , much less has been paid to the Book of Giants from Qumran. This volume is the proceedings of a conference that convened in Munich, Germany, in June 2014, which was devoted to the giants of Enochic tradition and in particular the Qumran Book of Giants . It engages the topic of the giants in relation to various ancient contexts, including the Hebrew Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and ancient Mesopotamia. The authors of this volume give particular attention to Manichaeism, especially the Manichaean Book of Giants , fragments of which were found in Turfan (western China). They contribute to our understanding of the range of stories Jews told in antiquity about the sons of the watchers who descended to earth and their vibrant Nachleben in Manichaeism.
Survey of contents
Matthew Goff: Introduction
Part One: Gibborim and Gigantes: Antecedents, Reception, and Comparative Contexts from the Hebrew Bible and Greek Literature
Brian R. Doak: The Giant in a Thousand Years: Tracing Narratives of Gigantism in the Hebrew Bible and Beyond – Samantha Newington: Greek Titans and Biblical Giants – Michael Tuval: ‘Συναγωγὴ γιγάντων’ (Prov 21:16): The Giants in the Jewish Literature in Greek
Part Two: Tales of Giants in their Ancient Jewish Context: the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Watchers, and Daniel
Joseph L. Angel: The Humbling of the Arrogant and the ‘Wild Man’ and ‘Tree Stump’ Traditions in the Book of Giants and Daniel 4 – Amanda M. Davis Bledsoe: Throne Theophanies, Dream Visions, and Righteous(?) Seers: Daniel, the Book of Giants, and 1 Enoch Reconsidered – Ida Fröhlich: Giants and Demons – Matthew Goff: The Sons of the Watchers in the Book of Watchers and the Qumran Book of Giants: Contexts and Prospects – Loren T. Stuckenbruck: The Book of Giants among the Dead Sea Scrolls: Considerations of Method and a New Proposal on the Reconstruction of 4Q530
Part Three: Enochic Traditions in Central Asia and China: Exploring Connections and Affinities between Giants in Ancient Judaism and Manichaeism
Gábor Kósa: The Book of Giants Tradition in the Chinese Manichaica – Enrico Morano: Some New Sogdian Fragments Related to Mani’s Book of Giants and the Problem of the Influence of Jewish Enochic Literature – John C. Reeves: Jacob of Edessa and the Manichaean Book of Giants? – Jens Wilkens: Remarks on the Manichaean Book of Giants: Once Again on Mahaway’s Mission to Enoch
About the authors:
Matthew Goff is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Judaism in the Department of Religion at Florida State University.
Loren T. Stuckenbruck Born 1960; BA Milligan College; MDiv and PhD Princeton Theological Seminary; since 2012 Professor of New Testament (with emphasis on Second Temple Judaism) at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
Enrico Morano is retired teacher of Classics in High Schools and the current President of the International Association of Manichaean Studies (IAMS).