《《The book of Enoch》（以诺书）》狱蛇

35、Annotation for section XIII

　　CHAP. 72,
　　—1. From here on till chapter 105 we have again the author of chapters 1-37; cf. Introd. The part here introduced with the special title of book of the courses of the luminaries, or the astronomical book, extends to chap. 82, but with the peculiarity of chap. 1-37, that with the discussion of the luminaries is also connected an account of the winds and other physical secrets. It may be regarded as an attemptto systematize the biblical accounts on these topics, but scarcely with any polemical intentions. Classes, literally families or clans. These are sun, moon, and stars, with the subdivisions of the last, 82: 4 sqq. Government, cf. 82: 4-20; 75: 3. Names, cf. 78: 1, 2. Origin, literally places of birth, i.e. of their rising. Uriel, cf. 21: 5; 33: 3; an evidence that we are again having the author of the first part, as this name is not mentioned in the Parables, at least not expressly; cf. note on 40: 2. Yet these arrangements are not permanent, but will give way to new and better ones; cf. Isa. lxv. 17; lxvi. 22; 2 Pet. iii. 13; Apoc. xxi. 1; En. 91: 15, 16.

　　—2. With a special superscrip- tion an account of the sun’s course is opened, and extends to verse 37. Portals; with this the author refers to his own theory, developed in 33-36.

　　—3. Cf. 75: 1-3; 80: 6; 82: 4-20. Windows, explained vs. 7 and 75: 7. Right and left, i.e. north and south.

　　—4. Cf. 41: 5-7. The composition of the sun is pure fire.

　　—5. The movements of the heavenly bodies are on wagons, cf. 73: 2; 75: 3, 8, driven by the wind, 18: 4; 73: 2. Why the plural is used is uncertain. Returns through the north, cf. 41: 5. The sun’s punctual return is secured by his being led back to the right portal of the east, possibly by an angel, 43: 2.

　　—6. Great portal, in contradistinction from the small windows vs. 7. He commences his account with the first Hebrew month, Abib, the time of the vernal equinoxes (Josephus, Antiqq. iii. 10, 5), hence about our April. In the olden times it was called Abib, i.e. grain month, Ex. xiii. 4; xxiii. 15; Deut. xvi. 1; but after the exile it is called Nisan; Neh. ii. 1; Esther iii. 7. It was the month of the Paschal festival. He does not begin with the first portal, at the time when the day is shortest and the night longest, but with the fourth, when the day has been already lengthening, in order to accommodate his system to the Jewish almanac. Of this verse probably Anatolius, bishop of Laodicea, made use, as recorded in Euseb. H. E. 7, 32 as （闪族文）.

　　—7. Twelve window-openings; the number determined by his general system of twelve, and presupposed at the other portals; cf. 72: 3; 75: 7. Flame probably is heat; cf. 75: 7.

　　—8. With this verse the course of the sun is commenced. The author’s system is briefly this: There are twelve portals, six in the east, and six in the west. The sun ascends and descends from the time of the shortest day in the year in the first portal to the time of the longest day in the sixth portal, in each one of them one month; all the time the days increase. Returning, he begins his course in the sixth, and returns by monthly changing his portal, and daily decreasing the length of the day, to the first portal. Thus the sun ascends in one portal, and descends in the corresponding opposite one for two months everyyear. Therefore, too, each portal in the east and its corresponding one in the west represent two signs of the zodiac. From the first to the sixth they are respectively Capricornus, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, and Gemini; and returning from the sixth to the first, respectively Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius. The months are nominally thirty days; but in order to at least approach a solar year, the author makes the third, sixth, ninth, and twelfth, or the months of the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, and of the summer and winter solstices, have thirty-one days “on account of its sign,” vs. 13, 19; but cf. 25: 31. The author’s division of the vux8叶εpov into eighteen parts and their increase and decrease is of course simply a production of this desire to systematize, without any scientific value whatever. Much less could it be cited as proof that the author did not write in Palestine, as Laurence asserted.

　　—9. Mornings, as the chief part of the day for day itself in Job vii. 18; Ps. lxxiii. 14; Lam. iii. 23.

　　—13. Its, referring to portal, being the point of solstice.

　　—15. Is raised, i.e. probably removed further from the earth, to explain the decreasing of the days. Dillmann translates, raises himself, i.e. starts on his trip anew, like a traveller.

　　—35. Sixty times, because the sun is two months in the same portal. The author here disregards the extra day in the third, sixth, ninth, and twelfth portals. Eternal, cf. Ps. lxxii. 5, 17; lxxxix. 37.

　　—37. In size sun and moon are equal, but not in light; cf. 78: 3 and Isa. xxx. 26.