Archaeology
Archaeological / Historical Timeline
Timeline
Chronological spine for the Enoch tradition: composition, manuscript transmission, reception, and material context.
| Year (approx.) | Event |
|---|---|
| 3rd c. BCE | Book of the Watchers (1 En 1–36) and Astronomical Book (72–82) composed in Aramaic |
| c. 200 BCE | Earliest dated copy of 1 Enoch: 4Q201 (Aramaic, Cave 4 Qumran) — paleographic |
| c. 165 BCE | Animal Apocalypse (1 En 83–90) composed; "great horn" = Judas Maccabaeus |
| 2nd c. BCE | Apocalypse of Weeks (in 1 En 91, 93) and Epistle of Enoch composed |
| 2nd–1st c. BCE | Jubilees composed; cites Enoch (Jub 4:17–24) |
| late 1st BCE – early 1st CE | Book of Parables (1 En 37–71) composed (debated) |
| c. 50–70 CE | Jude written, quotes 1 En 1:9 verbatim |
| 68 CE | Qumran covered/destroyed; Cave 4 fragments deposited |
| 1st–4th c. CE | Greek translations of 1 Enoch in circulation (Akhmim, Syncellus) |
| 2nd c. CE | Tertullian (~210) defends 1 Enoch |
| 3rd c. CE | Origen (~250) cites and qualifies it |
| 4th c. CE | Christianization of Aksum (Ezana c. 330); Ge'ez biblical translation begins |
| 4th c. CE | Council of Laodicea (~363) — 1 Enoch not in canon |
| 5th c. CE | Augustine (~420) — argues against 1 Enoch's authority |
| 5th–6th c. CE | Ge'ez translation of 1 Enoch (terminus ante quem ~6th c.) |
| 6th–10th c. CE | Hekhalot literature / Sefer Hekhalot (3 Enoch) compiled |
| 13th c. CE | Zohar; Metatron-tradition systematized |
| 15th–16th c. CE | Ethiopian Andǝmta commentary on Mäshafä Henok |
| 1773 CE | James Bruce returns 3 Ge'ez MSS to Europe |
| 1821 CE | Richard Laurence — first English translation |
| 1851 CE | August Dillmann — critical Ge'ez edition |
| 1882 CE | George H. Schodde — first American English translation |
| 1893 / 1912 / 1917 CE | R. H. Charles — critical editions and translations |
| 1928 CE | Hugo Odeberg — first English translation of 3 Enoch |
| 1947 CE | Discovery of Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran |
| 1976 CE | J. T. Milik — Aramaic Enoch fragments published |
| 1978 CE | M. Knibb — Ethiopic Book of Enoch |
| 1983 CE | Charlesworth, OTP — standard modern English translations of 1, 2, 3 Enoch |
| 2001 / 2012 CE | Nickelsburg / VanderKam, Hermeneia volumes |
| 2005–2014 CE | Stuckenbruck and Reed publications on reception |