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Re: Preserving the Names of the Angels



> The book of Enoch (which is included in the collection but probably 
> earlier) shows specific interest in the names of the angels (see chapters 
> 6-12, for example).  What to make of that in light of Josephus' remark, 
> however, I am not at this point sure.
> 
> David Suter
> Saint Martin's College

Considering the liturgy probably used there, Dimant makes the point,
highly significant to my mind, that the Qumran community made efforts to
BE angels. There are analogies in the texts between the community at
Qumran and the community of angels in heaven; in the light of DSS purity
regulations, "cleanliness is next to godliness" takes on a whole new
(really old) meaning... 

For more see her piece in _Religion and Politics in the Ancient Near East_
(Ed. Adele Berlin, 1996)(the reference to which I owe to another Orion
member!)


Seth L. Sanders
Dept. of Near Eastern Studies
The Johns Hopkins University