The Book of Enoch and the Ascension of Moses in Reformation Europe: Early Sixteenth-Century Interpretations of Jude 9 and Jude 14–15

Abstract

This article explores the way in which Roman Catholic and Protestant interpreters of the early Reformation era (1516–1553) explained and evaluated the use of apocryphal and/or extra-biblical sources in the Epistle of Jude. These interpreters were agreed in identifying two cases of such use: (1) the dispute between Michael and Satan concerning the body of Moses in Jude 9; and (2) the prophecy of Enoch in Jude 14–15. Drawing heavily on patristic testimony, they voiced strikingly diverse opinions, however, regarding the sources themselves and the consequences of such citation for Jude's apostolic authority and status within the New Testament canon. Early sixteenth-century exposition of Jude 9 and Jude 14–15 not only sheds light on the reception history of the book(s) of Enoch and the Ascension of Moses (as it was called) in early modern Europe; it also reflects broader Reformation debates concerning the authority of Scripture, tradition (written and unwritten), the church, and the church fathers.