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Documents
such as the Book of Giants steal from the Bible’s plot or sometimes use
biblical characters as actors to create what we’d call today historical
fiction. Works such as the Book of Giants are imaginative, and they may help us
understand ancient cultures and languages - but if God wanted us to know more
about the Nephilim and the giants that lived before the flood, He would have
given us more information about them in his Word
Got Questions Ministries
The
Book of Giants is a pseudepigraphal book set in the antediluvian time;
its characters include Enoch and several giants, and the plot deals with the
sinful state of the world before the flood.
The
Book of Giants was considered official scripture in Manichaeism,
but it is not God’s inspired Word.
Although
it draws from the canonical book of Genesis, the Book of Giants is not
inerrant, nor is it reliable history.
The
Book of Giants has similar content to another pseudepigraphal Jewish book
called 1 Enoch, which probably predates it.
Fragments
of an Aramaic copy of the Book of Giants were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, meaning that the book is a bona
fide ancient document, having been composed before the second century BC.
Portions
of the Book of Giants have been found in the Middle Persian, Old Turkic,
Parthian, and other languages.
The
Book of Giants gives a fictional backstory for the biblical Nephilim by
tying them to Enoch, Noah’s great-grandfather.
Genesis 6:4 says, “The
Nephilim were on the earth in those days — and also afterward — when the sons
of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the
heroes of old, men of renown.”
There’s
plenty that the Bible does not tell us about the Nephilim and Enoch. Thus, the
doorway for speculation (and imagination) is wide open.
According
to the Book of Giants, certain angelic beings called Watchmen descended to
earth and produced the Nephilim through human women.
These
offspring were giants who behaved monstrously, killing many humans and also
destroying much plant, animal, and sea life.
In the
story, the giants have disturbing dreams that warn of the coming flood and
their own demise, and one of them, a giant named Mahaway, seeks the counsel of
Enoch.
Enoch
warns the giants and a Watcher named Semihaza to repent because the archangel
Raphael has taken notice of their misdeeds and their destruction
is imminent.
Depending
on what version of the Book of Giants is being read, the Watchers are either killed or bound by four
angels in a dark prison.
Elements
of the Book of Giants found their way into the 2014 movie Noah,
directed by Darren Aronofsky.
The
film portrays Watchers, environmental destruction, and widespread violence,
but, as its own director said, the film is “the least biblical biblical
film ever made.”
The
general public, who, by and large, are not biblically literate, too frequently
assume that entertainment products such as the film Noah relate
true biblical narratives.
But
this is rarely the case with mainstream studio releases, and it would be
helpful to think of the Book of Giants in the same way.
It’s
ancient, but it’s not a lot different from a contemporary movie that takes
liberties with the Bible.
There
are scores of ancient documents similar to the Book of Giants that have the
“feel” of biblical books but do not make the cut as true history or holy canon.
One
reason they have lasted so long is that they appropriate the Bible’s gravitas.
Documents
such as the Book of Giants steal from the Bible’s plot or sometimes use
biblical characters as actors to create what we’d call today historical
fiction.
Works
such as the Book of Giants are imaginative, and they may help us understand
ancient cultures and languages.
But if
God wanted us to know more about the Nephilim and the giants that lived before
the flood, He would have given us more information about them in his Word.
Got
Questions Ministries seeks to glorify
the Lord Jesus Christ by providing biblical, applicable, and timely answers to
spiritually related questions through an internet presence."
GotQuestions.org is a ministry of dedicated and trained servants who have a desire to assist others in their understanding of God, Scripture, salvation, and other spiritual topics. We are Christian, Protestant, evangelical, theologically conservative, and non-denominational. We view ourselves as a para-church ministry, coming alongside the church to help people find answers to their spiritually related questions.
We will do our best to prayerfully and thoroughly research your question and answer it in a biblically based manner. It is not our purpose to make you agree with us, but rather to point you to what the Bible says concerning your question. You can be assured that your question will be answered by a trained and dedicated Christian who loves the Lord and desires to assist you in your walk with Him. Our writing staff includes pastors, youth pastors, missionaries, biblical counselors, Bible/Christian college students, seminary students, and lay students of God’s Word.
GotQuestions.org is a ministry of dedicated and trained servants who have a desire to assist others in their understanding of God, Scripture, salvation, and other spiritual topics. We are Christian, Protestant, evangelical, theologically conservative, and non-denominational. We view ourselves as a para-church ministry, coming alongside the church to help people find answers to their spiritually related questions.
We will do our best to prayerfully and thoroughly research your question and answer it in a biblically based manner. It is not our purpose to make you agree with us, but rather to point you to what the Bible says concerning your question. You can be assured that your question will be answered by a trained and dedicated Christian who loves the Lord and desires to assist you in your walk with Him. Our writing staff includes pastors, youth pastors, missionaries, biblical counselors, Bible/Christian college students, seminary students, and lay students of God’s Word.
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