The Sin of the Angels in 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6

Abstract

The angelic sin of 2 Pet 2:4 and Jude 6 is thought to reflect the Watcher myth of the Book of the Watchers on the grounds of the popularity of the myth in early Judaism and the literary relationship between 1 En. 1:9 and Jude 14-15. A critical reexamination of the evidence, however, suggests contrasting approaches to the myth and a variety of traditions in the Enoch literature undermining both of the above assumptions. The nature of the angelic sin of 2 Pet 2:4 and Jude 6 can best be confirmed on contextual grounds. In this respect, the intentional parallel between examples of punishment and the sins of the false teachers in both 2 Peter and Jude identifies the angelic sin in question as blasphemy—an aspiration to the position of God—in agreement with a long tradition of angelic blasphemy in Jewish and early Christian exposition.