On the Origin of Watchers: A Comparative Study of the Antediluvian Wisdom in Mesopotamian and Jewish Traditions

Abstract

In the article, it is argued that the origin of Watchers derives from the Mesopotamian mythology of the antediluvian sages ( apkallus). More precisely, it is proposed that the mythology of Watchers and their sons the giants derived from inverted versions of various Mesopotamian myths and beliefs about apkallus. On some layers of Mesopotamian mythology and ritual practices, the sages were already regarded as dangerous and potentially malicious creatures, upon which the Jewish authors could build their parody. Among other associations, the apkallus had strong ties to Mesopotamian demonology, and they were occasionally counted as evil beings, capable of witchcraft. This shows that the wickedness of antediluvian teachers of humankind in Jewish sources was not wholly an inversion of the Mesopotamian traditions by Jewish scholars, but was partly taken from already existing trends in Mesopotamian demonology.

Mesopotamian Civilization and the Origins of the New Testament

“…The influence of Mesopotamia on their writing extended much further than the borrowing of motifs; their compositions are grounded in Mesopotamian literature. 143 The present book breaks new ground in positing that New Testament writers were receptive to Mesopotamian sources. The receptivity was based in part on the contemporaneous conception that the roots of Jewish identity were to be found in Babylonia.…”

“Hoi angeloi auton” in Matthew 18:10 and the Pristine Individual “chi” of Igbo Society

“…In Islam, these sages are also called Watchers because of their primary responsibility as guardians of men. It has been successfully argued that ‘the origin of Watchers derives from the Mesopotamian mythology of the antediluvian sages ( apkallu s)’ (Annus 2010). This implies simply that the Watchers are in fact, the sages.…”

“…This theory has been popularised by Amar Annus in his 2010 paper which strongly argues that ‘the origin of Watchers derives from the Mesopotamian mythology of the antediluvian sages ( apkallu s). See Annus (2010, p.277). However, the initial idea of this theory may have come from the popular Egyptian monk, Cosmas as reported by McCrindle (1897, p.375).…”

Scribal Revelations in Ancient Judaism

“…33 According to (Nickelsburg 1977) the story keeps the memory of the wars of Alexander the Great's generals, the Diadochoi; (Suter 1979(Suter , 2002 saw in it a reflection of the priestly mixed marriages of the Persian era; according to (Bhayro 2005, pp. 23-25) the figures of the Watchers were inspired by the Mesopotamian bāru-priests; (Annus 2010), on the other hand, considers the story a polemical narrative on the tradition of the antediluvian sages, the apkallu-s.…”