The "sons of God" and Nephilim

1 Enoch 6-11; 15.8 [aka The Book of the Watchers], c. 300BC.

“And when the sons of men had multiplied, in those days, beautiful and comely daughters were born to them. And the watchers, the sons of heaven, saw them and desired them. And they said to one another, ‘Come, let us choose for ourselves wives from the daughters of men, and let us beget for ourselves children.’ The giants [nephilim] who are produced from the cohabitation of spirits [‘in prison,’ 1Pet 3.19] and flesh, shall be called evil spirits upon the earth, and on the earth shall be their dwelling; because they are born from men, and from the holy watchers [angels, Dan 4.13, 17, 23^LXX] is their beginning and primal origin.”

Josephus, Complete Works, ch. 3:

"For many angels of God coupled with women, and begat sons that proved unjust, and despisers of all that was good, on account of the confidence they had in their own strength; for the tradition is, that these men did what resembled the acts of those whom the Greeks call giants. But Noah was very uneasy at what they did; and being displeased at their conduct, persuaded them to change their dispositions and their acts for the better: but seeing they did not yield to him, but were slaves to their wicked pleasures, he was afraid they would kill him, together with his wife and children, and those they had married; so he departed out of that land.”

Justin Martyr 2nd Apology, 5

“Transgressed the divine ordering, and by sinful intercourse with women produced offspring who are demons [‘evil spirits,’ Enoch, Peter].”

Readings

·       Kelly, Commentary on Peter and Jude.

·       Schreiner, The New American Commentary, vol. 37.

·       Tyndale NT Commentaries 2 Peter, Jude by Green.

·       Word Biblical Commentary, 2 Peter, Jude, by Bauckham, vol. 50.