The Book of Giants is an apocryphal Jewish book, attributed to either the prophet Mani or Manichaean literature, that expands upon stories mentioned in the Hebrew Bible regarding giants who lived before and after the flood. While the Book of Giants itself is considered non-canonical and thus not part of the accepted Jewish or Christian scriptural canon, it provides intriguing commentary on obscure passages in the Hebrew Bible and expands upon stories that are only briefly mentioned such as the Nephilim.
The main narrative within the Book of Giants focuses on two primary giants: Ohya and Mahaway. Ohya was said to be the leader of the fallen angels and giants before the flood, according to the Book of Giants. Mahaway, on the other hand, is considered in some traditions to be one of the four archangels. However, in the Book of Giants, Mahaway is described as one of the giants who survived the flood. The text depicts conversations between these two giants with Enoch, an ancient prophet mentioned briefly in Genesis, as Enoch tries to convince them to repent of their evil ways.
While deemed non-canonical, the Book of Giants still offers illuminating perspective for Bible scholars seeking to understand cryptic references to ancient giants. Here is a summary of key details covered in this ancient text:
The Origins of Giants According to the Book of Giants
The genesis of giants, according to the Book of Giants, lies in the copulation between the fallen angels (known as Watchers) and human women. This account aligns with the oblique reference in Genesis 6:1-4 to the “sons of God” marrying the “daughters of men” and birthing the Nephilim giants as offspring. Azazel, one of the leaders of the fallen angels, is said to have taught women the art of beautification through cosmetics and jewelry, which caused lust to swell within the Watchers towards human women.
The giants spoken of in the Book of Giants were known for their violence, oppression of humans, and disregard for God. They consumed all the resources of the earth and wild animals, driving many creatures to endangerment and extinction. Their size – with heights upward of 300 cubits or 450 feet tall – enabled them to easily conquer and torment regular humans. As such, they are portrayed as bullies who took advantage of their physical prowess.
Enoch’s Visions and Dreams
The Book of Giants heavily features Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah who is briefly mentioned in Genesis 5:18-24 as someone who “walked with God.” The text depicts a series of visions and dreams experienced by Enoch regarding the impending judgement on the giants and the earth. He sees a great upheaval and collapse of the earth triggered by the worsening corruption and violence brought about by the giants. He foresees floods engulfing the world and cleansing it of its defilement.
Through these disturbing dreams, Enoch becomes convinced that judgement is imminent. He then goes before the giants to prophesy to them and call them to repentance. However, the giants largely mock and dismiss Enoch. Only a few giants, most notably Mahaway, take heed of Enoch’s warning and turn from their wickedness. Yet the broader giant and Watcher population ignores Enoch’s prophecies, much to their own later demise.
The Giants’ Reaction to Enoch’s Prophecies
Most of the Book of Giants consists of dialogues between Enoch and the giants where Enoch shares his doomsday visions and urges them to repent and Mahaway (and occasionally Ohya) ask him questions to better understand the coming judgement. There is a recurring theme of the giants struggling to fully grasp Enoch’s prophecies due to their limited understanding and elongated lifespans. Concepts of a coming day of judgement and end of the world are foreign to them.
For example, Mahaway asks Enoch questions like “what will I be eating when I am displaced from here?” and “Then what will be my food?” He is so focused on his bodily needs and earthly life that he cannot comprehend being unseated from the earth altogether. Enoch patiently tries to explain the gravity of the coming day of judgement using simple analogies a giant could understand. Yet many giants still scoff and refuse to heed him, displaying an arrogant overconfidence in their own strength.
Ohya repeatedly mocks and dismisses Enoch, at one point accusing him of inventing dreams and visions. He confronts Enoch demanding “tell me another vision for I know a great deal,” indicative of his pride and belief in his own superior knowledge. Mahaway, however, takes Enoch seriously and urges Ohya and other giants not to resist Enoch’s prophecies.
The Demise of the Giants
As foretold by Enoch, the complete corruption of the giants and the earth invokes judgement from God. The Book of Giants describes the archangels, including Raphael, being ordered to bind Azazel hand and foot before throwing him into everlasting darkness. Then God unleashes a great flood upon the earth, wiping out the population of giants. Only Noah and those humans on his ark, along with Mahaway and a few other giants are able to survive the cataclysmic floods by taking refuge atop a mountain.
Yet even after this judgement, the giants’ defiance of God continued. Those who survived the flood began spreading rumors that they were stronger than God and continued oppressing humans. God responded by sending down other archangels, including Michael and Gabriel, to utterly destroy the remaining giants. Only then was their wicked influence eliminated from the earth.
Key Themes
Several interesting themes emerge in the Book of Giants that offer perspective on biblical stories about ancient giants:
- Giants Viewed as Bullies: A dominant theme is the characterization of giants as bullies and oppressors who use their physical size and strength to intimidate and exploit normal humans. They are driven by greed and gluttony.
- Giants’ Limited Perspectives: Despite their intimidating size, the giants are portrayed as having limited earthly perspectives. They struggle to look beyond their bodily needs and fear displacement from the earth.
- Rejection of Enoch’s Prophecies: The mocking and dismissal of Enoch’s visions by most giants, primarily Ohya, symbolizes their rigidity and arrogance. Only humble Mahaway takes Enoch seriously.
- Judgement Inevitable for the Unrepentant: The giants’ defiance of Enoch’s pleas makes their judgement inevitable. Mahaway’s repentance enables him to find favor.
- Prideful Spirits Endure: Despite judgement on their physical bodies, the prideful spirits of the giants persisted even after the flood in spreading lies and oppressing humans.
These themes align with references to giants in the canonical Bible as powerful hybrid offspring born of the unauthorized union between heavenly beings and humans who were violent, merciless, and corrupt. Their arrogance and evildoing made judgement inevitable, culminating in their destruction. Nevertheless, their sinful impact lingered even after their physical demise in the form of evil spirits. The Book of Giants amplifies these concepts through detailed hypothetical conversations and visions.
Parallels to Canonical Scripture
Although considered non-canonical, the Book of Giants finds common ground with canonical books in Genesis and elsewhere in the Bible:
- The birth of the Nephilim giants as offspring of the “sons of God” and “daughters of men” in Genesis 6:1-4.
- The depiction of giants as violent bullies aligns with descriptions of the Amorites and Rephaim in Deuteronomy and Numbers as ruthless oppressors.
- The sins of rampant violence, greed and sexual immorality align with Genesis 6:11 which describes the earth as corrupt in God’s sight and filled with violence.
- Noah being “perfect in his generations” as described in Genesis 6:9 suggests his bloodline was not corrupted by the giants.
- Enoch prophesies judgement through punishments on the earth (flood) and heavens (fallen angels), aligning with Jude 1:14-15.
- Azazel’s binding and punishment aligns with Leviticus 16:8, 10, 26.
- The depiction of angels binding and imprisoning fallen brethren fits 1 Enoch’s account of archangels imprisoning the fallen Watchers.
Furthermore, the Book of Giants’ fictional dialogues and visions use creative license to speculate on details behind the terse accounts of giants in canonical texts. These expansions offer thought-provoking perspective, even if not accepted as scripture.
Historical Origins
There remains scholarly debate about the Book of Giants’ origins. Manichaeism arose in the 3rd century CE, which makes Mani’s authorship unlikely since Genesis and Enoch already contained references to the ancient giants. The Book of Giants writings discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran in the 1940s point to possible Jewish origins. These fragments date back to the 2nd century BCE, before Manichaeism’s beginnings. The Aramaic language used also points to possible Syrian provenance.
However, there is a possibility Manichaeans later adopted already existing Jewish stories about the giants and expanded upon them. So Manichaeans may have transmitted the Book of Giants based on earlier Jewish traditions. Tying the text definitively to one source remains elusive. Regardless of exact origins, the Book of Giants provides an imaginative expansion on ancient giants alluded to in canonical books that broadens understanding of their eschatological significance.
Takeaways on the Book of Giants
Some key takeaways about what the Book of Giants teaches regarding biblical giants:
- The giants were violent oppressors who exploited humans and animals.
- Most giants were too arrogant and dismissive to heed Enoch’s pleas to repent.
- The giants’ corruption invoked inevitable judgement from God resulting in their destruction.
- Mahaway’s repentance enabled him to find favor and be spared.
- The prideful spirits of the giants persisted even after the flood.
- Creative elaborations on canonical details broaden conceptual understanding of ancient giants.
While details may be mythical, the Book of Giants reinforces the canonical portrayal of these ancient giants as frightening tyrants who transgressed divine limits and were ultimately judged for their extreme evildoing and corruption. Their lingering defiant spirits despite physical demise highlight the importance of fully rooting out prideful evil from one’s nature.