PREFACE
vi
the Book of Enoch are under a deep debt of gratitude to Dr Charles, who now has edited it three times in English and once in Ethiopic. Is it not time that a literal English translation should be accessible to all? Poor students of theology can be expected to have read Daniel, for it is in the Bible; they can be expected to have read Second Esdras, for it is at least in 'the Apocrypha'. But the cheapest way of getting at the plain text of Enoch is still to try and pick up a second-hand copy of one of the reprints of Laurence's translation, and this generally comes to about three-and-sixpence. This translation was pioneer work. It was most creditable as a first attempt, but like all such efforts, especially when made on a bad text, it is generally inadequate, often obscure, and to young students often positively misleading. On any theory of the Book of Enoch either of Dr Charles's translations is vastly superior. I am not thinking of the needs of teachers and professors, but of young students and ordinary clergymen. Is it impossible to hope that Dr Charles and the Clarendon Press will prepare a plain translation for us? If not, I hope that some one else who knows Ethiopic will make one. If he does so, let me further beg him to make as few emendations as possible,—he should follow Dr Charles's MS g almost always,—and when he feels bound to make an emendation let it be always quite clear to the reader what the transmitted text is. A text so prepared would be useful to teachers and could be bought by students, for I do not think it need cost more than a shilling.
F. C. BURKITT
Westroad Corner, Cambridge
March, 1914
