© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, ���4 | doi � �. ��63/�5685�79-� �34�330 Dead Sea Discoveries � � ( �0 �4) 3�3–346 brill.com/dsd Reading the Book of Giants in Literary and Historical Context1 Joseph L. Angel Yeshiva University, New York jangel@yu.edu Abstract This article offers some new suggestions regarding the background and purpose of the Book of Giants in the light of recent scholarship emphasizing (1) the shared features and interrelatedness of the Aramaic works discovered at Qumran and (2) the need to ground our understanding of early Jewish apocalyptic literature within the socio-political con- text of Hellenistic imperial domination. While this intriguing composition has been located correctly within the orbit of early Enochic tradition, the present study broadens the lens in order to consider the significance of its striking parallels with Danielic tradi- tion, beyond the well-known shared tradition of the throne theophany (4Q530 2 ii 16–20 and Dan 7:9–10). Due attention is given both to the Danielic parallels and the transfor- mations in Giants vis-à-vis the Enochic tradition upon which it depends (the Book of Watchers), which are interpreted in relation to recent research emphasizing that the early Enochic and Danielic writings constituted expressions of resistance to imperial rule. In line with this literary and historical contextualization, the study argues for a paradigmatic interpretation of Giants, according to which the monstrous sons of the watchers symbolize the violent, arrogant Hellenistic rulers of the author’s day. Keywords Book of Giants – Enoch – Daniel – Aramaic – Hellenistic Empire 1  The research for this article was facilitated by the generous support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. I am grateful to Devorah Dimant, Alexandria Frisch, Aaron Koller, Ari Mermelstein, Carol Newsom, and Mark S. Smith for reading earlier drafts of this paper.