1 Sin, Atonement, and Israelite Identity in the Words of the Luminaries in Relation to 1 Enoch’s Animal Apocalypse Eyal Regev Bar-Ilan University In the Words of the Luminaries, the authors not only request repentance and divine forgiveness, as seen in other ancient Jewish penitential prayers, but also introduce a unique approach to the issue of sin – they state that they have been blessed with God’s holy spirit and that their sins have al- ready been atoned. In making this statement, they continue their ancestors’ religious tradition but also experience spiritual progress. his treatment of the theme of sin and repentance in the Words of the Luminaries resembles Qumranic sectarian theology. However, the Words of the Luminaries also emphasizes an Israelite corporate identity. his is a prayer for the sake of the entire people of Israel, and the worshippers see themselves as the direct continuation of Israel’s past generations. Similar characteristics of divine wisdom and grace, as well as an opti- mistic representation of the Israelite people, are also found in the Animal Apocalypse (1 Enoch 85–90). For example, in the Animal Apocalypse the lambs’ eyes are opened as they lead the rest of the sheep. here are other similarities between the Words of the Luminaries and the Animal Vision, such as a historical outlook from Adam to Israel’s salvation and the opening of one’s eyes as a sign of divine wisdom. heological and lexical similarities between the two documents suggest that the Words of the Luminaries relects a religious revitalization or reform movement in a state of transition, before developing into a sectarian segregated ideology. he Words of the Luminaries (ĦđĤđČĚĐ ĕĤčď), preserved in 4Q504, 5Q505, and 4Q506, contains prayers for each of the seven days of the week.1 Esther Cha- zon has shown that these prayers are a cohesive composition, written/edited by the same author(s) with a uniform structure, and that they were probably created for communal liturgical use. he preserved texts of the prayers of Sun- day, Wednesday, hursday, and Friday irst allude to the history of Israel from 1 M. Baillet, Qumran Grotte 4 III (4Q482–4Q520), DJD VII (Oxford: Clarendon, 1982) 137–75.