Annotatio LXX

”The sons of God, seeing the daughters of men.” — Genesis 6:2

The Septuagint interpreters, in the older edition — which Philo the Jew and Eusebius of Caesarea followed — for that which is read in Hebrew, בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים, Bene ha-elohim, that is, “Sons of God,” translated οἱ ἄγγελοι τοῦ Θεοῦ, that is, “Angels of God”;¹ which translation, as Jerome testifies, Aquila imitated, rendering “Sons of gods,” understanding by “gods” the Angels. This [rendering] both very many of the Greeks (as Procopius reports) and many of the Latins — among whom Ambrose and Augustine — received and expounded. But this appellation of “Angels,” wrongly set down, gave birth to the greatest questions, and drew the minds of men into various opinions, and even errors. For some thought that by the name of “Angels” are signified the holy Angels, who then first sinned with women, and on that account fell from heaven — as Lactantius. Some [understood] apostate Angels, or demons cast down from heaven immediately from the founding of the world, who, coupling with women, begot giants — as Eusebius. But of this we shall speak more fully below, in Annotations 73 and 77 of this book.