Biblical scholars know that Paul subordinates the Law to Christ (Gal 3:1-18). He writes about how the Law could not result in the fruition of the promises given to Abraham (and, by extension, to all nations; Gen 12:1-3). Paul then asks “Why then was the law given?” He answers that it was “added because of transgressions” (Gal 3:19). The most common assumption is that this (somehow) means the Law was a response to Adam’s sin, or human sins. But, and Adam sinned only once so far as the Bible tells us. Opting for the law being added in response to human sins doesn’t address why humanity became so wicked that it needed the law. Most Christians would defer to Adam’s transgression at this point, but there is no Romans 5:12 in Galatians (Romans is a later epistle). This episode takes a minority view of Paul’s statement about the addition of the law—at least among Christians. This view, however, reflects the viewpoint of nearly every Second Temple Jewish text (Paul’s era) known to exist that comments on human depravity: that the Law was added to restrain human evil, which proliferated not because of Adam, but because of the sin of the Watchers in Gen 6:1-4.
Transcript 94 Sin of Watchers and Galatians 3-4
In this theologically dense episode, Dr. Michael Heiser investigates whether Paul’s statement in Galatians 3:19—that the law was “added because of transgressions”—refers not to Adamic sin or the Sinai covenant alone, but to the sin of the Watchers found in Genesis 6 and 1 Enoch.
Heiser proposes that Paul’s argument in Galatians 3–4 takes place within a Second Temple apocalyptic context that viewed supernatural rebellion as central to humanity’s estrangement from God. In this view, the law functions as a temporary containment or restraint until the arrival of Christ, who is the solution not only to human sin, but to the cosmic fallout of supernatural rebellion.
The episode moves beyond traditional theological categories, suggesting that Paul’s gospel may include a polemic against spiritual powers introduced by the Watcher sin. Heiser also connects this framework to ideas in Reversing Hermon, his book project arguing that many New Testament doctrines stem from Enochic theology, not just the Torah or Greek philosophy.
Listeners are challenged to reconsider how biblical theology, particularly in Paul’s letters, reflects deeper currents from intertestamental literature. This episode offers a compelling case for why understanding 1 Enoch and the Watchers is not just an esoteric exercise—but essential to interpreting the doctrine of salvation and the role of Christ in New Testament theology.
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