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The Book of Enoch
Enoch is an ancient Jewish apocalyptic text attributed to Enoch, exploring angels, Nephilim, divine judgment, and prophetic visions, preserved fully only in the Ethiopic language.
Authorship
The Book of Enoch, also known as 1 Enoch, is traditionally ascribed to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah, though it is considered pseudepigraphal, meaning its claimed authorship is not historically verified. It is an ancient Jewish apocalyptic text that delves into the origins of demons, the Nephilim (giant offspring of angels and humans), and the moral reasons behind the Genesis flood. While most Jewish and Christian traditions do not consider it canonical, it is part of the biblical canon for the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and the Beta Israel Jewish community.
Historical Context
Scholars estimate that the earliest sections of 1 Enoch were composed around 300–200 BCE, with later sections, such as the Book of Parables, dating to approximately 100 BCE. The text was likely written in Aramaic and Hebrew, with fragments preserved among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The full text survives only in Geʽez translation, the classical language of Ethiopia.
Structure and Content
The Book of Enoch is divided into five major sections:
• The Book of Watchers (Chapters 1–36) – Describes the fall of the Watchers, angels who mated with human women, producing the Nephilim, and Enoch’s heavenly journeys.
• The Book of Parables (Chapters 37–71) – Contains prophetic visions of judgment, the Messiah, and the final fate of the righteous and wicked.
• The Astronomical Book – Explains celestial movements and the calendar.
• The Book of Dream Visions – Offers symbolic visions of Israel’s history.
• The Epistle of Enoch – Provides moral exhortations and apocalyptic warnings.
The text emphasizes angelology and demonology, detailing about 200 fallen angels, their punishment, and the consequences of their actions on humanity. Enoch acts as a mediator, interceding for humanity and conveying divine messages.
Influence and Biblical References
Although not part of most biblical canons, the Book of Enoch influenced New Testament writers. A short passage is cited in Jude 14-15, referring to “Enoch, the Seventh from Adam”. Its themes of fallen angels and divine judgment echo in Genesis 6:1–4 and other apocalyptic literature.
Significance
The Book of Enoch provides a vivid portrayal of heaven, hell, and divine justice, offering insights into early Jewish thought on morality, the supernatural, and eschatology. It remains a valuable text for scholars, theologians, and readers interested in ancient religious literature, angelology, and apocalyptic visions. While its canonical status is limited, its rich imagery and moral lessons continue to influence religious and literary studies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Enoch
https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/what-is-the-book-of-enoch-and-should-it-be-in-the-bible.html
https://scripturesavvy.com/the-book-of-enoch-summary/
The Book of Enoch is a pseudepigraphal[1] work that is not included in any canon of scripture except that of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. It was mostly excluded from Christian canons by the 4th century and is now regarded as scripture by only the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Church. The book of Enoch was never considered authentic by the Jewish rabbis, and it was never included in the Hebrew Scriptures’ canon.
The reasons for its exclusion from most Christian canons are not entirely clear. According to one source, it was excluded because it was of late authorship and never made it into either the Septuagint or the Masoretic, both of which predate Christianity. Another source suggests that it wasn’t included in the Biblical canon due to the belief that Enoch himself didn’t author most of the book and that I Enoch wasn’t divinely inspired by God.
What’s it About? [source: Wikipedia]
The first section of the book depicts the interaction of the fallen angels with mankind; Sêmîazâz compels the other 199 fallen angels to take human wives to “beget us children.”
And Semjâzâ, who was their leader, said unto them: “I fear ye will not indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.” And they all answered him and said: “Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.” Then swore they all together and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. And they were in all two hundred; who descended in the days of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it.
The names of the leaders are given as “Samyaza (Shemyazaz), their leader, Araqiel, Râmêêl, Kokabiel, Tamiel, Ramiel, Dânêl, Chazaqiel, Baraqiel, Asael, Armaros, Batariel, Bezaliel, Ananiel, Zaqiel, Shamsiel, Satariel, Turiel, Yomiel, Sariel.”
This results in the creation of the Nephilim (Genesis) or Anakim / Anak (giants) as they are described in the book:
And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three hundred ells: [cubits] Who consumed all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, the giants turned against them and devoured mankind. And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish, and to devour one another's flesh, and drink the blood.
It also discusses the teaching of humans by the fallen angels, chiefly Azâzêl:
And Azâzêl taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all colouring tinctures. And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. Semjâzâ taught enchantments, and root-cuttings, Armârôs the resolving of enchantments, Barâqîjâl, taught astrology, Kôkabêl the constellations, Ezêqêêl the knowledge of the clouds, Araqiêl the signs of the earth, Shamsiêl the signs of the sun, and Sariêl the course of the moon.
Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel appeal to God to judge the inhabitants of the world and the fallen angels. Uriel is then sent by God to tell Noah of the coming cataclysm and what he needs to do.
Then said the Most High, the Holy and Great One spoke, and sent Uriel to the son of Lamech, and said to him: Go to Noah and tell him in my name "Hide thyself!" and reveal to him the end that is approaching: that the whole earth will be destroyed, and a deluge is about to come upon the whole earth, and will destroy all that is on it. And now instruct him that he may escape and his seed may be preserved for all the generations of the world.
As the Book of Enoch is comprised of numerous fragments, the text is often disjointed, with sections of the text clearly out of order. The reader who would desire to read the entire work is strongly advised to first listen to the first 46 minutes of the audio textbook HERE.
I will be making comments on the Book of Enoch HERE, and there is a downloadable pdf of the complete Book of Enoch HERE and HERE.
There is a public domain LibriVox audio book of First Enoch, Chapters 1-36, called “The Book of Watchers,” with a transcription of the text HERE.
There is an additional public domain LibriVox audio of a textbook intended for classroom study of the book, with a reading of all 108 chapters, HERE.
Media Disclaimer: Presence of video or audio recordings on this website does not
necessarily indicate agreement with all (or any) of the speaker’s theological position.
Does Enoch Have Anything To Teach Us: With Dr. Michael Heiser
The ENTIRE Story of the Book of Enoch Explained | Documentary
Kazuen
1. The pseudepigrapha are spurious or pseudonymous writings, especially Jewish writings ascribed to various biblical patriarchs and prophets but composed within approximately 200 years of the birth of Yeshua (both before and after). See “Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha.” [BACK]
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ANXIOUSLY WATCHING FOR MASHIACH’S RETURN,
SPEEDILY AND IN OUR DAY. MARANA, TA!
