I invite you to learn more about the Book of Enoch , an intertestamental text found within the African Orthodox Bible, but not recognized by the Christian church. Keep reading this article and find out everything that happened with the Book of Enoch!
Book of Enoch
The Book of Enoch is a book that is known as the Book of Enoch. But it is also called as the writings of Enoch. It is an intertestamental book. This means that the book was written in the middle of the old testament and the new testament and serves as a bridge between both testaments. Although the book of Enoch is a part of the canon of the Bible, it is widely used in the Ethiopian and Eritrean patriarchates of the so-called Coptic orthodox church.
But in the Christian church the book of Enoch has not been recognized as a canonical book, although some of its Septuagint codices have been found which are the codices found in the Vatican and also refer to the so-called Chester Beatty papyri that they are a group of papyri that were written in Greek but their origin is Christian.
The Ethiopian Jews who are known as the Betas Israel included the Book of Enoch in the Tanakh which is a collection of twenty-four holy books of Judaism. But today's Jews exclude the book of Enoch.
The Book of Enoch is also known as a text that is both religious and apocalyptic in ancient Hebrew. This is attributed to the fact that Enoch is the great-grandfather of Noah. What is known of the Book of Enoch contains valuable and unique information about the origins of demons and giants ( Nephilim ). It also mentions why some angels fell from heaven.
In the book of Enoch there is an explanation about how the flood that is narrated in Genesis happened because it was morally needed and there is a prophetic explanatory statement about the thousand-year reign of the Messiah.
Who was Enoch?
The reference to Enoch can be found in the Old Testament Genesis. Enoch was a prophet who according to Moses lived before the universal flood occurred. But in the biblical genealogy there are many points of view and versions about the life of Enoch. Since there is another version where it is stated that Enoch was the firstborn of Cain.
In another story of Enoch it is said that he was one of the sons of Jared and it has been claimed that Enoch was the grandfather of Abraham. But the most widely spread story about Enoch's life is that he was the father of Methuselah and the great-grandfather of Noah.
Although there are many stories about Enoch's life, it can be affirmed that he lived more than three hundred years and shared his life with God and at the end of his life God took him to heaven in a beautiful chariot of fire. That is why in the Christian tradition Enoch is spoken of as the man who never died, since his long life was dedicated to learning the great secrets that God revealed to him.
The Parts of the Book of Enoch
At present we have knowledge about the book of Enoch that was written in the first century of the new era. The Book of Enoch is made up of several parts that were written between the XNUMXrd century BC. and I AD.
In various parts of the book of Enoch various titles can be found such as the book of judgment that can be found in chapters 1 to 5. This part of the book explains about the blessing that will fall on people who are righteous. There is a promise that the righteous will live in paradise when the "Wicked" are condemned for their deeds. It is believed that this part of the was written in the year 200 BC.
In the book of Enos we also find the book of the Watchers which is also known as the Fall of the angels. This is found between chapters 6 to 36. His argument is concentrated on the fact that the angels or watchmen are guarded by what is written in Genesis. These have sexual relations with women on Earth.
This leads to a problem since women become pregnant giving birth to giants (nephilim), creatures that are very famous and that unleashed fierce violence on Earth and this was perverting all of humanity.
In the book of the vigilantes a set of stories is told about the vigilantes that appear in the universal deluge. Which are also present in Genesis where a very detailed description of the world and heaven is made. The fragment is said to have been written in 160 BC.
Another part of the book of Enoch is the one called the Book of Parables or, as it is also known, the Messiah and the kingdom. This part is found between chapters 37 to 71. The content in this part of the Book of Enoch is messianic in nature. This is where Enoch begins to prophesy that the son of man is going to come, kings and mighty men are going to fall and finally he talks about the day of the chosen one.
Of the entire book of Enoch, it is the only part of which there are no more Qumran editions. This part of the book was written around the year 63 B.C. C. and at the end of the 72st century AD, C. In the same way, the book titled The Change of the Celestial Lights is written, or as it is also known, the Astronomical Book that covers chapters 82 to XNUMX.
In this part of the book, the aspects that make up the ancient solar calendar that was made in the Hebrew language are exposed in detail and it is one of the elements that agrees with the Book of Jubilees, where the book of the luminaries of the sky is cited. These writings were made between 250 and 190 BC.
Another important point about the book of Enoch is the one titled the Book of Dreams, where the stories begin in chapters 83 and culminate in chapter 90. Two apocalyptic visions that Enoch experiences in a dream he had are recorded here. The first vision tells him that the Earth is going to be destroyed. While the second vision that Enoch has is the history of humanity and of Israel carried to the end of time.
In this experience that Enoch had. He is going to represent the actors as symbolic animals in the Book of him this part is written between the years 161 and the year 125 a, C. You can also find in the Book of Enoch the subjects that are titled the letter to Enoch and the Apocalypse. This content is found in the book of Enoch in chapters 91 to 105. But they are divided into a story that lasts ten weeks, here the past is going to be interpreted and the future is projected eschatologically. This book dates from the year 135 a, C.
In the final part of the Book of Enoch are chapters 106 and 107, which is part of the information of the book of Noah, which is believed to be lost but is in the Dead Sea Scrolls. In this part of the book there is information about the crimes that humanity is going to commit and then the messianic times will come along with the triumph of the righteous people.
In the same way at the end of the book of Enoch. In chapter number 108 there is information indicating that there may be another Book of Enoch and that many manuscripts are missing.
Summary of the Book of Enoch
The book of Enoch was written in the first century of our era and consists of several chapters that have been written from the third century BC to the first century AD. These are the summarized chapters that the book of Enoch contains:
Introduction
In the introduction to the Book of Enoch. God warns that he will inflict punishment on all sinners on Earth and will reward people who are righteous on the day of judgment. But this is going to be the main idea of the Book of Enoch as it is going to be repeated throughout the book.
In the same way Enoch in the introduction of the book begins to narrate what was on Earth and how the order in the sky and in nature should be, since each object must follow its fixed rhythm and determine the objective that it has proposed. according to God's plan.
Fall of the evil angels and the ascension of Enoch
It is written that about 200 angels came down to Earth and had sexual intercourse with the women, as they were very beautiful. The women became pregnant and gave birth to the giants, who began to eat everything in their path. They came to devour the animals and men, some giants began to eat each other.
The reference to giants comes from Sumerian religion, where it is said that the Anunnaki , which means ( beings who have come down from the sky to Earth ) and were between three and six meters tall, began to enslave men for their own benefit.
According to Enoch's book, the evil angels taught women how to cultivate the land and the science of trees ( at that time, this referred to different crops ). Men were given the knowledge to begin crafting various weapons, including machetes, swords, shields, and armor. Metalworking was also important.
Then began the art of painting the eyes with antimony and thus beautifying the eyelids and using the most beautiful precious stones and dyeing the hair. Among the angels that stood out the most were
“ Amiziras, who instructed the enchanters and the root cutters”
"Aramaeans who instructed people to break spells"
“Baraquiel he instructed astrologers to read the tarot”
“kokabiel taught them about omens”
"Tauriel gave them the meaning and appearance of the stars"
"Aradiel this taught what was the course that the moon took"
For all this and more, men fell into sin and fornication. This was done in reference to the evil that occurs when humanity reaches a certain level of knowledge and development. That is why the knowledge that human beings had regarding metals is present throughout the book of Enoch.
That is why humanity becomes a slave society in the first millennium which is when Enoch knows them. Although by that time the social classes are already established with total clarity throughout the Near East. At that time the Hebrew society is tribal based but is evolving towards a class society.
This Hebrew society is accompanied by several wars and continuous injustices. In this, Enoch refers several times to the powerful and to the kings, who are the social sectors that God said he was going to punish, that is why Enoch does not believe that God is allowing these things to happen and observes that the end is approaching. end of the days. So that justice and peace can be restored on Earth.
There are many examples, such as Arato in Greek mythology in the third century BC. where justice was the one who ruled without any problems in what is known as the Golden Age. But when humanity arrived, it entered the Silver and Bronze Ages. This means the age of metals, the division of social classes began and many people got rich by stealing from others and fomenting all kinds of wars.
When all this happened, justice decided to leave Earth and went up to the sky and became the constellation of Virgo. That is why in the Book of Enoch, God sends the angels to tell Noah to hide in a safe place because he is going to send a great flood. In this way he is going to punish the angels who have been bad.
He communicates to the Angel Michael that the oppression that exists in humanity disappears and that justice and peace prevail on Earth and he says these words to the angel Michael so that they become a reality
"May all men become just and may all peoples venerate me and bless me, all will adore me"
That is why Enoch in his book has a dream in which he is ascending to heaven and God tells him to take care of the angels who have been bad since they have transmitted a secret to the women and they have spread it and that is why they have brought evil to earth.
This is closely related to the biblical passage of original sin, which is that of the apple where the secret that is kept is revealed to women, which is wisdom. But it also indicates that there is a rejection of the position of matriarchy in the Book of Enoch.
In his book, Enoch recounts the journey he takes through the mansions of the storm, of light, and of thunder. Enoch has a vision of the winds. That there are seven mountains that contain precious stones and a great abyss of fire and that there are seven stars that remain chained to the extremities of the Earth and the sky.
Talk about the mansion of the dead before the final judgment. He also tells about the tree of knowledge and the terrestrial paradise, he tells us about the limits of the Earth and the doors through which the stars are born.
There are several texts of Judaism where the story of the young Ishtar is told (there is a similarity with the Babylonian goddess Ishtar) who in Egypt is known as Isis. But she rather she is known as the divinization of Mother Earth and her maternal cults.
Because this goddess remained a virgin, even though an angel wanted to have sex with her, that's why she asked the sons of Elohim for a pair of wings and rose to heaven and became the constellation of Virgo. But in the case of Pleiades that is for the Babylonians. Ishtar was also the constellation of Virgo. The angel who wanted to sleep with the young Ishtar, called Shemhazai, is hanging upside down and forms the constellation of Orion.
In Greek mythology there is a story about the persecution of seven Pleiades who are the daughters of Pléyone and Atlante, who had the opportunity to escape from Orion (who in the case of Greek mythology was a hunter) who wanted to take virginity rising to the heavens and wanted to become a star.
As for the other fallen angels, in the Clementine Homilies in the third century. They had a Syrian origin and it has been told that many angels came down to Earth to correct the mistakes that men had made and that the Earth take justice again. But when the angels took human form they were seduced by worldly pleasures and could not fulfill their mission and could not take their aspects of angels.
book of parables
In the book of Enoch he comments that he has been told about three parables: the first two have to do with the punishment of sinners while the third parable deals with the salvation of people who have been righteous.
It is told in the book of Enoch that a great whirlwind raised him to heaven and they contemplate him as the chosen one who is under the wings of the Lord of spirits; also there are the four angels which are Gabriel, Fanuel, Miguel and Rafael. In the same way, in the sky are the secrets of the elements, the deposits of the sun, the residence of the chosen ones and the deposit of the moon (which is where they are born and where they set), the stars and the rays.
Thus Enoch remained contemplating a being with a head of days and the son of man who embodies justice; he has the characteristic of "raising kings and the mighty from their beds and the strongest from their thrones, and destroying strong bridles and crushing sinners with his powerful teeth." Similarly, the Almighty God said the following to Enoch
“In these days the kings of the earth and the mighty ones who possess the arid will have their faces bowed down because of the work of their hands, because in the day of their affliction anguish, they will not be saved, but the righteous will become angels of heaven. Darling"
That is why Enoch was hypnotized contemplating everything that was in the sky, right there there was a great mountain of iron, another of gold, another of silver, another of copper, another of tin and a last one of lead. In this way an angel arrives to get him out of his state to explain that all those mountains:
“ They will be before the chosen one like wax before the fire, and like water falling from on high upon those mountains, they will soften at his feet. And in these days no one will be saved by gold or silver, and there will be no escape. And there will be no iron for wars nor chain for the breastplate; bronze will be useless, tin will be worthless and will not be valued, and lead will not be sought after.”
Knowing everything that the angel Enoch explains to him, he stays watching as they throw the kings and the powerful into a deep hole that is surrounded by flames of burning fire. While other angels are preparing various torture tools to be able to punish all sinners and after this the great universal flood will occur.
After the angels are already prepared with all those tools to throw all the kings and mighty into the cleft of the valley, they will go to the east to be able to remove the kings of the Medes and Parthians from their thrones and punish them. But by doing this the kings will flee and in that they will attack the people who have been fair and this leads to a terrible war.
On the 14th day of the 7th month of the 500th year of Noah's life, it is written in the Book of Enoch that he sees a strong upheaval in the sky, this makes Enoch shudder that he cannot bear such a jolt that he falls to the ground. The angel Michael sees him fall and goes to his aid and reassures him, he says these words to Enoch:
““Two monsters have been separated this day: a female monster named Leviathan, to dwell in the abyss of the seas, above the springs of water, and a male named Behemoth, who occupies the immense desert with his chest. named Dondain, to the east of the garden where the chosen and the righteous dwell.”
In the Book of Enoch the Leviathan makes the representation of the power in the seas and Behemoth is going to represent the power in the Earths. Both monsters are going to be uncontrollable for people, so Enoch is left contemplating the fear of human beings.
After some time has passed, another angel arrives and teaches Enoch the secret of the winds since they divide and are very heavy. He also teaches her the power that the moonlight has is a power of justice; The types of stars that exist and the classes that he possesses, in addition he teaches him the power that lightning and thunder have, that one gives light and the other roars.
Among all these secrets that the angel teaches him, he also teaches him the spirit of the sea that is a male and the spirit of the frost that brings with it snow, fog, dew, rain and hail.
Meanwhile on Earth Noah realizes that the destruction of the Earth is coming and he calls his grandfather Enoch screaming. But a great earthquake occurs and a voice is heard in heaven saying the following:
“It is an order from the Lord to punish men, because they have known the power of those who melt down the metal works of all the earth, and how silver is produced from the dust of the earth, and how molten metal is made on earth. Because lead and tin are not produced by the earth like the first (silver), it is a source that produces them, and an angel stands before it.
But God makes a promise to Noah that when all the punishments are over he will preserve his race. The angels who have been evil will be imprisoned in a valley of fire in the west and will be together in the mountains of gold, silver, copper, iron, tin and all molten material.
“For men have not been created differently from the angels, except to inhabit, just and pure, and death, which corrupts everything, would not have reached them; but because of this knowledge that is theirs, they perish, and because of this power, she (death) devours me.”
The Book of Luminaries in the Sky
Enoch after ascending to heaven alive. He knows that the sun rises through the gates of heaven in the east and sets in the gates of heaven in the west. In total there are six gates through which the sun rises and six gates through which the sun sets. The moon also makes use of these six doors to go out and the other six doors to hide.
In these doors there are too many windows. These doors allude to the twelve signs of the zodiac since the sun uses six to come out and six to hide. In the same way, the duration of the night and the duration of the day are explained. Because the sun uses one of the gates for a set of days in a row.
Through the door where the sun rises, so will be the day and the night. The light of the sun has a force that shines seven times more than the light of the moon, although the two have the same dimensions.
While the Moon orbits the sky and the wind blows so hard that it makes the car where the moon is mounted move. The light that the moon has was given to him with prudence. In this same way Enoch writes about the phases of the moon.
The moon completes an annual cycle that lasts days and every year they drive the same path in the same position for all eternity. She cannot be delayed or advanced.
After Enoch knows all this, he is sent home on Earth so that he can communicate everything he learned in heaven to his son named Methuselah, after a year the angels must return for Enoch and he will be the only person to ascend to heaven alive.
Book of dreams
In this book of Enoch, he begins to tell his son Methuselah all the dreams he has had in his life. The first dream that he tells his son. Enoch watches as the sky begins to collapse on Earth. When his grandfather woke up, he explained that this was going to happen. But if he prayed with faith and asked God not to happen, this event never happened.
In another dream, he watches a white bull come out of the ground and behind him are a heifer and two calves. One red and the other black. In the dream, the one in black begins to chase the one in red, which then vanished.
After Enoch saw all this, the angel teaches him that the white bull is a secret that is to become a man and when he is together with the black bull and another red bull they build a large boat to be able to save themselves from the Deluge. Although all the animals that inhabited the Earth died, but when the rain stopped the three bulls gave life to all kinds of animals on Earth.
The colors that were used in the animals that are white, red and black are the sacred colors and are associated with the three phases that the moon has and that are visible. Since the white symbolizes the full moon, the black color for the waning moon and the red color for the crescent moon.
These colors are lunar attributes that are also typical of Mother Earth and are found in all the great cosmogonies that have three main gods in Greece, Egypt and Rome. Besides Christianity. There are also animals that are sacred because they contain these three colors, such as swallows and cranes. In addition, the swallows were the birds that with their beaks took out the thorns of Christ crucified.
Another story that appears in the book of Enoch is that 12 sheep appeared, but they were chased by various animals and especially wolves. The Lord sends 70 shepherds so that they can guide the sheep and protect them in the same way. Although these shepherds did not fulfill their obligation and the sheep were attacked by these animals that devoured them.
That is why the white bull was born, which was respected by all species and was feared, that is why all species became white bulls and the first of them was a buffalo.
The Book of Exhortation and Curse
In this book Enoch decides to gather all his children and tell them everything that is going to happen in the future and he is going to recommend that they always comply with the truth, since injustice and violence are going to spread throughout the world doing and going There will be a great punishment for sinners because they will be annihilated but the righteous will be rewarded.
After 10 weeks have elapsed since Enoch was born until the end of time, you will see misfortunes for the rich because you trust in your riches, but you will be deprived of them, because you do not remember the most high in the days of your riches.
They will have misfortunes because they have money but they acquire injustices. They even say that they are rich because they have fortunes and they have what they have wanted and now they can carry out their projects because they have money to carry them out and all their treasures are full as if it were water and they are cultivators of material things.
The Noachian Fragment
Methuselah is going to tell Enoch that his son is the father of a teenager who, in order to be an angel, tells him that he must call him Noah, since his life purpose will be to save humanity. For all the evil that has been done on Earth.
Since the generations that have been born are being more criminal than the previous one, until a new generation of just people is born in order to put an end to the injustices on Earth. Because when contemplating it, a future with a lot of hope is needed.
Why don't we find the book of Enoch in the Bible?
The book of Enoch does not appear in the Bible as there are many arguments, but one of the main ones is that there are many contradictions in the dates found in the book of Enoch.
Another important point is that the book is not old enough and all the people who have translated the Bible did not include the book of Enoch. On the other hand, Enoch was not the publisher of the book as it is known today. That is why it is considered an apocryphal book and that it is not inspired by God.
The Letter of Judas and the Book of Enoch
Many have claimed that the prophetic words of Enoch are found in the biblical book of Jude. There is a passage where Enoch states, “ Look! Yahweh came with his holy legions to execute judgment on all and prove the guilt of all the ungodly.”
Experts say that the prophetic theory that Enoch manifested against the wicked was a direct quote found in the book of Enoch. Although many wonder why Judas included it in his work, when the book of Enoch is hypocritical and unreliable.
There is also no knowledge of how Judas came to know the prophecies that Enoch recounted in his book. The most accurate explanation is that Judas may have had access to Enoch's writings.
If you have found this article on the Book of Enoch important, I invite you to visit the following links: