Book of Enoch
The Book of Enoch is an ancient Jewish religious text attributed to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah, and is composed of multiple sections believed to have been written by various authors over several centuries. It primarily explores themes of fallen angels, known as the Watchers, who defy divine orders, leading to their punishment and the creation of the Nephilim, a race of giants. This apocalyptic literature encompasses visions of judgment, the fate of the wicked, and prophetic insights into a future messianic figure referred to as the Son of Man, which has influenced Christian theology.
Although the Book of Enoch was significant in early Christian thought, it was excluded from the canonical texts of both Judaism and Christianity, being deemed heretical by the late fourth century. However, it has been preserved in its entirety by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which considers it scripture. The book gained renewed interest in the 18th century and was further supported by discoveries of fragments among the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947. Today, it continues to intrigue scholars, religious thinkers, and enthusiasts alike, with connections drawn to extraterrestrial theories and its portrayal in popular culture.
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Book of Enoch
The Book of Enoch is a collection of ancient Jewish religious writings attributed to the biblical Enoch but believed to have been written by other authors over the course of centuries. The text is divided into five sections and describes a group of fallen angels punished for interacting with humans. It also recounts the apocalyptic visions of Enoch. While the writings were highly influential to the early Christian church, most Jewish and Christian leaders refused to include the book as canon in any of their religious scriptures. Only the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church considers the book to be part of its official religious teachings.
Origins and History
Enoch is mentioned in the Bible's Book of Genesis as the father of Methuselah and the grandfather of Noah. He is said to have lived for 365 years before God escorted him into heaven. The book attributed to him is a series of texts believed to have been written by several Jewish authors during the course of two or three centuries. The work is considered to be pseudepigraphal, or writing that is falsely attributed to another, more famous author. Researchers believe the earliest sections of the book originated sometime in the third century B.C.E. after the Jews returned to Israel from exile in Babylon. Other parts of the book are thought to have been written in the first and second centuries B.C.E.
The Book of Enoch is the oldest known Jewish work not included in the Bible, although it was mentioned in two books that were—Ecclesiastes and the Epistle of Jude. The book was held in high regard among early Christians and influenced many of the works of the New Testament. The term Son of Man, a title used to describe Jesus as the messiah in other biblical works, was first used in the Book of Enoch. Despite its popularity among Christians, the book was never included in any official church canon, and by the end of the fourth century C.E., it was considered heretical and condemned by the church. By about the year 500, it was believed lost.
The book survived, however, in Africa, where members of the Ethiopian Tewahedo Christian Church believed it to be divinely inspired scripture and incorporated it into their version of the Bible. About the time it fell out of favor in the Roman world, Ethiopian Christians translated it into their religious language and preserved history's only complete copy. The book was "rediscovered" in the eighteenth century and sparked a revival of interest among European scholars. In 1947, fragments of the Book of Enoch were discovered in a cave in the Israeli desert near the Dead Sea. Known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, the discovery supported the idea that the book had been written over a long period and its earliest sections originated at least as far back as the third century B.C.E.
Overview
The Book of Enoch is considered a work of apocalyptic literature, a genre of religious writing that incorporates prophetic visions of future cataclysmic events. It begins with a brief introductory prophecy about the "Great Judgement" and is then divided into five major sections. The first is called the Book of the Watchers and recounts the story of two hundred fallen angels known as the Watchers.
The Watchers were among the highest ranking angels in heaven and were assigned to come down to earth and watch over, or guide, the first humans. The Watchers, however, rebelled against their orders and taught humanity forbidden knowledge and how to wage war. They also mated with human women and produced offspring known as the Nephilim. The Nephilim were a race of giants who caused great destruction upon the earth. The actions of the Watchers and the Nephilim angered God, who sent a great flood to destroy the earth and wipe out the evil giants. As the Nephilim were destroyed, their souls became demons that continued to plague humankind. The Watchers, knowing they would be punished for their sins, approached Enoch to speak to God on their behalf and ask his forgiveness. God refused Enoch's request for mercy and instead cast the fallen angels into darkness. God then gave Enoch a vision of the future and the fate of the Watchers at the Last Judgement.
The second section is called the Book of Parables in which Enoch was presented with a vision of the Son of Man, a future messiah destined to act as a savior of the Jewish people. This figure was also described as the Chosen One, or the Anointed One. These terms were later translated by the early Christians into the Greek word Christos, from which came the title Christ given to the biblical Jesus.
The Book of Astronomical Writings describes Enoch's journey among the stars and contains lists of astronomical calculations. The Book of Dream Visions contains a revelation of the future apocalypse and the end of the world. It also features a symbolic history of humanity from the Creation to the Last Judgement. In this vision, humans are depicted as animals and angels as humans. The final book is the Epistle of Enoch in which Enoch preaches to the faithful and warns them to follow the path of righteousness or risk facing divine punishment. It also includes the Apocalypse of Weeks, which is said to be a vision of the final ten weeks of the world before the Last Judgement.
Other religious works bearing Enoch's name have also been discovered by researchers, including a fourteenth-century manuscript called the Book of the Secrets of Enoch and a fifth or sixth century C.E. work called the Book of Giants. Mystics of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries cited these works and the Book of Enoch as keys to conversing with angels and unlocking the secrets of the spiritual world. In the twenty-first century, believers who think that the earth has been visited by extraterrestrial life often cite Enoch's tale of the Watchers as proof that an advanced alien race influenced humanity in ancient times. The book has also been referenced in pop culture, with the Nephilim making an appearance in a 1998 episode of the television show The X-Files.
Bibliography
"Aliens Among Us." History.com, www.history.ca/ancient-aliens/episode-guide/aliens-among-us/. Accessed 7 Oct. 2016.
"The Book of Enoch." The History of Israel, www.israel-a-history-of.com/the-book-of-enoch.html. Accessed 6 Oct. 2016.
Charles, R. H. The Book of Enoch the Prophet. Weiser Books, 2012.
Donaldson, Amy M. We Want to Believe: Faith and Gospel in The X-Files. Cascade Books, 2011.
"The First Book of Enoch." Wesley Center for Applied Theology, 2000, wesley.nnu.edu/sermons-essays-books/noncanonical-literature/noncanonical-literature-ot-pseudepigrapha/the-first-book-of-enoch/. Accessed 6 Oct. 2016.
Howard, Michael. "Enoch & the Watchers: The Real Story of Angels & Demons." New Dawn, 15 Feb. 2014, www.newdawnmagazine.com/articles/enoch-the-watchers-the-real-story-of-angels-demons. Accessed 6 Oct. 2016.
Stone, Michael E. "Jewish Holy Scriptures: The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha." Jewish Virtual Library, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/apocrypha.html. Accessed 6 Oct. 2016.
VanderKam, James C. "The Enoch Literature." University of St Andrews, 1997, www.st-andrews.ac.uk/divinity/rt/otp/guestlectures/vanderkam/. Accessed 6 Oct. 2016.