The Book of Enoch Restored
by
James Scott Trimm
The Book of Enoch was treasured by the ancient Nazarenes as an inspired book of prophecy authored by Enoch himself.
Yeshua’s own half-brother Y’hudah quotes from the Book of Enoch saying:
And Chanokh [Enoch], the seventh from Adam,
prophesied about these men saying:
Behold, YHWH comes with ten thousands of his set-apart-ones,
to execute judgment on all, co convict all who are wicked
among them of their wicked deeds which they have committed in
a wicked way, and all the harsh things which wicked sinners
have spoken against him.
(Yhudah (Jude) 1:14-15 HRV)
Some commentators have tried to minimize the importance of thisquotation, claiming that Y’hudah was only quoting the Book of Enoch in the way that Paul quoted Greek philosophers. In fact there are two very important features in Y’hudah’s citation.
First of all, while the Book of Enoch is quoted (specifically 1Enoch 1:9), Y’hudah attributes his quote, not to the Book of Enoch, but to the man Enoch (Enoch, seventh from Adam). Since we have copies of the Book of Enoch which predate the Book of Y’hudah, this quote tells us that Enoch seventh from Adam wrote the Book of Enoch.
Secondly Y’hudah uses the word “prophecy”. Y’hudah tells us that this quote from Enoch which comes from the Book of Enoch is “prophecy”. That is a very important statement.
Regarding prophecy Kefa (Peter) writes:
knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture
is of any private interpretation; for prophecy never
came by the will of man, but set-apart men of Eloah
spoke as they were moved by the Ruach HaKodesh.
(2Kefa (2Pt.) 1:20-21 – HRV)
So if, as Y’hudah tells us, the Book of Enoch is “prophecy” then Kefa tells us that it was inspired by the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit).
Paul has some important words for us about Scripture that is inspired:
Every writing which was written by the spirit is profitable
for teaching and for reproof and for correction and for
instruction in righteousness, that the son of man of Eloah
may be complete and whole for every good work.
(2Timothy 3:16-17 – HRV)
So if the Book of Enoch is prophecy then it was inspired by the Ruach HaKodesh. And if Enoch was inspired by the Ruach then it is profitable for teaching and for reproof and for correction and for instruction in righteousness. In other words, if Y’hudah is telling the truth then we should be using the Book of Enoch as Scripture and not taking it lightly!
As a matter of fact the ancient Nazarenes treasured the Book of Enoch and used it along side the books we know today as canon. This is evidenced by fact that Y’hudah quotes Enoch. R.H. Charles listed 128 locations where the Ketuvin Netzarim (The writings of the Nazarenes, commonly known today as the “New Testament”) is clearly influenced by statements in the Book of Enoch.
The Book of Enoch was used within Judaism at least as early as the second century B.C.E.. Seven fragmentary Aramaic copies were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Zohar also cites the Book of Enoch by name (Zohar 1:37b) and makes much use of its account of the fallen angels Shemikhaza (which the Zohar calls Uzael) and Azzazel.
The earliest Gentile Christians also accepted and made use of the Book of Enoch. Many of the so-called “Church Fathers” either quoted Enoch, or made use of it. Among these were the author of the Epistle of Pseudo-Barnabas, Justin Martyr (2nd C.), Irenaeus (2nd C.), Clement of Alexandria (2nd C.) and Origin (3rd C.). Tertullian (160-230 C.E.) even called the book “Holy Scripture”. The book was even canonized by the Ethiopic Church.
LOST AND FOUND
In the fourth century the Book of Enoch came under fire from such “Church Fathers” as Augustine, Hilary and Jerome. The Book of Enoch was soon banned except in the remote Ethiopic Church, which had canonized it. The original Hebrew was lost completely to time and has yet to be recovered. The Aramaic and Greek versions disappeared as well (portions of these have since been discovered. The complete text has survived only in Ethiopic.
The Book of Enoch was not recovered until the famous explorer James Bruce brought Ethiopic copies of the book to Europe in 1773. And it was not until 1800 that translations of any of the material were published.
In the twentieth Century, several very fragmentary Aramaic copies of the Book of Enoch were discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls and portions of two ancient Greek translations, and a small portion of a Latin translation were also discovered. However the text survives in it’s entirety only in Ethiopic.
FOR WHOM DID ENOCH WRITE?
The Book of Enoch is especially given for the benefit of those believers in the last days who are Torah Observant:
The words of the blessing with which Enoch
blessed the chosen and righteous,
who will be living in the day of tribulation,
when all the wicked and godless are to be removed.
(1Enoch 1:1)
Another book which Enoch wrote for his son Methuselah
and for those who will come after him,
and observe the Torah in the last days.
(1Enoch 108:1)
See my blog Why the Rabbis Suppressed the Book of Enoch
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Chapters 6 and 7 of the Book of Enoch are now up in Aramaic/English Interlinear, keyed to Strong’s word numbers at Scripture Nexus
