Enoch Was Not The Son of Man in 1Enoch 71:14
By
James Scott Trimm
Near the end of the Book of Parables in the Book of Enoch, a section in which Enoch ascends to heaven and sees many visions involving a figure it calls “The Son of Man” we read:
And he (i.e. the angel) came to me and greeted me with His voice, and said unto me ‘This is the Son of Man who is born unto righteousness, and righteousness abides over him, and the righteousness of the Ancient of Days forsakes him not.
(1Enoch 71:14 Book of Enoch Study Edition by James Scott Trimm)
Why have I translated this passage as I have above?
This verse of 1Enoch has survived only in the Ethiopic version. The phrase “This is the Son of Man” in the Ethiopic of this verse is walda be’si.
This passage has created a great deal of confusion. In Hebrew the phrase “son of man” is an idiomatic expression for a human being. However there is also an important figure called “The Son of Man” spoken of in Dan. 7:13 and through-out the Book of Parables.
Confusion is created by this passage which has resulted in a variety of English translation options. R.H Charles translates “This is the Son of Man”; Laurance translates “Thou art offspring of man”. Matthew Black translates “You are the Son of Man”; Isaac translates “You, son of man”.
Isaac has a foot-note stating that if this referred to “The Son of Man” the Ethiopic should be [walda] sab’e “son of people” or eg-wula-’emma heyyaw “son of the mother of the living” which are normally used in Enoch for “The Son of Man” and that the use of be’si in this verse for “man” indicates only the idiom for a human being.
However the same word is used in 46:3; 62:5 and 69:29 for “The Son of Man.” Certainly Enoch is not the “Son of Man” in these passages because in these passages Enoch sees the Son of Man.
The misunderstanding of this passage as identifying Enoch as being “The Son of Man” (as in Black’s translation) may have led to the identification of Enoch with “Metatron” who is in the Zohar identified as the “Son of Yah” and the Middle Pillar of the Godhead” and in some ancient sources called the “Lesser YHWH”. This may also have led to the deification of Enoch in paganism as the false Egyptian god Thoth (as well as Hermes and Mercury).
