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Welcome to our series on The Book of Enoch. We invite your participation and contributions.
First Class:
Is the Book of Enoch Scripture?
It depends on your definition of Scripture and who you ask.
The Book of Enoch as we have it was written during the second century BCE, between the Tanach's conclusion with Malachi and the New Testament's compilation. It is one of the most important non-canonical apocryphal (some say pseudopigraphal) works. It is directly quoted in the New Testament in Jude 14-15:
Moreover, Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, also prophesied about these beings, saying, "Look! the Lord comes with his myriads of holy ones to execute judgment against everyone, to convict all the godless for their godless deeds which they have done in such a godless way, and for all the harsh words these godless sinners have spoken against Him.In my soon to be released book Above We Stand we read:
Emmanuel nodded. "If you are familiar with the Book of Enoch, it is in there, and this is also discussed in Yeshua’s parable about separating the goats from the sheep. Such a separation must occur. Those cast out into outer darkness, as described by Enoch, Yeshua, John the Revelator, and others, must be cast out because of their own choices. Those who love will inherit the earth... That should be our focus, not those who have rejected their humanity. They have made their choices.” Emmanuel lifted his right hand and pointed towards the heavens as he said this, emphasizing his words.
Suddenly, the room was filled with a glorious pinkish-white light, and the Song of Redemption began as if the Creator were attesting to Emmanuel’s words.Let us choose love and light and be among those who enter the Promised Land.
Enoch Walked With God
The Ethiopic Coptic Church (believed to have been founded by the Apostle John) preserved the Book of Enoch and still accepts the book as holy scripture.
The author of the Book of Hebrews states, at 11:5, "By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death: 'He could not be found, because God had taken him away.' Before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God."
Paul's fellow missionary Barnabus wrote:
Barnabas 4:2 Let us give no relaxation to our soul that it should have liberty to consort with sinners and wicked men, lest haply we be made like unto them.
4:3 The last offence is at hand, concerning which the scripture speaks, as Enoch saith. For to this end, the Master has cut the seasons and the days short, that His beloved might hasten and come to His inheritance.
4:4 And the prophet also speaks in this way: Ten reigns shall reign upon the earth, and after them shall arise another king, who shall bring low three of the kings under one.
4:5 Likewise, Daniel speaks concerning the same; And I saw the forth beast to be wicked and strong and more intractable than all the beasts of the earth, and how there arose from him ten horns, and from these a little horn and excrescence, and how that it abased under one three of the great horns.Many in the early Way Sect and several Christian Church Fathers, such as Athenagoras, Clement of Alexandria, and Tertullian, who wrote, circa 200, that the Jews had rejected the Book of Enoch because it purportedly contained prophecies about Jesus, accepted it as scripture.
The Books of Prophet Enoch had a profound influence on the Way Jewish sect of Yeshua ben Miriam and his followers, as well as on Gnosticism and early Christianity, and on many Jews. The only Jewish community that accepts the Book of Enoch as canonical is the Ethiopian Jewish community known as Beta Israel. This community, who are Haymanot Jews rather than Rabbinic Jews, preserves the book in its liturgical language, called Ge'ez, and the book continues to play a central role in their worship.
Traditionally, there are considered to be three main "books" of Enoch: 1 Enoch, 2 Enoch (also known as the Secrets of Enoch), and 3 Enoch. However, 1 Enoch is divided into several sections, including the Book of Watchers, the Book of Similitudes, the Astronomical Book, the Book of Dreams, and the Epistle of Enoch. Fragments of ten Enoch manuscripts were also found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. There is an extensive amount of literature associated with Enoch, the author(s) of Enoch.
Enoch is filled with visions of the heavens and hells of the Eastern desert dwellers, of faithful and fallen angels, devils, and of the Nephilim. Enoch's prophecy speaks of the appearance of the final Messiah, the resurrection of the dead, and most powerful, of a final judgment which will lead to the Olam Haba, or theocratic global Kingdom of Mashiach ben David, and how these historic transitions will occur.
The author(s) of Enoch claims divine instruction on calendrical systems, geography, cosmology, astronomy, and meteorology. The Enoch library provides sufficient information for forming a stand-alone religion rooted deeply in early biblical faith. While such a community is not known to have been created, some claim it was, but as a mystery cult, and that it continues to exist as a secret order actively opposing the mysterious Nephilim that we frequently discuss in our classes. Some who follow the book as scripture say Paul not only knew of it, but he always carried a copy with him as his primary scripture. He refers to the mysterious brotherhood directly as 'that which hinders' the rise of the Son of Perdition's Globalism in II Thessalonians 2:6. However, no objective evidence supports these claims. Still, it is commonly accepted in some circles.
I'd like to begin our study with a theatrical overview. There is a 2025 movie called "The Book of Enoch: The Movie that Shocked the World." The movie is an hour and twenty-one minutes long. Let's watch part of it this evening and the second part next Thursday. It is a powerful presentation of the book. After we see the second half, we will begin reading the book itself.
Note that the Book of Enoch has inspired many Christians since its Way Sect beginnings as a prophecy of the coming of the Israelite Messiah. Believing as Christians do that Yeshua ben Miriam is the Messiah, they seek to find support in the book, as they seek in the Tanach. Those of us who do not believe Yeshua is the Messiah, since he did not fulfill the biblical requirements, honor the Book of Enoch and see no connection to Yeshua. Christian followers of Enoch created the following movie. Therefore, in this film, you will see certain symbols, such as crosses and a "Follow Jesus" link tag. These are not mentioned in the book. The filmmakers use creative license with these. They can be ignored. Of course, the cross is an ancient symbol predating Yeshua, so their presence in the film, even if historically accurate, would not connect to Yeshua, who died on a stake ( staurous ) a couple of hundred years (according to scholars) to 2000 years (according to the text) later. On the first night, we will watch the First Book of Enoch, which ends at marker 31:12. On the second night, we will watch the Second Book of Enoch.
Second Class:
Conclusion of The Book of Enoch (2025) The Movie that Shocked the World (see above beginning at marker 31:12)
Third and Subsequent Classes:
Third Class Officially, modern Judaism and Christianity consider the Book of Enoch heretical (i.e., a book that teaches unapproved doctrines). The Rabbinate lists the Book of Enoch as a pseudobiographical work, i.e., a work whose author is uncertain ("pseudonymous"), hence, in part, it is not included within the Jewish or Christian canon. But note that the label "apocryphal" does not mean it is spurious. The term "apocrypha" itself merely means "hidden" or "secret" in Greek. While the books listed as such are sometimes viewed as less authoritative than the canonical books of the Bible, the term can also denote that their content is considered too mystical or powerful for general consumption. In the New Testament, the author of the Book of Hebrews is also unknown, and yet the Church accepts it. Many modern scholars question or flatly deny that Moshe wrote the Torah, and yet the Rabbinate and Christian leaders accept it. Rejecting the Book of Enoch on this ground is therefore baseless.
Fourth Class Most modern scholars agree that the biblical Enoch (the seventh from Adam) did not write these books. They point out that during the second century BCE, the date of the oldest copies, authors often used pseudonyms to protect themselves from accusations of heresy and as acts of piety, by not claiming credit. This, however, should be admitted as an assumption only. It is possible that, as a powerful mystical text, the scrolls were kept hidden from the public until a time deemed appropriate for their release. This would make some sense considering that, based on Daniel's calculations, many thought the time for liberation was fast approaching between the first centuries BCE and CE. This is also conjecture, to be clear, but it makes as much sense as the other theories.
The truth is, there is no certain evidence of when the Book of Enoch was written, or by whom. Additionally, scholars often assume that there were multiple authors of the book(s), but this is also uncertain. Enoch walked by faith, and so do those who seek to follow his example, modern scholarly criticism aside.
The Book of Enoch is not included in the Christian Bible or the Jewish Tanakh for a few given reasons: it was not written by the Enoch mentioned in Genesis as it claims (according to most scholars), it was not widely accepted as inspired scripture by the Jewish Rabbinate or the Catholic See who created the Greek New Testament canon. It is, however, included in the Ethiopian Orthodox Bible, which has 88 books. By contrast, there are 24 books in the Jewish Tanach, 73 books in the standard Roman Catholic Bible, 76 or 77 books in the Eastern Orthodox Bible, and 66 books in the standard Protestant versions. Each of the accepted canons leaves out or includes works that the others do not. Which canon is correct?
While the content of the Book of Enoch mostly supports the biblical (Tanach) accounts, its glorification and renumeration of angels (something otherwise not done before the Book of Daniel and never to this degree) and its treatment of the Nephilim are certainly non-traditional within the religious hierarchies of the Jewish and Christian faiths. On the other hand, God warned Enoch that those in authority would reject his work, and they did. Their acceptance or rejection is not the deciding factor for those who embrace the book as scripture. So, again, which canon is correct? Who has the authority to decide?
My teachings have always included discussions drawn, in part, from Enoch, about the continuing role of the Nephilim in the spiritual and material realms. John the Revelator's references to Babylon the Great and the Watchers (a key group of the Nephilim), plus its being cited by Jewish New Testament authors and the Orthodox Ethiopian Patriarchate and Church, lend at least as much credence to its claims as the circumstantial evidence proffered by its detractors for its exclusion. For example, critics sometimes say that since the Torah's Enoch lived before Noah, he could not have spoken of him by name, as Enoch does. This argument assumes the all-knowing God was not involved. Elohim could easily have given this information to Enoch. I consider the book a legitimate and inspired work of prophecy and believe it should have been included in the Jewish and thence Christian Bibles.
The role of the celestial entities, as presented within the Book of Enoch, supports this understanding and is not only one of the earliest sources of these teachings but likely inspired Daniel, John, and many other canonical works in both the Tanach and the Brit Hadasha or New Testament. I have therefore always found this book fascinating and informative.
It should be considered that, like other ancient works, the Book of Enoch is a product of its time and culture. It is essential to approach this with circumspection and historical context rather than with a literalist acceptance. If the Book is accepted as Scripture, we should remember that Scripture seeks to lift us towards God, not terrify us with a sense of doom, as many interpret Enoch. The author of the Book of Enoch seeks to encourage teshuvah (repentance) and obedience to God, not to terrify us or make us feel hopeless. Nonetheless, the Message of the book is one of stern warning: By embracing Hidden Forbidden Knowledge not intended for humans, Homo sapiens have ventured into areas that are harmful and have caused themselves and the earth many woes. The Creator intended for us to live agrarian lives of faith, but we have devised other lifestyles and, in the process, brought great sorrow to all creation. Is this not what we learn from the Genesis account of our banishment from Eden? The Book of Eden is harmonious with the biblical accounts. It just takes us much deeper.
Let's begin reading.
There are various translations of the Book of Enoch.
The Complete Ethiopian Orthodox Bible in English: Including Apocrypha, Deuterocanonical Books, Jubilees, Enoch, and The Lost Scriptures is possibly the most authentic and readily available in English. It is avaiable on Amazon.com.
For this series we will use: The Complete Book of Enoch, Standard English Version.
There is also a nice audio version available for those who may wish to hear it called:
The Complete Book of Enoch by Alexander Scourby.
Conclusion:
The flag in the following video is that of Ethiopia:
Forbidden Knowledge: The Watchers EXPLAINED in the Book of Enoch!
The Message of the Book of Enoch is as presented in this video.
Be the Blessing you were created to be
And
Don't let the perfect defeat the good
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