Enoch appears in the Book of Genesis of the Hebrew Bible and is a figure in the Generations
of Adam.
Enoch is the son of Jared, the father of Methuselah, and the great-grandfather of Noah.
Enoch lived 365 years before he was taken by God, which is small amount of time compared
to his offspring Methuselah, who lived to be 969 years old.
The text reads that Enoch "walked with God: and he was no more; for God took him".
This Enoch is not to be confused with Cain's son Enoch whose lineage also contains the
name Lamech the same name of Noah's father but not referring to the same man.
The Christian New Testament has three references to Enoch from the lineage of Seth.
Enoch in the Book of Genesis Enoch appears in the Book of Genesis of the
Pentateuch as the seventh of the ten pre-Deluge Patriarchs.
Genesis recounts that each of the pre-Flood Patriarchs lives for several centuries, has
a son, lives more centuries, and then dies.
Enoch is considered by many to be the exception, who is said to not "see death" "for God took
him."
Furthermore, Gen 5:22-29 states that Enoch lived 365 years which is extremely short in
the context of his peers.
The brief account of Enoch in Genesis 5 ends with the note that he "was no more" and that
"God took him."
Apocryphal Books of Enoch Three extensive apocryphal works are attributed
to Enoch: 1st Book of Enoch, or simply the Book of Enoch,
an apocryphal book in the Ethiopic Bible that is usually dated between the third century
BCE and the first century CE.
2nd Book of Enoch, an apocryphal book in the Old Slavonic Bible usually dated to the first
century CE.
3rd Book of Enoch, a Rabbinic text in Hebrew usually dated to the fifth century CE.
These recount how Enoch is taken up to Heaven and is appointed guardian of all the celestial
treasures, chief of the archangels, and the immediate attendant on God's throne.
He is subsequently taught all secrets and mysteries and, with all the angels at his
back, fulfils of his own accord whatever comes out of the mouth of God, executing His decrees.
Much esoteric literature like the 3rd Book of Enoch identifies Enoch as the Metatron,
the angel which communicates God's word.
In consequence, Enoch was seen, by this literature, and the Rabbinic kabbala of Jewish mysticism,
as having been the one which communicated God's revelation to Moses, in particular,
the dictator of the Book of Jubilees.
Enoch in classical Rabbinical literature In classical Rabbinical literature, there
are various views of Enoch.
A prevailing view regarding Enoch was that of Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, which thought of
Enoch as a pious man, taken to Heaven, and receiving the title of Safra rabba.
However, after Christendom was completely separated from Judaism, the Jewish view of
Enoch was he was the only pious man of his time and was taken away before he would become
corrupted.
According to Rashi [from Genesis Rabba], “Enoch was a righteous man, but he could easily be
swayed to return to do evil.
Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, hastened and took him away and caused him to die before
his time.
For this reason, Scripture changed [the wording] in [the account of] his demise and wrote,
‘and he was no longer’ in the world to complete his years.”
Among the minor Midrashim, esoteric attributes of Enoch are expanded upon.
In the Sefer Hekalot, Rabbi Ishmael is described as having visited the 7th Heaven, where he
meets Enoch, who claims that earth had, in his time, been corrupted by the demons Shammazai,
and Azazel, and so Enoch was taken to Heaven to prove that God was not cruel.
Similar traditions are recorded in Sirach.
Later elaborations of this interpretation treated Enoch as having been a pious ascetic,
who, called to mix with others, preached repentance, and gathered a vast collection of disciples,
to the extent that he was proclaimed king.
Under his wisdom, peace is said to have reigned on earth, to the extent that he is summoned
to Heaven to rule over the sons of God.
In a parallel with Elijah, in sight of a vast crowd begging him to stay, he ascends to Heaven
on a horse.
Enoch in Christianity Septuagint
The third-century BC translators who produced the Greek Septuagint rendered the phrase "God
took him" with the Greek verb metatithemi meaning moving from one place to another.
Sirach 44:16, from about the same period, states that "Enoch pleased God and was translated
into paradise that he may give repentance to the nations."
The Greek word used here for paradise, 'paradeisos', was derived from an ancient Persian word meaning
"enclosed garden", and was used in the Septuagint to describe the Garden of Eden.
Later, however, the term became synonymous for heaven, as is the case here.
New Testament The New Testament contains three references
to Enoch.
The first is a brief mention in one of the genealogies of the ancestors of Jesus by Luke.
The second mention is in Hebrews 11: 5 it says "By faith Enoch was translated that he
should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation
he had this testimony, that he pleased God."
suggesting he did not experience the mortal death ascribed to Adam's other descendants
and that he is still alive to this very day.
The third mention is in the Epistle of Jude where the author attributes to "Enoch, the
Seventh from Adam" a passage unknown in the Old Testament.
The quotation is believed by most modern scholars to be taken from 1 Enoch 1:9 which exists
in Greek, in Ethiopic, as part of the Ethiopian Orthodox canon, and also in Aramaic among
the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Though the same scholars recognise that 1 Enoch 1:9 itself is a midrash of the words
of Moses "he came from the ten thousands of holy ones" from Deuteronomy 33:2.
The introductory phrase "Enoch, the Seventh from Adam" is also found in 1 Enoch, though
not in the Old Testament.
In the New Testament this Enoch prophesies "to" ungodly men, that God shall come with
His holy ones to judge and convict them.
Early Christianity Early Christianity contains various traditions
concerning the "translation" of Enoch.
Regarding the quotation in Jude, most of early Christianity considered it an independent
quotation pre-dating the flood.
Regarding the Book of Enoch itself Origen, Jerome and Augustin mention it, but as of
no authority.
Justin, Athenagoras, Irenaeus, Clemens Alexandrinus, Lactantius, and others borrowed an opinion
out of this book of Enoch, that the angels had connection with the daughters of men,
of whom they had offspring.
Tertullian, in several places, speaks of this book with esteem; and would persuade us, that
it was preserved by Noah during the deluge.
Medieval and Reformation According to the Figurists, Fu Xi in China's
ancient history is actually Enoch.
Modern Christianity Enoch is not counted as a saint in Roman Catholic
tradition, though Enoch has a saints day, July 26, in the Armenian Apostolic Church.
The "St. Enoch" in the place name St. Enoch's Square, Glasgow, is a corruption from the
site of a medieval chapel to Saint Teneu, the legendary mother of Saint Mungo, and unconnected
with Enoch.
Enoch is revered in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and the Enochic texts Jubilees and
1 Enoch regarded as the 13th and 14th books, respectively, of the Tewahedo Old Testament
canon.
Most churches, including the Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Protestant churches, do not
accept the books.
Some Evangelical commentators consider Enoch to be one of the Two Witnesses in the Book
of Revelation due to the fact that he did not die according to Genesis 5:24.
Two televangelists holding this view, for example, are Pastor John Hagee of Christians
United for Israel and Hebrew Roots Bible teacher Perry Stone.
In LDS theology Among the Latter Day Saint movement and particularly
in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Enoch is viewed as having founded
an exceptionally righteous city, named Zion, in the midst of an otherwise wicked world.
This view is encountered in the Mormon scripture, the Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrine
and Covenants, which states that not only Enoch, but the entire peoples of the city
of Zion, were taken off this earth without death, because of their piety.
The Doctrine and Covenants further states that Enoch prophesied that one of his descendants,
Noah, and his family, would survive a Great Flood and thus carry on the human race and
preserve the Gospel.
The Book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price has several chapters that give an account
of Enoch's preaching, visions and conversations with God.
In these same chapters are details concerning the wars, violence and natural disasters in
Enoch's day, and notable miracles performed by Enoch.
The Book of Moses is itself an excerpt from Joseph Smith's translation of the Bible, which
is published in full, complete with these chapters concerning Enoch, by Community of
Christ, as the Holy Scriptures/Inspired Version of the Bible, where it appears as part of
the Book of Genesis.
D&C 104:24 / 107:48-49 states that Adam ordained Enoch to the higher priesthood at age 25,
that he was 65 when Adam blessed him, and he lived 365 years after that until he was
translated, so making him 430 years old when that occurred.
Additionally in LDS theology, Enoch is implied to be the scribe who recorded Adam's blessings
and prophecies at Adam-ondi-Ahman, as recorded in D&C 107:53-57 / D&C 104:29b.
Enoch in Islam
In the Quran, Enoch is sometimes identified with Idris, as for example by the History
of Al-Tabari and the Meadows of Gold.
The Quran contains two references to Idris; in Surah Al-Anbiya verse number 85, and in
Surah Maryam verses 56-57: (The Prophets, 21:85): "And the same blessing
was bestowed upon Ismail and Idris and Zul-Kifl, because they all practised fortitude."
(Mary 19:56-57): "And remember Idris in the Book; he was indeed very truthful, a Prophet.
And We lifted him to a lofty station".
Idris is closely linked in Muslim tradition with the origin of writing and other technical
arts of civilization, including the study of astronomical phenomena, both of which Enoch
is credited with in the Testament of Abraham.
Nonetheless, even aside from the identification of Idris and Enoch, many Muslims still honor
Enoch as one of the earliest prophets, regardless of whether they equate him with Idris or not.
Thus, views on Enoch are divided into two groups:
The first believes that Enoch and Idris are one and the same.
The second believes that Enoch and Idris are two different prophets.
See also Adam and Eve
References
External links Jewish Encyclopedia Enoch
The Descendants of Adam, The Legacy of Cain, The Souls Elijah and Enoch
Catholic Encyclopedia Henoch Andrei A. Orlov essays on 2 Enoch: Enoch as
the Heavenly Priest, Enoch as the Expert in Secrets, Enoch as the Scribe and Enoch as
the Mediator Ed.
Philip P. Wiener Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Cosmic Voyages
Dr. Reed C. Durham, Jr.
Comparison of Masonic legends of Enoch and Mormon scriptures description of Enoch