Today’s episode is brought to you by Wondrium As we continue with our journey through the
Book of Enoch, we see the author of the text begin to shorten his chapters significantly,
at least between chapters 28 and 31. In these chapters, Enoch is seen to visit more of the
same places that he’s come to find himself in including mountain ranges, deserts, fields
and other organic landscapes. Why these were included at all is not known for sure,
especially given that the next few locations don’t seem to add anything new to the story.
It might be suggested however that this was the author’s intention to really drive home
the point that Enoch was fascinated by his God’s work and perhaps to remind the average reader
of how amazing the features of the world are - those which might otherwise be taken for granted.
As we’ve seen in the last few chapters, Enoch’s most recent journeys to these incredible places
have seen him accompanied by an archangel and as you might’ve guessed, that trend
continues as this time, it is the Archangel Raphael who once again graces Enoch’s side.
But before we dive into the next five chapters of the Book of Enoch,
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And now back to Enoch
Enoch’s continued amazement of these places continues in chapter 28, where he says “And
thence I went towards the east, into the midst of the mountain range of the desert,
and I saw a wilderness and it was solitary,
full of trees and plants. And water gushed forth from above. Rushing like a copious
watercourse which flowed towards the north-west it caused clouds and dew to ascend on every side.”
This section is quite self-explanatory and doesn’t require much dissection. As mentioned, it’s
probable that the author of the Enochian legend wished to emphasize the awesomeness of some of
nature’s most stunning details - those which can often go ignored or otherwise underappreciated.
In some manner, believers might add that their God’s ability to create these magnificent sites
also goes overlooked and that their god does not receive the proper praise for creating such
things. It’s interesting that Enoch is able to fit so much into this chapter and it’s almost like he
now cannot look anywhere without seeing something that takes his breath away - such is the beauty
of the world. If it isn’t the mountain range that gives him pause, it is the desert itself
and if it isn’t the desert then it is the wilderness and the solitude it bears. Yet, even in
this stark wilderness there are trees and plants and water gushes forth from above, showing us
that even in the darkest places of the world, life exists and perhaps by extension, so does beauty.
In Chapter 29 he continues, “And thence I went to another place in the desert,
and approached to the east of this mountain range. And there I saw aromatic trees exhaling
the fragrance of frankincense and myrrh, and the trees also were similar to the almond tree.”
Yet again, we see Enoch sparing no opportunity to report on his surroundings as he seeks to paint a
picture of not only what he sees, but also of what he smells - that being frankincense and myrrh.
In Chapter 30 he goes onto say, “And beyond these, I went a far to the east, and I saw another place,
a valley full of water. And therein there was a tree, the colour of fragrant trees such as the
mastic. And on the sides of those valleys I saw fragrant cinnamon. And beyond these
I proceeded to the east.” It is unknown what this ‘valley full of water’ is referring to,
but it’s interesting that he notes that there is a fragrant tree found there in this spot. Yet again,
it’s hard to understand the significance of this tree in this valley of water because Enoch is
too vague with his words. You might compare this tree to Jeremiah’s account in the bible
where he declares that the blessed will be like a tree planted by the water. Such a tree would never
fear when it was hot, for its roots were in the stream and its leaves therefore would always be
green. It would always produce fruit too - even in times of famine. Ultimately, such a tree would not
waver in hard times for it had access to water, and so a person ought to have been the same,
for he would always have access to God. Pairing this metaphor up with the tree that Enoch sees in
the valley of water is a bit of a stretch though and like many of the things in the story of Enoch,
much will be left unsolved. In Chapter 31, he tells us that
“And I saw other mountains, and amongst them were groves of trees and there flowed forth from them
nectar, which is named sarara and galbanum. And beyond these mountains I saw another mountain
to the east of the ends of the earth, whereon were aloe-trees, and all the trees were full of stacte,
being like almond-trees. And when one burnt it, it smelt sweeter than any fragrant odor.”
In the last of these mini chapters, Enoch describes seeing another mountain range
that boasts groves of trees. And from these trees, there flows nectar - which
you can imagine evokes some impressive imagery. Beyond this there are other trees, aloe-trees,
trees full of stacte, almond trees - perhaps all the trees that one can imagine.
Of these trees, Enoch tells us that they produce the sweetest of odors which yet again shows us
Enoch’s effort to not only detail what he sees, but what he hears, feels, tastes and hears.
But regrettably, it’s quite hard to reconcile any of his observations to anything in the bible,
let alone derive any real significance beyond face value. It is only by chapter 32 do we see
Enoch refocus his sights on the more fantastical elements, those being the likes of the angels.
He tells us, “And after these fragrant odors, as I looked towards the north over the mountains,
I saw seven mountains full of choice nard and fragrant trees and cinnamon and pepper.
And then I went over the summits of all these mountains, far towards the east of the earth,
and passed above the Erythraean sea and went far from it and passed over the angel Zotiel.”
With Enoch passing over the Erythraean sea, it gives us some idea as to where he was on Earth.
The Erythraean sea was once an ancient geography comprising of Arabian sea,
the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf and whilst at this point it isn’t necessarily essential to note
Enoch’s exact location, it does reinforce the idea that these were Enoch’s efforts to both promote
and appreciate the world around him. Everything he had seen in the previous chapter were earthly
elements, and whilst they might sound magical, they were and are very much real - once more,
perhaps a testament to his God’s ability to create such things in the first place.
But it is here in the sea that Enoch passes over the angel Zotiel, an angel we’ve not
heard of thus far in the Book of Enoch. Very little is known about the angel Zotiel
and the only idea that I was able to find suggests that Zotiel was a guard at the garden of Eden.
His name was believed to mean ‘the blaze of God’ and because God had placed angels with
flaming swords at the gates of Eden, some believe that this was a form of Zotiel,
or that Zotiel was an angel who transformed himself into a blazing, flaming sword.
Such an idea can be reinforced by the fact that Enoch is heading towards the Garden of Eden
and so by soaring over the gates, he would’ve had to have passed Zotiel on his way.
Indeed, Enoch does tell us, “And I came to the Garden of Righteousness, and saw beyond those
trees many large trees growing there and of goodly fragrance, large, very beautiful and glorious,
and the tree of wisdom whereof they eat and know great wisdom. That tree is in height like the fir,
and its leaves are like those of the Carob tree: and its fruit is like the clusters of the vine,
very beautiful; and the fragrance of the tree penetrates a far.”
Here, we see that Enoch is indeed in the garden of Eden, or the ‘Garden of Righteousness’
and that just like any other place, he finds it to be a most glorious spectacle.
Here we see that he actually does come into contact with the tree of knowledge
and appears to know of both Adam and Eve’s failure to resist the wisdom that it offered. Furthermore,
to Enoch’s credit, despite admiring the tree and absorbing its beauty,
he does not appear to be compelled to eat from it. Now, you might argue that eating from it
would have been foolish for not only would he have incurred the wrath of God there and then,
but mankind now already had knowledge courtesy of Adam and Eve. Yet, Enoch doesn’t appear to
be curious as to what the fruit tastes like from this tree, evidently keen to avoid making the same
mistakes as the last humans who were once here. He continues, “Then I said: ‘How beautiful is
the tree, and how attractive is its look! Then Raphael, the holy angel, who was with me, answered
me and said: ‘This is the tree of wisdom, of which thy father old (in years) and thy aged mother,
who were before thee, have eaten, and they learnt wisdom and their eyes were opened,
and they knew that they were naked and they were driven out of the garden.”
Here, Raphael gives a steely reminder of the sin that had once taken place here and you might
say that this is a cautionary message to Enoch, warning him from being too besotted with the tree.
Indeed, whilst he does resist the allures of the tree, he is keen to point out how beautiful it is
and how attractive it looks. Perhaps Raphael noticed this slight zealousness in Enoch
and sought to compose him, lest he make the same mistakes as Adam and Eve. Of course, it was never
the tree itself that posed a threat, and the tree itself was not the source of temptation.
Instead, this was the serpent, which as you can see from the text was absent from this scene. This
section of the text can make one wonder that if there was no serpent, perhaps Adam and Eve
would never have gone near the tree and truly would have obeyed God’s instructions.
Indeed, it might also be said that if Adam and Eve had been accompanied by Archangel Raphael
as Enoch was, then they may have made the right choice when the serpent emerged, for his voice
of reason would have delivered them from evil. But as we know from Genesis, that was not the
case, and it would appear that God might’ve taken some precautions in letting a man, even Enoch,
get near the tree again.The presence of Archangel Raphael here isn’t exactly necessary considering
that Enoch has been to far worser places on his journey without need of an escort. Yet here,
Raphael is positioned to almost chaperone Enoch through the garden, explaining to him that this
is the tree of knowledge as well as providing him with subtle caution. Whether or not God instructed
Raphael to keep an eye on Enoch whilst he was in the Garden of Eden is not known for sure,
but given how man had betrayed him once, it wouldn’t have been a bad suggestion. Of course,
there is also an idea that the archangels are always with Enoch throughout his journey and so,
perhaps Raphael’s presence, as well as his conjecture is in line with the story, and
merely a way in which Raphael could sate Enoch’s curiosity in regards to this ‘beautiful tree’.
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