Chapter Two
First Enoch: Book of the Watchers and Book of Parables
| There are 3 books of Enoch. The book of First Enoch is estimated to
have on average to have been written between 250 BC and 50 AD. It is the
First book of Enoch which contains a verse that is quoted in Jude, in the
Bible, and thus is of interest to us. The book of Second Enoch is
estimated to have been written in the late first century AD, and the Third
book of Enoch is estimated to have been written in the 5th or 6th century
AD. There is no reason to think either the Second or Third book of Enoch
might be inspired scripture, and so we aren't going to be studying them
here.
The First Book of Enoch is divided into 5 sections, each of which were written at a different time. They are: The Book of Watchers (chapters 1-36) dated 3rd or early 2nd century BC, The Book of Parables (chapters 37-71) dated late 1st century BC, The Astronomical book (chapters 72-82) dated 3rd century BC, The Book of Dream Visions (chapters 83-90) dated 165-160 BC, The Epistle of Enoch (chapters 91-108) dated early 2nd century BC. And since these were separate sections, written at separate times, by likely different authors, we are at first are going to focus on the first 36 chapters of First Enoch, which compose the Book of Watchers. This is where the quote in Jude is found. I will refer to this section as First Enoch BW, please understand I am just referring to the Book of the Watchers. The first thing we need to look at with First Enoch BW is whether or not it is actually Holy Scripture inspired by God. If it is not, then Church doctrine cannot be based off of it. We might be able to gain understanding from it about what the Jews believed to be history in the early centuries BC, and during New Testament times. But unless First Enoch BW is inspired God-breathed scripture then we cannot place faith in it for sound teaching. 2 Tim 3:14-17 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. With what we can glean from Peter and Jude's letters, I think it is clear that some of what is taught in First Enoch BW was considered reliable and true by the disciples of Jesus and early church. This would mainly have to do with the Nephilim, the dead of whom are demons, their fallen angel fathers, and the imprisonment of those fallen angels in the Abyss. The applicable verses are:
2 Pet 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast
them into Tartaros and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for
judgment; Which line up with: 1 Enoch 10:11-15 And the Lord said unto Michael: Go, bind Semjaza and his associates who have united themselves with women so as to have defiled themselves with them in all their uncleanness. And when their sons have slain one another, and they have seen the destruction of their beloved ones, bind them fast for seventy generations in the valleys of the earth, till the day of their judgment and of their consummation, till the judgment that is for ever and ever is consummated. In those days they shall be led off to the abyss of fire: and to the torment and the prison in which they shall be confined for ever. And whosoever shall be condemned and destroyed will from thenceforth be bound together with them to the end of all generations. First Enoch BW is written from the perspective of Enoch himself in places: 1 Enoch 1:1-3 The words of the blessing of Enoch, wherewith he blessed the elect and righteous, who will be living in the day of tribulation, when all the wicked and godless are to be removed. And he took up his parable and said -Enoch a righteous man, whose eyes were opened by God, saw the vision of the Holy One in the heavens, which the angels showed me, and from them I heard everything, and from them I understood as I saw, but not for this generation, but for a remote one which is for to come. Concerning the elect I said, and took up my parable concerning them: 1 Enoch 12:3-4 And I Enoch was blessing the Lord of majesty and the King of the ages, and lo! the Watchers called me -Enoch the scribe- and said to me: 'Enoch, thou scribe of righteousness, go, declare to the Watchers of the heaven who have left the high heaven, the holy eternal place, and have defiled themselves with women, and have done as the children of earth do, and have taken unto themselves Jude quotes from the book and says the prophecy he is quoting was prophesied by Enoch: Jude 1:14-15 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard [speeches] which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Which matches 1 Enoch 1:9 And behold! He cometh with ten thousands of His holy ones, To execute judgment upon all, And to destroy all the ungodly: And to convict all flesh of all the works of their ungodliness which they have ungodly committed, And of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.) Enoch lived 7 generations after Adam, and First Enoch BW was written in the time between Malachi and Matthew, estimated somewhere from about 2nd to 3rd century BC. Some questions arise. How could First Enoch BW be Holy scripture, inspired by God, if it claims to be written by Enoch, yet the date it was written would show that to be impossible. Surely Holy Scripture must be truthful, the true Word of God. Therefore, it cant be false or have lies in it. That would mean it cant have the lie that it was written by Enoch himself if it fact was not written by Enoch. If the statement of authorship can't even be considered reliable, then surely no other information in First Enoch BW could be considered reliable either, at least not as Holy Scripture. Either something is inspired by God, or it is not, and sound doctrine can only be built off of God-breathed scripture. Otherwise we might as well start basing doctrine off of the Gnostic gospels, like the Davinci Code. The real issue here is not whether First Enoch BW was considered canon at some time in the past (which it was), but the question is how the Christian church should view the book today. Should we accept First Enoch BW as canon in the present? The Holy Spirit works through us as it did early Christians, and can give us discernment in the present. That First Enoch BW might have been incorrectly removed from canon over a thousand years ago should make no difference in accepting it as canon today, if the Holy Spirit leads us that this is the good course of action, and shows us today that it is Holy Scripture. Historically, the book could go either way, and has at times. (See later chapter for the history of First Enoch covered in detail.) But what do we do with it now? Also, how can Jude be considered reliable when he quotes from First Enoch BW, saying Enoch wrote it, if Enoch did not in fact write First Enoch BW? If Jude is scripture inspired by God, then Jude could not make the mistake of saying First Enoch BW was written by Enoch if it in fact was not. But Jude has been accepted as Holy Scripture for a long time, and must not be discarded. So how can anything in First Enoch BW, be taken on faith as reliable information, unless it is God-breathed? It can't. So what is the solution then? There is actually a Biblically sound and possible solution for how First Enoch BW could have been written when it was written, and still have been written by Enoch himself. We read in the gospels that John the Baptist was actually the prophet Elijah reincarnated. Elijah is one of only two men mentioned in the Bible to have not died. We read in the Bible that each man is given one time to die, and then the judgment. Therefore, only men who have never died could be reincarnated. We know Elijah was reincarnated as John the Baptist because Jesus tells us that John the Baptist was Elijah. So we must take this reincarnation on faith. (Please note, I am not saying reincarnation for any other people or person is possible or true as some Eastern religions claim.) This reincarnation was a special situation and circumstance. The only other person in the Bible to not have died, and thus able to be a possible candidate for reincarnation, is Enoch. Both Elijah and Enoch did not die, because God took them up into the sky, still alive. Therefore, I propose that Enoch was reincarnated some time between the 2nd and 3rd century BC, and God inspired him to write the scriptures quoted by Jude out of First Enoch BW, at the very least. Then the Holy inspiration of the book of Jude is no longer in question, as well as Peter and Jude's references and beliefs based on information in First Enoch is shown to be valid. Enoch himself actually did write (at least some of) First Enoch BW. In this there is no conflict. The question that next must be answered is if Enoch actually wrote all of First Enoch the Book of the Watchers, or just a part of it? The whole book should not be considered inspired based of of one verse in one chapter quoted by Jude. I've read First Enoch BW, and erring on the side of caution, analyzed it. So let's take it a piece at a time:
[Chapter 1] 1 The words of the blessing of Enoch, wherewith he blessed the elect and righteous, who will be 2 living in the day of tribulation, when all the wicked and godless are to be removed. And he took up his parable and said -Enoch a righteous man, whose eyes were opened by God, saw the vision of the Holy One in the heavens, which the angels showed me, and from them I heard everything, and from them I understood as I saw, but not for this generation, but for a remote one which is 3 for to come. Concerning the elect I said, and took up my parable concerning them: The Holy Great One will come forth from His dwelling, 5 And all shall be smitten with fear 6 And the high mountains shall be shaken, 7 And the earth shall be wholly rent in sunder, 8 But with the righteous He will make peace. And will protect the elect, And they shall all belong to God, And He will help them all, 9 And behold! He cometh with ten thousands of His holy ones And to convict all flesh {These underlined verses are directly quoted in the book of Jude, Jude saying Enoch prophesied this himself. This first section of chapter one should all be taken as going together, and as inspired scripture.} [Chapter 2] 1 Observe ye everything that takes place in the heaven, how they do not change their orbits, and the luminaries which are in the heaven, how they all rise and set in order each in its season, and 2 transgress not against their appointed order. Behold ye the earth, and give heed to the things which take place upon it from first to last, how steadfast they are, how none of the things upon earth 3 change, but all the works of God appear to you. Behold the summer and the winter, how the whole earth is filled with water, and clouds and dew and rain lie upon it. [Chapter 3] Observe and see how (in the winter) all the trees seem as though they had withered and shed all their leaves, except fourteen trees, which do not lose their foliage but retain the old foliage from two to three years till the new comes. [Chapter 4] And again, observe ye the days of summer how the sun is above the earth over against it. And you seek shade and shelter by reason of the heat of the sun, and the earth also burns with growing heat, and so you cannot tread on the earth, or on a rock by reason of its heat. [Chapter 5] 1 Observe ye how the trees cover themselves with green leaves and bear fruit: wherefore give ye heed and know with regard to all His works, and recognize how He that liveth for ever hath made them so. 2 And all His works go on thus from year to year for ever, and all the tasks which they accomplish for Him, and their tasks change not, but according as God hath ordained so is it done. 3 And behold how the sea and the rivers in like manner accomplish and change not their tasks from His commandments'. 4 But ye -ye have not been steadfast, nor done the commandments of the
Lord, 5 Therefore shall ye execrate your days, 6a In those days ye shall make your names an eternal execration unto
all the righteous, 6d And all the . . . shall rejoice, I And for all of you sinners there shall be no salvation, 8 And then there shall be bestowed upon the elect wisdom, 9 And they shall not again transgress, And their lives shall be increased in peace, I think that chapters 2-5 should also be taken as inspired scripture. They are in fact a continuation of chapter one. The term "elect" is used repeatedly throughout chapters 1-5, and the prophecy has a flow that runs together. Chapter 2 through the beginning of chapter 5 talks a lot about God's command over nature, which seems a break in the flow, but it all ties back in at the end of chapter 5 to match up with the sound of chapter 1. So I think Chapters 1-5 should all be taken as one section of First Enoch BW, and as inspired scripture that is God-breathed. We could stop here, but there is information about the fallen angels imprisoned in the Abyss that is given by Peter and Jude, which comes up in the very next section of First Enoch BW. Because Peter and Jude's understanding is in the Holy Bible, and thus basis for church doctrine, there is a major problem that the information they had is nowhere in the Old Testament, and cannot be drawn from the Old Testament. Gen 6 does not give details about the imprisonment of the fallen angels in the Abyss, but Jude and Peter accepted such as truth. There should be some Holy Scripture that Peter and Jude accepted as teaching about the fallen angels and the Abyss, but this is missing from the Bible today. And that information is found in the very next section in First Enoch BW. Here it is:
[Chapter 6] 1 And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto 2 them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: 'Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men 3 and beget us children.' And Semjaza, who was their leader, said unto them: 'I fear ye will not 4 indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.' And they all answered him and said: 'Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations 5 not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.' Then sware they all together and bound themselves 6 by mutual imprecations upon it. And they were in all two hundred; who descended in the days of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn 7 and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. And these are the names of their leaders: Samlazaz, their leader, Araklba, Rameel, Kokablel, Tamlel, Ramlel, Danel, Ezeqeel, Baraqijal, 8 Asael, Armaros, Batarel, Ananel, Zaq1el, Samsapeel, Satarel, Turel, Jomjael, Sariel. These are their chiefs of tens. [Chapter 7] 1 And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms 2 and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants. And they 3 became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: Who consumed 4 all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, the giants turned against 5 them and devoured mankind. And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and 6 fish, and to devour one another's flesh, and drink the blood. Then the earth laid accusation against the lawless ones. [Chapter 8] 1 And Azazel taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all 2 colouring tinctures. And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they 3 were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. Semjaza taught enchantments, and root-cuttings, 'Armaros the resolving of enchantments, Baraqijal (taught) astrology, Kokabel the constellations, Ezeqeel the knowledge of the clouds, Araqiel the signs of the earth, Shamsiel the signs of the sun, and Sariel the course of the moon. And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to heaven . . . [Chapter 9] 1 And then Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel looked down from heaven and saw much blood being 2 shed upon the earth, and all lawlessness being wrought upon the earth. And they said one to another: 'The earth made without inhabitant cries the voice of their cryingst up to the gates of heaven. 3 And now to you, the holy ones of heaven, the souls of men make their suit, saying, "Bring our cause 4 before the Most High."' And they said to the Lord of the ages: 'Lord of lords, God of gods, King of kings, and God of the ages, the throne of Thy glory (standeth) unto all the generations of the 5 ages, and Thy name holy and glorious and blessed unto all the ages! Thou hast made all things, and power over all things hast Thou: and all things are naked and open in Thy sight, and Thou seest all 6 things, and nothing can hide itself from Thee. Thou seest what Azazel hath done, who hath taught all unrighteousness on earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were (preserved) in heaven, which 7 men were striving to learn: And Semjaza, to whom Thou hast given authority to bear rule over his associates. And they have gone to the daughters of men upon the earth, and have slept with the 9 women, and have defiled themselves, and revealed to them all kinds of sins. And the women have 10 borne giants, and the whole earth has thereby been filled with blood and unrighteousness. And now, behold, the souls of those who have died are crying and making their suit to the gates of heaven, and their lamentations have ascended: and cannot cease because of the lawless deeds which are 11 wrought on the earth. And Thou knowest all things before they come to pass, and Thou seest these things and Thou dost suffer them, and Thou dost not say to us what we are to do to them in regard to these.' [Chapter 10] 1 Then said the Most High, the Holy and Great One spake, and sent Uriel to the son of Lamech, 2 and said to him: 'Go to Noah and tell him in my name "Hide thyself!" and reveal to him the end that is approaching: that the whole earth will be destroyed, and a deluge is about to come 3 upon the whole earth, and will destroy all that is on it. And now instruct him that he may escape 4 and his seed may be preserved for all the generations of the world.' And again the Lord said to Raphael: 'Bind Azazel hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness: and make an opening 5 in the desert, which is in Dudael, and cast him therein. And place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness, and let him abide there for ever, and cover his face that he may 6,7 not see light. And on the day of the great judgement he shall be cast into the fire. And heal the earth which the angels have corrupted, and proclaim the healing of the earth, that they may heal the plague, and that all the children of men may not perish through all the secret things that the 8 Watchers have disclosed and have taught their sons. And the whole earth has been corrupted 9 through the works that were taught by Azazel: to him ascribe all sin.' And to Gabriel said the Lord: 'Proceed against the bastards and the reprobates, and against the children of fornication: and destroy [the children of fornication and] the children of the Watchers from amongst men [and cause them to go forth]: send them one against the other that they may destroy each other in 10 battle: for length of days shall they not have. And no request that they (i.e. their fathers) make of thee shall be granted unto their fathers on their behalf; for they hope to live an eternal life, and 11 that each one of them will live five hundred years.' And the Lord said unto Michael: 'Go, bind Semjaza and his associates who have united themselves with women so as to have defiled themselves 12 with them in all their uncleanness. And when their sons have slain one another, and they have seen the destruction of their beloved ones, bind them fast for seventy generations in the valleys of the earth, till the day of their judgement and of their consummation, till the judgement that is 13 for ever and ever is consummated. In those days they shall be led off to the abyss of fire: and 14 to the torment and the prison in which they shall be confined for ever. And whosoever shall be condemned and destroyed will from thenceforth be bound together with them to the end of all 15 generations. And destroy all the spirits of the reprobate and the children of the Watchers, because 16 they have wronged mankind. Destroy all wrong from the face of the earth and let every evil work come to an end: and let the plant of righteousness and truth appear: and it shall prove a blessing; the works of righteousness and truth' shall be planted in truth and joy for evermore. 17 And then shall all the righteous escape, 18 And then shall the whole earth be tilled in righteousness, and shall all be planted with trees and 19 be full of blessing. And all desirable trees shall be planted on it, and they shall plant vines on it: and the vine which they plant thereon shall yield wine in abundance, and as for all the seed which is sown thereon each measure (of it) shall bear a thousand, and each measure of olives shall yield 20 ten presses of oil. And cleanse thou the earth from all oppression, and from all unrighteousness, and from all sin, and from all godlessness: and all the uncleanness that is wrought upon the earth 21 destroy from off the earth. And all the children of men shall become righteous, and all nations 22 shall offer adoration and shall praise Me, and all shall worship Me. And the earth shall be cleansed from all defilement, and from all sin, and from all punishment, and from all torment, and I will never again send (them) upon it from generation to generation and for ever. [Chapter 11] 1 And in those days I will open the store chambers of blessing which are in the heaven, so as to send 2 them down upon the earth over the work and labour of the children of men. And truth and peace shall be associated together throughout all the days of the world and throughout all the generations of men.' [Chapter 12] 1 Before these things Enoch was hidden, and no one of the children of men knew where he was 2 hidden, and where he abode, and what had become of him. And his activities had to do with the Watchers, and his days were with the holy ones. 3 And I Enoch was blessing the Lord of majesty and the King of the ages, and lo! the Watchers 4 called me -Enoch the scribe- and said to me: 'Enoch, thou scribe of righteousness, go, declare to the Watchers of the heaven who have left the high heaven, the holy eternal place, and have defiled themselves with women, and have done as the children of earth do, and have taken unto themselves 5 wives: "Ye have wrought great destruction on the earth: And ye shall have no peace nor forgiveness 6 of sin: and inasmuch as they delight themselves in their children, The murder of their beloved ones shall they see, and over the destruction of their children shall they lament, and shall make supplication unto eternity, but mercy and peace shall ye not attain."' [Chapter 13] 1 And Enoch went and said: 'Azazel, thou shalt have no peace: a severe sentence has gone forth 2 against thee to put thee in bonds: And thou shalt not have toleration nor request granted to thee, because of the unrighteousness which thou hast taught, and because of all the works of godlessness 3 and unrighteousness and sin which thou hast shown to men.' Then I went and spoke to them all 4 together, and they were all afraid, and fear and trembling seized them. And they besought me to draw up a petition for them that they might find forgiveness, and to read their petition in the presence 5 of the Lord of heaven. For from thenceforward they could not speak (with Him) nor lift up their 6 eyes to heaven for shame of their sins for which they had been condemned. Then I wrote out their petition, and the prayer in regard to their spirits and their deeds individually and in regard to their 7 requests that they should have forgiveness and length. And I went off and sat down at the waters of Dan, in the land of Dan, to the south of the west of Hermon: I read their petition till I fell 8 asleep. And behold a dream came to me, and visions fell down upon me, and I saw visions of chastisement, and a voice came bidding (me) I to tell it to the sons of heaven, and reprimand them. 9 And when I awaked, I came unto them, and they were all sitting gathered together, weeping in 10 'Abelsjail, which is between Lebanon and Seneser, with their faces covered. And I recounted before them all the visions which I had seen in sleep, and I began to speak the words of righteousness, and to reprimand the heavenly Watchers. [Chapter 14] 1 The book of the words of righteousness, and of the reprimand of the eternal Watchers in accordance 2 with the command of the Holy Great One in that vision. I saw in my sleep what I will now say with a tongue of flesh and with the breath of my mouth: which the Great One has given to men to 3 converse therewith and understand with the heart. As He has created and given to man the power of understanding the word of wisdom, so hath He created me also and given me the power of reprimanding 4 the Watchers, the children of heaven. I wrote out your petition, and in my vision it appeared thus, that your petition will not be granted unto you throughout all the days of eternity, and that judgement 5 has been finally passed upon you: yea (your petition) will not be granted unto you. And from henceforth you shall not ascend into heaven unto all eternity, and in bonds of the earth the decree 6 has gone forth to bind you for all the days of the world. And (that) previously you shall have seen the destruction of your beloved sons and ye shall have no pleasure in them, but they shall fall before 7 you by the sword. And your petition on their behalf shall not be granted, nor yet on your own: even though you weep and pray and speak all the words contained in the writing which I have 8 written. And the vision was shown to me thus: Behold, in the vision clouds invited me and a mist summoned me, and the course of the stars and the lightnings sped and hastened me, and the winds in 9 the vision caused me to fly and lifted me upward, and bore me into heaven. And I went in till I drew nigh to a wall which is built of crystals and surrounded by tongues of fire: and it began to affright 10 me. And I went into the tongues of fire and drew nigh to a large house which was built of crystals: and the walls of the house were like a tesselated floor (made) of crystals, and its groundwork was 11 of crystal. Its ceiling was like the path of the stars and the lightnings, and between them were 12 fiery cherubim, and their heaven was (clear as) water. A flaming fire surrounded the walls, and its 13 portals blazed with fire. And I entered into that house, and it was hot as fire and cold as ice: there 14 were no delights of life therein: fear covered me, and trembling got hold upon me. And as I quaked 15 and trembled, I fell upon my face. And I beheld a vision, And lo! there was a second house, greater 16 than the former, and the entire portal stood open before me, and it was built of flames of fire. And in every respect it so excelled in splendour and magnificence and extent that I cannot describe to 17 you its splendour and its extent. And its floor was of fire, and above it were lightnings and the path 18 of the stars, and its ceiling also was flaming fire. And I looked and saw therein a lofty throne: its appearance was as crystal, and the wheels thereof as the shining sun, and there was the vision of 19 cherubim. And from underneath the throne came streams of flaming fire so that I could not look 20 thereon. And the Great Glory sat thereon, and His raiment shone more brightly than the sun and 21 was whiter than any snow. None of the angels could enter and could behold His face by reason 22 of the magnificence and glory and no flesh could behold Him. The flaming fire was round about Him, and a great fire stood before Him, and none around could draw nigh Him: ten thousand times 23 ten thousand (stood) before Him, yet He needed no counselor. And the most holy ones who were 24 nigh to Him did not leave by night nor depart from Him. And until then I had been prostrate on my face, trembling: and the Lord called me with His own mouth, and said to me: ' Come hither, 25 Enoch, and hear my word.' And one of the holy ones came to me and waked me, and He made me rise up and approach the door: and I bowed my face downwards. [Chapter 15] 1 And He answered and said to me, and I heard His voice: 'Fear not, Enoch, thou righteous 2 man and scribe of righteousness: approach hither and hear my voice. And go, say to the Watchers of heaven, who have sent thee to intercede for them: "You should intercede" for men, and not men 3 for you: Wherefore have ye left the high, holy, and eternal heaven, and lain with women, and defiled yourselves with the daughters of men and taken to yourselves wives, and done like the children 4 of earth, and begotten giants (as your) sons? And though ye were holy, spiritual, living the eternal life, you have defiled yourselves with the blood of women, and have begotten (children) with the blood of flesh, and, as the children of men, have lusted after flesh and blood as those also do who die 5 and perish. Therefore have I given them wives also that they might impregnate them, and beget 6 children by them, that thus nothing might be wanting to them on earth. But you were formerly 7 spiritual, living the eternal life, and immortal for all generations of the world. And therefore I have not appointed wives for you; for as for the spiritual ones of the heaven, in heaven is their dwelling. 8 And now, the giants, who are produced from the spirits and flesh, shall be called evil spirits upon 9 the earth, and on the earth shall be their dwelling. Evil spirits have proceeded from their bodies; because they are born from men and from the holy Watchers is their beginning and primal origin; 10 they shall be evil spirits on earth, and evil spirits shall they be called. [As for the spirits of heaven, in heaven shall be their dwelling, but as for the spirits of the earth which were born upon the earth, on the earth shall be their dwelling.] And the spirits of the giants afflict, oppress, destroy, attack, do battle, and work destruction on the earth, and cause trouble: they take no food, but nevertheless 12 hunger and thirst, and cause offences. And these spirits shall rise up against the children of men and against the women, because they have proceeded from them. [Chapter 16] 1 From the days of the slaughter and destruction and death of the giants, from the souls of whose flesh the spirits, having gone forth, shall destroy without incurring judgement -thus shall they destroy until the day of the consummation, the great judgement in which the age shall be 2 consummated, over the Watchers and the godless, yea, shall be wholly consummated." And now as to the watchers who have sent thee to intercede for them, who had been aforetime in heaven, (say 3 to them): "You have been in heaven, but all the mysteries had not yet been revealed to you, and you knew worthless ones, and these in the hardness of your hearts you have made known to the women, and through these mysteries women and men work much evil on earth." 4 Say to them therefore: " You have no peace."' Chapters 6-16 cover all the vital information about the fallen angels that we need in order to understand where Peter and Jude were getting their information. This seems to all be one section, staying on the same topic. I see nothing here that is in conflict with already accepted Holy Scriptures. I would accept chapters 6-16 as additionally being God inspired Holy Scripture. Moving on:
[Chapter 17] 1 And they took and brought me to a place in which those who were there were like flaming fire, 2 and, when they wished, they appeared as men. And they brought me to the place of darkness, and to a mountain the point of whose summit reached to heaven. And I saw the places of the luminaries and the treasuries of the stars and of the thunder and in the uttermost depths, where were 4 a fiery bow and arrows and their quiver, and a fiery sword and all the lightnings. And they took 5 me to the living waters, and to the fire of the west, which receives every setting of the sun. And I came to a river of fire in which the fire flows like water and discharges itself into the great sea towards 6 the west. I saw the great rivers and came to the great river and to the great darkness, and went 7 to the place where no flesh walks. I saw the mountains of the darkness of winter and the place 8 whence all the waters of the deep flow. I saw the mouths of all the rivers of the earth and the mouth of the deep. [Chapter 18] 1 I saw the treasuries of all the winds: I saw how He had furnished with them the whole creation 2 and the firm foundations of the earth. And I saw the corner-stone of the earth: I saw the four 3 winds which bear [the earth and] the firmament of the heaven. And I saw how the winds stretch out the vaults of heaven, and have their station between heaven and earth: these are the pillars 4 of the heaven. I saw the winds of heaven which turn and bring the circumference of the sun and 5 all the stars to their setting. I saw the winds on the earth carrying the clouds: I saw the paths 6 of the angels. I saw at the end of the earth the firmament of the heaven above. And I proceeded and saw a place which burns day and night, where there are seven mountains of magnificent stones, 7 three towards the east, and three towards the south. And as for those towards the east, was of coloured stone, and one of pearl, and one of jacinth, and those towards the south of red stone. 8 But the middle one reached to heaven like the throne of God, of alabaster, and the summit of the 9,10 throne was of sapphire. And I saw a flaming fire. And beyond these mountains Is a region the end of the great earth: there the heavens were completed. And I saw a deep abyss, with columns of heavenly fire, and among them I saw columns of fire fall, which were beyond measure alike towards 12 the height and towards the depth. And beyond that abyss I saw a place which had no firmament of the heaven above, and no firmly founded earth beneath it: there was no water upon it, and no 13 birds, but it was a waste and horrible place. I saw there seven stars like great burning mountains, 14 and to me, when I inquired regarding them, The angel said: 'This place is the end of heaven and earth: this has become a prison for the stars and the host of heaven. And the stars which roll over the fire are they which have transgressed the commandment of the Lord in the beginning of 16 their rising, because they did not come forth at their appointed times. And He was wroth with them, and bound them till the time when their guilt should be consummated (even) for ten thousand years.' [Chapter 19] 1 And Uriel said to me: 'Here shall stand the angels who have connected themselves with women, and their spirits assuming many different forms are defiling mankind and shall lead them astray into sacrificing to demons as gods, (here shall they stand,) till the day of the great judgement in 2 which they shall be judged till they are made an end of. And the women also of the angels who 3 went astray shall become sirens.' And I, Enoch, alone saw the vision, the ends of all things: and no man shall see as I have seen. I consider chapters 17-19 to be questionable as to their inspiration, because they seem to be a separate section from chapters 6-16. I also am not sure how essential the information therein would be to Peter and Jude's understanding, which their letters show they possessed. And we are getting further and further away from that which is confirmed Holy Scripture (chapter 1 verse 9). Apparently my view on this coincides with James C. Vanderkam (Professor of Hebrew Scriptures at the University of Notre Dame), who also places 17-19 as a section, and chapters 20-36 as another final section. However, some interesting things are brought out in chapters 17-19. One is that though chapter 10:12 says the fallen angels are to bound in the valleys of the earth, also called the Abyss or Tartaros, chapter 17 says they are bound at the end of heaven and earth. 2 Pet 2 says the fallen angels are bound in chains of darkness, and Jude says in darkness as well. But in 2nd Peter is a reference to the chains in specific. Yet 1 Enoch 18:10-14 describes this prison as containing heavenly fire, and the place sounds luminous, not deep darkness. There seems to be a conflict here between chapters 17-19 and Jude on the issue of darkness of the the Abyss. As to the location of the Abyss, it must both be in the valleys of the earth, and at the end of heaven and earth, if 17-19 are inspired. One possibility, as fallen angels are higher-dimensional beings as I describe in another chapter, is that the scene described in chapters 17-19 is on a higher-dimensional plane, yet the location of this higher-dimensional prison is still in the valleys of the earth. The term Abyss can refer to deep oceans, and tends to imply the location is below the earth, below the lowest depths of the sea, under the ground, in the earth. If the prison of the fallen angels is on a higher-dimensional plane, then it of course is not going to be found by 4 dimensional instrumentation or searching for it, but might have a general location in the world in the 4 dimensional sense. Yet, in plain wording and straight-forward understanding, there is a direct conflict between a luminous place and a place of darkness. Another interesting thing is that the "women also of the angels who went astray shall become sirens". I am not sure what a siren technically is, but it may be a term referring to a female demon. If that is the case, then this fits in very well with my statements in earlier chapters that the fallen angels sired Nephilim, which sired daughters, and those daughters when they died became disembodied evil spirits, aka demons. If these verses are interpreted that way, then it makes sense. However if these verses are taken to mean that the human women who mated with the fallen angels became female demons, or really Anything different than just a normal dead person when they died, then these verses must be taken as unscriptural and simply not inspired because that isn’t true. Humans don’t become demons, only offspring of the paternal life-blood line of fallen angels become demons. The next section I will include is chapters 20-22. I do not believe these are God-breathed scriptures.
[Chapter 20] 1,2 And these are the names of the holy angels who watch. Uriel, one of the holy angels, who is 3 over the world and over Tartarus. Raphael, one of the holy angels, who is over the spirits of men. 4,5 Raguel, one of the holy angels who takes vengeance on the world of the luminaries. Michael, one 6 of the holy angels, to wit, he that is set over the best part of mankind and over chaos. Saraqael, 7 one of the holy angels, who is set over the spirits, who sin in the spirit. Gabriel, one of the holy 8 angels, who is over Paradise and the serpents and the Cherubim. Remiel, one of the holy angels, whom God set over those who rise. In chapter 20 it starts with a list of the names of angels and what they are in charge of. Nowhere in Holy scripture do we see God tell us these things. The names of the angels are typically things that it seems God discourages us from learning about. That is because people have been too inclined to develop a worshipful fascination with angels. The information and style here is very different from anything in established scripture. The list of fallen angels earlier in Enoch is irrelevant when it comes to interaction with those fallen angels because they are now imprisoned in the Abyss. Some Holy Angels are mentioned earlier in First Enoch, but only in passing. Nowhere else is the main point of the passage that we learn the names of angels and what they do. Nowhere in the Bible is this kind of information or list found either. This chapter just strikes me as entirely uninspired scripture. [Chapter 21] 1,2 And I proceeded to where things were chaotic. And I saw there something horrible: I saw neither 3 a heaven above nor a firmly founded earth, but a place chaotic and horrible. And there I saw 4 seven stars of the heaven bound together in it, like great mountains and burning with fire. Then 5 I said: 'For what sin are they bound, and on what account have they been cast in hither?' Then said Uriel, one of the holy angels, who was with me, and was chief over them, and said: 'Enoch, why 6 dost thou ask, and why art thou eager for the truth? These are of the number of the stars of heaven, which have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and are bound here till ten thousand years, 7 the time entailed by their sins, are consummated.' And from thence I went to another place, which was still more horrible than the former, and I saw a horrible thing: a great fire there which burnt and blazed, and the place was cleft as far as the abyss, being full of great descending columns of 8 fire: neither its extent or magnitude could I see, nor could I conjecture. Then I said: 'How 9 fearful is the place and how terrible to look upon!' Then Uriel answered me, one of the holy angels who was with me, and said unto me: 'Enoch, why hast thou such fear and affright?' And 10 I answered: 'Because of this fearful place, and because of the spectacle of the pain.' And he said unto me: 'This place is the prison of the angels, and here they will be imprisoned for ever.' Here we see the same scene repeated, redundantly, that was mentioned earlier in chapters 17-19. One of the key differences here is that here the angels are said to be imprisoned for a concrete "ten thousand years" which is a very defined period of time. Earlier, in the inspired portions, we are told they will be imprisoned for "even for ten thousand years" which is a loose term that implies a very long time, even up to or past ten thousand years. We are also told they will be imprisoned "for seventy generations" which is another loose term, an unspecified long time. This is more the style of inspired scripture. We do not know exactly when Jesus will return, thus marking the beginning of His 1000 year reign on this Earth. And thus we don't know exactly when that will end and the day of judgment will come, following the end of Jesus' blessed 1000 year reign on Earth. And it is on the day of judgment that the fallen angels in the Abyss will stand judgment. So the Bible leaves the date unspecified of their release and judgment. As such, in keeping with scripture, inspired portions of First Enoch will not give us a specific amount of time. There is a big difference between "even for ten thousand years" and "for ten thousand years"; the first is vague and the second is not. And so chapter 21 I would not consider inspired Holy scripture. [Chapter 22] 1 And thence I went to another place, and he mountain [and] of hard rock. 2 And there was in it four hollow places, deep and wide and very smooth. How smooth are the hollow places and deep and dark to look at. 3 Then Raphael answered, one of the holy angels who was with me, and said unto me: 'These hollow places have been created for this very purpose, that the spirits of the souls of the dead should 4 assemble therein, yea that all the souls of the children of men should assemble here. And these places have been made to receive them till the day of their judgement and till their appointed period [till the period appointed], till the great judgement (comes) upon them.' I saw (the spirit of) a dead man making suit, 5 and his voice went forth to heaven and made suit. And I asked Raphael the angel who was 6 with me, and I said unto him: 'This spirit which maketh suit, whose is it, whose voice goeth forth and maketh suit to heaven ?' 7 And he answered me saying: 'This is the spirit which went forth from Abel, whom his brother Cain slew, and he makes his suit against him till his seed is destroyed from the face of the earth, and his seed is annihilated from amongst the seed of men.' 8 The I asked regarding it, and regarding all the hollow places: 'Why is one separated from the other?' 9 And he answered me and said unto me: 'These three have been made that the spirits of the dead might be separated. And such a division has been make (for) the spirits of the righteous, in which there is the bright spring of 10 water. And such has been made for sinners when they die and are buried in the earth and judgement has not been executed on them in their 11 lifetime. Here their spirits shall be set apart in this great pain till the great day of judgement and punishment and torment of those who curse for ever and retribution for their spirits. There 12 He shall bind them for ever. And such a division has been made for the spirits of those who make their suit, who make disclosures concerning their destruction, when they were slain in the days 13 of the sinners. Such has been made for the spirits of men who were not righteous but sinners, who were complete in transgression, and of the transgressors they shall be companions: but their spirits shall not be slain in the day of judgement nor shall they be raised from thence.' 14 The I blessed the Lord of glory and said: 'Blessed be my Lord, the Lord of righteousness, who ruleth for ever.'
In Chapter 22 there are several problems. First is the idea that Sheol has chambers. There is nothing else in the Bible, when it's understood as it was written, that supports this idea that Sheol (the grave) has chambers. The Grave is better understood as a state of being rather than a place, in my opinion. In any case, the only place in which any place of the dead is mentioned to have sections would be Hades, mentioned in Luke as containing Abraham's Bosom and Hades. This was a parable based off of a commonly known and understood pagan fable found in the Gemara Babylonicum, which drew from pagan concepts of Hades and the afterlife. It was popular and known among the Pharisees and Sadducees Jesus was talking to when Jesus said this parable. As such, being a parable drawn from a commonly-known fable of the time, it was never meant to overshadow the rest of the Bible (which never mentions Sheol having sections) and be used to teach doctrine in this way. The 2 sides of Hades in the parable are analogously representative of the 2 places one may go after the resurrection of the dead and the judgment. But to use this parable to teach that Sheol has compartments is like using the parable of the sheep and goats to say all Christians will be turned into literal sheep in Heaven. That is not the case, it is just a parable in that sense. And so because nowhere in the entire Bible is it taught that Sheol has sections, we can safely disregard this section of First Enoch as uninspired. There is an even more convincing point to be made that shows chapter 22 is uninspired. It states "but their spirits shall not be slain in the day of judgment nor shall they be raised from thence" (thence being Sheol). What this tries to say is that some of the dead will not be raised out of Sheol at the judgment. That contradicts the Bible very clearly. And so chapters 20 and 21 I feel I have shown somewhat convincingly are not inspired, and I hope it is glaringly obvious that chapter 22 is definitely not inspired. So by this point, erring on the side of caution, the rest of First Enoch BW has to be thrown out as uninspired as well. There is simply no way to safely accept any of the rest of it as inspired, because the established inspired section is over and done with. So for that reason I'm not going to bother doing analysis on the rest of First Enoch BW. It is my belief that the first 16 chapters, perhaps first 19 chapters of First Enoch, the Book of the Watchers, should be taken and accepted as Holy scripture. But I only feel firmly confident about the first 16 chapters. As such I believe chapters 1-16 of First Enoch the Book of the Watchers should become part of the canon of the modern church, and be included in the Holy Bible. There is some precedent for this, explained in detail in the later chapter on Enoch. I would have tended to think there is no reason to examine the other sections of First Enoch, because only First Enoch BW is directly quoted in accepted Holy Scripture, and thus it would seem First Enoch BW would be the only section that would demand examination, as all the sections are said to have been written at different times. However, I think there is reason, despite this fact, to look at First Enoch the Book of Parables. James Vanderkam, I want to mention, dates the Book of the Watchers from 300 BC to 150 BC. J.T. Milk, the editor, dates it to between 200 BC to 150 BC. Some scholars place the Book of Parables in the late first century BC. I would propose that these dates are close enough that it might be that that they could theoretically have had the same author, a reincarnated Enoch. It is possible that the Book of Parables was written a little earlier, or that the Book of the Watchers was written a little later than some believe. The margin of error required would be only about 100 years in order for this to be true. James C. Vanderkam says, "... a number of scholars prefer to place it in the first or even the second century CE. Milik assigns it to the late third century CE..." But in "The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha and the New Testament", James H. Charlesworth says, "Since the 1950's J.T. Milik promised us he could prove that I Enoch 37-71 is not Jewish, but indeed a Christian composition that considerably postdates the New Testament period (50-150). His genius and pioneering leadership in the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls caused a moratorium on the use of I Enoch 37-71 for a study of the term 'Son of Man' on earliest Christianity (especially before 70). It became obvious that Milik had not proved his position , as Fitzmyer pointed out as soon as The Book of Enoch had been published. Repeatedly the specialists on I Enoch have come out in favor of the Jewish nature and its first century C.E. origin, and probable pre-70 date. The list of specialists on I Enoch arguing for this position has become overwhelmingly impressive: Issac, Nickelsburg, Stone, Knibb, Anderson, Black, VanderKam, Greenfield and Sutter. The consensus communis is unparalleled in almost any other area of research; no specialists now argues that I Enoch 37-71 is a Christian and postdates the first century." As such, the date of the Book of Parables is essentially up in the air, and unknown. It is therefore not a stretch to think that some portions or all of it may have been written by Enoch reincarnated, along with chapters 1-16 of the Book of the Watchers. The reason I think The Book of Parables needs examination and consideration is because of the term "Son of Man’. Jesus repeatedly referred to himself as the "Son of Man" in the Gospels, as a term for the messiah. Yet the term "Son of Man" is only used 1 time in the Old Testament to have any messianic meaning. That is in Daniel 7:13, "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence." Jesus used this term to refer to himself many times, which is a lot more than one reference in the Old Testament would seem to warrant. But the Book of Parables in First Enoch has many instances of of the usage of the term. While some parts of the Book of Parables seem to be a recapitulation of the flood of Noah’s time, and the punishment of the fallen angels responsible for the Nephilim, some of it is concerned with the coming of the Son of Man. Also, the book describes not just the coming of Jesus the first time, but also the coming of Jesus the second time, the time of His 1000 year reign on this earth, the judgment, and Heaven through eternity. Much of it bears resemblance to the end of the book of Revelation. These parts that refer to the Son of Man strike me as seemingly accurate. The parts about the flood.... I am not so sure as to them. It may be that Jesus’ use of the term "Son of Man" as a messianic term in the gospels may require more of a basis than 1 usage in Daniel, and that some parts of the Book of Parables could possibly be inspired scripture, predating Jesus' birth. Jesus’ words and His use of the term may have been drawing from the Book of Parables. However, I would restrict my consideration and confidence to only those parts of the Book of Parables which actively use the term Son of Man. My thought on the matter is to only even consider putting any confidence in the parts which use the term Son of Man, as the only Biblical evidential trail to this book is to found in Jesus’ use of the term, and my view is to completely disregard the rest of the Book of Parables. (Read Book of Parables online HERE (external site)) The Book of Parables, in the verses which do not contain the term "Son of Man" seem to contain information that might be contradictory to the Bible or to First Enoch the Book of the Watchers 1-16. One glaringly obvious example is that in 1 Enoch (Book of Parables) in chapter 65 there is an account of Enoch standing beside Noah and talking with him. This is completely Biblically inaccurate, as Enoch was taken up to Heaven by God 69 years before Noah was even born! Such a glaring contradiction to the Bible should not be ignored. Even if the "Son of Man" parts of First Enoch the Book of Parables were written by Enoch, the fact is that some sections are inaccurate and therefore uninspired later additions to the work. The Book of Parables is the second section of First Enoch, and is contained in chapters 37 to 71 of First Enoch. The term "Son of Man" is only used in a Messianic way in the following chapters of that section: 46(3x), 48(1x), 61(3x), 62(4x), 63(1x), 69(4x), 70(1x), 71(2x). That is 16 times total that I have counted. This includes both the Charles and Laurence translations. These instances are scattered here and there over the course of this section. As such these pieces of possibly inspired scripture are surrounded and infiltrated throughout the document with uninspired scripture. Because the reason for considering this book applies to only a few parts of the whole, my recommendation is to not accept it in whole as inspired Holy scripture or add it to canon as a whole. Even the chapters which contain the term "Son of Man" still appear suspect in some parts. In chapter 64 Noah is introduced as the author, and this seems to mark the beginning of a new internal section which continues to the end of the book. I personally consider chapter 69 to not be a valid usage, because the chapter seems corrupted, speaking of angels taking oaths (which Jesus said not to take oaths), and listing the names of angels, the same objection I had to some portions of the Book of the Watchers. Chapters 70 and 71 seem to be a continuation of this portion, which introduces Noah as the narrator in chapter 65. So I wouldn't consider chapters 69, 70, and 71 valid either, nor in keeping with the flow of previous chapters which use the term "Son of Man" in a Messianic sense. The Book of Parables certainly cant be added to canon as a whole as is. However, the parts of the Book of Parables that seem valid and contain the term "Son of Man" may be inspired, and it is possible that those verses, and only those verses, should remain open for consideration to canon. They have not yet been dated, and I believe it may be they were written by Enoch himself along with the first 16 chapters of the Book of the Watchers. I personally find the possibly-inspired sections of the Book of Parables to be quite beautiful and moving in my spirit, and will be including them here for your consideration: [Chapter 46] 1 And there I saw One who had a head of days, Because the Lord of Spirits hath chosen him, 4 And this Son of Man whom thou hast seen 5 [And he shall put down the kings from their thrones and kingdoms] And darkness shall be their dwelling, 7 And these are they who judge the stars of heaven, 8 And they persecute the houses of His congregations, [Chapter 48] 1 And in that place I saw the fountain of righteousness 3 Yea, before the sun and the signs were created, 4 He shall be a staff to the righteous whereon to stay themselves and
not fall, 5 All who dwell on earth shall fall down and worship before him, 6 And for this reason hath he been chosen and hidden before Him, 7 And the wisdom of the Lord of Spirits hath revealed him to the holy
and righteous; 8 In these days downcast in countenance shall the kings of the earth
have become, [Chapter 61] 1 Thus the Lord commanded the kings, the princes, the exalted, and those who dwell on earth, saying, Open your eyes, and lift up your horns, if you are capable of comprehending the Elect One.2 The Lord of spirits sat upon the throne of his glory.3 And the spirit of righteousness was poured out over him.4 The word of his mouth shall destroy all the sinners and all the ungodly, who shall perish at his presence.5 In that day shall all the kings, the princes, the exalted, and those who possess the earth, stand up, behold, and perceive, that he is sitting on the throne of his glory; that before him the saints shall be judged in righteousness;6 And that nothing, which shall be spoken before him, shall be spoken in vain.7 Trouble shall come upon them, as upon a woman in travail, whose labour is severe, when her child comes to the mouth of the womb, and she finds it difficult to bring forth.8 One portion of them shall look upon another. They shall be astonished, and shall humble their countenance;9 And trouble shall seize them, when they shall behold this Son of woman sitting upon the throne of his glory.10 Then shall the kings, the princes, and all who possess the earth, glorify him who has dominion over all things, him who was concealed; for from the beginning the Son of man existed in secret, whom the Most High preserved in the presence of his power, and revealed to the elect.11 He shall sow the congregation of the saints, and of the elect; and all the elect shall stand before him in that day.12 All the kings, the princes, the exalted, and those who rule over all the earth, shall fall down on their faces before him, and shall worship him.13 They shall fix their hopes on this Son of man, shall pray to him, and petition him for mercy.14 Then shall the Lord of spirits hasten to expel them from his presence. Their faces shall be full of confusion, and their faces shall darkness cover. The angels shall take them to punishment, that vengeance may be inflicted on those who have oppressed his children and his elect. And they shall become an example to the saints and to his elect. Through them shall these be made joyful; for the anger of the Lord of spirits shall rest upon them.15 Then the sword of the Lord of spirits shall be drunk with their blood; but the saints and elect shall be safe in that day; nor the face of the sinners and the ungodly shall they thenceforwards behold.16 The Lord of spirits shall remain over them:17 And with this Son of man shall they dwell, eat, lie down, and rise up, for ever and ever.18 The saints and the elect have arisen from the earth, have left off to depress their countenances, and have been clothed with the garment of life. That garment of life is with the Lord of spirits, in whose presence your garment shall not wax old, nor shall your glory diminish.
[Chapter 62] 1 And thus the Lord commanded the kings and the mighty and the exalted, and those who dwell on the earth, and said: ' Open your eyes and lift up your horns if ye are able to recognize the
Elect One.' 4 Then shall pain come upon them as on a woman in travail, And one portion of them shall look on the other, 6 And the kings and the mighty and all who possess the earth shall bless and glorify and extol him who rules over all, who was hidden. 7 For from the beginning the Son of Man was hidden, 8 And the congregation of the elect and holy shall be sown, 9 And all the kings and the mighty and the exalted and those who rule
the earth 10 Nevertheless that Lord of Spirits will so press them 11 And He will deliver them to the angels for punishment, 13 And the righteous and elect shall be saved on that day, 14 And the Lord of Spirits will abide over them, 15 And the righteous and elect shall have risen from the earth, 16 And these shall be the garments of life from the Lord of Spirits: And your garments shall not grow old, [Chapter 63] 1 In those days shall the mighty and the kings who possess the earth implore (Him) to grant them a little respite from His angels of punishment to whom they were delivered, that they might fall 2 down and worship before the Lord of Spirits, and confess their sins before Him. And they shall bless and glorify the Lord of Spirits, and say: ' Blessed is the Lord of Spirits and the Lord of kings, 3 And splendid in every secret thing is Thy power from generation to
generation, Deep are all Thy secrets and innumerable, 4 We have now learnt that we should glorify 6 And now we long for a little rest but find it not: And light has vanished from before us, 7 For we have not believed before Him But our hope was in the sceptre of our kingdom, 8 And in the day of our suffering and tribulation He saves us not, That our Lord is true in all His works, and in His judgements and His
justice, And we pass away from before His face on account of our works, 10 Now they shall say unto themselves: ' Our souls are full of unrighteous gain, but it does not prevent us from descending from the midst thereof into the burden of Sheol.' 11 And after that their faces shall be filled with darkness 12 Thus spake the Lord of Spirits: ' This is the ordinance and judgement with respect to the mighty and the kings and the exalted and those who possess the earth before the Lord of Spirits.'
There is nothing in the rest of First Enoch that I see as being possibly inspired scripture, nor do I know of any Biblical reason to consider examining it, so I am not. The rest doesn't tie into the Bible like First Enoch the Book of the Watchers 1-16, nor does the rest contain the term "Son of Man", and I know of no other reason to consider the rest of First Enoch. So in summary, I accept First Enoch the Book of the Watchers chapters 1-16 as inspired God-breathed scripture, written by Enoch himself, between the time of Malachi and Matthew. I believe it should be added to the modern canon and modern Bibles. I feel too uncertain at this time about the aforementioned sections of the Book of Parables, as well as chapters 17-19 of the Book of the Watchers, to recommend they be taken as canon. But I do believe they should be further tested and examined for consistency with the Bible, and if passing, should be considered God-breathed scripture. The rest of First Enoch I do not recommend as inspired scripture, I do not think it warrants consideration, and I do not think it should be added to modern canon.
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