Reception of Enoch in antiquity

The Book of Enoch is an ancient Jewish religious work, ascribed by tradition and internal attestation to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah.[1][2] Enoch holds material unique to it, such as the origins of supernatural demons and giants, why some angels fell from heaven, details explaining why the Great Flood was morally necessary, and an introduction of the thousand-year reign of the Messiah.[3][2] The unique material makes it possible to identify which ancient literary works adopt Enoch as a primary source. Well known in antiquity, the book was received by various authors with respect, who treated it as any other scriptural book, or explicitly identified it as divinely inspired.[1][2]

In Judaism

Qumran

Among the Dead Sea Scrolls (ca 300 BC – ca 100 AD), in surviving documents of the Qumran community, Aramaic fragments of Enoch have been found, attesting to an early date of authorship.[4] In addition, the former chief editor of the official Dead Sea Scrolls editorial team, John Strugnell, claimed that a complete scroll of Enoch in Aramaic exists in private hands.[5]

Philo

Philo (b. ca 25 BC), in a commentary of Gen. 6:1-5 found in On the Giants, uses Enoch’s teaching of demons being spirits of the air and the issue of angels that had adulterated with women before the Great Flood[6]

Rabbinical tradition

Rabbinical tradition material that is unique to Enoch is used in old Jewish rabbinical interpretation of Gen. 6:1-5.[7]

Midrash

Midrash (ca 8 c AD) uses material unique to Enoch in stating that the source of women painting their faces with antimony is demonic; this information is not found elsewhere in Scripture (i.e., not in Gen 6:1-5).

Commentary 3b: As late as the eighth century A.D., Rabbi Eliezer records in a midrash: “The angels who fell from Heaven saw the daughters of Cain perambulating and displaying their secret parts, their eyes painted with antimony in the manner of harlots; and, being seduced, took wives from among them.” Rabbi Joshua ben Qorha, a literalist... decided that “when these angels fell from Heaven, their strength and stature were reduced to those of mortals, and their fire changed into flesh.”[8]

Josephus

Josephus (37 AD – 100 AD), in his Antiquities of the Jews, adopts doctrine, unique to Enoch, that the "mighty men" of old came about from an unholy union of angels and women.[9]

Melito

Melito's canon (ca 170 AD), quoted by Eusebius, lists every book of the Jewish canon of Scripture except for Esther, thus leaving a gap for Enoch.[10]

In Christianity

Epistle of Jude

Jude 14 quotes Enoch who as "the seventh from Adam, prophesied," The citation has been taken by some to mean that Jude accepts it as Scripture.

Epistle of Barnabas

The Epistle of Barnabas (ca 70 AD – 132 AD)[11], a primer used for teaching new Christian converts in the early church, names and quotes Enoch as "Scripture" and elsewhere cites it as Scripture with the formula "it is written."[12]

Justin Martyr

Justin Martyr (110 AD – 165 AD) accepts Enoch as Scripture and in his Second Apology discusses Enoch in depth and uses it to establish doctrine on fallen angels and the origin of demons from angels' adulteration with women.[13] (In his Dialogue with Trypho, Justin charges that some were removing passages of Scripture that prophetically identified Jesus as the Messiah, from Jeremiah and Isaiah.)[14]

Athenagoras

Athenagoras (133 AD – 190 AD) in his Plea for the Christians uses Enoch to establish doctrine about Genesis 6:1-4, grouping it as one of the books of Prophets of the Old Testament: "you know that we say nothing without witnesses, but state the things which have been declared by the prophets."[15]

Irenaeus

Irenaeus (d. 202 AD), the famous apologist, accepts Enoch as Scripture and, in Against Heresies, discusses the doctrine that Enoch was God's legate to fallen angels, which is unique to Enoch,[16] and that a group of fallen angels devised methods of sorcery to adulterate with women.[17] Also in Against Heresies, Book III, 21.2, Irenaeus treats the books of Chronicles and Ezra as a single book written by Ezra. That would reduce the tally of books in the canon from 22 to 21 unless Enoch was included as part of the canon, as Irenaeus does.

Clement of Alexandria

Clement of Alexandria (ca 150 AD – ca 215 AD) accepts Enoch as Scripture and writes that both Daniel and Enoch taught the same thing regarding the blessing of the faithful (Eclogue 2.1) and that the fallen angels were the source of the black arts (53.4).[18]

See also Clement’s Homilies XI–XVI for great detail used from Enoch.

Tertullian

Tertullian (155 AD – 222 AD), the founder of Western theological scholarship, in On the Apparel of Women (Book I), names and cites Enoch as "Scripture," part of "the canon" and "divinely inspired." He names Enoch as its genuine, human author. He states that its quotation in Jude 14 is an attestation in the New Testament to its authenticity and that "some" had removed it from the closed canon.[19]

In Book II, Tertullian uses Enoch to establish doctrine against the excessive ornamentation of women, attributing its origin to demons who cohabitated with them before the Great Flood.[20] Within his Apologetic, in On Idolatry, he uses Enoch to establish the doctrine that idolatry and astrology originated from demons[21] and that demons are the supernatural issue of fallen angels adulterating with women.[22]

Commodianus

Commodianus (ca 240) accepts Enoch as Scripture and, in his Instructions, uses information unique to Enoch to establish doctrine on the origin of demons from angels adulterating with women and on the wicked arts they taught. Thus, he shows that heathen gods were actually the same demons.[23]

Origen

Origen (185 AD – 254 AD), in De Principiis, names and quotes Enoch as "Holy Scripture" and notes that the church did not accept the several other books called "Enoch" were at all "divine" (Against Celsus). (However, Enoch is missing in the quotation of a canonical list from Eusebius’s Church History attributed to Origen.)[24]

Anatolius

Anatolius (early 3rd c AD – July 3, 283 AD) cites Enoch to interpret the ancient Jewish calendar (in a reference to Enoch, Book of Starlight).[25]

Cassiodorus

Cassiodorus (ca 485 AD – ca 585 AD), authenticates Enoch as Scripture by quoting Jude 14 ("In these words he (Jude) verifies the prophecy") and that Enoch was inspired and was integral to the Old Testament. In the same Latin translation of comments on the First Epistle of Peter attributed to Clement of Alexandria (ca.150 – 211/216), Cassiodorus also uses Enoch to establish doctrine that fallen angels are apostates from God.[26]

Canonical lists

Early canonical lists leave a gap later filled by Esther.

See also

Aramaic Enoch Scroll

References
  1. Barker, Margaret. (2005) [1998]. The Lost Prophet: The Book of Enoch and Its Influence on Christianity. London: SPCK; Sheffield Phoenix Press. ISBN 1-905048-18-1
  2. Nibley, Hugh (1986). Enoch the Prophet. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book. ISBN 978-0875790473.
  3. Barker, Margaret. (2005) [1987]. "Chapter 1: The Book of Enoch," in The Older Testament: The Survival of Themes from the Ancient Royal Cult in Sectarian Judaism and Early Christianity. London: SPCK; Sheffield Phoenix Press. ISBN 978-1905048199
  4. "A Review of Zodiac Calendars in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Their Reception by Helen Jacobs (2015)". The Jewish Chronicle.
  5. "An Interview with John Strugnell", Biblical Archaeology Review, july/aug 1994.
  6. "Philo, On the Giants". ecmarsh.com.
  7. "ANF02. Fathers of the Second Century: Hermas, Tatian, Athenagoras, Theophilus, and Clement of Alexandria (Entire) - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org.
  8. "CHURCH FATHERS info on Giants, fallen angels". Ancient Lost Treasures.
  9. Antiquities of the Jews
  10. "NPNF2-01. Eusebius Pamphilius: Church History, Life of Constantine, Oration in Praise of Constantine - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org.
  11. "EOB. Epistle of Barnabas". en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle_of_Barnabas.
  12. "ANF01. The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org.
  13. "ANF01. The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org.
  14. "ANF01. The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org.
  15. "ANF02. Fathers of the Second Century: Hermas, Tatian, Athenagoras, Theophilus, and Clement of Alexandria (Entire) - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org.
  16. "ANF01. The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org.
  17. "ANF01. The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org.
  18. "0150-0215 - Clemens Alexandrinus - Eclogae propheticae - Graecum Text - Lexicum Proprium seu 'Concordance'". www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu.
  19. "ANF01. The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org.
  20. "ANF04. Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Part Fourth; Minucius Felix; Commodian; Origen, Parts First and Second - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org.
  21. "ANF03. Latin Christianity: Its Founder, Tertullian - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org.
  22. "ANF03. Latin Christianity: Its Founder, Tertullian - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org.
  23. "ANF04. Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Part Fourth; Minucius Felix; Commodian; Origen, Parts First and Second - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org.
  24. "ANF04. Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Part Fourth; Minucius Felix; Commodian; Origen, Parts First and Second - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org.
  25. "ANF06. Fathers of the Third Century: Gregory Thaumaturgus, Dionysius the Great, Julius Africanus, Anatolius, and Minor Writers, Methodius, Arn - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org.
  26. "ANF02. Fathers of the Second Century: Hermas, Tatian, Athenagoras, Theophilus, and Clement of Alexandria (Entire) - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org.
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