The 3rd Book of Enoch Explained

[Damien the Leper]

Very fascinating video on Enoch and angelology. I enjoy that the often portrayed drama that Enoch is a translated being wasn't the only perspective that was authoritative or somehow erroneously idolized as the primary truth.

 

[Pyreaux]

3 Enoch was compiled from multiple sources until its final draft in Babylon, around 5th-8th centuries AD, yet even this late book shares very similar details to the other Enochian books, which at the very least shows its roots are from pre-Christian Palestine beliefs. Earlier texts like the Targum Yonathan ben Uziel on Genesis 5:24 also recounts that Enoch became Metatron.

All of the tales of Enoch are variations of the enthronement rituals of the Temple. Showing there were groups of Jews who saw Enoch as a royal Priest. Enoch was vested in priestly garments of honor and glory (3 En 12:1). He is crowned with the sacred name (3 En 12:5), shown the secrets of creation (3 En 11:1) and speaks on behalf of the Lord (3 En 10:5).

Though unlike the other books, Enoch has already long been transformed into the Archangel Metatron (The Latin may refer to his function as a "guide") who is the angel guide of Rabbi Ishmael in his own heavenly ascent. He informs Ishmael that he used to be Enoch the Scribe before he was taken up (3 En 4:3) who describes his transformation as being changed into fire (3 En 15:1) and he is enthroned in heaven (3 En 10).

Supposedly one of his other responsibilities is to teach still born children (3 En 48c:12) and children who died too young to have learned the Torah (Tn b. Abodanh Zarah 3b). A very interesting display of Jews that believed in postmortem preaching and salvation of the ignorant, especially children.

What the Enochian books each make explicit is how the ascension of Enoch was thought to be connected with the ancient royal themes, Enoch is uniformly portrayed as an Atoning High Priest who sees heaven portrayed as a Temple. As wild the descriptions are, the accounts are not unlike other priests called to become great prophets and experience a vision of a heavenly Temple (Isa 6; Eze 1; Ex 24).

When Enoch enters heaven he describes a 3-tiered heaven, a triple partitioned (Solomonic) temple with a walled courtyard, a Holy Place and a Holy of Holies; 1. passing a wall (of fire and crystal), 2. enters into a (crystal) house (with a starry ceiling) and 3. enters a second larger house (of fire) inside the first house. He is a High Priest who entered the Holy of Holies alone (1 En 14:8ff), where he sees the throne set upon the many flowing rivers (of fire) (1 En 14), set on top of a mountain (1 En 18:8) by a tree (1 En 25:3). Enoch is a messiah, an "anointed one" (1 En 48:10) endowed/vested with the spirit of Wisdom (1 En 49:3), in the glory of god, he attempts to intercede on the behalf of sinners (fallen angels) (1 En 15:2) but is instead sent back as a messenger of judgment.

1 Enoch also portrays the transfiguration (theosis, deification) of royal figures, that is, human transformation into an angel, "And my spirit was transfigured, And I cried with a loud voice... With the spirit of power and blessed, and glorified and extolled." (1 En 71:11) a "son of man" (1 En 71:14). Enoch sits upon the thrown of glory (1 En 51:3; 55:4; 61:8), as was the royal tradition.

The Pre-Christian era Jews and the Early Christians read 1 Enoch as authoritative scripture. Jude quotes from 1 Enoch (Jude 14), the Epistle of Barnabus which also quotes from 1 Enoch (Barnabus 16). But Jews after the advent of Christianity burned all Hebrew copies (not even the Talmud mentions Enoch). There is a Heavenly Messiah called the "Rightious One" and "Son of Man" that is a preexistent heavenly being that sits on the thrown (1 En 45-57).  

2 Enoch (Slavonic Enoch) was kept by the Slavonic Church and is very similar to 1 Enoch. As a later work, heaven is 7-tiered, because it's after the manner of Harod's Temple which was 7-tiered. The nature of this transformation is again told in terms of his priestly vesture and royal anointing. Before Enoch could be bought before the thrown, Michael removed Enoch's earthly cloths, and anoints him with oil scented with myrrh and gives him garments of glory (2 En 22:8-10). This is the royal investment ritual, initiation of the royal, anointed high priest. "The appearance of the oil is greater than the greatest light; its ointment sweet like dew, and its fragrance myrrh, and it is like the rays of the glimmering sun" (1 En 22).  "I looked at myself and I had become like one of the glorious ones" (2 En 22:8-10). If that weren't clear that Enoch was a priest, a succession of the priesthood after Enoch is recorded in Chapters 69-73.

The Book of Jubilees was preserved by the Ethiopic Church, is an ancient rewrite of Genesis, sometimes called "Little Genesis". It goes over this Enoch's life, Enoch was put in Eden to be a scribe (Jub 4:17; 1 En 12:4) which is an art of a Wiseman, and usually involved sitting in a chair, so a theme of enthronement. He is also portaryed as a High Priest, as he burns incense in the sanctuary (Jub 2:25). Though he is in Eden and not a Heavenly temple, Eden was a temple, which still existed after Adam's expulsion (Jub 3:27), or it was another Eden/Temple. Noah also is portrayed as knowing Eden was a Holy of Holies (Jub 8:19).

Legends of the Jews is a modern reconstruction of Jewish myths from a variety of sources. Where the theme of Enoch being a High Priest continues, denotes that the concept is very ancient. One legend speaks of Enoch inheriting Adam's High Priestly garment, and that he passed them on to Methuselah before he ascended (Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews 1:177). There are very similar chain midrash stories about the Book of Raziel, the Tzohar stone, and the Staff of Moses, High Priestly Regalia. Some legends explicitly say Metatron is was a Hight Priest (Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews 3:185).

In Targums, some interpreted Enoch being taken as to say Enoch died (Tg. Onkelos and Tg. Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis 5:24) and perhaps later became an angel, but others say he was transformed into an angel while in life and never saw death (Tg Neophyti and Tg. Jerushalmi on Genesis 5:24). Philo says he became immortal (Philo, De Mutatione Nominun 38). Josephus says he returned to God and that is why there is no record of his death (Josephus, Jew. Anti., 1:85; 9:28). Apostle Paul says Enoch was "translated" which means he would "not see death" (a pre-resurrection state of immortality), because of a "testimony" that pleased God (Heb 11:5). Paul might have read 1 Enoch, after some detail of his travels, he eventually returns and instructs his children and finally gives his "testimony" (1 Enoch; Heb 11:5).

Genesis does have all the foot notes of the major points of the extra-Biblical Enochian literature. They note that after the Fall of Adam was an angel revolt (Gen 6; Isa 14:17), taking wives from Adam's daughters and creating Nephilim in the land (Gen 6:4-5), and they teach their descendants angelic knowledge (Gen 4:20-23) which corrupts the earth, Enoch ascends into heaven (Gen 5:21-24), and soon a judgement of a deluge comes. So why not? His name "Enoch [hnk (H#2585), initiate, dedicate] may mean he was "initiated", so some hail him the father of initiations (Mackey, Revised Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, Vol. 1, pp 329-330)

Edited September 22, 2023 by Pyreaux