The Book of Enoch

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Summary: the book of enoch / the book of the secrets of enoch
Review: Dear Mr. R.H. Charles: I am very interested in obtaining a copy of your books in spanish, for I want to share them with a non-english speaker friend and find them to be extremely informative and would like to know where or how can i get them. Sincerely,

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating book, but not here entirely correctly translated
Review: I read this book over a year ago but haven't gotten around to writing a review until now! :P

Contrary to one review here, I believe it is obvious that the Biblical authors considered the Book of Enoch to be "scripture." At least Jude did. (JFYI, I don't believe the Bible is infallible or literally "God's word", nor do I believe Enoch is)

Regardless of your perspective on the Bible or the Book of Enoch I think most will agree with me that the Book of Enoch is an enjoyably chilling, goose-bump giving read; absolutely fascinating!

Chapters 6-8 were marvelously entertaining. The descriptions of the vampire-like beings known as the Nephilim (also Rephaim, which some, interestingly, translate into "the dead") were more interesting than anything Hollywood could come up with! (This book gives movie writers a perfect story for a horror-film so I am surprised that so little has been done in this area---not that I would not Hollywood to corrupt the story)

I must say, however, that I do take issue with some of Charles' translations. Hebrew "Nephilim" should not be translated into "giants", not from etymology (which isn't a correct method of translation in the first place) or in usage. We do not know what it means, so he should have left the word as UN-translated (simply "Nephilim") instead of taking it upon him to decide that the word meant "giants", which is ridiculous.

"Sin against" in 6:5 is not a correct translation. I think "defile" might have been more accurate. This paints a very different picture since it then implicates that the Nephilim somehow mated with the animals (which happens to correlate with the Authentic Book of Jasher's account on the subject).

"Wives" in chapter 5 is also incorrect. The "Irin'" (often translated as "watchers", though others often have it as "those who are awake" or "those who watch") did not choose "wives", they chose "women." The Hebrew text indicates that these sex-crazed angels were lusting after "women" rather than choosing "wives." It is nonsense to think that the angels talked to the human fathers of these women and discussed contracts and legal issues (which is what usually went on before marriages could take place)!

"Bastards" (describing the Nephilim) in chapters 10 and 13 is not a correct translation either. "Biters" would have been more accurate. (And it is interesting that these "biters" happened to drink blood, according to chapter 6)

While I have much more to say about some of the translations, as well as some comments to make about Charles' theory of why the church rejected the book, I think I've said enough.

In summary, this book simultaneously beautiful and terrifying! I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the paranormal and supernatural (which are not synonymous).

-- Pat Casanova...

Rating:
Summary: Not Scripture, but invaluable nonetheless
Review: Okay, the reviewer below is wrong about a couple things: A-Jesus said angels "in Heaven" don't marry; he wasn't talking about ones that might take human form! Also, Enoch never in this text is a mediator between God and men. Even if he was, Jesus didn't become the mediator until his rise to Heaven. Now for the actual review: While much of the Intro is wild speculation to say the least, ( I doubt the NT was as influenced by "Enoch" as Mr. Charles thinks ) it is still an invaluable document in studying how the Jews did eagerly await a PERSONAL Messiah and they believed in an EARTHLY manifestation of His Kingdom. The Book of Enoch is stunning in it's glowing poetry and vivid images; this text was of great importance to both William Blake and even modern day Anne Rice. I doubt strongly this is some "lost book" of the Bible, but it has added so much to my faith in the canonical Scriptures that I heartily urge ANY lover of the Word, or truth-seeker, to obtain and study this fascinating ancient text.

Rating:
Summary: Not Scripture, but invaluable nonetheless
Review: Okay, the reviewer below is wrong about a couple things: A-Jesus said angels "in Heaven" don't marry; he wasn't talking about ones that might take human form! Also, Enoch never in this text is a mediator between God and men. Even if he was, Jesus didn't become the mediator until his rise to Heaven. Now for the actual review: While much of the Intro is wild speculation to say the least, ( I doubt the NT was as influenced by "Enoch" as Mr. Charles thinks ) it is still an invaluable document in studying how the Jews did eagerly await a PERSONAL Messiah and they believed in an EARTHLY manifestation of His Kingdom. The Book of Enoch is stunning in it's glowing poetry and vivid images; this text was of great importance to both William Blake and even modern day Anne Rice. I doubt strongly this is some "lost book" of the Bible, but it has added so much to my faith in the canonical Scriptures that I heartily urge ANY lover of the Word, or truth-seeker, to obtain and study this fascinating ancient text.

Rating:
Summary: Better get the Vermes edition or Charlesworth editions
Review: The book description asks "If this book was so important to Christian beginnings, why was it removed from the canon and banned?". The reason was that the Book of Enoch is essentially not compatible with the Christian gospel. The core story of Enoch, apart from the myth about angels marrying which is explicitly contradicted by Christ ("and do not marry for they are like unto the angels"), there are many other conflict points with the New Testament. The principle one being that Enoch functions as a mediator, a role that 1Tim2:5 allows only for Christ.

One can also note that the Enoch version of events where Michael accuses the rebel angels is again explicitly contradicted by Peter ("even angels do not accuse such beings") and by Jude (who even names Michael as not accusing). Maybe this is why it was not accepted by the church?

Enoch originated about 300BC, and the oldest copies, dating back to about 150BC are found among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran. The best modern translations are to be found in the G. Vermes or Martinez editions of the Scrolls, or in the J. Charlesworth OT Pseudepigrapha set from Doubleday. The 300+ page facsimile edition of R.H. Charles' 1912 translation is also worth obtaining for the copious notes, but the 110 page version only contains the text. The translations by Laurence and Schodde are not worth acquiring.

Despite all the modern enthusiasm that surrounds this book it is worth remembering that it has always been contested. Trypho the Jew, the Talmud, Pseudo-Philo, all the Rabbis prior to the 8th Century, St. Augustine, St. Jerome were only a few to contest the midrash interpretation of "Sons of God" of Gen6:2 as angels. The book was rejected from the Jewish canon, the Septuagint and Vulgate, and consequently the Apocrypha. After 400AD it was preserved only in minority Ethiopian and Slavonic traditions.

It is often noted that Jude quotes from this book, which is true - although with obvious sarcasm as the context shows; Jude's epithet "the seventh from Adam" is taken from Enoch60:8 not Genesis. Tertullian did quote from it and consider it as scripture, along with various other pseudepigraphical and apocryphal literature. It is also true that Peter gets his details regarding the "angels that sinned" being cast into Tartarus from Enoch. As also is indicated by the mentions of "myths" and "cunningly devised fables" with which Peter precedes it.

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Summary: Enoch, father of Mathusaleh, the censored Book
Review: This pseudepigraphon of the Old testament was rejected for what seems obscure reasons, like most of the time with apocrypha, and yet this book is probably essential. It shows that God's creation was far from being perfect, which we knew of course. But it also gives the episode in which some angels known as the Watchers because they were supposed to be watching the human race, got fascinated by the beautiful women on earth. But these angels were not pure spirits and they were sexually very well provided (« the great stars whose privy members were like those of horses » 88:3) and males. Hence they descended from their heights and took some women and procreated a new race of beings with them, the famous giants who destroyed the earth. And the book contains two versions of the tale, the first one with women procreating giants, and the second one with cows, this time procreating elephants, camels and asses. This is a perfect parable for those scientists and technicians who invent anything and menace the life of the planet and of humanity with the implementation of their inventions. This will bring about God's decision to send the deluge and wipe life out completely or nearly. To clean up the damage god causes even greater damage : the radical, though not quite final, solution. But this book is also essential because there is a complete vision of the other worlds, paradise and all the hells that were being prepared for the coming apocalypse and that were surrounding the human world. The descriptions are very vivid and the trip in these climes reminds us of Dante's Divine Comedy. And that is not all. The book contains a strong section about astronomy, summarizing all human knowledge at the time about the sun and the moon, not so much about the stars, except the twelve sun portals that will give the twelve zodiacal signs. It also contains a strong prediction in the shape of wisdom chapters and verses and in the shape of dream visions that the rich and the powerful will be destroyed, even if God has to stir some trouble down on earth among their victims or subjects to have them removed from power. Finally it also predicts there will be a final day of judgment when the Elect One will perform divine justice in the name of the God of the Spirits. This is very similar to the Book of Revelation. In other words it is an important source and model for that Book of Revelation. Finally it reveals very clearly that Noah is an albino, the fear his birth caused among his relatives, first of all his father, and how Enoch saved him from destruction, which was normal in those days for off-standard children, with the argument that he had a divine mission to fulfill and that he, Enoch, knew about it because it had been revealed to him in his visions and his communication with God. This book is thus both tremendously human by the desire to get a compensation for the oppression of the majority of the people by a few rich and powerful persons or the fear an albino baby can cause among human beings, and tremendously visionary in a way that announces Isaiah, Ezekiel and John but with an extreme sense of retribution, punishment and destruction in suffering for the rich, the powerful and the violent, essentially, plus the dishonest, the blasphemous, liars, and sexual perverts, meaning here fornicators. This book should be reinstated in the Old Testament and it cannot be ignored, especially since it is one of the sources of inspiration of the English poet William Blake. It gives a vision of the Jewish and Christian religions that has a lot more power by its imagination, its humanity and its great descriptive and evocative style.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU


Rating:
Summary: Enoch, pure source of history?
Review: this version of the book of Enoch is very indepth,easy to read.Enoch is a very odd character Genesis states that he walked with god. What did it mean The book gives us the back story to what happened than.The story of lust,betrayal,greed,and hate.Sex hungry angels who try to take over the Earth with there demonic offspring.The book of Enoch comes from a better source than even the gospels,texts left alone for almost a thousand years.There were no rewrites,no editorial changes by people saying"Well this is what they meant!"A pure source of history found with the dead sea scrolls, and in Ethiopic temples.Even if you don't believe it at all,the story is excellent!