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Lawrence H. Schiffman, Texts and Traditions, Ktav, Hoboken 1998, p.336-340 and Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Apocrypha, copyright 1957 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Book of 1 Enoch is made up of five previously-existing texts, four of which were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls in fragments of the original Aramaic. Four of the parts date from the third to second centuries B.C.E. while one, the Parables (or Similitudes), is probably a Christian work in its present form. The first of these, The Book of Watchers, is certainly a pre-Maccabean composition, and the earliest source for the story of the fallen angels, which continued to influence Jewish and Christian theology through the centuries. This selection narrates an alternate Flood story which lays the blame for corruption on earth at the feet of evil angels, Watchers, who taught mankind the art of war and then took human women for their wives. The second part of the selection is Enoch’s hekhalot vision, a mystical vision of God’s Temple, based on Ezekiel and heavily influenced by Daniel, which enriched later Jewish mystical literature.
The Righteous and the Wicked
1:1 The blessing of Enoch: with which he blessed the elect and the righteous who would
be present on the day of tribulation at (the time of) the removal of all the ungodly ones. 2
And Enoch, the blessed and righteous man of the Lord, took up (his parable) while his
eyes were open and he saw, and said, “(This is) a holy vision from the heavens which the
angels showed me: and I heard from them everything and I understood. I look not for this
generation but for the distant one that is coming. 3 I speak about the elect ones and
concerning them.” And I took up with a parable (saying), “The God of the universe, the
Holy Great One, will come forth from his dwelling. 4 And from there he will march upon
Mount Sinai and appear in his camp emerging from heaven with a mighty power. And
everyone shall be afraid, and Watchers 27 shall quiver. 5 And great fear and trembling
shall seize them unto the ends of the earth. 6 Mountains and high places will fall down
and be frightened. And high hills shall be made low; and they shall melt like a
honeycomb before the flame. 7 And earth shall be rent asunder; and all that is upon the
earth shall perish. And there shall be a judgment upon all, (including) the righteous. 8
And to all the righteous he will grant peace. He will preserve the elect, and kindness shall
be upon them. They shall all belong to God and they shall prosper and be blessed; and the
light of God shall shine unto them. 9 Behold, he will arrive with ten million of the holy
ones in order to execute judgment upon all. He will destroy the wicked ones and censure
all flesh on account of everything that they have done, that which the sinners and the
wicked ones committed against him.”
The Fall of Angels
6: 1 In those days, when the children of man had multiplied, it happened that there were
born unto them handsome and beautiful daughters. 2 And the angels, the children of
heaven, saw them and desired them; and they said to one another, “Come, let us choose
wives for ourselves from among the daughters of man and beget us children.” 3 And
Semyaz, being their leader, said unto them, “I fear that perhaps you will not consent that
this deed should be done, and I alone will become (responsible) for this great sin.” 4 But
they all responded to him. “Let us all swear an oath and bind everyone among us by a
curse not to abandon this suggestion but to do the deed.” 5 Then they all swore together
and bound one another by (the curse)….
7:1 And they took wives unto themselves, and everyone (respectively) chose one
woman for himself, and they began to go unto them. And they taught them magical
medicine, incantations, the cutting of roots, and taught them (about) plants. 2 And the
women became pregnant and gave birth to great giants whose heights were three hundred
cubits. 3 These (giants) consumed the produce of all the people until the people detested
feeding them. 4 So the giants turned against (the people) in order to eat them. 5 And they
began to sin against birds, wild beasts, reptiles, and fish. And their flesh was devoured
the one by the other, and they drank blood. 6 And then the earth brought an accusation
against the oppressors.
8:1 And Azaz’el taught the people (the art of) making swords and knives, and shields,
and breastplates; and he showed to their chosen ones bracelets, decorations, (shadowing
of the eye) with antimony, ornamentation, the beautifying of the eyelids, all kinds of
precious stones, and all coloring tinctures and alchemy. 2 And there were many wicked
ones and they committed adultery and erred, and all their conduct became corrupt….
10:1 And then spoke the Most High, the Great and Holy One! And he sent Asuryal to
the son of Lamech, (saying), 2 “Tell him in my name, ‘Hide yourself!’ and reveal to him
the end of what is coming; for the earth and everything will be destroyed. And the Deluge
is about to come upon all the earth; and all that is in it will be destroyed. 3 And now
instruct him in order that he may flee, and his seed will be preserved for all generations.”
4 And secondly the Lord said to Raphael, “Bind Azaz’el hand and foot (and) throw him
into the darkness!” And he made a hole in the desert which was in Duda’el and cast him
there; 5 he threw on top of him rugged and sharp rocks. And he covered his face in order
that he may not see light; 6 and in order that he may be sent into the fire on the great day
of judgment. 7 And give life to the earth which the angels have corrupted. And he will
proclaim life for the earth: that he is giving life to her. And all the children of the people
will not perish through all the secrets (of the angels), which they taught to their sons….
14:1 This is the book of the words of righteousness and the chastisement of the eternal
Watchers, in accordance with how the Holy and Great One had commanded in this
vision…. 5 From now on you will not be able to ascend into heaven unto all eternity, but
you shall remain inside the earth, imprisoned all the days of eternity. 6 Before that you
will have seen the destruction of your beloved sons and you will not have their treasures,
which will fall before your eyes by the sword. 7 And your petitions on their behalf will
not be heard—neither will those on your own behalf (which you offer) weeping (and)
praying—and you will not speak even a word contained in the book which I wrote.
Enoch’s Vision
8 And behold I saw the clouds: And they were calling me in a vision; 28 and the fogs
were calling me; and the course of the stars and the lightnings were rushing me and
causing me to desire; and in the vision, the winds were causing me to fly and rushing me
high up into heaven. 9 And I kept coming (into heaven) until I approached a wall which
was built of white marble and surrounded by tongues of fire; and it began to frighten me.
10 And I came into the tongues of the fire and drew near to a great house which was built
of white marble, and the inner wall(s) were like mosaics of white marble, the floor of
crystal, 11 the ceiling like the path of the stars and lightnings between which (stood) fiery
cherubim and their heaven of water; 12 and flaming fire surrounded the wall(s), and its
gates were burning with fire. 13 And I entered into the house, which was hot like fire and
cold like ice, and there was nothing inside it; (so) fear covered me and trembling seized
me. 14 And as I shook and trembled, 1 fell upon my face and saw a vision.
15 And behold there was an opening before me (and) a second house which is greater
than the former and everything was built with tongues of fire. 16 And in every respect it
excelled (the other)—in glory and great honor—to the extent that it is impossible for me
to recount to you concerning its glory and greatness. 17 As for its floor, it was of fire and
above it was lightning and the path of the stars; and as for the ceiling, it was flaming fire.
18 And I observed and saw inside it a lofty throne—its appearance was like crystal and
its wheels like the shining sun; and (I heard) the voice of the cherubim; 19 and from
beneath the throne were issuing Streams of flaming fire. It was difficult to look at it. 20
And the Great Glory was sitting upon it—as for his gown, which was shining more
brightly than the sun, it was whiter than any snow: 21 None of the angels was able to
come in and see the face of the Excellent and the Glorious One; and no one of the flesh
can see him—22 the flaming fire was round about him, and a great fire stood before him.
No one could come near unto him from among those that surrounded the tens of millions
(that stood) before him. 23 He needed no council, but the most holy ones who are near to
him neither go far away at night nor move away from him. 24 Until then I was prostrate
on my face covered and trembling. And the Lord called me with his own mouth and said
to me, “Come near to me, Enoch, and to my holy Word.” 25 And he lifted me up and
brought me near to the gate, but I (continued) to look down with my face.
15:1 But he raised me up and said to me with his voice, “Enoch.” I (then) heard, “Do
not fear, Enoch, righteous man, scribe of righteousness; come near to me and hear my
voice. 2 And tell the Watchers of heaven on whose behalf you have been sent to
intercede: ‘It is meet (for you) that you intercede on behalf of man, and not man on your
behalf: 3 For what reason have you abandoned the high, holy, and eternal heaven; and
slept with women and defiled yourselves with the daughters of the people, taking wives,
acting like the children of the earth, and begetting giant sons? 4 Surely you, you [used to
be] holy, spiritual, the living ones, [possessing] eternal life; but (now) you have defiled
yourselves with women, and with the blood of the flesh begotten children; you have
lusted with the blood of the people, like them producing blood and flesh, (which) die and
perish. 5 On that account, I have given you wives in order that (seeds) might be sown
upon them and children born by them, so that the deeds that are
done upon the earth will not be withheld from you. 6 Indeed you, formerly you were
spiritual, (having) eternal life, and immortal in all the generations of the world. 7 That is
why (formerly) I did not make wives for you, for the dwelling of the spiritual beings of
heaven is heaven.
26. Trans. E. Isaac, “1 (Ethiopic Apocalypse of) Enoch,” in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, ed. J. H.
Charlesworth (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1983), vol. 1, pp. 13-18, 20-21, 35-37, 74, 86-87.
27. The fallen angels.
28. Enoch is now shown a vision of God’s Temple.