The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation)

The title page names the work as The Book of Enoch, translated by R. H. Charles with an introduction by W. O. E. Oesterley, published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in London. The Editors' Preface states the series aims to furnish students with short, cheap, handy text-books to facilitate class study, and to interest general readers. It notes notes and comments are restricted, hopes readers pursue larger works, and aims to make texts important for Christian origins accessible in faithful translations. Signed W. O. E. Oesterley and G. H. Box.

The introduction opens with remarks on the Apocalyptic Literature, presenting the Book of Enoch as a notable apocalyptic work outside canonical Scripture. Prof. Burkitt is quoted describing these books as a survival of the heroic age of Jewish history, which ended in catastrophe leaving two successors, the Christian Church and the Rabbinical Schools. Hope is identified as the underlying motive of the Apocalyptic writers, set against a background of despair, with the writers centring hope on a world to come. The opening words of the Book of Enoch and a metrical piece from chapter i.8 are quoted. The text states the literature is chiefly concerned with the future, uses cryptic references to contemporary history (circa 200 B.C.–A.D. 100), and gives supernatural forces a large part. It notes the Oriental character, frequent inconsistency of thought, and rigid predestinarianism, quoting (ii.)(iv.) Esdras iv.36-37. The Apocalyptists are called "revealers" of divine secrets, upholders of the Law differing from the Pharisees, quoting 1 Enoch v.4 and xcix.2, and holding a universalistic attitude. The literature's period is dated 200 B.C.–A.D. 100. The section on component parts follows, distinguishing 1 Enoch (Ethiopic) from 2 Enoch (Slavonic), and gives Canon Charles's dating table, with views from Schürer, Beer, Dalman, and Burkitt. Authorship is discussed, citing Burkitt on the northern-Palestine author and Leszynsky's Sadducæan theory concerning the calendar and Enoch's 365 years. Language is addressed, noting the Ethiopic version from Greek. The general contents describe the four independent books, then summarize chapters xii.-xxxvi.: Enoch's dream-vision, his intercession for the watchers, the refused petition, and his journeys through earth and Sheol.

The introduction notes the Garden of Righteousness and Tree of Wisdom (xxviii.–xxxvi.). It states the fallen angels were believed to have brought sin to earth, that this cause must be destroyed, and that the Apocalyptist describes the fallen angels' place of punishment and the righteous' abode of joy. It calls him a preacher of righteousness and quotes words summing up the teaching, ending with "the plant of righteousness and truth." Under "The Parables" (xxxvii.–lxxi.), three Parables are described: the first (xxxviii.–xliv.) prophesies judgement on the wicked, kings, and mighty ones, mentions the "Lord of Spirits," the first "Elect One," four Archangels, and a Wisdom fragment (xlii.) held out of place. The second (xlv.–lvii.) sets the Elect One on the throne as Judge, gives the title "Son of Man," and includes the fountain of righteousness (xlviii.), Gentiles' repentance (l.), and Resurrection verses. The third (lviii.–lxxi.) treats final judgement by the Son of Man, quotes garments of glory, and contains a Noah fragment. The Book of the Courses of the Heavenly Luminaries (lxxii.–lxxxii.) reckons 364 days by the sun; Uriel describes the luminaries, and lxxx.–lxxxi. add ethical thought; Charles's remarks favor Sadducæan, post-Maccabæan authorship. The Dream-Visions (lxxxiii.–xc.) give two visions: the deluge, then symbolic history to the Messianic Kingdom, with sheep and beasts and eschatological conclusion (xc.20–38). The Concluding Section (xcii.–cv.) discusses interpolations, dislocations, the Apocalypse of Weeks, and earthly retribution. The Noah Fragments and importance for Christian origins follow, citing Charles and Burkitt on Son of Man, evil, and Resurrection.

An abbreviations page defines the sigla E, G^s, and G^g and the bracket and type conventions used in the translation. Chapter I gives the words of Enoch's blessing on the elect and righteous; Enoch reports a vision shown by angels, announces that the Holy Great One will come to Mount Sinai, that mountains will melt and judgement fall on all, while the righteous receive peace and light, and that He comes with holy ones to judge the ungodly. Chapters II–V call for observation of the heavens, earth, seasons, trees, sun, sea, and rivers, which keep their ordered tasks, contrasting the unsteadfast sinners who will find no peace and execration, while the elect receive light, wisdom, and long peaceful life. Chapters VI–VIII recount the angels lusting after the daughters of men; Semjâzâ leads them, two hundred descend on Mount Hermon and swear an oath; the named leaders take wives, beget giants who devour mankind; Azâzêl and others teach weapons, ornaments, enchantments, and astrology. Chapter IX: Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel see the bloodshed and bring the souls' plea before the Most High. Chapter X: the Most High sends Uriel to warn Noah of the deluge, orders Raphael to bind Azâzêl, Gabriel to destroy the giants, and Michael to bind Semjâzâ and his associates, promising cleansing and the plant of righteousness. Chapter XI: God opens the store chambers of blessing. Chapter XII: the Watchers commission Enoch the scribe to announce their doom. Chapter XIII: Enoch declares Azâzêl's sentence, writes the Watchers' petition, sleeps by the waters of Dan, and receives a vision of chastisement. Chapter XIV: Enoch writes the reprimand; their petition is denied; borne into heaven, he sees a crystal house, then a greater fiery house containing a lofty throne where the Great Glory sits; the Lord calls Enoch to come and hear, and a holy one raises him to the door.

God addresses Enoch, telling him not to fear, and instructs him to go to the Watchers of heaven who sent him to intercede, declaring that they should intercede for men, not men for them. He rebukes them for leaving heaven, lying with women, defiling themselves, and begetting giants, and explains that the giants shall be evil spirits upon the earth who afflict, oppress, and destroy. God states that from the days of the giants' slaughter the spirits shall destroy until the great judgement, and that the Watchers have no peace. Enoch is then brought on journeys: to a place of flaming fire, to darkness, to a mountain reaching heaven, to the luminaries, living waters, a river of fire, and the mouths of the rivers. He sees the treasuries of winds, the corner-stone of the earth, seven mountains of stones, an abyss, and seven stars bound as a prison. The angel and Uriel explain these are stars that transgressed. Uriel tells him fallen angels stand here till judgement and their women become sirens. Enoch names seven archangels: Uriel, Raphael, Raguel, Michael, Saraqâêl, Gabriel, Remiel. He sees seven bound stars, and Uriel explains their imprisonment. Raphael explains the hollow places in the mountain where souls of the dead assemble, including Abel's spirit making suit against Cain. Enoch blesses the Lord. Raguel explains the fire persecuting the luminaries. At seven mountains, Michael explains the throne of God and the tree of life for the righteous. Enoch sees Jerusalem's mountains and ravines, and Uriel explains the accursed valley. Journeying east, Enoch sees fragrant trees, cinnamon, nard, and comes to the Garden of Righteousness, where Raphael identifies the tree of wisdom his parents ate.

Enoch travels to the ends of the earth and sees great beasts and birds differing from one another; to the east he sees the portals of heaven where stars come forth, and counts them as Uriel shows and writes them down. He goes north and sees three portals producing north winds bringing cold, hail, frost, snow, dew, rain—one for good, two with violence. He goes west and sees three portals like those in the east. He goes south and sees three portals giving dew, rain, wind; then east again, seeing three portals with small portals through which stars pass. He blesses the Lord of Glory. The Parables begin. Enoch, named through his ancestry, announces three parables of wisdom. The First Parable concerns the judgment of sinners and the appearing of the Righteous One; kings and mighty shall perish into the hands of the righteous. A whirlwind carries Enoch to the end of the heavens, where he sees the dwellings of the holy and the Elect One under the wings of the Lord of Spirits; those who sleep not sing "Holy, holy, holy." Enoch sees four presences and the angel of peace names them: Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Phanuel. He sees the secrets of the heavens, the sun and moon's orbits. Wisdom finds no dwelling among men and returns to the angels, while unrighteousness dwells among them. The Second Parable concerns those who deny the Lord of Spirits. Enoch sees the Head of Days and the Son of Man who has righteousness and shall cast down kings. The righteous pray for vengeance; the books of the living are opened. The Son of Man is named before creation. The kings and mighty shall be destroyed. The Elect One's power and wisdom are described, resurrection is announced, and Enoch sees mountains of iron, copper, silver, gold, soft metal, and lead, which shall melt before the Elect One.

Enoch's eyes see a deep valley with open mouths, to which all bring gifts though it never fills; sinners are destroyed before the Lord of Spirits. He sees angels of punishment preparing instruments of Satan and asks the angel of peace, who says they are for the kings and mighty. The Righteous and Elect One causes his congregation's house to appear. Enoch then sees a valley of burning fire where kings and mighty are cast; he asks about iron chains, and the angel says they are for Azâzêl's hosts, whom Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Phanuel shall cast into the furnace. A Noachic fragment tells of waters above (masculine) and beneath (feminine) destroying all. The Head of Days repents of the destruction and sets a sign in heaven. Enoch sees angels with scourges; the angel of peace explains. Angels hurl themselves upon the Parthians and Medes; the nations fight among themselves until Sheol swallows them. Enoch sees wagons coming from the east; all worship the Lord of Spirits—end of the second Parable. He begins the third Parable, blessing the righteous. He sees secrets of lightnings and thunder. In the Book of Noah fragment, a quaking disquiets heaven; Enoch falls, and Michael raises and instructs him. The monsters Leviathan (female) and Behemoth (male) are parted. An angel shows Enoch the secrets of winds and elements. Angels take cords to measure the righteous; the Elect One is enthroned to judge. The Lord commands kings to recognize the Elect One; they see the Son of Man, worship, and are delivered to punishment; the righteous are clothed in garments of glory. The kings' repentance is unavailing. Enoch sees the fallen angels. Noah cries to Enoch, who explains the coming judgment for sorcery and promises Noah's preservation. Angels are bidden to hold the waters in check; Noah departs from Enoch.

The word of God comes to Noah, telling him his lot has come up blameless; the angels are making a wooden building God will preserve, from which the seed of life shall come forth, and Noah's seed shall be made fast. God will imprison the unrighteous angels in the burning valley Enoch had shown Noah in the west. Noah sees the valley of convulsing waters and sulphur, where streams of fire punish the angels; the waters serve the kings and mighty for bodily healing but punishment of spirit. Michael declares the judgement a testimony for the kings. Enoch gives Noah the teaching of the Parables. Michael answers Raphael on the judgement's severity and says he will not take the angels' part. The names of the angels are listed (Samjâzâ and others), then Jeqôn, Asbeêl, Gâdreêl (who led astray Eve and showed weapons of death), Pênêmûe (who taught writing), and Kâsdejâ. Kâsbeêl, chief of the oath named Bîqâ, requests Michael to show the hidden name; the oath Akâe is placed in Michael's hand, by which heaven, earth, sea, sun, moon, and stars are established. There is joy that the Son of Man's name is revealed; he sits on the throne of glory and destroys sinners. This closes the Third Parable. Enoch's name is raised aloft on the chariots of the spirit and set between north and west. His spirit ascends into the heavens, where Michael seizes his right hand and shows him the secrets, the crystal structure, the Seraphin, Cherubic, and Ophannin, and the Head of Days; an angel greets him, naming the Son of Man born unto righteousness. Uriel then shows Enoch the courses of the luminaries: the Sun and its portals and day-night divisions across 364 days, the Moon and her phases, and calculations of the sun's and moon's years.

The leaders of thousands govern the stars and the four intercalary days, through which men go wrong; Uriel shows Enoch the signs, times, twelve doors of the sun's chariot, and the portals from which sun, moon, and stars proceed, with one chariot larger than the rest. Enoch describes twelve portals from which winds blow: four bring blessing, eight bring harm, and he enumerates the east, south, north, and west winds and their effects, declaring he has shown these to his son Methuselah. He names the four quarters, and reports seven mountains, seven rivers, and seven islands. He gives the names of the sun and moon, describes the two luminaries, and the moon's waxing and waning as Uriel showed him. He recapitulates the laws Uriel the archangel revealed. Uriel declares that in the days of sinners nature will be perverted, stars will transgress their order, and men will take them to be gods, bringing punishment. Uriel bids Enoch observe the heavenly tablets; Enoch reads them, blesses the Lord, and pronounces the righteous man blessed. Seven holy ones place Enoch before his house, instruct him to teach Methuselah, granting one year before he is taken. Enoch charges Methuselah to preserve the books, names the leaders of the year's parts—Melkejal, Hel'emmelek, and others. In his first dream-vision Enoch sees heaven collapse and the earth swallowed; his grandfather Mahalalel wakes him, interprets the sin of the earth, and bids him pray for a remnant. Enoch prays and blesses the Lord. In a second dream, Enoch tells Methuselah of a white bull, a heifer, and black and red bulls; the black gores the red, and white bulls proceed.

Enoch relates a dream-vision. He sees a star fall from heaven, which pastures among oxen. Large and black oxen change their stalls and live together. Many stars descend to the first star, becoming bulls; they let out privy members like horses, cover the cows, and the cows bear elephants, camels, and asses. The oxen fear and are devoured, and the children of the earth flee. The oxen gore one another and the earth cries out. From heaven come beings like white men: four go forth, then three. The three take Enoch by the hand and raise him to a lofty place, showing him a tower; one bids him remain and watch. One of the four seizes the fallen star and casts it into a narrow, dark abyss. One gives a sword to the elephants, camels, and asses to smite each other. One stones the great stars and casts them into an abyss. One of the four instructs a white bull, who becomes a man and builds a vessel; three bulls dwell with him. Seven water torrents and fountains flood the enclosure, drowning the cattle, oxen, elephants, camels, and asses, while the vessel floats. The waters recede; the white-bull-man and three bulls emerge—one white, one red, one black—and the white bull departs. Beasts and birds arise. A white bull is born, begets a wild ass and white bull; the wild asses multiply. A bull begets a black boar and white sheep; the sheep begets twelve sheep. The sheep are given to asses, then wolves. The Lord brings the eleven sheep among the wolves. The wolves oppress them, casting their young into a river; the sheep cry to their Lord. An escaped sheep flees to the wild asses.

Enoch sees thirty-five shepherds pasture the sheep in succession; birds of heaven—eagles, vultures, kites, ravens—devour the sheep and pick out their eyes until only bones remain. Twenty-three shepherds pasture fifty-eight times. Lambs are born of white sheep, open their eyes, and cry to the deaf sheep. A great horn sprouts on one sheep; rams run to it, and ravens battle it without prevailing. A sword is given to the sheep, who proceed against the beasts. The man who wrote the shepherds' names helps the ram and opens a book on the destruction wrought by the twelve last shepherds. The Lord of the sheep comes in wrath, smites the earth, and the beasts are swallowed up. A throne is erected; the stars, the seventy shepherds, and the blinded sheep are judged and cast into fiery abysses. The old house is folded up; a new, greater house is brought. A white bull is born; all become white bulls, and the first becomes a lamb with black horns. Enoch awakes, blesses the Lord, and weeps. Enoch writes a book of admonition for his children. He bids Methuselah gather his brothers, and admonishes them to love uprightness, foretelling increasing violence, chastisement, the burning of idols, and the rising of the righteous. In the Apocalypse of Weeks, Enoch, born seventh in the first week, recounts events through the tenth week and beyond, when a new heaven appears and sin ceases. He admonishes the righteous, pronounces woes on sinners and the rich, expresses grief, and declares that the sinners' riches and lies shall flow away and they shall be given over to a curse.

Enoch swears to the wise and foolish that men shall put on adornments and perish, their spirits cast into the furnace of fire; he declares that sin was not sent upon earth but created by man, and barrenness not given to woman. Swearing by the Holy Great One, he states all evil deeds are recorded daily in heaven, and pronounces woes on fools, those who eat blood, love unrighteousness, and write lying words. In Chapter XCIX he pronounces further woes on the godless and those who pervert words, calls the righteous to raise prayers before the angels, and foretells nations stirred up and destitute mothers abandoning children. In Chapter C fathers, sons, and brothers slay one another until blood flows; angels descend to gather sinners, the Most High executes judgement, and guardians are appointed over the righteous; He summons clouds, dew, and rain to testify. In Chapter CI Enoch bids the children of heaven fear God, citing the sailors and the sea's set limits. In Chapter CII fire comes, luminaries and angels are affrighted; Enoch bids the souls of the righteous not fear, and reports the sinners' words claiming righteous and wicked die alike. In Chapter CIII Enoch swears, having read the heavenly tablets, that goodness is prepared for the righteous dead and Sheol for sinners, and rehearses the righteous's complaints of oppression. In Chapter CIV angels remember the righteous, whose names are written; he warns sinners alter the words of uprightness, and promises books to the righteous. In Chapter CV the Lord bids testimony given, and says "I and My son will be united with them." In the Noah fragment, Lamech's wondrous son, white and red, blesses the Lord; Lamech fears him and sends Methuselah to Enoch, who explains the angels' transgression, the coming deluge, and names the child Noah.

The chapter opens as another book Enoch wrote for his son Methuselah and those who keep the law in the last days. Those who have done good are told to wait until evil-workers are ended; sinners' names shall be blotted from the book of life, their seed destroyed, their spirits slain in a fiery chaotic wilderness. Enoch sees an invisible cloud, a blazing flame, and shining mountains circling. He asks a holy angel what it is; the angel explains sinners' spirits are cast there. The angel speaks of the humble who afflicted their bodies, loved God, scorned wealth, and blessed Him. Enoch recounts having recorded their blessings. God declares He will summon the good, transform those born in darkness, seat each on his throne of honor, make them resplendent, while sinners cry aloud seeing them.