The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) · 55 of 141 · tr. R.H. Charles

Chapter XXXVI

XXXVI. The Journey to the South . CHAPTER XXXVI. 1. And from thence I went to the south to the ends of the earth, and saw there three open portals of the heaven: and thence there come dew, rain, †and wind†. 2. And from thence I went to the east to the ends of the heaven, and saw here the three eastern portals of heaven open and small portals above them. 3. Through each of these small portals pass the stars of heaven and run their course to the west on the path which is shown to them. 4. And as often as I saw I blessed always the Lord of Glory, and I continued to bless the Lord of Glory who has wrought great and glorious wonders, to show the greatness of His work to the angels and to spirits and to men, that they might praise His work and all His creation: that they might see the work of His might and praise the great work of His hands and bless Him for ever.

Themes

◆Anthropomorphismtheology

Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.

The passage explicitly refers to the 'work of His hands' when describing God's creation.

All passages →

◆Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

The text states that stars run their course on the path shown to them by the Lord of Glory, indicating divine ordering.

All passages →

◆Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

God is depicted as an active agent who has wrought wonders and shows His work to creation.

All passages →

◆Numerical Mysticismtheology

Numbers, proportions, and mathematical relationships as the underlying structure of divine reality.

The specific repetition of 'three' portals in both the south and east suggests a structured numerical cosmology.

All passages →

◆Prayerpraxis

Direct address to the divine, whether petitionary, contemplative, or liturgical; speech and silence offered upward.

Enoch repeatedly blesses the Lord of Glory, engaging in direct address and praise.

All passages →

◆Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

The passage describes Enoch's visionary journey to the ends of the earth and heaven, traversing cosmic realms.

All passages →

Related passages · 2 parallels

◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 9 (part 1)

“THE ABODE OF THE BLESSED. The Egyptian heaven. The gods of the Egyptians dwelt in a heaven with their ka's , and khu's , and shadows, and there they received the blessed dead to dwell with them. This heaven was situated in the sky, which…”

Both passages describe a mystical journey to the ends of the earth or heaven, encountering portals or gates that regulate natural phenomena like stars, wind, and celestial bodies. They also share a theme of praising the divine for the wonders of creation.

◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 43 (part 80)

“Having gone to the north of the Aaru Field he makes his way to the eastern portion of the tuat , where according to one legend he becomes like the morning star, near[6] his sister Sothis.[7] Here he lived in the form of the star Sothis, and…”

Both passages describe a journey to a celestial realm and involve interactions with divine entities. They share the theme of a soul or individual ascending to a higher plane of existence and seeking passage or purification, reflecting a common mystical quest across different traditions.