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The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) · 116 of 141 · tr. R.H. Charles

Chapter LXXXIX (part 5)

123 and afterwards I was unable to see if those sheep entered that house. LXXXIX. 68-71. First Period of the Angelic Rulers--from the Destruction of Jerusalem to the Return from the Captivity . 68. And the shepherds and their associates delivered over those sheep to all the wild beasts, to devour them, and each one of them received in his time a definite number: it was written by the other in a book how many each one of them destroyed of them. 69. And each one slew and destroyed many more than was prescribed; and I began to weep and lament on account of those sheep. 70. And thus in the vision I saw that one who wrote, how he wrote down every one that was destroyed by those shepherds, day by day, and carried up and laid down and showed actually the whole book to the Lord of the sheep--(even) everything that they had done, and all that each one of them had made away with, and all that they had given over to destruction. 71. And the book was read before the Lord of the sheep, and He took the book from his hand and read it and sealed it and laid it down. LXXXIX. 72-77. Second Period--from the time of Cyrus to that of Alexander the Great . 72. And forthwith I saw how the shepherds pastured for twelve hours, and behold three of those sheep turned back and came and entered and began to build up all that had fallen down of that house; but the wild boars tried to hinder them, but they were not able. 73. And they began again to build as before, and they reared up that tower, and it was named the high tower; and they began again to place a table before the tower, but all the bread on it was polluted and not pure. 74. And as touching all this the eyes of those sheep were blinded so that they saw not, and (the eyes of) their shepherds likewise; p. 124 and they delivered them in large numbers to their shepherds for destruction, and they trampled the sheep with their feet and devoured them. 75. And the Lord of the sheep remained unmoved till all the sheep were dispersed over the field and mingled with them ( i.e. the beasts), and they ( i.e. the shepherds) did not save them out of the hand of the beasts. 76. And this one who wrote the book carried it up, and showed it and read it before the Lord of the sheep, and implored Him on their account, and besought Him on their account as he showed Him all the doings of the shepherds, and gave testimony before Him against all the shepherds. And he took the actual book and laid it down beside Him and departed.
Themes
◆Anthropomorphismtheology

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

The divine is described with human attributes such as hands taking a book and eyes that can be blinded or see.

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◆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 Lord of the sheep oversees the unfolding history, allowing dispersion while recording deeds, indicating active ordering of events.

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◆Eschatological Judgmentsoteriology

Final, collective cosmic judgment as an event in which the wicked are sentenced and the cosmos restored; distinct from psychopomp_journey (individual passage at death) and emphasising verdict where Zoroastrian frashokereti emphasises restoration.

The passage describes a book of deeds being read before the Lord and sealed, representing divine judgment on the actions of shepherds during historical periods.

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◆Prayerpraxis

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

The writer implores and beseeches the Lord on behalf of the sheep, demonstrating intercessory prayer.

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◆Ritual Puritypraxis

The maintenance of a state of cleanliness—physical, moral, or spiritual—required for encounter with the divine.

The text explicitly notes that the bread placed before the tower was polluted and not pure, highlighting concerns with ritual state.

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Related passages · 3 parallels
◆gnosticism|Gospel of Thomas|Logion 107
“Jesus said, "The kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the ninety-nine sheep and looked for that one until he found it. When he had gone to such trouble, he said to the sheep, 'I…”
Both passages use the metaphor of sheep and shepherds to convey spiritual insights. The Gospel of Thomas emphasizes the care and love of the shepherd for the lost sheep, while the passage from the Book of Enoch focuses on the shepherds' failures and the consequences for the sheep. Despite different themes, both use the metaphor to explore the relationship between the divine and the faithful.
◆mandaean|Gnostic John the Baptizer — Some Typical Extracts|Section 9
“When they heard this from the Fisher who has come hither, and understood, they spake to him: "Have compassion, forbearance and mercy on us and forgive us our sins and transgressions. We are thy slaves, show thyself indulgent towards us. We…”
Both passages use the metaphor of shepherds and sheep to represent spiritual leaders and their followers. They describe a scenario where the shepherds fail in their duties, leading to the suffering of the sheep, and involve a higher authority reviewing the actions of the shepherds.
◆mandaean|Gnostic John the Baptizer — Some Typical Extracts|Section 10
“When then * * * * * *, I entered the house, 4 I mounted up to the highest place [in it], and I call to my sheep. To the sheep in my care do I call. I pipe to them; I get them to hear, so that they come unto me. To them I pipe on my pipe, an…”
Both passages use the metaphor of shepherds and sheep to represent spiritual guidance and the care of a community. They also share themes of protection, loss, and the recording of deeds, though they come from different mystical traditions.