The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) · 119 of 141 · tr. R.H. Charles

Chapter XC (part 3)

128 were clothed in white and had seized me by my hand [ who had taken me up before ] , and the hand of that ram also seizing hold of me, they took me up and set me down in the midst of those sheep before the judgement took place†.

32.

And those sheep were all white, and their wool was abundant and clean.

33.

And all that had been destroyed and dispersed, and all the beasts of the field, and all the birds of the heaven, assembled in that house, and the Lord of the sheep rejoiced with great joy because they were all good and had returned to His house.

34.

And I saw till they laid down that sword, which had been given to the sheep, and they brought it back into the house, and it was sealed before the presence of the Lord, and all the sheep were invited into that house, but it held them not.

35.

And the eyes of them all were opened, and they saw the good, and there was not one among them that did not see.

36.

And I saw that that house was large and broad and very full.

37.

And I saw that a white bull was born, with large horns and all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air feared him and made petition to him all the time.

38.

And I saw till all their generations were transformed, and they all became white bulls; and the first among them became a lamb , and that lamb became a great animal and had great black horns on its head; and the Lord of the sheep rejoiced over it and over all the oxen.

39.

And I slept in their midst: and I awoke and saw everything.

40.

This is the vision which I saw while I slept, and I awoke and blessed the Lord of righteousness and gave Him glory.

41.

Then I wept with a great weeping and my tears stayed not till I could no longer endure it: when I saw, they flowed on account of what I had seen; for everything shall come and be fulfilled, and all the deeds of men in their order were shown to me.

42.

On that night I remembered the first dream, and because of it I wept and was troubled--because I had seen that vision.'

Themes

◆Return To Sourcesoteriology

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

The destroyed and dispersed creatures are described as having 'returned to His house' under the Lord of the sheep.

All passages →

◆Separation From Sourcesoteriology

The felt condition of exile from one's divine origin — Rumi's reed flute torn from its bed, Plotinus's 'we have forgotten,' the Gnostic forgetfulness; the affective wound that complements return_to_source and gives the return its motive.

The text references those who had been 'destroyed and dispersed' prior to their return, implying a state of exile.

All passages →

◆Spiritual Ascentpraxis

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

Enoch is taken up by beings clothed in white and set down in the midst of the sheep before judgment.

All passages →

◇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.

[auto] The passage explicitly describes a scene 'before the judgement took place' where deeds of men are shown and fulfilled.

All passages →

Related passages · 2 parallels

◆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 sheep and a shepherd to represent a spiritual journey and divine care. They share themes of protection, guidance, and ultimate salvation, though they come from different mystical traditions.

◆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 sheep and shepherds to describe a divine or mystical experience. They share themes of divine judgment, protection, and the transformation of the faithful, indicating a genuine conceptual parallel across different mystical traditions.