About the Book of Enoch

About the Book of Enoch

by
William Arnold III
WmArnold@gmail.com

Question:

I am looking for some information about the book of Enoch that it is mentioned in the Bible. I believe it is in the book of Jude. I think the Septuagint took this book as an apocryphal book of the Bible. I also heard that it describes the events recorded in Genesis 6.

Response:

We know nothing of Enoch from the Old Testament except that "Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him" (Gen. 5:24). However, the book of Jude tells us that Enoch "prophesied." At least part of his prophesy is preserved in the so-called book of Enoch which is directly quoted in Jude 14-15 and probably alluded to in 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6 as well. It is not in the Septuagint, however, but is part of a collection of writings called the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. This is something separate from the Apocrypha. You can read it online at: http://reluctant-messenger.com/1enoch01-60.htm. Chapter 7 is where it begins talking about the event in Genesis 6.

The book of Enoch tells the story of these angels mixing with women and producing giants (as does Gen. 6). It goes into great detail with this story and even gives the names of several of them. Then it says that a heavenly angel (Michael, I think) comes down and punishes them by locking them up in the depths of hell under the earth's crust (compare this to Jude 6 and 2 Peter 2:4).

Now this book was obviously not written by Enoch, but most likely what he prophesied was passed along orally and then one day later somebody wrote it down and attributed the book to Enoch. So some of it represents what Enoch actually said, but probably the legend grew and a lot of the story was added later. It is hard to tell what is genuine and what is not. But that fact that Jude quotes it and even attributes what he quotes to "Enoch, the seventh from Adam" shows that at least part of the book represents the actual words of Enoch.

See also my article, "Who Were the Sons of God in Genesis 6?"