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Enoch (ancestor of )

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God took Enoch, as in Genesis 5:24: "And Enoch walked with God: then he was no more; for God took him." (KJV) illustration from the 1728 Figures de la ; illustrated by Gerard Hoet Patriarch Armenian Apostolic Church Honored in Armenian

Feast July 30

Modern Tiberian Ḥă ōḵ; : ʼIdrīs) is a character that ,חֲנֹוְך :Enoch (Hebrew appears in the and a figure in the Generations of . Enoch is described as the greatx4 grandson of Adam (through ) (Genesis 5:3-18), the son of , the father of , and the great-grandfather of Noah. The text reads—uniquely in the Generations— that Enoch "walked with God: and he was not; for God took him", (Genesis 5:22-29) and in : 5 (KJV) it says "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his he had this testimony, that he pleased God." suggesting he did not experience the mortal death ascribed to Adam's other descendants and that he is still alive to this very day.

Despite the brief descriptions of him, Enoch is one of the main two focal points for much of the 1st millennium BC Jewish mysticism, notably in the . Additionally, Enoch is important in some Christian denominations: He is commemorated as one of the Holy Forefathers in the of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the on the second Thursday after the Feast of the Transfiguration. He also features in the Latter Day Saint movement. Enoch is also the oldest of the pre-Flood . It is explained that he is immortal and did not die at 365.

Contents

 1 Enoch in the Book of Genesis  in o 2.1 The Books of Enoch o 2.2 Enoch in classical Rabbinical literature  in o 3.1 o 3.2 Early Christianity o 3.3 Medieval and Reformation o 3.4 Modern Christianity o 3.5 In LDS theology  4 Enoch in Islam  5 See also  6 References  7 External links

Enoch in the Book of Genesis

Enoch appears in Genesis as the seventh of the ten pre-Deluge Patriarchs. Genesis claims that each of the pre-Flood Patriarchs lives for several centuries, has a son, lives more centuries, and then dies. The exception is Enoch, who does not experience death "for God took him." Furthermore, Genesis 5:22-29 states that Enoch lived 365 years which is extremely short in the context of his peers. Enoch in Judaism

The brief account of Enoch in Genesis 5 ends with the note that he "was not" and that "God took him." The question of what became of Enoch puzzled later generations. The 3rd century translators who produced the Greek rendered the phrase "God took him" with the Greek verb metatithemi (μετατίθημι)[1] meaning moving from one place to another.[2] The 44:16, from about the same period, states that "Enoch pleased God and was translated into that he may give repentance to the nations." The Greek word used here for paradise, 'paradeisos' (παραδεισος), was derived from an ancient Persian word meaning "enclosed garden"), and was used in the Septuagint to describe the Garden of Eden. Later, however, the term became synonymous for , as is the case here.

The Books of Enoch

Three extensive apocryphal works are attributed to Enoch:

 1st Book of Enoch, or simply the Book of Enoch, an apocryphal book in the Ethiopic Bible that is usually dated between the third century BC and the first century AD.  2nd Book of Enoch, an apocryphal book in the Old Slavonic Bible usually dated to the first century AD.  3rd Book of Enoch, a Kabbalistic Rabbinic text in Hebrew usually dated to the fifth century AD.

These recount how Enoch is taken up to Heaven and is appointed guardian of all the celestial treasures, chief of the , and the immediate attendant on God's throne. He is subsequently taught all secrets and mysteries and, with all the at his back, fulfils of his own accord whatever comes out of the mouth of God, executing His decrees. Much esoteric literature like the 3rd Book of Enoch identifies Enoch as the , the which communicates God's word. In consequence, Enoch was seen, by this literature, and the Rabbinic kabbala of Jewish mysticism, as having been the one which communicated God's revelation to , in particular, the dictator of the .

Enoch in classical Rabbinical literature

In classical Rabbinical literature, there are divergent opinions of Enoch. After Christianity and Judaism had separated, the prevailing view regarding Enoch was that of Targum Pseudo- Jonathan, which thought of Enoch as a pious man, taken to Heaven, and receiving the title of Safra rabba (Great scribe).

However, while Christianity was separating from Judaism, the Jewish view of Enoch was he was the only pious man of his time and was taken away before he would become corrupted.[citation needed]

According to [3] [from Genesis Rabba[4]], “Enoch was a righteous man, but he could easily be swayed to return to do evil. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, hastened and took him away and caused him to die before his time. For this reason, Scripture changed [the wording] in [the account of] his demise and wrote, ‘and he was no longer’ in the world to complete his years.”

Among the minor Midrashim, esoteric attributes of Enoch are expanded upon. In the Sefer Hekalot, is described as having visited the 7th Heaven, where he meets Enoch, who claims that earth had, in his time, been corrupted by the demons Shammazai, and , and so Enoch was taken to Heaven to prove that God was not cruel. Similar traditions are recorded in Sirach. Later elaborations of this interpretation treated Enoch as having been a pious ascetic, who, called to mix with others, preached repentance, and gathered (despite the small number of people on Earth) a vast collection of disciples, to the extent that he was proclaimed king. Under his wisdom, peace is said to have reigned on earth, to the extent that he is summoned to Heaven to rule over the sons of God. In a parallel with , in sight of a vast crowd begging him to stay, he ascends to Heaven on a horse.

Enoch is often confused with . However, Enos is grandson to Adam (Genesis 5:5-6), and great-great-grandfather of Enoch (Genesis 5:9-18). Enoch in Christianity

Elijah and Enoch - an icon 17th cent., Historic Museum in Sanok, Poland

New Testament

The New Testament contains three references to Enoch. The first is a brief mention in Luke's genealogy of the ancestors of (:37).

The third mention is in the (1:14-15) where the author attributes to "Enoch, the Seventh from Adam" a passage unknown in the . The quotation is believed by most modern scholars to be taken from 1 Enoch 1:9 which exists in Greek, in Ethiopic, as part of the Ethiopian Orthodox canon, and also in Aramaic among the .[5][6] Though the same scholars recognise that 1 Enoch 1:9 itself is a of the words of Moses "he came from the ten thousands of holy ones" from Deuteronomy 33:2.[7][8][9][10][11] The introductory phrase "Enoch, the Seventh from Adam" is also found in 1 Enoch (1 En. 60:8), though not in the Old Testament.[12] In the New Testament this Enoch prophesies "to"[13] ungodly men, that God shall come with His holy ones to judge and convict them (Jude 1:14-15).[14] Early Christianity

Early Christianity contains various traditions concerning the "translation" of Enoch.

Regarding the quotation in Jude, most of early Christianity considered it an independent quotation pre-dating the flood. Regarding the Book of Enoch itself , Jerome and Augustin mention it, but as of no authority. Justin, Athenagoras, , Clemens Alexandrinus, , and others borrowed an opinion out of this book of Enoch, that the angels had connection with the daughters of men, of whom they had offspring ('the giants of the past'). , in several places, speaks of this book with esteem; and would persuade us, that it was preserved by Noah during the deluge.

Medieval and Reformation

According to the Figurists (a group of Jesuit missionaries mainly led by Bouvet into China at the end of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th century and based on ideas of Matteo Ricci 1552 to 1610),[15][16][17] Fu Xi in China's ancient history is actually Enoch.[18][19][20]

Modern Christianity

Enoch is not counted as a saint in Roman Catholic tradition, though Enoch has a saints day, July 26, in the Armenian Apostolic Church. The "St. Enoch" in the place name St. Enoch's Square, Glasgow, is a corruption from the site of a medieval chapel to Saint Teneu, the legendary mother of Saint Mungo, and unconnected with Enoch.

Enoch is revered in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and the Enochic texts Jubilees and 1 Enoch regarded as the 13th and 14th books, respectively, of the Tewahedo Old Testament canon.[21] Most churches, including the Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Protestant churches, do not accept the books.

Some Evangelical commentators consider Enoch to be one of the in the due to the fact that he did not die according to Genesis 5:24. Two televangelists holding this view, for example, are Pastor John Hagee of Christians United for Israel and Hebrew Roots Bible teacher Perry Stone.

In LDS theology

Among the Latter Day Saint movement and particularly in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints, Enoch is viewed as having founded an exceptionally righteous city, named , in the midst of an otherwise wicked world. This view is encountered in the Mormon scripture (see ), the Pearl of Great Price and the , which states that not only Enoch, but the entire peoples of the city of Zion, were taken off this earth without death, because of their piety. (Zion is defined as "the pure in heart" and this city of Zion will return to the earth at the of Jesus Christ.) The Doctrine and Covenants further states that Enoch prophesied that one of his descendants, Noah, and his family, would survive a Great Flood and thus carry on the human race and preserve the Gospel. The in the Pearl of Great Price has several chapters that give an account of Enoch's preaching, visions and conversations with God. In these same chapters are details concerning the wars, violence and natural disasters in Enoch's day, and notable miracles performed by Enoch. The Book of Moses is itself an excerpt from Smith's translation of the Bible, which is published in full, complete with these chapters concerning Enoch, by , as the Holy Scriptures/Inspired Version of the Bible, where it appears as part of the Book of Genesis. D&C 104:24 (CofC) / 107:48-49 (LDS) states that Adam ordained Enoch to the higher priesthood (now called the , after the great high priest) at age 25, that he was 65 when Adam blessed him, and he lived 365 years after that until he was translated, so making him 430 years old when that occurred.

Additionally in LDS theology, Enoch is implied to be the scribe who recorded Adam's blessings and prophecies at Adam-ondi-Ahman, as recorded in D&C 107:53-57 (LDS) / D&C 104:29b (CofC). Enoch in Islam

Main article: (Islamic )

In the , Enoch is sometimes identified with Idris, as for example by the History of Al- Tabari and the Meadows of Gold.[22] The Quran contains two references to Idris; in Surah Al- Anbiya (The ) verse number 85, and in Surah (Mary) verses 56-57:

 (The Prophets, 21:85): "And the same blessing was bestowed upon Ismail and Idris and Zul-Kifl, because they all practised fortitude."  (Mary 19:56-57): "And remember Idris in the Book; he was indeed very truthful, a Prophet. And We lifted him to a lofty station".

Idris is closely linked in Muslim tradition with the origin of writing and other technical arts of civilization,[23] including the study of astronomical phenomena, both of which Enoch is credited with in the Testament of .[24] Nonetheless, even aside from the identification of Idris and Enoch, many still honor Enoch as one of the earliest prophets, regardless of whether they equate him with Idris or not.[25] Thus, views on Enoch are divided into two groups:

 The first believes that Enoch and Idris are one and the same.  The second believes that Enoch and Idris are two different prophets. See also

 Adam and (LDS Church) References

1. ^ 5:24 καὶ εὐηρέστησεν Ενωχ τῷ θεῷ καὶ οὐχ ηὑρίσκετο ὅτι μετέθηκεν αὐτὸν ὁ θεός 2. ^ LSJ metatithemi 3. ^ Rashi's Commentary on Genesis 5: 24. See also Commentary of Ibn . 4. ^ 25:1 5. ^ 4Q Enoch (4Q204[4QENAR]) COL I 16-18 6. ^ Clontz, T.E. and J., "The Comprehensive New Testament with complete textual variant mapping and references for the Dead Sea Scrolls, Philo, Josephus, Nag Hammadi Library, , , Plato, Egyptian Book of the Dead, Talmud, Old Testament, Patristic Writings, Dhammapada, Tacitus, Epic of Gilgamesh", Cornerstone Publications, 2008, p. 711, ISBN 978-0-9778737-1-5 7. ^ "The initial oracle in chapters 1-5 is a paraphrase of part of Deuteronomy 33,24" George W. E. Nickelsburg, The nature and function of revelation 1 Enoch, Jubilees and some Qumranic documents, 1997 8. ^ Lars Hartman, Asking for a Meaning: A Study of 1 Enoch 1-5 ConBib NT Series 12 Lund Gleerup, 1979 22-26. 9. ^ George WE Nickelsburg & James C Vanderkam, 1 Enoch, Fortress 2001 10. ^ R.H. Charles, The Book of Enoch, London SPCK, 1917 11. ^ E. , 1 Enoch, a new Translation and Introduction in Old Testament Pseudepigrapha ed. Charlesworth, Doubleday 1983-85 12. ^ Richard Bauckham Jude and the relatives of Jesus in the early church p206 etc. 13. ^ The use of dative toutois in the Greek text (προεφήτευσεν δὲ καὶ τούτοις instead of the normal genitive with προφητεύω prophēteuō peri auton, "concerning them") has occasioned discussion among commentators including: Ben Witherington Letters and Homilies for Jewish Christians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on Hebrews, James and Jude: "...who might be tempted to follow the teachers' example), nonetheless, Jude says that this prophecy refers to these (toutois) false teachers in Jude 14" p624 John Twycross The New Testament in the original Greek: with notes by C. Wordsworth His warning is addressed to them as well to those of his own and future ages. p140; Cox S. Slandering Celestial Beings Hyderabad 2000 "..but instead Jude wrote proepheteusen toutois (verb + dative case pronoun plural) "prophesied TO these men".." p16 14. ^ Jude 1:14-15 15. ^ http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02723b.htm 16. ^ Brock, H. (1907). Joachim Bouvet. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 17. ^ http://archives.catholic.org.hk/books/author/bouvet.htm 18. ^ Etat présent de la Chine, en figures gravées par P. Giffart sur les dessins apportés au roi par le P. J. Bouvet (Paris, 1697) 19. ^ Portrait histoique de l'empereur de la Chine (Paris, 1697) 20. ^ Li, Shenwen, 2001, Stratégies missionnaires des Jésuites Français en Nouvelle-France et en Chine au XVIIieme siècle, Les Presses de l'Université Laval, L'Harmattan, ISBN 2- 7475-1123-5 21. ^ Tewahedo Orthodox Church 22. ^ Alexander Philip S. Biblical Figures Outside the Bible p.118 ed. E. Stone, Theodore A. Bergren 2002 p118 "twice in the Qur'an.. was commonly identified by Muslim scholars with the biblical Enoch, and that this identification opened the way for importing into Islam a substantial body of postbiblical Jewish legend about the character and ...." 23. ^ History of Prophets in Islam and Judaism, B. M. Wheeler, Enoch 24. ^ History of Prophets in Islam and Judaism, B. M. Wheeler, Enoch 25. ^ Lives of the Prophets, L. Azzam, S. Academy Publishing External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Enoch

 Jewish Encyclopedia Entry (1911)  Catholic Encyclopedia Henoch (1914)  Andrei A. Orlov essays on 2 Enoch: Enoch as the Heavenly Priest, Enoch as the Expert in Secrets, Enoch as the Scribe and Enoch as the Mediator  Ed. Philip P. Wiener Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Cosmic Voyages (1973)  Dr. Reed C. Durham, Jr. Comparison of Masonic legends of Enoch and Mormon scriptures description of Enoch (1974)