Book of Enoch - Introduction
I have based this
book on Michael A. Knibb's scholarly translation of the Ethiopian
manuscripts, (The Ethiopic Book of Enoch, Oxford University Press), which I
believe to be the best translation currently available.
I first heard about the Book of Enoch a few years ago, while I was researching
into 'End of Days' prophesies. When I finally managed to get hold of a copy,
I discovered that it was a very strange and unusual book.
The first time I read it I was sceptical and somewhat puzzled; I wondered who
would have written an odd book like this.
I knew that Enoch, (Hanokh in Hebrew), was very favourably mentioned in Genesis,
and I discovered that Enoch's book describes the Exodus and Moses very favourably
(although not by name).
So my first theory was that it might have been written around the same time
as the Torah, perhaps around 1400 BC. However, after several readings I could
find no plausible theories. The prophecy of the animals is extremely precisely
written and obviously refers to events well after Moses (see my notes on that
chapter). Additionally; who would have dared to produce a book with people such
as Moses described in terms of farm animals?
Michael Knibb, whose translation I have used to produce this book, studied all
available manuscripts and sources, and it is clear that this book was well known
and studied in many countries well before the time of Jesus. The earliest known
surviving fragments and quotations in various languages show that this is the
same book, and that the Ethiopians have preserved it well.
In the end I was convinced that the book is really Enoch's true account of otherwise
forgotten events that occurred in early times; events that we have no other
surviving records of.
Enoch left us a book that describes people of an advanced culture The Watchers;
blond-haired people that Enoch's people considered to be Angels of God, and
it was written on the instruction of the Watchers.
The standard academic view seems to be that some slightly demented religious
fanatic wrote the book - not long before the earliest provable fragments, (200
or 300BC). I think it is impossible to support this view. Such an author would
have to be able to write the entire book from the point of view of a person
who knows nothing of countries with names, or religions with names. Then he
goes on to describe the Angels as blond men, who ran away from Heaven in order
to be promiscuous with women. I don't believe this is the sort of world view
that would have been well received or widely accepted anywhere in 200 BC. This
plus the all too accurate prophecies are probably the reasons why it was 'lost'
by the religions that used to regard it as holy.
I concluded that the book is probably what it appears to be - well preserved,
ancient and genuine. Enoch was the great-grandfather of Noah, and the father
of Methuselah, and his book gives a unique view of the world before the flood
- probably around 9,000 BC. The name Sumeria meant 'Land of the Watchers' so
Enoch probably lived in the area that is now Iraq.
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