1There was a wise man, a great artificer, and the Lord conceived love for him and received him, that he should behold the uppermost dwellings and be an eye-witness of the wise and great and inconceivable and immutable realm of God Almighty, of the very wonderful and glorious and bright and many-eyed station of the Lord’s servants, and of the inaccessible throne of the Lord, and of the degrees and manifestations of the incorporeal hosts, and of the ineffable ministration of the multitude of the elements, and of the various apparition and inexpressible singing of the host of Cherubim, and of the boundless light. 2At that time, he said, when my one hundred and sixty-fifth year was completed, I begat my son Mathusal. 3After this too I lived two hundred years and completed of all the years of my life three hundred and sixty-five years.
4On the first day of the month I was in my house alone and was resting on my bed and slept. 5And when I was asleep, great distress came up into my heart, and I was weeping with my eyes in sleep, and I could not understand what this distress was, or what would happen to me. 6And there appeared to me two men, exceeding big, so that I never saw such on earth; their faces were shining like the sun, their eyes too were like a burning light, and from their lips was fire coming forth with clothing and singing of various kinds in appearance purple, their wings were brighter than gold, their hands whiter than snow. 7They were standing at the head of my bed and began to call me by my name. 8And I arose from my sleep and saw clearly those two men standing in front of me. 9And I saluted them and was seized with fear and the appearance of my face was changed from terror, and those men said to me: 10Have courage, Enoch, do not fear; the eternal God sent us to you, and lo! You shalt to-day ascend with us into heaven, and you shall tell your sons and all your household all that they shall do without you on earth in your house, and let no one seek you till the Lord return you to them. 11And I made haste to obey them and went out from my house, and made to the doors, as it was ordered me, and summoned my sons Mathusal and Regim and Gaidad and made known to them all the marvels those men had told me.”
The book can be divided in four sections:
In the first section (chapters 1–22), Enoch, at the age of 365, is taken by two angels through the ten heavens, one by one.
In the second section (chapters 23–37), Enoch, now guided by Gabriel speaks with God in the tenth heaven face to face. Afterwards, he is anointed by Michael and becomes similar in appearance to the angels. God tests the obedience of his angels by having them bow down before Enoch. A group of angels, identified as the angels of Satanail, refuses. They are imprisoned. Eventually they bow before Enoch, addressing him as “a man of God.” (This story seems similar to that of the War in Heaven between God and Satan). The Lord asks the angel Vereviel to dictate to Enoch 360 books containing all that is knowable. Later, the Lord himself tells Enoch the secrets, unknown even to the angels, of the Creation until the Flood. Enoch is finally sent back to Earth for thirty days.
The third section (chapters 38–68) is a list of doctrinal and ethical instructions given by Enoch to his sons. The main moral principle is to have love for all living beings (similar to the ethics found in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs). Enoch teaches the uselessness of intercessions. At the end of the thirty days, Enoch is taken into heaven forever.
The last section (sometimes referred to as the Exaltation of Melchizedek) outlines the priestly succession of Enoch. Enoch’s son, Methuselah, is asked by the people to act as an interim priest. The priesthood of Nir, grandson of Methuselah, is also temporary. Then the miraculous birth of Melchizedek and his priesthood are narrated. In manuscript B and in the long versions, this section ends with a short narrative of the Deluge (flood).
To unlock the mysteries of Enoch, would be to unlock the mysteries of heaven itself. Too bad Genesis did not give more of an accounting of his final moments – and his entrance into the mysteries of heaven.
Behold, in the vision clouds invited me and a mist summoned me, and the course of the stars and the lightnings sped and hastened me, and the winds in 9 the vision caused me to fly and lifted me upward, and bore me into heaven. And I went in till I drew nigh to a wall which is built of crystals and surrounded by tongues of fire: and it began to affright 10 me. And I went into the tongues of fire and drew nigh to a large house which was built of crystals: and the walls of the house were like a tesselated floor (made) of crystals, and its groundwork was 11 of crystal. Its ceiling was like the path of the stars and the lightnings, and between them were 12 fiery cherubim, and their heaven was (clear as) water. A flaming fire surrounded the walls, and its 13 portals blazed with fire. And I entered into that house, and it was hot as fire and cold as ice: there 14 were no delights of life therein: fear covered me, and trembling got hold upon me. And as I quaked 15 and trembled, I fell upon my face. And I beheld a vision, And lo! there was a second house, greater 16 than the former, and the entire portal stood open before me, and it was built of flames of fire. And in every respect it so excelled in splendour and magnificence and extent that I cannot describe to 17 you its splendour and its extent. And its floor was of fire, and above it were lightnings and the path 18 of the stars, and its ceiling also was flaming fire. And I looked and saw therein a lofty throne: its appearance was as crystal, and the wheels thereof as the shining sun, and there was the vision of 19 cherubim. And from underneath the throne came streams of flaming fire so that I could not look 20 thereon. And the Great Glory sat thereon, and His raiment shone more brightly than the sun and 21 was whiter than any snow. None of the angels could enter and could behold His face by reason 22 of the magnificence and glory and no flesh could behold Him. The flaming fire was round about Him, and a great fire stood before Him, and none around could draw nigh Him: ten thousand times 23 ten thousand (stood) before Him, yet He needed no counselor. And the most holy ones who were 24 nigh to Him did not leave by night nor depart from Him. And until then I had been prostrate on my face, trembling: and the Lord called me with His own mouth, and said to me: ‘ Come hither, 25 Enoch, and hear my word.’ And one of the holy ones came to me and waked me, and He made me rise up and approach the door: and I bowed my face downwards.”
The text of Genesis (Genesis 5:21-24) says Enoch lived 365 years before he was taken by God. Some Christians interpret the verses as saying Enoch entered Heaven alive – one of just three to do this (Jesus, Elijah, and Enoch). Enoch is the subject of many Jewish and Christian traditions. He was considered the author of the Book of Enoch and he is also called Enoch the scribe of judgment. The Christian New Testament has three references to Enoch from the lineage of Seth (Luke 3:37, Hebrews 11:5, Jude 1:14–15).
Since Genesis suggests that Enoch did not die, but instead says that he “walked with God”, later generations thought that he had seen all mysteries of the universe. From the third century BCE on, authors used him as their spokesman, attributing all sorts of secret knowledge to his revelation. Five of these texts were joined together at an unknown moment, and are now known as the First Book of Enoch.
The title First Book of Enoch suggests that there is a Second Book too. This is a text on the lives of Enoch and his descendants. The Third Book of Enoch was written in the fifth/sixth century and describes how the second-century rabbi Ishmael journeyed into heaven and saw God’s throne and chariot. This work has influenced the Zohar, the sacred book of Kabbala.
If Enoch did, in fact, go straight to the heavenly realms, any one and every one would want to know what it was like. If these books give us a glimpse, then we do have something incredible to see once we close our eyes in death.
Lutheran Schreff 