{"id":46026,"date":"2021-04-27T09:58:25","date_gmt":"2021-04-27T06:58:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=46026"},"modified":"2025-05-16T22:35:15","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T19:35:15","slug":"should-we-trust-the-book-of-enoch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2021\/04\/27\/should-we-trust-the-book-of-enoch\/","title":{"rendered":"Should We Trust the Book of Enoch?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Question:<\/span><\/strong>
What <\/span>is <\/span>the <\/span>Book <\/span>of <\/span>Enoch, <\/span>and <\/span>should <\/span>we <\/span>as <\/span>Christians <\/span>believe <\/span>in <\/span>it?<\/span><\/p>\n

Answer:<\/span><\/strong>
The <\/span>Book <\/span>of <\/span>Enoch <\/span>is <\/span>an <\/span>ancient <\/span>writing <\/span>classified <\/span>among <\/span>the <\/span>Apocrypha, <\/span>believed <\/span>to <\/span>have <\/span>been <\/span>composed <\/span>between <\/span>roughly <\/span>200 <\/span>BC <\/span>and <\/span>400 <\/span>AD. <\/span>Some <\/span>Christian <\/span>groups <\/span>regard <\/span>it <\/span>as <\/span>a <\/span>secret <\/span>or <\/span>hidden <\/span>book <\/span>because <\/span>it <\/span>contains <\/span>mysterious <\/span>revelations <\/span>about <\/span>God <\/span>and <\/span>the <\/span>history <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>world. <\/span>However, <\/span>it <\/span>was <\/span>never <\/span>included <\/span>in <\/span>the <\/span>canonical <\/span>Bible <\/span>of <\/span>66 <\/span>books <\/span>that <\/span>most <\/span>Christians <\/span>accept <\/span>today.<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>reason <\/span>the <\/span>Book <\/span>of <\/span>Enoch\u2014<\/span>and <\/span>other <\/span>apocryphal <\/span>writings\u2014<\/span>were <\/span>excluded <\/span>from <\/span>the <\/span>Bible <\/span>is <\/span>not <\/span>simply <\/span>because <\/span>they <\/span>were \u201c<\/span>secret\u201d <\/span>or <\/span>too <\/span>spiritual. <\/span>Rather, <\/span>these <\/span>writings <\/span>contain <\/span>many <\/span>teachings <\/span>and <\/span>stories <\/span>that <\/span>conflict <\/span>with <\/span>the <\/span>core <\/span>doctrines <\/span>of <\/span>Christianity <\/span>and <\/span>biblical <\/span>truth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Historical <\/span>Context <\/span>and <\/span>Discovery<\/span><\/h3>\n

The <\/span>Book <\/span>of <\/span>Enoch <\/span>was <\/span>rediscovered <\/span>in <\/span>the <\/span>18th <\/span>century <\/span>in <\/span>Ethiopia <\/span>and <\/span>later <\/span>translated <\/span>into <\/span>other <\/span>languages. <\/span>It <\/span>is <\/span>sometimes <\/span>called <\/span>1 <\/span>Enoch<\/span><\/em> because <\/span>there <\/span>are <\/span>other <\/span>Enochic <\/span>writings <\/span>as <\/span>well. <\/span>In <\/span>1947, <\/span>fragments <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>book <\/span>were <\/span>also <\/span>found <\/span>among <\/span>the <\/span>Dead <\/span>Sea <\/span>Scrolls <\/span>in <\/span>caves <\/span>near <\/span>the <\/span>Dead <\/span>Sea, <\/span>confirming <\/span>its <\/span>antiquity <\/span>and <\/span>influence <\/span>among <\/span>some <\/span>ancient <\/span>Jewish <\/span>groups.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who <\/span>Was <\/span>Enoch?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Enoch <\/span>is <\/span>a <\/span>biblical <\/span>figure <\/span>mentioned <\/span>in <\/span>Genesis <\/span>5:<\/span>18\u2013<\/span>24 (<\/span>ESV):<\/span><\/p>\n

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“<\/span>Enoch <\/span>walked <\/span>with <\/span>God <\/span>after <\/span>he <\/span>fathered <\/span>Methuselah <\/span>300 <\/span>years <\/span>and <\/span>had <\/span>other <\/span>sons <\/span>and <\/span>daughters. <\/span>Thus <\/span>all <\/span>the <\/span>days <\/span>of <\/span>Enoch <\/span>were <\/span>365 <\/span>years. <\/span>Enoch <\/span>walked <\/span>with <\/span>God, <\/span>and <\/span>he <\/span>was <\/span>not, <\/span>for <\/span>God <\/span>took <\/span>him.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Unlike <\/span>other <\/span>humans, <\/span>Enoch <\/span>did <\/span>not <\/span>die <\/span>but <\/span>was <\/span>taken <\/span>directly <\/span>by <\/span>God, <\/span>a <\/span>unique <\/span>event <\/span>that <\/span>later <\/span>fueled <\/span>speculation <\/span>that <\/span>he <\/span>was <\/span>given <\/span>special <\/span>heavenly <\/span>knowledge.<\/span><\/p>\n

Contents <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>Book <\/span>of <\/span>Enoch<\/span><\/h3>\n

The <\/span>book <\/span>includes <\/span>elaborate <\/span>stories <\/span>about <\/span>angels\u2014<\/span>specifically <\/span>200 \u201c<\/span>watchers\u201d <\/span>or <\/span>angels <\/span>who <\/span>fell <\/span>from <\/span>heaven <\/span>because <\/span>they <\/span>lusted <\/span>after <\/span>human <\/span>women <\/span>and <\/span>took <\/span>them <\/span>as <\/span>wives (<\/span>Genesis <\/span>6:<\/span>1\u2013<\/span>4 <\/span>alludes <\/span>to <\/span>such <\/span>events). <\/span>Their <\/span>offspring <\/span>were <\/span>giants <\/span>called <\/span>the <\/span>Nephilim, <\/span>described <\/span>as <\/span>beings <\/span>of <\/span>enormous <\/span>size <\/span>and <\/span>great <\/span>violence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Enoch\u2019s <\/span>book <\/span>details <\/span>how <\/span>these <\/span>angels <\/span>taught <\/span>humanity <\/span>forbidden <\/span>knowledge, <\/span>such <\/span>as <\/span>the <\/span>use <\/span>of <\/span>weapons, <\/span>sorcery, <\/span>astrology, <\/span>and <\/span>other <\/span>forms <\/span>of <\/span>corruption. <\/span>This <\/span>narrative <\/span>attempts <\/span>to <\/span>explain <\/span>the <\/span>wickedness <\/span>of <\/span>humanity <\/span>before <\/span>the <\/span>flood.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, <\/span>many <\/span>of <\/span>these <\/span>accounts <\/span>stretch <\/span>beyond <\/span>what <\/span>Scripture <\/span>teaches <\/span>and <\/span>include <\/span>mythological <\/span>or <\/span>legendary <\/span>elements <\/span>that <\/span>cannot <\/span>be <\/span>substantiated <\/span>by <\/span>biblical <\/span>revelation <\/span>or <\/span>reason.<\/span><\/p>\n

Theological <\/span>Considerations<\/span><\/h3>\n

The <\/span>Bible <\/span>does <\/span>not <\/span>teach <\/span>that <\/span>angels <\/span>marry <\/span>or <\/span>reproduce <\/span>with <\/span>humans. <\/span>Jesus <\/span>himself <\/span>clarified <\/span>that <\/span>in <\/span>the <\/span>resurrection, <\/span>people \u201c<\/span>neither <\/span>marry <\/span>nor <\/span>are <\/span>given <\/span>in <\/span>marriage, <\/span>but <\/span>are <\/span>like <\/span>angels <\/span>in <\/span>heaven\u201d (<\/span>Matthew <\/span>22:<\/span>29\u2013<\/span>30, <\/span>ESV). <\/span>Angels <\/span>were <\/span>created <\/span>as <\/span>spiritual <\/span>beings <\/span>without <\/span>physical <\/span>reproductive <\/span>functions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, <\/span>the <\/span>New <\/span>Testament <\/span>affirms <\/span>that <\/span>after <\/span>death <\/span>comes <\/span>judgment (<\/span>Hebrews <\/span>9:<\/span>27, <\/span>ESV):<\/span><\/p>\n

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“<\/span>And <\/span>just <\/span>as <\/span>it <\/span>is <\/span>appointed <\/span>for <\/span>man <\/span>to <\/span>die <\/span>once, <\/span>and <\/span>after <\/span>that <\/span>comes <\/span>judgment.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This <\/span>contradicts <\/span>teachings <\/span>found <\/span>in <\/span>some <\/span>apocryphal <\/span>books <\/span>about <\/span>purgatory <\/span>or <\/span>prayers <\/span>for <\/span>the <\/span>dead.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why <\/span>Christians <\/span>Should <\/span>Be <\/span>Cautious<\/span><\/h3>\n

While <\/span>the <\/span>Book <\/span>of <\/span>Enoch <\/span>contains <\/span>some <\/span>historical <\/span>and <\/span>theological <\/span>insights, <\/span>it <\/span>is <\/span>filled <\/span>with <\/span>stories <\/span>and <\/span>ideas <\/span>that <\/span>contradict <\/span>the <\/span>core <\/span>message <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>Bible. <\/span>It <\/span>includes <\/span>many <\/span>myths <\/span>and <\/span>speculative <\/span>traditions <\/span>that <\/span>can <\/span>mislead <\/span>believers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Church <\/span>tradition <\/span>and <\/span>biblical <\/span>scholarship <\/span>affirm <\/span>that <\/span>the <\/span>canonical <\/span>66 <\/span>books <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>Bible <\/span>are <\/span>sufficient <\/span>for <\/span>teaching, <\/span>reproof, <\/span>correction, <\/span>and <\/span>training <\/span>in <\/span>righteousness (<\/span>2 <\/span>Timothy <\/span>3:<\/span>16).<\/span><\/p>\n

Some <\/span>Christian <\/span>traditions, <\/span>such <\/span>as <\/span>the <\/span>Roman <\/span>Catholic <\/span>Church, <\/span>include <\/span>additional <\/span>apocryphal <\/span>books <\/span>in <\/span>their <\/span>Bible <\/span>canon, <\/span>increasing <\/span>the <\/span>total <\/span>number <\/span>of <\/span>books <\/span>to <\/span>73. <\/span>However, <\/span>these <\/span>additional <\/span>books <\/span>also <\/span>contain <\/span>teachings <\/span>that <\/span>differ <\/span>from <\/span>Protestant <\/span>interpretations, <\/span>such <\/span>as <\/span>the <\/span>doctrine <\/span>of <\/span>purgatory <\/span>and <\/span>prayers <\/span>for <\/span>the <\/span>dead, <\/span>which <\/span>are <\/span>not <\/span>supported <\/span>by <\/span>Scripture.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/span><\/h3>\n

The <\/span>Book <\/span>of <\/span>Enoch <\/span>is <\/span>a <\/span>fascinating <\/span>ancient <\/span>text <\/span>with <\/span>some <\/span>connections <\/span>to <\/span>biblical <\/span>themes <\/span>but <\/span>is <\/span>not <\/span>inspired <\/span>Scripture <\/span>and <\/span>should <\/span>not <\/span>be <\/span>regarded <\/span>as <\/span>authoritative <\/span>or <\/span>infallible. <\/span>Christians <\/span>should <\/span>base <\/span>their <\/span>faith <\/span>on <\/span>the <\/span>66 <\/span>canonical <\/span>books <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>Bible, <\/span>which <\/span>have <\/span>been <\/span>divinely <\/span>inspired <\/span>and <\/span>preserved <\/span>by <\/span>the <\/span>Holy <\/span>Spirit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus <\/span>warned <\/span>against <\/span>being <\/span>led <\/span>astray <\/span>by <\/span>teachings <\/span>that <\/span>do <\/span>not <\/span>align <\/span>with <\/span>Scripture (<\/span>Matthew <\/span>22:<\/span>29). <\/span>Therefore, <\/span>it <\/span>is <\/span>wise <\/span>to <\/span>be <\/span>discerning <\/span>and <\/span>cautious <\/span>about <\/span>accepting <\/span>writings <\/span>outside <\/span>the <\/span>biblical <\/span>canon, <\/span>especially <\/span>when <\/span>they <\/span>contain <\/span>theological <\/span>errors <\/span>or <\/span>myths.<\/span><\/p>\n

May <\/span>the <\/span>Lord <\/span>bless <\/span>and <\/span>guide <\/span>you <\/span>in <\/span>all <\/span>truth.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n