Book of Enoch
The Ethiopian Book of Enoch ( in the Bible Science "1 Hen " or with " Enoch ") is one of the so-called Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament. It includes an extensive collection of apocalyptic Enoch traditions with different generation times. The oldest parts of Enoch - book should come from the 3rd century BC. In the Book of Enoch, there are apocalyptic narratives, as in the Book of Revelation and the book of Daniel, but they are much older than this. The revelation is usually dated to about 95 AD, Daniel to 167 BC The Book of Enoch is the oldest known apocalyptic writing.
Fragments of the text are in Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek, Syriac, and Coptic. Complete the work has survived only in the Ethiopian version. This is due to the fact that the book is part of the biblical canon of the Ethiopian Church. The Ethiopian translation is based on Greek and Aramaic Enoch fonts. In the Jewish canon, or those of other Christian churches, the work was not recorded.
Discovery of the original language version at Qumran
Large parts of the written in the Aramaic original language Enoch were together with other works found in the caves of Qumran in 1948. Parts of the Henochbuchs are included in the Qumran texts 4Q201 to 4Q202, 4Q204 to 4Q212 and 1Q19.
Not included in the Qumran discoveries, the ( partial) picture book of speeches. It has always been assumed that this part of the Book of Enoch was developed only in the Christian era. The Qumran discoveries nourish this conjecture in addition. One can therefore assume that the Essenes in the 1st century BC knew the work to a great extent.
In what context the so-called giant book, one before the Qumran discoveries, is available only from the tradition of the Manichaeans known Enoch apocalypse to the Ethiopian Book of Enoch remains unclear. One of the fragments of the giant book ( 4Q203 ) and the Book of Enoch were apparently part of the same header font.
Biblical references
Enoch, the seventh descendant of Adam (1 Mos 5.18 to 23 ELB ), according to the Bible was translated alive to heaven ( 1 Mos 5.24 ELB ). It reads:
Except Enoch was of the people of the Old Testament only the prophet Elijah raptured ( 2 Kings 2:11 NIV ). Enoch said to have received on the way to heaven diverse revelations of angels and God himself. In the New Testament epistle of Jude the Book of Enoch is quoted (Jude 14-15 NIV ).
The Guardian book has parallels with Tobit GNB, indicating the processing of a common tradition. Both substantive remuneration of the introduction part (especially 1 Hen 1) for the blessing of Moses in Deut 33 speech ELB were accepted.
Content
The book is a part of Enoch, who was translated during his earthly existence into heaven, and were revealed as the all heavenly and divine mysteries, on the other hand by the fall of the angels.
Usually structured as follows:
- Introduction ( Chapter 1-5)
- Book of Guardians (Chapter 6-36 )
- Figurative language (Chapter 37-71 )
- Astronomical Book ( Chapter 72-82 )
- History book / book of dream visions (chapters 83-90 )
- Devotional book / exhortations (Chapter 91-108 )
In the introduction Enoch is represented as a prophet who receives a vision of the coming judgment. For this part of the Book of Enoch (I, 9) is quoted in the Epistle of Jude.
In the book the guardian is told first, as some angels had decided around their leader Semjasa to take women on earth ( cf. 1 Mos 6:1-4 NIV ). As elsewhere in the mythology may not turn out such a mixing between the heavenly and the earthly sphere. When the angels on earth to any had taken women give birth then this giant, which ravage the earth. This triggers anger at God, so that he banished the angels from heaven, and will throw them into a lake of fire at the last day. About the Earth God will endure a deluge leave to fight the giant. The angels ask Enoch to plead for them through a petition to God for mercy. This request is rejected by God. Enoch must then in turn act as a messenger and communicate it to the fallen angels. In the subsequent ascension of Enoch the sky and its environment is described in detail, where Enoch was raptured out. There are also references to a lake of fire shown, a motif which is then recorded in the Book of Revelations.
In the probably was added later figurative language is spoken much the Son of man, it is unclear whether this the future Messiah, whom he has seen on the right side of the throne of God, or Enoch himself is meant.
In the so-called Astronomical Paper speaks of a flat earth resting on pillars, the moon and the sun can be found suspended on threads and revolve around the earth. Two giant animals, Behemoth and Leviathan are described as male and female monsters who live in the desert and the sea.
Enoch returns once more to Earth and learns in a dream, what will happen to his grandson Noah and how it is saved from the flood. In the so-called animal apocalypse God shows Enoch the bewildered, what will happen to the world and the people of Israel to the exile of Judah to Babylon, all this symbolically with animal pictures, this sheep symbolize the people of Israel. The dream he tells his son Methuselah as a warning. Finally, he will finally be accepted in heaven.
Literary genre
On the question of their literary genre, the Guardian book is to you, there is no consensus in the research. But there is agreement about the fact that 1 Enoch is regarded as altogether apocalyptic book.
Reception
In the Ethiopian Book of Enoch, a detailed description of the sky and the realm of the dead, which is not to be confused with Hell first appears in Jewish culture. Rather, Enoch stops by his heavenly journey from terrible places where the fallen angels are imprisoned (1 Hen 21). These descriptions have probably influenced the doctrine of heaven and hell both in Christianity and in Islam and were further embellished respectively in this case. The Tanakh does not know this kind of hell.