Book overview
One of the most important Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha works of the Second Temple Period is Enoch.
According to the biblical narrative (Genesis 5:21-24), Enoch lived only 365 years (far less than the other patriarchs in the period before the Flood).
Enoch "walked with GOD."
Enoch is a figure who receives direct personal revelation from God. He sees the magnificence of God and begins to preach to those around him against sin. He warns that the sinners will be winnowed and that God himself will appear on Mount Sinai to judge the humans as well as the fallen angels on Earth. Among the more controversial material within this text is the detailed account it gives of fallen angels on earth and their cursed offspring, the Nephilim. Azazel features heavily as the instigator of metal weapon production, the use of cosmetics and advocate of widespread promiscuity and fornication. In this book, the figure of Enoch is charged with the knowledge of God's chosen and brutal punishment for the Nephilim, their human mothers and their Angel fathers.The Book of Enoch is a pseudoepigraphal work (a work that claims to be by a biblical character). The Book of Enoch was not included in either the Hebrew or most Christian biblical canons, but could have been considered a sacred text by the sectarians. The original Aramaic version was lost until the Dead Sea fragments were discovered. This is a compilation of several separate works, most of which are apocalyptic. Its oldest portion is the "Apocalypse of Weeks," written shortly before the Maccabean uprising of 167 BC against the Seleucids. The Ethiopic Book of Enoch is called a "pseudepigraphical work," meaning one that is not included in any canon of scripture, outside of even the Apocrypha. The only complete extant version is an Ethiopic translation of a previous Greek translation made in Palestine from the original Hebrew or Aramaic. The Book of the Watcher, tells the story of fallen angels from Gen 6:1-4 that took wives, created the Nephilim, and taught advanced technology to mankind, ultimately leading to the great flood and their destruction. The Parables of Similitude, is an apocalyptic book about the Son of Man and the Ancient of Days. These ancient prophecies of Jesus are directly in line with what we find in the Bible, and are remarkably similar to The Book of Revelation. The Book of the Courses of the Heavenly Luminaries is a detailed account of the stars and their functions. The Dream Visions is the prophecy of all human history, from the creation of mankind all the way to the end times and the final judgement. The past, present, and future are foretold in grand detail. The prophecy of weeks is similar to the prophecy structure in the book of Daniel. The Noah Fragments is the untold story of Noah from the Bible. We learn more about his mission to save all humanity and the struggles of his father Lamech and his grandfather Methuselah. Finally, included herein are all known fragments of The Book of Giants. Each work is independent, but all the works are bound by a common theme: the punishment of the wicked and the blessedness of the righteous.
