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Who really wrote the Book of Enoch?

The Book of Enoch is an ancient Jewish religious text that dates back to between 300 and 100 BCE. It is an apocalyptic prophetic text that claims to have been written by Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah. The Book of Enoch contains many visions and revelations that Enoch received from God regarding the fall of the angels, the history of the world before the flood, and the coming judgement. However, there is significant debate among scholars about who the real author of the Book of Enoch was.

Enoch as the claimed author

The Book of Enoch itself claims to have been written by Enoch, the son of Jared and father of Methuselah. According to Genesis 5, Enoch lived 365 years before he “walked with God” and then “he was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:23-24). This has traditionally been interpreted as Enoch being taken up to heaven while still alive and not experiencing death. The Book of Enoch expands on this brief biblical mention of Enoch and describes his heavenly visions and his role as a prophet.

If Enoch did indeed write the Book of Enoch, he would have been writing around 3300 BCE, well before the flood described in Genesis 6-9. The book contains many predictions about the coming flood, the Messiah, and the last judgement, which Enoch supposedly learned about in his heavenly journeys. These predictions are presented as prophecies given to Enoch by God and the angels.

However, there are several reasons why most modern scholars do not believe Enoch himself actually wrote the Book of Enoch:

  • The book contains references to concepts that did not exist until long after Enoch would have lived, including ritual animal sacrifice, a solar calendar, and theological ideas about evil angels that developed later in history.
  • The book reflects literary and cultural influences from the Second Temple period of Judaism (538 BCE – 70 CE).
  • The earliest known fragments and references to the Book of Enoch come from the 3rd century BCE at the earliest, over 3000 years after Enoch would have lived.
  • The book claims divine inspiration and authority, common for pseudipigraphal works written much later than their claimed authors.

While the Book of Enoch presents itself as written by the Enoch of Genesis, scholars widely agree it was actually written much later by an unknown author.

Possible authors and origins

There are various theories about who the author or authors of the Book of Enoch were and when exactly it was written:

  • Hasmonean authors – 2nd or 1st century BCE: Some scholars propose the Book of Enoch originated among the Hasmonaean Jewish sect during the 2nd or 1st centuries BCE. This was a tumultuous time period for Judea with major cultural and political changes underway.
  • Essene authors – 2nd century BCE: The Essenes were an ascetic Jewish sect around the time of Jesus that are thought to have authored parts of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Some scholars think the Essenes may be behind the Book of Enoch due to similarities in style and ideology.
  • Sadducee or Pharisee authors – 2nd or 1st century BCE: Others speculate the Book of Enoch was written by Sadducee or Pharisee Jewish scholars as a response to cultural shifts and in rivalry with other sects.
  • Zadokite authors – 170-150 BCE: The Zadokites were a Jewish sect centered around the high priest Zadok. Some propose they wrote parts of the Book of Enoch in response to oppression under Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
  • Multiple authors over time: Still other scholars think the Book of Enoch was written in stages by multiple authors over a couple centuries, with parts coming from different Jewish sects.

Despite the theories, there is no scholarly consensus on exactly when, where, or by whom the various sections of the Book of Enoch were written. The lineages of manuscript fragments are complex and ambiguous. But most experts date the book in some form to the Second Temple period before the turn of the era.

Manuscript evidence

The earliest evidence of the Book of Enoch comes from fragmentary copies of the book discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls in Qumran in the late 1940s. These fragments have been dated to between 200-100 BCE. The Dead Sea Scrolls included portions of at least four copies of the Book of Enoch in both Aramaic and Hebrew. These copies are very significant because they show that the work was considered authoritative and sacred by some Jewish sects at Qumran during that era.

After the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery, older evidence of the Book of Enoch was identified. There are quotes and references to the book in other Jewish literature dating back to the 2nd century BCE. For example, the Jewish Apocryphal book of Jubilees from about 150 BCE has distinct parallels and references to the Book of Enoch’s writings about the fallen angels and the Nephilim giants.

The oldest complete surviving manuscripts of the Book of Enoch date to the 4th century CE and later. The book was not included in either the Hebrew Bible or the Christian Bible, so it fell out of mainstream use. However, in 1773 a Scottish traveler named James Bruce rediscovered complete Ethiopic copies of the Book of Enoch in Ethiopia. These manuscripts date from the 15th to 18th centuries, but they preserve much earlier translations from Greek or Aramaic versions.

Today there are many manuscript fragments that have been identified spanning from before 200 BCE to medieval times. The multiplicity of manuscript evidence shows the Book of Enoch was circulated and used for centuries, even if its authorship remains unknown.

Content analysis

Scholars have analyzed the contents and theology of the Book of Enoch to try to ascertain when it was written and by whom. Some of the major aspects of the book that provide clues to its origins include:

  • Focus on angels, astronomy, and the cosmos
  • References to “the Elect One” – possible Messianic concept
  • Mention of fallen angels mating with human women
  • Mythical story of angel Semjâzâ leading other angels to sin
  • Prophetic visions of history and end times judgement
  • Solar calendar of 364 days used
  • Watchers introduced as a class of angel
  • Demonology and interest in fallen angels
  • Concern about the Temple and use of ritual sacrifice

These themes correlate with ideas found in other Jewish apocryphal works from the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE. They also match the interests of Jewish sects like the Essenes and fit the tumultuous political climate of Judea at that time. So most scholars conclude the earliest layers of the Book of Enoch probably originated around that era even if Enoch himself did not write it.

Canonicity and importance

The Book of Enoch never became part of the Hebrew Bible nor the mainstream Christian Bible used today. There are several reasons why it was excluded from the biblical canon:

  • It is pseudepigraphal – falsely claiming Enoch’s authorship
  • Much of its content contradicts Genesis and Torah commands
  • The messianic claims were rejected by Jewish rabbis
  • It contains some ideas seen as heretical like fallen angel miscegenation
  • The book was lost for centuries before being rediscovered

However, the Book of Enoch was widely read and used from before the 1st century BCE to the 1st century CE. The New Testament book of Jude directly quotes the Book of Enoch in verses 14-15 showing some early Christians did accept it as scripture. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Eritrean Orthodox Church still include the Book of Enoch in their Bible today.

Though not canonical, the Book of Enoch provides essential insight into Jewish thought and mysticism during the Second Temple era. It shaped early apocalyptic beliefs and some ideas echo through later biblical, rabbinic, and mystical works. The Book of Enoch is an important Jewish and Christian apocryphal work even if its origins remain mysterious.

Conclusion

In summary, the Book of Enoch was likely not actually authored by the biblical Enoch who lived long before the Great Flood. Scholarly theories propose various Jewish sects and figures from the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE as responsible for writing its different parts. While fascinating, the book never gained full widespread acceptance due to issues like its claim of being written by Enoch, contradictions with Genesis, and unusual ideas. But the Book of Enoch still provides invaluable insight into Jewish thought during the Second Temple period and demonstrates the diversity and dynamism of Judaism during that pivotal era. While its exact origins may never be known, the Book of Enoch marks an important milestone in the development of Jewish theology and mysticism before the dawn of Christianity.