By David Russell.
When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. Genesis 5:21-24
Welcome back and Happy New Year to all of you! I figured, I would bring in the new year with a new series called “Got Questions” . It is a stab at a new concept. I am trying to make an interactive blog. To engage with those around me and answer their deepest question about faith. To begin with, I went to my work place and I asked anyone that wanted to participate, to write down any question they wanted to about faith, religion, or anything that gave them a reason to doubt Christianity.
If you couldn’t guess by the title, the first question deals with the Book of Enoch. Why wasn’t it included in the Bible? The answer, Pseudepigrapha: Pseudepigrapha are falsely-attributed works, texts whose claimed author is not the true author, or a work whose real author attributed it to a figure of the past.
The book of Enoch is a tricky area for many folks. On one hand, it seems we have many first century church fathers endorsing it, including, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Origen, Clement of Alexandria, and Tertullian. On the other hand, there are no Jewish or Christian bibles that contain it in their cannon. Pseudepigrapha writings are like this because we don’t know the original author. The Book of Enoch is believed to be written by different authors over different periods of time. With this problem how could we know that Jude quotes from Enoch? Could have one of the authors inserted Jude into Enoch to boost the story and make it seem more credible?
Again, we may never know. It isn’t unlike Pseudepigraphical authors to do just that. But, if so, why would some early church fathers endorse it? The Enochian tradition already must have existed. During the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in Qumran, the book of Enoch was found. Scholars now date it to be written in the 160’s BC and some parts in the 200’s BC. They also believe parts of it to be written post Christian, due to some references it makes. But, at the heart of the issue is, why by the fourth century was it clearly rejected by the church at large? Jews first then the Gentiles! LOL.
I think the answer is clear when you read the The Book of Enoch in concert with the scriptures. It doesn’t hold up. It contradicts, more than once. Scripture, confirms certain scientific discoveries, (not claiming that the bible is a science text book) like the universe having an absolute beginning. The book of Enoch has some very incoherent ideas about the earth and universe, for example:
“1. And from thence I went to the south to the ends of the earth, and saw there three open portals 2. of the heaven: and thence there come dew, rain, and wind. And from thence I went to the east to the ends of the heaven, and saw here the three eastern portals of heaven open and small portals 3. above them. Through each of these small portals pass the stars of heaven and run their course 4. to the west on the path which is shown to them.” 1E 36:1-4
Our sky couldn’t even have one star pass through it, let alone all the stars of the heaven.
The worst would have to be the contradictions to the bible itself. This is undeniable.
10. 1. Then said the Most High, the Holy and Great One spake, and sent Uriel to the son of Lamech, 2 and said to him: (‘Go to Noah and) tell him in my name ” Hide thyself!” 1E 10:1-2
For starters, Enoch was taken by God sixty nine years before Noah was even born. In 10:9 it claims that an Angel named Azazel was responsible for all sin! That is clearly in contradiction to both Testaments! The list goes on and on.
It’s not unusual for many of us to use certain truths prevalent in other literature. In my view, the certain parts of Enoch were popular. During the first century, it may have had certain truths found elsewhere in scripture that made its way into cultural tradition. All in all, due to just the problems I have mentioned above, the church was right not to include it in the bible. The book of Enoch maybe cool and is some great reading, but compared to the story of Jesus, I don’t see how anyone can hold it in contrast to it.
Virginia Apologetics Union 