The Book of Enoch was an ancient Jewish religious work that was preserved by the Ethiopean church and more recently discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The text describes a series of visions or dreams that the antediluvian prophet Enoch allegedly experienced while he was alive on earth, which he wrote down for posterity.
The book is considered by both secular and religious scholars to be part of the Pseudepigrapha – books whose claimed author is not the true author. Scholars generally date the writing from 300 – 100 BC.
Even so, the book provides a highly valuable look into the ideas and beliefs of the time.
The earliest manuscripts were written in Aramaic and were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, which was quite surprising at the time of the discovery, due to the amount of content in the book that had been believed to be written by early Christian writers after Christ.
There are several concepts that the Book of Enoch writes about that are fascinating. But it is most famous for its extensive retelling of Genesis 6: 1 – 4, and describing in great detail how angels in heaven lusted after human women, and so descended to the earth, took wives and had giant children that were a scourge to humanity.
God’s judgement upon the disobedient angels is then fully described. Similar terminology was later used by Peter’s two epistles and by Jude to describe disobedient angels during the time of Noah that God imprisoned in Tartarus.
A verse from the Book of Enoch is quoted word-for-word by Jude, and the book was quoted and referenced extensively by early church fathers who took its account at face value.
The Story of the Watchers and the Giants According to the Book of Enoch
Since the Book of Enoch writes so much about the sin of the angels and the consequences, some of the quotes below are excerpts from longer passages.
There are also more references if you read the whole book, but they are mostly just repeating or summarising what they already explained in these principle passages.
And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters.
And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: ‘Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children.’
And Semjâzâ, who was their leader, said unto them: ‘I fear ye will not indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.’
And they all answered him and said: ‘Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.’
Then sware they all together and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it.
And they were in all two hundred; who descended ⌈in the days⌉ of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it.
And these are the names of their leaders: Sêmîazâz, their leader, Arâkîba, Râmêêl, Kôkabîêl, Tâmîêl, Râmîêl, Dânêl, Êzêqêêl, Barâqîjâl, Asâêl, Armârôs, Batârêl, Anânêl, Zaqîêl, Samsâpêêl, Satarêl, Tûrêl, Jômjâêl, Sariêl.
These are their chiefs of tens.
Enoch 6
And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants.
And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells:
Who consumed all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them,
the giants turned against them and devoured mankind.
And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish, and to devour one another’s flesh, and drink the blood.
Then the earth laid accusation against the lawless ones.
Enoch 7
And Azâzêl taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals 〈of the earth〉 and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all colouring tinctures.
And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. Semjâzâ taught enchantments, and root-cuttings, Armârôs the resolving of enchantments, Barâqîjâll …, astrology, Kôkabêl the constellations, Ezêqêêl the knowledge of the clouds, 〈Araqiêl the signs of the earth, Shamsiêl the signs of the sun〉, and Sariêl the course of the moon. And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to heaven . . .
Enoch 8
And then Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel looked down from heaven and saw much blood being shed upon the earth, and all lawlessness being wrought upon the earth.
And they said one to another: ‘The earth made †without inhabitant cries the voice of their crying† up to the gates of heaven.
⌈⌈And now to you, the holy ones of heaven⌉⌉, the souls of men make their suit, saying, “Bring our cause before the Most High.”.’
And they said to the Lord of the ages: ‘Lord of lords, God of gods, King of kings, 〈and God of the ages〉, the throne of Thy glory (standeth) unto all the generations of the ages, and Thy name holy and glorious and blessed unto all the ages!
Thou hast made all things, and power over all things hast Thou: and all things are naked and open in Thy sight, and Thou seest all things, and nothing can hide itself from Thee.
Thou seest what Azâzêl hath done, who hath taught all unrighteousness on earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were (preserved) in heaven, which men were striving to learn:
And Semjâzâ, to whom Thou hast given authority to bear rule over his associates.
And they have gone to the daughters of men upon the earth, and have slept with the women, and have defiled themselves, and revealed to them all kinds of sins.
And the women have borne giants, and the whole earth has thereby been filled with blood and unrighteousness.
And now, behold, the souls of those who have died are crying and making their suit to the gates of heaven, and their lamentations have ascended: and cannot cease because of the lawless deeds which are wrought on the earth.
And Thou knowest all things before they come to pass, and [paragraph continues]Thou seest these things and Thou dost suffer them, and Thou dost not say to us what we are to do to them in regard to these.’
Enoch 9
Then said the Most High, the Holy and Great One spake, and sent Uriel to the son of Lamech, and said to him:
‘〈Go to Noah〉 and tell him in my name “Hide thyself!” and reveal to him the end that is approaching: that the whole earth will be destroyed, and a deluge is about to come upon the whole earth, and will destroy all that is on it.
And now instruct him that he may escape and his seed may be preserved for all the generations of the world.’
And again the Lord said to Raphael: ‘Bind Azâzêl hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness: and make an opening in the desert, which is in Dûdâêl, and cast him therein.
And place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness, and let him abide there for ever, and cover his face that he may not see light.
And on the day of the great judgement he shall be cast into the fire. And heal the earth which the angels have corrupted, and proclaim the healing of the earth, that they may heal the plague, and that all the children of men may not perish through all the secret things that the Watchers have disclosed and have taught their sons.
And the whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azâzêl: to him ascribe all sin.’
And to Gabriel said the Lord: ‘Proceed against the bastards and the reprobates, and against the children of fornication: and destroy [the children of fornication and] the children of the Watchers from amongst men [and cause them to go forth]: send them one against the other that they may destroy each other in battle: for length of days shall they not have.
And no request that they (i.e. their fathers) make of thee shall be granted unto their fathers on their behalf; for they hope to live an eternal life, and that each one of them will live five hundred years.’ 11. And the Lord said unto Michael: ‘Go, bind Semjâzâ and his associates who have united themselves with women so as to have defiled themselves with them in all their uncleanness.
And when their sons have slain one another, and they have seen the destruction of their beloved ones, bind them fast for seventy generations in the valleys of the earth, till the day of their judgement and of their consummation, till the judgement that is for ever and ever is consummated.
In those days they shall be led off to the abyss of fire: 〈and〉 to the torment and the prison in which they shall be confined for ever. And whosoever shall be condemned and destroyed will from thenceforth be bound together with them to the end of all generations.
And destroy all the spirits of the reprobate and the children of the Watchers, because they have wronged mankind. Destroy all wrong from the face of the earth and let every evil work come to an end: and let the plant of righteousness and truth appear: ⌈and it shall prove a blessing; the works of righteousness and truth⌉ shall be planted in truth and joy for evermore.
And then shall all the righteous escape,
And shall live till they beget thousands of children,
And all the days of their youth and their old age
Shall they complete in peace.And then shall the whole earth be tilled in righteousness, and shall all be planted with trees and be full of blessing.
And all desirable trees shall be planted on it, and they shall plant vines on it: and the vine which they plant thereon shall yield wine in abundance, and as for all the seed which is sown thereon each measure (of it) shall bear a thousand, and each measure of olives shall yield ten presses of oil.
And cleanse thou the earth from all oppression, and from all unrighteousness, and from all sin, and from all godlessness: and all the uncleanness that is wrought upon the earth destroy from off the earth.
⌈And all the children of men shall become righteous⌉, and all nations shall offer adoration and shall praise Me, and all shall worship Me. And the earth shall be cleansed from all defilement, and from all sin, and from all punishment, and from all torment, and I will never again send (them) upon it from generation to generation and for ever.
Enoch 10
Before these things Enoch was hidden, and no one of the children of men knew where he was hidden, and where he abode, and what had become of him.
And his activities had to do with the Watchers, and his days were with the holy ones.
And I, Enoch was blessing the Lord of majesty and the King of the ages, and lo! the Watchers called me–Enoch the scribe–and said to me:
‘Enoch, thou scribe of righteousness, go, declare to the Watchers of the heaven who have left the high heaven, the holy eternal place, and have defiled themselves with women, and have done as the children of earth do, and have taken unto themselves wives: “Ye have wrought great destruction on the earth:
And ye shall have no peace nor forgiveness of sin: and inasmuch as they delight themselves in their children,
The murder of their beloved ones shall they see, and over the destruction of their children shall they lament, and shall make supplication unto eternity, but mercy and peace shall ye not attain.’
Enoch 12
And Enoch went and said: ‘Azâzêl, thou shalt have no peace: a severe sentence has gone forth against thee to put thee in bonds:
And thou shalt not have toleration nor †request† granted to thee, because of the unrighteousness which thou hast taught, and because of all the works of godlessness and unrighteousness and sin which thou hast shown to men.’
Then I went and spoke to them all together, and they were all afraid, and fear and trembling seized them.
And they besought me to draw up a petition for them that they might find forgiveness, and to read their petition in the presence of the Lord of heaven.
For from thenceforward they could not speak (with Him) nor lift up their eyes to heaven for shame of their sins for which they had been condemned.
Then I wrote out their petition, and the prayer in regard to their spirits and their deeds individually and in regard to their requests that they should have forgiveness and length 〈of days〉
And I went off and sat down at the waters of Dan, in the land of Dan, to the south of the west of Hermon: I read their petition till I fell asleep.
And behold a dream came to me, and visions fell down upon me, and I saw visions of chastisement, ⌈and a voice came bidding (me)⌉ I to tell it to the sons of heaven, and reprimand them.
And when I awaked, I came unto them, and they were all sitting gathered together, weeping in ’Abelsjâîl, which is between Lebanon and Sênêsêr, with their faces covered.
And I recounted before them all the visions which I had seen in sleep, and I began to speak the words of righteousness, and to reprimand the heavenly Watchers.
Enoch 13
And He answered and said to me, and I heard His voice: ‘Fear not, Enoch, thou righteous man and scribe of righteousness: approach hither and hear my voice.
And go, say to ⌈⌈the Watchers of heaven⌉⌉, who have sent thee to intercede ⌈⌈for them: “You should intercede”⌉⌉ for men, and not men for you:
Wherefore have ye left the high, holy, and eternal heaven, and lain with women, and defiled yourselves with the daughters of men and taken to yourselves wives, and done like the children of earth, and begotten giants (as your) sons?
And though ye were holy, spiritual, living the eternal life, you have defiled yourselves with the blood of women, and have begotten (children) with the blood of flesh, and, as the children of men, have lusted after flesh and blood as those ⌈also⌉ do who die and perish.
Therefore have I given them wives also that they might impregnate them, and beget children by them, that thus nothing might be wanting to them on earth.
But you were ⌈formerly⌉ spiritual, living the eternal life, and immortal for all generations of the world.
And therefore I have not appointed wives for you; for as for the spiritual ones of the heaven, in heaven is their dwelling.
And now, the giants, who are produced from the spirits and flesh, shall be called evil spirits upon the earth, and on the earth shall be their dwelling.
Evil spirits have proceeded from their bodies; because they are born from men, ⌈⌈and⌉⌉ from the holy Watchers is their beginning and primal origin; ⌈they shall be evil spirits on earth, and⌉ evil spirits shall they be called.
[As for the spirits of heaven, in heaven shall be their dwelling, but as for the spirits of the earth which were born upon the earth, on the earth shall be their dwelling.]
And the spirits of the giants afflict, oppress, destroy, attack, do battle, and work destruction on the earth, and cause trouble: they take no food, ⌈but nevertheless hunger⌉ and thirst, and cause offences. And these spirits shall rise up against the children of men and against the women, because they have proceeded ⌈from them⌉.
Enoch 15
From the days of the slaughter and destruction and death ⌈of the giants⌉, from the souls of whose flesh the spirits, having gone forth, shall destroy without incurring judgement–thus shall they destroy until the day of the consummation, the great ⌈judgement⌉ in which the age shall be consummated, over the Watchers and the godless, yea, shall be wholly consummated.”
And now as to the Watchers who have sent thee to intercede for them, who had been ⌈⌈aforetime⌉⌉ in heaven, (say to them): “You have been in heaven, but ⌈all⌉ the mysteries had not yet been revealed to you, and you knew worthless ones, and these in the hardness of your hearts you have made known to the women, and through these mysteries women and men work much evil on earth.”
Say to them therefore: “You have no peace.”‘
Enoch 16
And I saw a deep abyss, with columns ⌈⌈of heavenly fire, and among them I saw columns⌉⌉ of fire fall, which were beyond measure alike towards the height and towards the depth.
And beyond that abyss I saw a place which had no firmament of the heaven above, and no firmly founded earth beneath it: there was no water upon it, and no birds, but it was a waste and horrible place.
I saw there seven stars like great burning mountains, and to me, when I inquired regarding them,
The angel said: ‘This place is the end of heaven and earth: this has become a prison for the stars and the host of heaven.
And the stars which roll over the fire are they which have transgressed the commandment of the Lord in the beginning of their rising, because they did not come forth at their appointed times.
And He was wroth with them, and bound them till the time when their guilt should be consummated (even) ⌈for ten thousand years⌉.’
Enoch 18 (excerpt)
And Uriel said to me: ‘Here shall stand the angels who have connected themselves with women, and their spirits assuming many different forms are defiling mankind and shall lead them astray into sacrificing to demons ⌈⌈as gods⌉⌉, (here shall they stand,) till ⌈⌈the day of⌉⌉ the great judgement in which they shall be judged till they are made an end of.
And the women also of the angels who went astray shall become sirens.’
And I, Enoch, alone saw the vision, the ends of all things: and no man shall see as I have seen.
Enoch 19
Then I said: ‘How fearful is the place and how terrible to look upon!’
Then Uriel answered me, one of the holy angels who was with me, and said unto me: ‘Enoch, why hast thou such fear and affright?’ And I answered: ‘Because of this fearful place, and because of the spectacle of the pain.’
And he said ⌈⌈unto me⌉⌉: ‘This place is the prison of the angels, and here they will be imprisoned for ever.’
Enoch 21 (excerpt)
More about the Book of Enoch
The Book of Enoch was held in high regard by at least some Jewish sects, and both Jews and Christians alike knew its stories around the turn of the millennium and in the following centuries.
We know this by the number of copies that have been preserved in the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as the amount of quoting and referencing to the book that is done by Jewish historians like Philo and Josephus, Peter and Jude, and many early church fathers in the first couple of centuries after Christ.
However well known and studied, it wasn’t considered canonical by the Jews or Christians with only a few exceptions.
The Ethiopic church was one of the principal exceptions, and it was their preservation of the book in their canon that enabled the book to return to public view when James Bruce brought back some copies to Europe in the late 18th century.
