What is the Book of Enoch?

The Book of Enoch is a controversial book that has been debated why it was taken away from the scripture. Who wrote the Book of Enoch? Many believed that it was written by Enoch, a character in the Bible that is taken by God and did not experience death. Books written by Enoch have a different theme from the other books of the Bible because some say that the book is fictional. If you are making a work plan in studying the Bible, you may find out this thing when Enoch spoke about the angels who married women.

That does not mean that you will not learn anything from the Book of Enoch. Including the Book of Enoch in your daily work plan may not be a bad idea. But you need to have a strong faith so that you will not believe things that are not true. The Book of Enoch is composed of compiled works that are apocalyptic. It contains cosmological and astronomical speculations. It talks about the destiny of the soul after death. But in the end, there may be good reasons why it is excluded from the biblical canon.

10 Facts About the Book of Enoch

Knowing that a book is taken away from the Bible can drive the curiosity of any believer. What can be wrong with the Book of Enoch? And what does the Book of Enoch say about heaven? What is the reason why the Book of Enoch is removed from the Bible? If you have never heard of the Book of Enoch, we have gathered some interesting facts about it that you may want to know. Read the following:

Parts of Book of Enoch

The Book of Enoch is divided into 5 parts. It is composed of 5 books with different stories to tell. You may want to be familiar with these booklets. They are the following:

The Book of Watchers: The first among the booklets of the Book of Enoch is the Book of Watchers. This is the story where angels have fallen when they started to desire women on earth and have sex with them to have children. They fathered the Nephilim, a race of giants. It said that 199 angels have fallen. The fallen angels have taught humanity many things including fornications and godlessness. But then God ordered His angels to imprison them. They said that this had happened in the 3rd or 4th century. In the introduction, it said that Enoch is a man whose eyes are opened by God. He said that God will be on Mount Sinai. The book said that the sinners will be destroyed but the good ones will leave in peace.The Book of Parables of Enoch: The Chapters 37-71 is the Book of Parables of Enoch. There is a scholarly debate in this booklet. It is based on the Book of the Watchers. It was telling the final judgment on fallen angels and kings of the earth that are evil. It said that the Son of Man or the Righteous One will give the final judgment. This is believed to be created in the 3rd century. The events in the story are connected to the historic things happening from 260 to 270 CE. There is a theory that Enoch’s name has authority in the Christian beliefs at this time. Many scholars said that the passages in the Book of the Parables are merely novel interpolations. In this part of the Book of Enoch, it is written that Enoch has been taken away by God, just like what is written in the Bible. But scholars argued that Enoch died and was just taken to heaven.The Astronomical Book of Writings: The fragmentation of the Astronomical Book of Writings can be found in Qumran. The text may have been written in the 2nd century BC. The booklet talked about the movement of the heavenly bodies. It has an elaborate description of the firmament. Enoch had his trips to heaven with the guidance of the angel Uriel. The book also describes a solar calendar, something that is different from our daily calendar. This calendar is used to celebrate festivals in the Temple of Jerusalem. This solar year has 364 days. There were 4 seasons. All years start on Wednesday. We may never know how they used this calendar compared to our calendar with 365.24 days.The Book of Dream Visions: A vision of the history of Israel is what is written in the Book of Dream Visions. They said that this is the Maccabean Revolt. But others have said that this happened before the Flood. In the allegorical account, animals are used to represent people. Angels are represented, on the other hand, through the use of human beings. The dream is connected to the Book of Watchers. It also states the release of the Ark from the beasts. That is the reason that they said that this happened before the Flood. It has a story about Noah’s death. It also tells the dividing of the Dead Sea and the story of Moses and Aaron. It even has the story of Solomon’s Temple. There are many visions in the book that are closely related to the stories in the Bible.The Book of the Epistle of Enoch: This may be the latest book in the Book of Enoch. Scholars said that it can be created in the 1st century BC. This has 5 subsections. They are the Apocalypse of Weeks, Exhortation, Epistle, Birth of Noah, and Conclusion. The Apocalypse of Weeks relates to the history of the World. Exhortation gives instructions to righteousness. The Epistle describes the wisdom of the Lord. The Birth of Noah tells the life of Noah. The Conclusion describes the generation of light against darkness.

The Reasons Why the Book of Enoch is Removed from the Bible

Anyone can be curious why the Book of Enoch is taken away from the Bible. We may think of a thousand reasons for this if you have read the Book of Enoch. But for those who have not had the chance of reading this book, you can refer to the following to know some of the reasons why the Book of Enoch is removed from the Bible:

Book of Enoch Contradicts the Scripture: The things that the Book of Enoch is saying are not scriptural. There can be so many things that you can find that are not according to the Bible. For one thing, Enoch was born ahead of Noah in the Bible. He was taken away by God before Noah was born. So, the fact that the Book of Enoch tells about the life of Noah is impossible. According to the Bible, Enoch did not taste death and was caught up by God before Noah came to earth. How can Enoch be a witness of the Flood? There can be a story in the Bible where the sons of Gods saw that women are beautiful and about the Nephilim, but this cannot be witnessed by Enoch because this happened after he was caught up by God. And this may refer to the fallen angels which are the group of Satan. This contradiction is something that will not make the Book of Enoch as truth like all the Scriptures.Warnings by Paul: Paul warned about the devil doctrines that can be brought by evil people. The Scripture clearly said that “If any man preached any gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:8-9)Considered as Fiction: The Book of Enoch is just too weird. It is more likely fiction. Scholars considered it a pseudepigraphical. It means that it is fictional. The words are not based on facts.

How to Deal with the Book of Enoch

What should you do if you found out that there is a book like the Book of Enoch? You can simply ignore this book. But sometimes knowledge can give us a broader perspective. Consider the following to know how you should deal with the Book of Enoch:

1. Make a Research

In everything, research is good. This can also be true with the Book of Enoch. Know what kind of book it is. Read the comments of other people in forums that can give you knowledge about this book. This way, you will know whether you should continue reading the book or not.

2. Know the Word of God

Do not just do research. Know the Word of God. There can be an easy way to do this if you do not have enough knowledge on the Bible. You can continue researching on the internet for the proper information.

3. Make a Decision

The Book of Enoch if not truly a Scripture is just another book. This may not harm you if you will just have the right wisdom. Make a decision whether you will read the book or not. Just remember that it is not part of the Scripture. This is not a holy book.

4. Have Faith

Remember, in the end, your faith is what can matter. Do not be swayed away by anything that is written in the Book of Enoch. Its quotes are not scriptural which is why it has been removed from the Bible. God’s Word is powerful. The Book of Enoch lacks this power. So, be steadfast in your faith.

FAQs

Are there manuscripts from the time of Enoch?

No, there was not yet manuscripts on the time of Enoch. So, the Book of Enoch cannot be true. According to the Bible, Enoch lived a very long time ago.

Should I read the Book of Enoch?

It is up to you whether to read the book or not. If you are weak in faith, it is recommended to make a pass on reading the book.

All the books of the Bible are inspired by the Holy Spirit. This is something that the Book of Enoch does not have. There should be no dispute about whether to include this book or not in the Scriptures. But you can be free to read the book if you want. What matters is that you do good deeds in your life. Trust God with all your heart and be obedient to His Word.