• Delta_V@lemmy.world
    17·
    4 months ago

    The Book of Enoch is wild though. It reads like a first hand account from a bronze age tribal getting abducted by aliens.

    • tetris11@lemmy.ml
      62·
      4 months ago

      I tried to read through the Wikipage, but it was just too dense for me so I asked an AI to summarize which I think it did pretty well:

      The Book of Enoch, also known as 1 Enoch, is an ancient Jewish apocryphal text attributed to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah. It is not considered canonical by most branches of Judaism or Christianity but is significant in the study of early Jewish thought and the development of Christian theology.

      The book is divided into several sections:

      • The Book of the Watchers: This section describes the fall of the Watchers, a group of angels who descended to Earth and took human wives, leading to the birth of the Nephilim, giants who caused chaos. Enoch is chosen to intercede on behalf of the Watchers, and he receives revelations about the coming judgment.
      • The Book of Parables (or Similitudes): This part contains three parables that focus on themes of judgment, the coming of a messianic figure, and the fate of the wicked. It emphasizes the importance of righteousness and the ultimate triumph of good over evil.
      • The Astronomical Book: This section provides detailed descriptions of the movements of heavenly bodies and the calendar, reflecting an interest in astronomy and timekeeping.
      • The Book of Dream Visions: Enoch recounts two visions that symbolize the history of Israel, including the judgment of the wicked and the reward of the righteous.
      • The Epistle of Enoch: This final section contains exhortations to righteousness, warnings about the coming judgment, and reflections on the fate of sinners.

      Overall, the Book of Enoch explores themes of divine judgment, the nature of evil, and the hope for redemption, making it an important text for understanding early Jewish and Christian eschatology.

      • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
        3·
        4 months ago

        Apocryphal for most sects. Heretical for Rabbanic Judaism.

        The most interesting thing about it I think is that it was thought lost for centuries, but there was a well-known translation in Ethiopian. When the greater Christian population heard about it, it was assumed to be a forgery, but it was still studied and translated.

        It wasn’t verified as “authentic” until the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the 1950s, where ancient Greek and Aramaic copies were discovered that match the Ethiopian translation, establishing the provenance of the Ethiopian version.