The Pseudepigrapha
The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha
An Introduction To The Pseudepigrapha
What is the Pseudepigrapha? The term is a transliteration of the Greek plural noun that literally means "with false superscription". According to Webster's Third New International Dictionary (p. 1830), the term can be defined as, "spurious works purporting to emanate from biblical characters". The Random House Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language defines the term as, "Certain writings (other than the canonical books and the Apocrypha) professing to be Biblical in character, but not considered canonical or inspired".The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha as a collection of extra biblical writings have long been considered to be somewhat problematic by many within both the Jewish and Christian communities. These writings can often be considered problematic because they tend to raise questions that can be described as being somewhat antagonistic to the generally accepted tradition and religious teaching. They are generally esteemed as unprofitable and uninspired writings. Some even regard such writings with great contempt. Many within the more conservative branches of Christianity reject any notion that perhaps some of the bible writings have been lost and unthinkable that our present bible might be somehow incomplete. Many of these are probably not aware that the Old Testament authors depended upon other writings as their sources which they freely admit. Among these are: the Book of the Wars of Yahweh (Num. 21:14), the Book of the Just (Josh 10:13; 2 Sam. 1:18), the Book of the Acts of Solomon (1 Ki 14:19; 2 Chr 33:18), the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah (1 Ki 14:29, 15:7), the Annals of Samuel the Seer (1 Chr 29:29), the History of Nathan the Prophet (2 Chr 9:29), the Annals of Shemaiah the Prophet and Iddo the Seer (2 Chr. 12:15), the Annals of Jehu the Son of Hanani (2 Chr. 20:34), and others. Some teach that Moses compiled the Book of Genesis from other writings that surely had to have been handed down and preserved by his forefathers. Genesis can be broken down into eleven separate history books, each being separated by colophons at the conclusion of the books. This is known to have been a popular style for such ancient writings. The colophon that separates them often contains the name and author of the document. According to this theory we have eleven separate books having the following authors: Adam, Noah, and eight other authors which Moses merely compiled into one book. If there did indeed exist copies of such ancient documents, it is quite possible that Moses only summarized certain events from each of these which the Holy Spirit would have him to include in the Torah as a foundation. While we cannot have any way of knowing what else was included in these books, we should be at least willing to admit that we may not have a copy of every word which God had caused man to write down.
There are some who regard at least some of the Pseudepigraphic writings as promising in that it may help the student to better understand the times and thoughts of both early Judaism and Christianity. As regards a "canon" of Pseudepigraphic writings, there is no such thing. There is a great abundance of writings that could fall under this category even if they really have no relationship to the bible. As old as much of this literature is, sometime dating older than 300 B.C., even the term Pseudepigrapha suggests something new for most people within the Christian community. Many of them have never heard the word used before. The study of the Pseudepigraphic writings is actually in its infancy having begun sometime during the eighteenth century. The recent findings of such manuscripts, and especially the uncovering of the Dead Sea Scrolls, has had a favorable impact upon the Christian community. Many of them are now at least a little bit interested in what these documents might contain.
In early Christianity, it is all too apparent that controversy existed over the acceptance of at least some of these writings within the churches. When comparing the Second Epistle of Peter with the Epistle of Jude, it becomes obvious that the first author deliberately avoids steering his hearers towards the Pseudepigraphic writings whereas in the Epistle of Jude, speaking upon similar subject matter, the author does not hesitate to make reference to 1 Enoch and another writing containing a legend about the body of Moses, and even at one point even directly quotes from 1 Enoch. It would appear that the two authors possess different views concerning the validity and inspiration of these writings. This problem is known to have persisted for centuries in the early Church regarding the differing opinions of acceptance or rejecting these writings. It is a fact that many of the churches maintained an especially high regard for some of these writings and continued to read them publicly and encourage others to read them as well. It is also well attested that the Epistle of Jude, which we all agree to be canonical today, was for a long time held highly questionable by many sects of the Church primarily because of its relationship to the Book of Enoch.
We know that the Hebrew canon was not completed before A.D. 90 for we witness debates concerning the canonicity of Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, and Esther at that time. As for the New Testament writings, the first listing of our accepted twenty-seven books does not even appear until A.D. 367. It is obvious that all churches were very much in disagreement as to defining the recognized canon until the end of the fifth century. The Book of Revelation was not accepted by the Greek Church until around the tenth century. The Syrian church only accepted twenty-two documents into their New Testament canon, excluding 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, Jude, and Revelation. The Ethiopian Jews had a different Old Testament canon than their brothers in that they included various Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, especially including the Prayer of Manasseh, Jubilees, 1 Enoch, 3 and 4 Ezra. To refer to any book as noncanonical in the early church prior to A.D. 100 is to simply be historically inaccurate. There simply was no defined canon. The canonization of the scriptures came well after much apostasy had been allowed to infiltrate the churches. The church age at that time was becoming spiritually dull as regards both their ears and eyes. Even today the Catholic bible differs from the Protestant bible. The difference between the two is the acceptance of some deuterocanonical writings by the Catholic church. These writings are considered to be apocryphal and uninspired by the Protestant community. Many Protestants would consider their value as next to worthless.
A complete study of all of the writings grouped as the Pseudepigrapha would be quite exhaustive. Some of the more familiar or more important writings are: 1 Enoch, 2 Enoch, The Assumption of Moses, The Apocalypse of Baruch, The Fourth Book of Ezra, The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, The Book of Jubilees, and The Martyrdom of Isaiah. Even this list would take us way beyond the scope of this present work if we are to investigate each writing thoroughly. As such, it is thought to be much more profitable to focus in on the two books that would yield to us the greatest gain. Due to the great controversy over the Epistle of Jude in the early days of the church, and the great importance that the Pentateuch of Enoch obviously had within that church during that time, we have chosen to limit our investigation to the Enochian writings to include not only the Ethiopic writings (1 Enoch), but also to include the Slavonic writing (2 Enoch). The reason for our selection of 2 Enoch will become all too obvious after we have fully explored the richness of this writing and the strange possibilities of its authorship and time.
Why do we blindly accept that the Book of Daniel is Holy Spirit written while we place the Enochian writings on a shelf with the label, Pseudepigrapha? The authorship of the Book of Daniel is highly questionable according to most bible scholars, as is true also of the time period in which it was written. Scholars have concluded that the Book of Daniel is a "direct product of the Maccabaean struggles." Daniel lived hundreds of years before the book was written so we can assume that the author is writing under a Pseudo name. This fact makes it a member of the Pseudepigrapha. Some have even suggested that the book attributed to Daniel becomes the model for later Apocalyptic Pseudepigrapha. If the Book Of Daniel, by scholarly and critical analysis should reveal itself to be written by a Pseudo author, how can we continue to proclaim it to be cannonical? We cannot merely use the criteria that Holy Spirit testifies to its inspiration by quoting or referring to it because the same argument without a doubt applies to the Ethiopic Enoch writing. If Daniel from all appearances looks as if it rightfully should be rejected from the canon and yet we continue to regard it as a valid canon entry, is it not at least possible that the Ethiopic writing was rejected when in deed the Holy Spirit pays its own witness to the writing. Beyond this though, does the book appear to contain anything of value to the Christian community? We think that after reviewing our careful analysis, the reader will at least be open to consider the Enochian writings in a new light. Regardless of what the reader shall conclude after our investigation this one thing shall remain. The reader will have a higher appreciation for the writing, not based upon what the scholars tells us, but rather based upon the inspirational value and inherent beauty that permeates the whole. Over two hundred years before Christ appears, this record appears purporting to have been written by Enoch and preserved for the later generation by a guardian angel as a witness to all who would hear it. The author of the Book of Jubilees used it as well as the authors of The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. As we have already shown, Jude obviously regarded the writing as inspired of God. The early Church Fathers without hesitation, much like Jude before them, had attributed these peculiar writings to Enoch the prophet.
The Ethiopic Apocalypse of Enoch, more commonly called 1 Enoch, is the oldest of the three books claiming to be attributed to the prophet Enoch of the Old Testament. This Enoch is the seventh descendant of Adam and Eve who had such a close relationship with God that it is declared that he not only walked with God (Gen. 5:24 KJV), but that God also took him. Although there have been various fragments numbering more than forty of this book found written in the Aramaic, Greek, and Latin, the only complete version is that which we have preserved in the Ethiopic. The original is believed to have been composed partially in Aramaic and partially in Hebrew similar to the familiar canonical Book of Daniel.
It has long been believed that this particular work is definitely a composite of up to nine different writings. All but the first five chapters of the "Introductory Chapters", are believed to have been written at least a century before the birth of Christ. Some commentators such as Milik have suggested that this writing had originally represented a Pentateuch attributed to Enoch, which is generally agreed upon, although it is his personal and unsubstantiated opinion that the fifth or "Book of the Similitudes" could be a later invention by Christians replacing the lost "Book of Giants" that had been once numbered among the original. He bases this upon the fact that "no single manuscript fragment that might correspond in any way to the second section of the Ethiopic Enoch, chapters 37-71 (Book of Parables), has been identified in the countless mass of fragments of 4Q (Cave 4 of Qumrân) or in the less extensive collections of manuscripts from ten other Qumrân caves."
The proposition of this lost book being replaced by a newer Christian book is without any critical support. Clearly the book in its entirety had originated in Judea and was known and used extensively at Qumrân long before the beginning of what we might refer to as the Christian period. With the exception of the "Book of the Similitudes", Milik would also agree that this Qumrân Enochic corpus had consisted of five Aramaic works regarded as a Pentateuch of Enoch at the beginning of the first century B.C. We must conclude that in all probability, much of this book had surely existed before pre-Maccabean times. The book definitely contains references to historical events immediately preceding the Maccabean Revolt, and it was obviously used by the authors of the Jubilees, the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, the Assumption of Moses, 2 Baruch, and 4 Ezra.
As for its interest to the early Christian writings, this book of Enoch was used by the authors of the Epistle of Barnabas, the Apocalypse of Peter, and is further and what is more important believed to be foundational for concepts within the Gospels and the Revelation, and is even quoted by Jude. Testimonies of the early Church Fathers show, not only their knowledge of the existence of this book, but especially their sometimes high regard of the same. Among these early Church Fathers are: Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Origen, Clement of Alexandria, and especially Tertullian, who is recorded as having said that he held a very high regard for it.
As for the enormous value of this book, perhaps the greatest is witnessed by the way in which is serves to link both Jewish and Christian thought and concepts together. It becomes somewhat of a bridge, having been erected between the two testaments or dispensations, thereby causing a union between them and almost making out of the two of them, one complete testament. This Pentateuch of Enoch is said to be as dependent upon the Old Testament or Jewish thought, as it has obviously been influential upon the New Testament or early Christian thought. The Jewish Apocalyptic writings became very popular during the exilic and post-exilic periods, and was later inherited by Christianity. The greatest example of Christianity's attachment to the Jewish apocalyptic writings is to be discovered within the Revelation attributed to the John the Apostle. Such writings seem to have as its main purpose, a peculiar mission to present both prophetic and revelatory truths, through the vehicle of apocalyptic dualism, which stresses the opposing forces of good against evil. A unique distinction is made between the present evil and the contrasted soon blessed age to come. Many believe that the New Testament is saturated with the fruit of these apocalyptic writings. The Pentateuch of Enoch is without question at least one of these sources as we have already indicated above.
Although the dates may vary from one commentator to another, we can probably summarize the breakdown of this Pentateuch of Enoch into its five natural components as follows:
Sub Title or Name Chapters Date of Origin 1. The Book of the Watchers (1-36) 200 -175 B.C. 2. The Book of Similitudes (37-71) 100 B.C. - 68 A.D. 3. The Book of Astronomical Writings (72-82) ? - 300 B.C. 4. The Book of Dream Visions (83-90) 164 - 160 B.C. 5. The Book of the Epistle of Enoch (91-107) 200 - 169 B.C. The Book of Astronomical Writings is believed to be the oldest component of this Pentateuch of Enoch, being written as far back as 300 B. C. or older. The original writing is further believed to have contained much more than that which we have preserved in this writing, that is during the time that it had existed as an independent work. As proof of this theory, there are many who point to those fragments of the supposed more extensive work which has been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Within his historical writings of the Jews, the Hellenistic Jewish historian Eupolemos, who writes around 158 B.C., seemingly alludes to this Astronomical Book of Enoch in which he gives a detailed account of the biblical Abraham as being the inventor and father of astrology. It is Abraham who instructs the Phoenician concerning the "revolutions of the sun and of the moon and all other things." While in Egypt, it is Abraham again who initiates the priesthood at Helioupolis into the studies of all sciences including and especially the area of astrology. Abraham further instructs these Egyptian priests that it was the prophet Enoch who had first invented the teachings of astrology.
The book of Jubilees further corroborates that the prophet Enoch was the inventor of astrology. "(Enoch) was the first among the children of men, born of the earth, who had learned writing, science, and wisdom, and he described in a book the signs of heaven according to the order of their months, that the children of men might know the periods of the year according to the order of all their particular months."
The book is the story of Enoch being taken on a tour through heaven, and shown great mysteries concerning the celestial luminaries by his heavenly guide, the Archangel Uriel, a name whose meaning is "light of God". The point of the whole seems to be an attempt to stress how all of the so called natural laws that appear to control the movements of these heavenly orbs, are actually the results of thousands upon thousands of angels, assigned to their individual tasks, all working together to produce such a great wonder or organization. As such, the universe is not merely a matter of natural or physical law as our scientists might ignorantly suppose, being completely dependent upon their five senses for their understanding, but is more akin to a living organism, with each cell functioning according to its own purpose, performing that task for which it had been originally created. As such, it represents a marvelous display of harmony and miraculous wonderment. All of this we have reduced to a set of physical laws of nature. The complexity and simplicity of its mythology throughout are absolutely fascinating.
Enoch's earth is a flat land, having a great heaven stretched as a canopy over it, from the one end to the other. There are twelve gates described as being at the meeting place of the firmament and the earth. Into one of these twelve gates' passes the sun and moon, depending upon their twelve cycles, each naturally corresponding with the twelve signs of the Zodiac. Throughout all is stressed the mathematical consistency of God's creation. Each month contains only thirty days. There are four other days added to the three hundred and sixty perhaps to correspond to the four seasons. The year therefore contains three hundred and sixty-four days, and this seems to be of extreme importance to Enoch. Milik says, "the great majority of those of Enastr, belong to an elaborately detailed and monotonous calendar in which the phases of the moon, day by day, were synchronized with the movements of the sun in the framework of a year of 364 days; the calendar also described the movements of the two heavenly bodies from one "gate" of the sky to another. This part of the work no longer exists in the Ethiopic version." It is believed that there must have been an extremely bitter, yet important, calendar dispute between the Qumrân and Jewish religious leaders, but unfortunately the text does not elaborate why this dispute is deemed so crucial. Perhaps we are to conclude from this solar calendar that the great error is in our reckoning of time from earth's perspective rather than from heavens' perspective. It would seem that Enoch is attempting to preserve ancient associations of the Zodiac with other biblical truths. For example, it has long been believed that the twelve tribes were meant to be associated with the twelve signs of the Zodiac, each tribe representing and corresponding to one of these signs.
The Book of the Watchers is probably the second oldest, at least in its original form, believed to have consisted of only the first eleven chapters. Some have even suggested that the contents of Enoch 6-19 predate the text compiled and preserved within Gen. 6:1-4. According to this perspective, Gen. 6:1-4 is merely an attempt to quickly summarize Enoch 6-19 which was already quite commonly known and as such was not really necessary to elaborate upon. It is generally accepted that the entire thirty-six chapters of this Book of the Watchers, must have been compiled as one separate book before the death of Judas Maccabeus in 160 B.C. Others have suggested that the first five chapters, usually referred to as the introduction, might well have been written after the following thirty-one chapters. Jewish authorship of the book is apparent within the introduction, in some cases being almost a paraphrase of the Blessing of Moses and the Oracle of Balaam, while in other cases using a similar prophetic style to that of Micah, Zechariah and Isaiah.It might be significant that following the introduction and throughout the remaining five of the first eleven or "original chapters", there is no further reference to Enoch, not even so much as to necessitate that the later portion had even been written by him or composed within the pseudo-name. The story concerns the rebellion of the angels, now called "the Watchers", and their judgment to come. In this account, Enoch witnesses how these angels had originally obtained their divine knowledge by having had access to the Tree of Wisdom. By their eating of this tree, which is lawful for them, they are able to acquire their great wisdom and afterwards communicate this knowledge and wisdom also to Enoch. It is the same tree that Adam and Eve had once partaken of (1En. 32:6), having also obtained or learned new knowledge and wisdom, which resulted in their having had their eyes open after they had eaten, to the presence of and distinction of both good and evil. Unlike the angels however, this tree had at that time been strictly forbidden for them. As such, they were driven from the garden. The story is of course an expansion of the Gen. 6:1-4 account, which has been further subdivided into its three component parts. The first part is a deliberate rebellion of the angels against God, followed by the second, the plea for help, and lastly, the divine resolution.
The deliberate rebellion of God's angels consists of the angels engaging in sexual intercourse with the daughters of men. Through this ungodly union, giants are produced as the offspring. These giants eventually begin to turn to the flesh of animals and even man, after the food begins to become scarce. The great evil is witnessed by the good angels who were not among those who had rebelled, and serve as priestly intercessors for those who have become the victims of such a great evil upon the earth. Michael, Surafel, and Gabriel (1En. 9:1-6) bring forth news of this to the great God of gods seeking some kind of resolution. The resolution is the binding of these evil angels by Raphael and Michael (1En. 10:4,12) in the prison house and the destruction of all life upon the earth. Out of the earth shall escape only Noah and his family, as such, God sends Asuryal to warn Noah of the deluge that is to shortly come upon the earth (1En. 10:1-2). Gabriel is sent forth to see that the giant offspring may be stirred up to make war with each other and to kill each other.
It has been suggested that the point of the myth is to reinforce the idea that the evil that is so prevalent in our world through the hands of violent men, is not merely the results of sinful men, but has its roots far deeper, even extending further into an unseen world of demonic powers and rebellious angels. On the other hand, there is really nothing for us to fear, for their judgment has already been long ago decided upon and is even now being rehearsed in the ears of the hearers of the author's words.
As for the rebellion of these evil angels, there is apparently two separate rebellions, or at least two separate accounts or charges against them. Each rebellion has its different recognized leader. First there is Semyaz who leads the fallen angels to take wives for themselves and beget children. (1En. 6:3). The number of angels included in this group equal two hundred. Twenty different angels are listed by name, each of them being leaders of ten others underneath their chain of authority. The names of each of these angels and their corresponding meanings is made available to us by Knibb and is reproduced below.
English Aramaic Greek Meaning/Description (Knibb) (1) Semyaza means 'the (or my) name has seen' or 'he sees the name'. The name Amezarak is believed to be an inner-Ethiopic corruption of Semyaza. (2) Ura-Kimba 
appears to be a combination of two names (Ura) (Kiba) which means either 'the land of the mighty one' or perhaps 'the land is mighty'. (3) Ramiel means 'the evening of God'. (4) Kokabiel means 'star of God'. (5) Tamiel possibly means 'God is perfect', or 'Perfection of God'. (6) Ramiel means 'thunder of God'. (7) Daniel means 'God has judged'. The seventh angel taught the signs of the sun. (8) Ezeqiel means 'shooting star of God'. (9) Baraqiel means 'lightning of God'. (10) Asael means 'God has made'. (11) Armaros means 'the one from Hermon'. (12) Batriel means 'rain of God'. (13) Ananel means 'cloud of God'. (14) Zaqiel possibly means 'God has hidden' or 'God has protected'. (15) Samsiel means 'sun of God'. A derivative of Shamash the sun god. (16) Sartael possibly means 'moon of God' or 'dawn of God'. (17) ? documents are too fragmented to conclude anything with certainty. Versions and translations vary much offering three entirely different names. (18) Turiel means 'mountain of God', or 'Rock of God'. (19) Yomiel means 'day of God'. (20) Araziel possibly means 'light of God' or 'moon of God'. These fallen angels not only took wives of mankind for themselves and produced offspring, they also taught hidden and forbidden things such as the magical use of charms and spells, and the ancient practices of cutting roots and trees. Such hidden secrets are taught to them by Semyaza (also called Amezarak) who is said to be the leader of the twenty (1En. 8:3). The offspring of this strange union of celestial and terrestrial creatures produces great giants born of their earthly mother. These giants were so large that they soon had consumed "all the acquisitions of men" (1En. 7:4). Afterwards they began to turn their attention to human and animal flesh while also consuming their blood. We will show elsewhere how this consumption of blood might also be related to sacred magical rites or blood covenanting.
The second leader is Azazel (1En. 8:1) who further leads the other angels to reveal their hidden (forbidden to man) secrets. Possibly it is this Azazel who first encourages the afore mentioned Semyaza to influence the other angels under his command to commit these abominations before God. This Azazel is believed to be the same being associated with the Azazel of Leviticus 16. He instructed men concerning metallurgy, coloring tinctures, and all sorts of precious stones. In this way mankind might learn how to make for themselves bracelets and ornaments. Mankind continued to explore various new ways to adorn themselves with jewelry and beautifying makeup. This would eventually lead to greater godlessness and fornication. Next man would learn further uses of metallurgy such as the skill of forging knives, swords, breastplates, and shields from which they might further learn and develop new skills in the practice and arts of war. We are further informed that the knowledge of astrology originates from Baraqiel's instruction. Kokabiel reveals certain secrets about the various constellations and their original meanings which has obviously been handed down to mankind ever since through the channels of myth and folklore. Samsiel further revealed to man concerning the signs of the Sun, Sartael taught similar signs of the moon, and Araqiel taught concerning the strange and marvelous signs which were to come upon the earth (1En. 8:1-4).
[ Go To Top] When Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel report the current distress and troubles upon the earth to the Almighty, Uriel is sent to Noah to warn him of the judgment and destruction that shall come upon the earth. Raphael casts Azazel out into the darkness in a desert place (1En. 10:4-6), while Michael binds Semyaz and the other fornicating angels into a prison house underneath the earth (1En. 10:12-14) which is also referenced by Jude in the New Testament.
And the angels which kept not their first estate,
but left their own habitation,
he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness
unto the judgment of the great day.
(Jude 6 KJV)This reference by Jude shows that this book of Enoch was at one time highly regarded by the early Church as a record of inspired truth, especially by Jude himself. In fact, Jude actually quotes from the book of Enoch (Jude 14 KJV) as freely as if it had been a writing written by Moses himself. This fact in itself should cause us to at least question how it is that the canonization that would follow, even many years afterwards, should be somehow used to minimize the importance of this particular book throughout Christianity. Through his comparisons of the original Greek texts, Bauckham has been able to confirm that Jude quotes directly from 1 Enoch. Some say that this alone does not demand or prove that Jude recognized the book as canonical scripture, but merely that he thought of the book as inspired. We suggest that this statement reeks of mere semantics. The question rests on the true meaning of the word "inspiration". Does Jude regard the words of Enoch as emotionally inspiring, suggesting that he estimates their value as uplifting and encouraging, or does he rather regard this Book of Enoch as being originally God breathed? This is the true question we must ask of Jude. If Jude quotes from literature simply because it makes him feel good, or it gets his point across, this suggests that perhaps the writing of Jude should also be cast out from our Canon of Inspired Scriptures, to find itself only included in the Pseudepigrapha. The apocalyptic style of Revelation might certainly make itself suspect as regards inspiration as well. The book especially alludes to concepts otherwise foreign to the other writings.
Enoch becomes the messenger of judgment to the Watchers (1En. 14:3). Their judgment shall be an eternal imprisonment underneath the earth. Their punishment will be visited upon their children whom they have produced (1En. 14:5-7). Their bodies will be slain upon the earth, but their spirits will be loosed out of their bodies to remain upon the earth as Evil Spirits or Demons. Their judgment is to have no peace all the years that they remain upon the earth dwelling in the darkness. They will not eat or drink, or have any pleasure whatsoever. They shall rise up against the people of the earth to further corrupt them and cause them harm because they also have proceeded forth from them (1En. 15). They will be as spiritually dead, although they know the revealed mysteries that their fathers have previously revealed, they will have no insight or knowledge of the sacred mysteries to come. Above all this, they shall have or enjoy no part in the salvation of man (1En. 16:1-3).
Enoch is taken up to the very throne in heaven, where he witnesses similar sights to that of John the Revelator. It would seem that John is also greatly influenced by the writings of Enoch (1En. 14:8-25) authored long before the days of Christ. The Watchers were said to have once been priests of God (1En. 15:3-4) created to minister for the sake of man within his holy temple, which is also quite vividly described by Enoch. These creatures have willfully abandoned their priestly heritage and as such they have been rejected by God. It has been suggested that such is merely meant to be an allusion to the rejection of the Jerusalem priesthood as it is likewise defiled by sin and therefore must be set aside completely.
The next portion of this book of Enoch describes the various compartments or places where the evil ones must be punished and imprisoned. This would include not only a compartment for the Watchers, but also one for the souls of the unrighteous men. There is yet another compartment in which the righteous souls must await their resurrection.
The first is a fiery abyss like compartment that apparently has no top or bottom. It is described as a terrible and desolate place and it is apparently the prison house of the seven stars who are being described as seven burning mountains. These seven are referred to as the "powers of heaven". These seven have transgressed the commandments of God from the beginning of their rising. Here they remain bound until the completion of their sin in the year of mystery (1En. 18:11-16). These seven seem to answer to the mythological seven titans. They represent the very beginnings of an organized heavenly rebellion against the one true God.
Uriel points out how that there will come a time when the angels who had committed their sexual sin with women must one day accompany these seven stars in their state of horror and torment. Since they are not yet located together with them in this place, we must assume that they must be being currently reserved somewhere else in some other state. The women who had became their wives must also be transformed into "Sirens". In Greek mythology, such female creatures were the famed sea nymphs. They seduced men to their destruction by means of their sweet voices. The word has even come to mean merely a seductive and beautiful woman. These creatures might correspond then to the Succubus, that female counterpart of the Incubus of medieval European folklore. Such creatures were regarded as demons themselves, having the ability to assimilate bodily form temporarily, in which state they might engage in sexual intercourse with sleeping men and women. According to legend, the Incubus, and its female counterpart, the Succubus, were believed to have been numbered among the fallen angels. Sexual union with these creatures was believed to produce demon offspring.
The union of marriage between a man and his wife might be biblically defined as a somewhat supernatural joining of the two flesh creatures into one new creature. The results of the new birth which transpires when one is joined to Christ, accompanied by the drinking of his covenant blood, causes the birth of a new spirit creature, having or containing within the one new vessel, both the natures of a human spirit being completely combined or intermingled with that of his own divine spirit. The marriage union between an angel and an earth born woman appears to also have caused a similar type of rebirth within her human spirit. That woman suddenly begins to become, or is eventually being transformed into a Siren. This transformation would not be witnessed within her flesh, but is rather taking place within her spirit, being somewhat similar to that of the new creature that is born again in Christ. At the time of her death, her new born spirit creature will now emerge from her dead body, being not wholly human, but rather, being partly human and partly angelic. She therefore becomes one of the famed creatures of the night, the first of which is named Lilith in Jewish Lore, said to be the first and originally forsaken wife of Adam.
Ancient marriage customs often included a mixing of the blood of both parties in a cup of wine which was afterwards ingested by the two of them. The covenant was a marriage covenant of blood. The probability of this ancient marriage union between the fallen angel and his human bride being accomplished through a rite of blood drinking or blood covenanting seems high when considering that such a practice of drinking blood is mentioned even in the same chapter that mentions the marriage union between these two (1En. 7:6). Their human wives received secret instruction of magic and incantations from their angelic husbands It is well known that a necessary part of the initiation ritual within the ancient mystery religions was the partaking of the magical contents of the sacred cup. Is it not practically undeniable that this ancient blood marriage practice must surely have had its origin during this time as well?
From there Enoch descended even further, to a place of greater torment, which is the prison house of the angels. These angels are the ones who had committed the sexual sin as indicated above. Westward from there Enoch noticed four hollow places in the rock that had been made as other dwelling places for spirits, where they might be held until the final day of judgment (1En. 22). These are made to contain the departed souls of men, being separated from one another according to some kind of preliminary judgment. In one compartment are contained the righteous who are to be set apart from the sinners. The other three seem to be reserved for differing categories of criminals, being separated accordingly depending upon the crimes that they have committed. There is also a special valley reserved exclusively for the accursed, that is for them who have cursed God with their mouths (1En. 27:2-3).
The Epistle Of Enoch
Next we have the book of the Epistle of Enoch believed to be the third oldest, being completed sometime before the death of Judas Maccabeus in 160 B.C. In this epistle we have Enoch speaking to his children, but it is naturally assumed that the author is addressing his contemporaries of the Maccabean age. Enoch clearly states that he is addressing the epistle not only to "all my sons who dwell upon the earth", but also to the "last generation who will observe truth and peace" (1En. 92:1). The author undoubtedly assumes that his epistle is written to an audience who will be living in the last days. His purpose is to assure his contemporaries that God will vindicate the righteous and the promises and judgments of God can surely be relied upon.The prophet begins to summarize human history as a period of ten weeks, the first of which he himself is born upon the earth. The second week corresponds to the day of Noah in which "a certain man shall be saved". The third week corresponds with the day of Abraham as "a certain man shall be elected as the plant of the righteous judgment". The forth week prophesied of the day of Moses and his bringing forth of the law which acts as "a fence" or enclosure erected around God's people. The fifth week foretells of the time of King Solomon and the building of the great temple in Jerusalem, as "a house and a kingdom shall be built".
The sixth week is especially interesting to us as it marks a day of a peculiar type of apostasy and spiritual darkness in the which many of those who are in that house shall be "blindfolded". What is significant during this week or dispensation of Enoch is the prophecy uttered concerning the end of this period. In that day, that is at the end of this week, "a man shall ascend". Enoch promises that this time will mark the arrival of the long awaited Messiah; of this Glasgow also corroborates. During this sixth week the Jewish or elect race shall be dispersed throughout the earth. If the man who ascends is the Messiah, the prophecy is fulfilled by Rome beginning A.D. 70. Some would argue that the man that shall ascend obviously refers to Elijah while the scattering of the Jewish race would clearly refer to the Assyrian captivity of Israel, together with the Babylonian captivity of Judah. If we take this stand, what answers then to the sevenfold instruction? Perhaps this instruction refers to the mysterious appearance of this sevenfold (perfect) writing of Enoch in the days following the captivity and leading on into the Maccabean dispensation. A third alternative is that the prophecy has a dual fulfillment. This is the attitude that many take as regards Daniel's prophecy of Antiochus Epiphanes and the later day Antichrist. We seem to have a significant amount to meditate upon regarding this section of Enoch's prophecy.
The seventh week shall be typified as an especially perverse generation. It is at the end or completeness of this seventh age or dispensation that the righteous, or the true church, shall be selected. Some suggest that this seventh week must represent or refer to the day of the author, making this time the period of the Maccabees. It is during this seventh week that the Lord shall give a "sevenfold instruction" to his flock. This sevenfold instruction could likely correspond to the seven dispensations of the Church age as outline by John in his epistle to the seven churches if we are to receive that the original writings of Enoch are truly inspired by prophets between the Malachi and Matthew time period, traditionally termed "the four hundred years of silence". On the other hand, it is very possible, probably even likely, that the author believed the time of the Messiah was at hand even as he penned these words. The author, believing that the time was probably at hand, expends most of his effort concerning this period. It surly represents a time period in which the faithful must be assured that God will deliver the faithful and visit his vengeance upon their enemies (1En. 93).
The eighth week shall witness a resurrection of "the righteous one" from the dead (1En. 91:11). It seems quite possible that this was a reference to the resurrection of the Messiah, however this is written almost two hundred years before the time of the crucifixion. Others suggest that the passage should be translated as "the righteous will rise from sleep, and wisdom will rise and will be given to them". While this might be the case, is still appears that wisdom is personified. In either case we must point to John's description of the manchild who is caught up to God's throne (Rev. 12:5 KJV). Here the entire church, is represented as the body of Christ while Christ himself is only the head, (Eph. 1:22-23 KJV). That child is caught up to the throne and this must correspond with the eighth week. Is it any wonder that the early church was so greatly attracted or attached to these Enochian writings? The eighth week is divided into the first and second part, the second being described as "the week of righteousness". It is during this time that "A house shall be built for the Great King in glory for evermore" (1En. 91:13). The first part of this eighth week is described as a time in which the Messiah will execute his judgment upon the earth. Afterwards the greatly prophesied and expected millennial reign of Christ shall be ushered in.
The ninth week signifies the final purging and end of the ungodly from the earth. The righteous judgment shall be revealed to the whole world at that time. The ninth week describes a time in which there is no more sin upon the earth. Finally, in the tenth week, upon the seventh or Sabbath Day of that week, there shall be the Great White Throne Judgment as referenced within the Book of Revelation (Rev. 20:11 KJV). The tenth week contains a time in which "the eternal judgment" shall be executed by the angels, which shall include a new heaven and many weeks of righteousness without number to follow (1En. 91:15-17). It is certain that the purpose of this epistle then is to stress to those living during the last days, that they can be assured that the wisdom that has been delivered through this writing of this prophet will surely mean their ultimate deliverance, although that deliverance might necessitate or manifest itself in the form of a resurrection from the dead.
The Book of Dream Visions is the forth part of this Pentateuch. Without doubt it seems to reflect a certain Maccabean flavor. Some have suggested that this writing (1En. 89:65-74; 1En. 90:26-8) ) is alluded to in the Epistle of Barnabas (EBar. 16:5). It contains two dreams, the first of which is very brief describing the days of Noah (1En. 83). The second is a prophetic summary of the entire history of man (1En. 85-90), beginning with Adam, and culminating with the days of Judas Maccabeus who is himself represented as the ram with a great horn (1En. 90:10). In this second dream, all humans are imagined as animals while the sinful angels are said to be falling stars. There is also an attempt to clarify the ultimate responsibility of the rebellion of all the angels upon the first great rebel, Azazel. Of special interest is the reference to the three different kinds of offspring or categories of children that are born as a result of the ungodly sexual union between angel and women (86:4; 87:3; 88:2; 89:6). Although these are not elaborated upon and therefore possibly not known by the author of the Book of the Watchers, they do reappear again within the Jubilees (7:21-22). Finally a throne is set up and the great day of judgment begins. The fallen angels are hurled into a fiery abyss along with the blinded sheep obviously representing the sinners among men. The Messiah is imagined as a great white bull with enormous black horns.The animal dream begins with a white bull who comes forth from out of the earth. This bull represents the first man, Adam (1En. 85:3). After the bull, came forth a female heifer, and along with her two calves. The heifer can be none other than Eve and the two calves easily answer to Cain and Abel. There is no mention of any sin in the garden or fall of the white bull. A change of the color from white to black might be expected but instead is thoroughly overlooked as if to suggest that the "original sin" of man is really insignificant in the whole perspective.
One of these calves is red while the other is black. Since the black calf strikes the red calf and he is seen no longer it is obvious that the black calf is Cain while the red calf surely typifies Abel. If the white color symbolizes the pureness and righteousness of this first bull, being consistent throughout the dream, then the black in contrast is suggestive of the opposite. The black is not the chosen one but rather the rejected one. Although some believe that they see three races in the three colors (Seth is also white as his father Adam), this idea could only be a fanciful coincidence as we are not to draw from this dream that the white race is a chosen or supreme race while the black race is to be rejected. The idea of the three offspring being white, red, and black is emphasized again in the children of Noah. In that place the author stresses how that this red color is as the reddish color of blood (1En. 89:9). The red might suggestively hint of the blood that must be shed to allow for the white to come forth as well a reminder of the slaughter of the red heifer (Num. 19:1-10 KJV).
The black bull with his black heifer produced many offspring like him. Meanwhile the white heifer searches and morns with great intensity for the disappearance of her red calf. After she has suffered a little, the white bull is able to comfort her and she brings forth another white calf. Other offspring follow, both male and female, but they are as black as the children of the black calf. Here we have a much deeper insight into the meaning of the color black. The black does not suggest evil but rather that they are not peculiar or chosen. It is interesting to find that Cain's offspring are not reckoned to be any different then the other offspring of Adam and Eve. We might expect perhaps that these should be more of a brownish color to reflect that Cain's seed is to be considered as spiritually darker but this is not the case. We have it revealed that God truly is no respecter of persons, but at the same time he does make a difference with that seed which represents his peculiar possession. And so the white bull matures and produces offspring after his own kind, all of which are said to be white. Obviously the color does not indicate that the white calves are purer then the black, but only that they represent the chosen herd.
The next occurrence is the fall of the angel Asael who falls from the heaven as a star. Upon landing on the earth, the star begins to graze among the black cattle as if he was one of them. The entrance of this fallen angel among the black cattle obviously begins to affect some changes. We know from 1En. 8:1-2 that Asael taught great secrets to mankind that ultimately changed the world. There is no reason to think that the other offspring of Adam and Eve were not affected by these teaching but they are assimilated into Cain's herd by reason of their color. Only the white cattle remain uncontaminated. As a result of Asael's teachings they change their pens, which is to say their homes and the way they live (1En. 86:2). It is important to note that the scripture informs us how Cain is the first man to build a city and how he named both that city and his son Enoch (Gen. 4:17 KJV), a name meaning "initiated" or "dedicated". It would appear that the name had a twofold meaning. It is only natural that Asael would seek out Cain to begin his evil indoctrination. One might say that Cain is being initiated into the secrets of darkness which initiation continues on throughout history within the mystery religions of the world. At the same time of his initiation, Cain has dedicated his new born son to Asael. We cannot say this as a matter of fact, however the story would quite favorably suggest such a scenario. The entire way of life is being drastically changed for all but the Sethites and the rapid results of this new advanced civilization are staggering. While the Sethites apparently remain simple folk dependent upon the land, the Cainites continue to prosper in their technological achievements and creativity.
Not only do the Cainites begin to change their pens, they also change their pastures suggesting perhaps that they now begin to modify their diets. Such changes in diet might certainly have included the eating of flesh as both man and animal are originally given the fruits and herbs to be their meat (Gen. 1:29-30 KJV) and there is no mention of taking the life of an animal to furnish the man's food. Next they begin to change their calves (which is to suggest their children). The expression to change their calves might mean that the children that belonged to the lineage of Cain began to lust after each other's sister desiring another to be their wife rather then being content with having his own sister to be his wife. If a man's wife was arranged from early on this might explain why Lamech sought to murder a man, perhaps it was so that he might take his wife also for it is written that Lamech possessed two wives (Gen. 4:19 KJV). Michael Knibb suggests that it is not the "calves" that are changed but rather the "heifers" or the wives. In other words what we would have here is the beginnings of fornication and adultery. Also that they did not "wail" after one another but rather "moan" after one another could further suggest divorce or at the minimum the beginnings of the sin of adultery.
It was clearly a biblical principal that sought to disallow intermarriage between Israel and the heathen. We have further evidence in Abraham's desire for a relative to be Isaac's wife, and Isaac's displeasure with Esau's selection of a wife. What we are attempting to capture here is the most probable marriage custom in the very beginning but we have dwelled upon this point enough and all we can be assured of with great certainty is that we have increased our own speculation on this point. Charles suggests that the correct reading is simply "they all changed their stalls and pastures and their cattle, and began to live with each other." Another suggestion has been to render the translation as, "Changed their stalls and pastures, while their young began to lament one with another."
After this, many more stars fell from the heaven to join themselves with the first star. These stars took on the form of bulls actually becoming bulls themselves and then began to graze with the other cattle. There is no doubt that these stars represent Shemihazah (Semyaza) and the two hundred angels that jointly conspired with him and Asael (the first star). They all assume human form so that they might dwell among men. Soon after their metamorphoses, these stars which had transformed themselves into bulls were now engaging in acts of sexual intercourse with the heifers producing three different kinds of offspring. These offspring are symbolized as elephants, camels, and asses, representing the Giants, Naphilim, and Elioud. It was anciently taught that the Giants produced the Naphilim and they afterwards begat the Elioud. We are further taught that the cattle feared these unnatural offspring as they began to tear at the cattle and literally eat their flesh (1En. 86:3-6). As a result, all of the children of the earth trembled and began to flee from them. The children of the earth probably refer to all of the natural earth born creatures as becomes more clear in 1En. 7:5 where these devilish offspring began at first to eat the flesh of the birds, beasts, reptiles, and fishes.
The elephants, camels, and asses representing the three kinds of ungodly offspring next begin to tear at each other and consume each other's flesh. This causes the entire earth to cry out which brings forth seven white men from heaven, including one group of four and another group of three, both groups representing angelic beings (1En. 87-88). Enoch is transferred from off the earth to a high tower where he is able to observe all that would transpire. This undoubtedly refers to Enoch's own final translation into the heavens, not currently as he is receiving this vision, but rather it shall happen in the future when all these things must take place. Next, one of the four men in white seized the ringleader Asael and bound his hands and feet and hurled him into the deep narrow dark abyss of desolation. This angel is identified as Raphael (1En. 10:4) and the event of the abyss might be a future event yet to come (Rev. 20:3) as Raphael is also said to have put Asael in an opening in the desert, covering him with darkness. Patrick Tiller has put together an interesting table that we have provided also below. The table indicates the several different prisons mentioned throughout the Book of Enoch.
Text Description Inmates Duration 10:4-5 opening in the desert of Dudael; dark;
covered with jagged rocks.Asael for all time;
until the day of judgment10:12 valleys of the earth Shemihazah 70 generations;
until the day of judgment10:6,13 fiery abyss Watchers for all time (after the day of judgment) 18:9-11 deep fiery abyss ? ? 18:12-16 waste place with no earth, sky, or water wandering stars,
host of heaventen thousand years 21:1-6 empty place with no earth or sky stars of heaven ten thousand years 88:1 narrow, deep, desolate dark abyss Asael until judgment 88:3 a fissure of the earth the rest of the stars until judgment 90:24-25 fiery abyss stars and shepherds ? 90:26 a similar abyss blind sheep ? A second of these white men who descend from heaven is that Gabriel (1En. 10:9) who now draws a sword and hands it to those elephants, camels, and asses resulting in a great war between them which also causes the entire earth to quake. The act by Gabriel is deliberate with the intention of having these angelic half-breed creatures destroy each other. Afterwards Michael (1En. 10:11) the third of the four is to collect the other fallen stars who have sinned through their forbidden sexual union with the daughters of men. They are bound and put in a fissure of the earth. The fourth white man, who is called elsewhere by the name Sariel (1En.10:1-3) imparts knowledge of the coming deluge to one of the white bulls who although he was originally born a bull, afterwards became a man. (1En. 89:1). The Enochic tradition is that Noah is born with a notable difference than other men. It is obvious that there is a divine spirit encompassing the child from birth as his father even questions whether the child is his own or is the child of deity.
And his father Lamech was afraid of him and fled,
and came to his father Methuselah. And he said unto him:
'I have begotten a strange son, diverse from and unlike man,
and resembling the sons of the God of heaven;
and his nature is different, and he is not like us,
and his eyes are as the rays of the sun,
and his countenance is glorious.'
(1En. 106:4-5)Tiller suggests that this noticeable difference is possibly similar to the transfiguration of Moses. There is no problem here as even in the New Testament we are confronted with the birth of the prophet John who is called the Baptist. This child is to be "filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb." (Lk. 1:14 KJV). Like the biblical account, Noah, the bull who became a man, builds a large vessel to escape the waters of the great deluge (1En. 89:1). The elephants, camels, and asses representing the half-breed angelic-human creatures were all drowned together with the others.
After the man comes forth from out of the vessel, three bulls accompany him, white, red, and black, representing undoubtedly his three sons, Shem, Japheth, and Ham. Afterwards we are told that the white bull departed from them (1En. 89:9). The indication need not be interpreted as anything miraculous or peculiar, but just that Noah had passed away. What follows is a bringing forth of many different and various kinds of animals not mentioned before. These probably represent the many differing gentile races. Tiller points out that these animals are represented as natural predators and scavengers thereby indicating that they should eventually tear and prey upon the nation Israel.
In the midst of these new and various kinds of animals (the gentiles) was born another white bull who brought forth a wild ass and a white bull. It is obvious that the white bull who brings forth the other white bull represents Abraham bringing forth Isaac. The wild ass is without question a symbol for Ishamael. From the second white bull comes forth a white sheep and a black wild boar (1En. 89:10-14). The contrast here is between Jacob and Esau, the boar being ceremonially unclean while the sheep is clean. The transition from white bull to white sheep also indicates an important distinguishing point in time. While Abraham and Isaac are viewed as a continuance of Seth's lineage of promise, Jacob represents a totally knew creature. The nation of Israel is born from the loins of Jacob and becomes a radical turn of events in the history of God's people. Jacob is the chosen one. With the appearance of Jacob, all others before him begin to pale in significance. The attention is now upon this new chosen race of twelve sheep who shall also come forth from the first sheep.
Eleven of the twelve white sheep hand over the twelfth sheep to the asses (Ishmaelites) which further hand him over to the hyenas (or wolves, obviously referring to the Egyptians), and then the eleven came to pasture with that twelfth sheep among those hyenas where they multiplied much, but the hyenas became afraid of them and so they began to oppress them (1En. 89:13-15). Due to their much oppression, those sheep began to cry out to the owner of the sheep until one sheep separated himself from the hyenas and went forth to dwell among asses. This sheep, being joined by another sheep, is called to confront the hyenas concerning their mistreatment of the sheep. The text undoubtedly refers to Moses and Aaron being called to confront the Egyptians on behalf of all of Israel. At first the hyenas mistreated the sheep all the more but afterwards the owner beat those hyenas and the hyenas began also to lament. God is of course symbolized as the owner of the sheep and the hyenas. The understanding of those hyenas (Egyptians) were darkened and they chased the sheep down to where a pool of water had been split down the middle, and following the sheep into the pool, the hyenas were suddenly drowned in that pool.
The story continues echoing the journey of Israel into the desert and to the mountain where Moses would lead them. Eventually that sheep who led them (Moses) would be transformed into a man (1En. 89:36). As the white bull (Noah) had of old taken on the form of a man, so this leader of the sheep achieves the same metamorphoses. This man now builds a house for the owner of the sheep. That house the sheep all stand within. The house represents the congregation of the Lord, the Old Testament Church of God if you will. It is not the literal tabernacle but rather the spiritual temple that is referred to here, as the scripture says, "whose house we are" (Heb. 3:6 KJV).
After being lead into a "pleasant and glorious land" (1En. 89:40) the sheep began to be devoured by dogs (Philistia), foxes (Ammon and Moab), and wild boars (Edom and Amalek).
The story continues. The character Saul was glorious for a short time, but eventually he lost his glory and was replaced by another noteworthy ram. The notable ram (David) lies down as a young ram rises in prominence to become an administrator and leader. We then have mention of a house with a tower, the tower evidently referring to Solomon's temple, and a full table was set. The full table being set represents the establishment of the priestly rites within the temple. It not only speaks of the table of shewbread but also of the sacrifices and offerings administered by the priesthood. The tower was much taller than the house indicating perhaps that there was greater emphasis upon the temple and the priesthood than upon the house which represented the people or congregation (1En. 89:50). The allusion seems to be both positive and negative. It seems that the tower was not only taller than the house, but that it continued to be raised even further than originally intended, and that, at the expense of the lowering of the house. The tower now became the emphasis, as such the house began to lose its original importance. This was not good as the tower was meant to be for the sheep more so than for the owner of the sheep. The sheep began to go astray and soon began to abandon the house. There is no mention of abandoning the tower (temple) but only the house. The priesthood began to serve the priesthood rather than the people. Israel was split into many factions the result of which was the complete abandonment of the one house, one congregation, and one people of God. The priesthood no longer served Israel, the twelve tribes, but had become concerned only with the nation Judah. The oneness of the congregation was lost. The people began to follow after other gods and the house of God, meaning the congregation rather than the temple and priesthood, ceased to exist. Although prophets were sent to the sheep, they sought to kill them. Then one among those prophets was rescued by the owner and he was brought up on high to dwell with Enoch. This one is of course a reference to the translation of the prophet Elijah. The great falling away continued to increase. The sheep were abandoned to the nations represented by the lions, tigers, hyenas, foxes, etc. Finally God himself had abandoned their house and their tower meaning that God has cast away his people Israel and had forsaken the temple worship (1En. 89:51-58).
Tiller has identified the animals in this apocalypse and produced the following tables indicating the chief opponents of Israel from Judges to the Exile.
TABLE 1
ISRAEL'S CHIEF OPPONENTS FROM THE JUDGES TO THE EXILE
Biblical Reference Period Israel's Enemies Judges 3 Judges Philistia, Amalek, Ammon, Moab Judges 10-11 Judges Philistia, Ammon Judges 14-16 Judges Philistia 1 Samuel 4,7 Samuel Philistia 1 Samuel 11 Saul Ammon 1 Samuel 13-14 Saul Philistia 1 Samuel 14:47 Saul Amalek, Ammon, Moab, Aram. Edom 1 Samuel 17 Saul Philistia 1 Samuel 18-19 David's flight Philistia 1 Samuel 23 David's flight Philistia 1 Samuel 28-29 David's flight Philistia 1 Samuel 31 Saul's death Philistia 2 Samuel 5 David Philistia 2 Samuel 8 David Moab, Aram, Edom 2 Samuel 8:12 David Philistia, Amalek, Ammon, Moab, Aram, Edom 2 Samuel 10-12 David Ammon, Aram 2 Samuel 21,23 David Philistia 1 Kings 11 Solomon Moab, Aram 1 Kings 14 Divided Kingdom Egypt against Judah 1 Kings 15,16 Divided Kingdom Philistia, Aram against Israel 1 Kings 20,22 Divided Kingdom Aram against Israel and Judah 2 Kings 3 Divided Kingdom Moab against Israel and Judah 2 Kings 6-7 Divided Kingdom Aram against Israel and Judah 2 Kings 8 Divided Kingdom Edom against Judah 2 Kings 10,12 Divided Kingdom Aram against Israel and Judah 2 Kings 13 Divided Kingdom Moab and Aram against Israel 2 Kings 14 Divided Kingdom Edom against Judah 2 Kings 15 Divided Kingdom Assyria against Israel 2 Kings 16 Divided Kingdom Aram, Edom, Assyria against Judah 2 Kings 17-19 Divided Kingdom Assyria against Israel and Judah 2 Kings 23 Divided Kingdom Egypt against Judah 2 Kings 24 Destruction of Jerusalem Ammon, Moab, Aram, Babylon against Judah 2 Kings 25 Destruction of Jerusalem Babylon against Judah TABLE 2
ISRAEL'S OPPONENTS ACCORDING TO THE ANIMAL APOCALYPSE
FROM JUDGES TO THE EXILE
1 Enoch Period Animals Representing Israel's Enemies Biblical Reference 89:42 Judges to Samuel Dogs, Foxes, Boars Judges - 1 Samuel 8 89:43 Saul Dogs, Foxes, Boars 1 Samuel 9-15 89:46 David's flight Dogs 1 Samuel 18-30 89:47 Saul's death Dogs 1 Samuel 31 89:49 David Dogs, Foxes, Boars 2 Samuel 89:55 Divided Kingdom Lions, Tigers, Bears, Hyenas, Foxes 1 Kings 12 - 2 Kings 24 89:56 ? Lions and all animals ? 89:65 ? Lions ? 89:66 Destruction of Jerusalem Lions, Tigers, Boars 2 Kings 24 The following table has also been created based upon the foundation already laid by Tiller.
TABLE 3
SYMBOLS USED WITHIN THE ANIMAL APOCALYPSE
Animals Meaning of the Symbol Reference Wild Asses Ishmael, and his descendants, including the Midianites Gen. 16:12, 37:28, Ex. 2:15 Wild Boars Esau and his descendants, Edom and Amalek Gen. 36:15-19, 36:15-16 Bears (Hyenas in Ethiopic) Egyptians Dogs Philistians Tigers and Hyenas Aramites and Assyrians Ravens Seleucids Kites Ptolemies Eagles Macedonians Vultures ignored as a possible Ethiopic intrusion Foxes Ammonites and Moabites Gen. 19:37-38 The owner now summons the seventy shepherds that they might look after the sheep on his behalf. These seventy shepherds are believed to represent seventy angels of whom God has called and especially commissioned to act as shepherds over his flock. Each shepherd is said to have pastured in their season (1En. 89:65) which some have suggested must correspond to the seventy appointed times decreed or referred to by the prophets Jeremiah (25:11 KJV), Daniel (9:2 KJV), and Zechariah (1:12 KJV). Others have suggested that the seventy appointed times refer to the seventy weeks of Daniel (9:24) which is to be understood as seventy sevens rather than seventy weeks. The English translation of the Hebrew yields the word "week" in an attempt to preserve "a period of seven" which is actually the Hebrew equivalent. Whether it is to be regarded as seven days, weeks, or years can only be determined by the context. The seventy weeks is believed to be equal to 490 years and can be broken down into four unequal periods. Throughout each of these periods one shepherd is to be associated with every seven years within each period. Tiller suggests that these four periods might be made to coincide with Israel's history as is described below, while admitting that his chronology forces discrepancies in the second and third period while leaving the final period extremely short.
Historical Period Shepherds Date (B.C.E.) # of years Babylonian 12 598-515 83 Persian 23 515-332 184 Ptolemaic 23 332-200 132 Seleucid 12 200-160 40 ? Tiller supposes that the reference to the first twelve weeks refers to the Babylonian period that has passed but this could also refer to the beginning of the reconstruction of Israel. The two sheep undoubtedly refer to Zerubbabel and Joshua while the wild boars who withstood them must answer to the Samaritans. Daniel gives us the starting place for the seventy weeks when he states "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem ..." (Dan. 9:25-26 KJV). Daniel also tells us that the 70 weeks (or sevens) is to be broken down as 7 + 62 + 1. The first such decree was given by Cyrus around 536 B.C. (Ezra 1:1-4) The second was given by Darius around 519 B.C. (Ezra 6:1-12). The next decree was given by Artaxerxes in 458 B.C. (Ezra 7:11-22). The final decree was given by Artaxerxes Longimanus around 445 B.C. (Neh. 2:1-8).
Prophecy is to be mathematically determined according to a 30 day to a month and 360 days to a year formula. We see this in Rev. 11:2-3 where 42 months is the equivalent of 1260 days. We are further told that 5 months is the equivalent of 150 days (Gen. 7:11-24; 8:3-4). The prophecy of Daniel is broken down into three stages, 7 * 7 or 49 years, 62 * 7 or 434 years, and the final 7 years. Because our dating is based u