The Books of Enoch

In its entirety, The Books of Enoch are made up of five sections – The Book of Watchers, Book of Parables, The Astronomical Book, The Dream Visions, and The Epistles of Enoch – containing around 100 chapters. 

These chapters tell the story of the 7th patriarch in the Book of Genesis – Enoch, the father of Methuselah and grandfather of Noah.

Wikipedia describes the First Book of Enoch as follows:

The Book of Enoch (also 1 Enoch; Ge'ez: መጽሐፈ ሄኖክ mets’iḥāfe hēnoki) is an ancient Jewish religious work, ascribed by tradition to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah. The older sections (mainly in the Book of the Watchers) of the text are estimated to date from about 300 BC, and the latest part (Book of Parables) probably to the first century BC.

It is not part of the biblical canon as used by Jews, apart from Beta Israel. Most Christian denominations and traditions may accept the Books of Enoch as having some historical or theological interest, but they generally regard the Books of Enoch as noncanonical or noninspired. It is regarded as canonical by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, but not by any other Christian groups.

It is wholly extant only in the Ge'ez language, with Aramaic fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls and a few Greek and Latin fragments. For this and other reasons, the traditional Ethiopian belief is that the original language of the work was Ge'ez, whereas non-Ethiopian scholars tend to assert that it was first written in either Aramaic or Hebrew; Ephraim Isaac suggests that the Book of Enoch, like the Book of Daniel, was composed partially in Aramaic and partially in Hebrew. No Hebrew version is known to have survived. It is asserted in the book itself that its author was Enoch, before the Biblical Flood.

Some of the authors of the New Testament were familiar with some of the content of the story. A short section of 1 Enoch (1:9) is cited in the New Testament, Epistle of Jude, Jude 1:14–15, and is attributed there to "Enoch the Seventh from Adam" (1 En 60:8), although this section of 1 Enoch is a midrash on Deuteronomy 33. Several copies of the earlier sections of 1 Enoch were preserved among the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Enoch was the seventh patriarch in the book of Genesis, and the attributed author of the Books of Enoch. Enoch is best known for his sudden disappearance from the ancient world, which accredited him with "being taken by God" personally. According to Genesis 5: 21-24,

"And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him."

The First Book of Enoch goes into extended commentaries on angels and giants [of the land in those days], as well as proscribing parables, foretelling astronomical events and recording historical information of that ancient epoch. His dream visions were well known to show an apocalyptic future.

The Second Book of Enoch, or The Book of the Secrets of Enoch, is preserved only in an Old Slavonic translation. The book deals with Enoch's journey through the seven tiers of heaven (the descriptions correlate with the First Book of Enoch), the explication of Enoch's reception of God's secret wisdom and an account of the patriarch's life and advice to his sons.

The Books of Enoch was 'at first' accepted and recognized by the early Christian Church, but it was later excluded from the biblical canon in the early 17th century. But this ancient patriarch was the subject of abundant apocryphal literature, especially during the Hellenistic period of Judaism from around the 3rd century BC to 3rd century AD.

It is interesting to note, in the 1st century AD Jesus fulfilled some of the prophecies of Enoch - almost word for word - which had been foretold over 2,000 years earlier.

Quotes from Jesus and Enoch...

Enoch: The elect shall possess light, joy and peace, and they shall inherit the earth. (Enoch 5:7 {6:9})

Jesus: Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (Mat 5:5)

Enoch: The principal part of the judgment was assigned to him, the Son of man. (Enoch 69:27 {68:39})

Jesus: The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the son (John 5:22).

Enoch: Those who will inherit eternal life (Enoch 40:9 {40:9}) "

Jesus: Shall inherit everlasting life (Mat. 19:29)

Enoch: Woe to you who are rich, for in your riches have you trusted; but from your riches you shall be removed. (Enoch 94:8 {93:7}).

Jesus: Woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. (Luke 6:24)

Enoch: I will place each of them on a throne of glory (Enoch 108:12 {105:26})

Jesus: Ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Mat. 19:28)

Enoch: Where will the habitation of sinners be . . . who have rejected the Lord of spirits. It would have been better for them, had they never been born. (Enoch 38:2 {38:2})

Jesus: Woe unto that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he had not been born. (Mat. 26:24)

Enoch: by a chasm . . . [are] their souls are separated (Enoch 22: 9,11{22:10,12})

Jesus: Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed. (Luke 16:26)

Enoch: In that day shall the Elect One sit upon a throne of glory, and shall choose their conditions and countless habitations. (Enoch 45:3 {45:3})

Jesus: In my Father's house are many mansions (John 14:2)

Enoch: The good from the generation of light (Enoch 108:11 {105: 25})

Jesus: That ye may be called the children of light (John 12:36)

Enoch: All the thirsty drank, and were filled with wisdom, having their habitation with the righteous, the elect, and the holy. (Enoch 48:1 {48:1})

Jesus: The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:14)

Biblical scholars of all faiths agree that Enoch was a piteous man; but other scholars and theologians also believe he was the recipient of a secret knowledge of God. However, the most significant reason the Book of Enoch is not included as a canon in the Holy Bible is the majority of scholars claim it was not inspired by the Holy Spirit. The argument for this decision mainly goes according to Christian values and teachings, which claims this theory incorporates paganism.

Whether the Books of Enoch were divinely inspired will remain a mystery. 

Related Articles:

 
First Book of Enoch

Second Book of Enoch

The Book of Enoch Explained

The Book of Enoch Exposed: (The Defense)

The Book of Enoch Banned from The Bible Tells the True Story of Humanity