The Book of Enoch 36
Book I The Book of the Watchers Chapters 1–36 · 3rd century BCE
The oldest core of 1 Enoch: the descent of the two hundred Watchers, the birth of the giants, Enoch's intercession, and his guided journeys through the cosmos and the places of judgment.
Dating & manuscripts. Among the oldest apocalyptic writings in existence. Aramaic copies were found at Qumran (4QEnoch a-c), confirming its pre-Maccabean date - older than the Book of Daniel.
Chapters 6-11 preserve an older Semjaza/Shemihazah myth cycle later woven together with the Azazel/Asael tradition; scholars read them as composite, with a Noah fragment embedded. Angel names vary by manuscript (Semjaza/Shemihazah, Azazel/Asael).
In later tradition. This section's imagery echoes through later scripture and tradition: the Epistle of Jude (verses 14-15) quotes 1 Enoch 1:9 by name, and the Watchers legend shaped 2 Peter, the Book of Revelation, and the theology of the Qumran community and early Christianity.
The Book of Giants. A sixth Enochic work that expands the Watchers story from the giants' point of view - their violence, their prophetic dreams, and their doom. Known from Aramaic fragments at Qumran and, centuries later, adopted into Manichaean scripture. It is not part of the Ethiopic 1 Enoch preserved here.
1 Enoch is an anthology of five distinct works, composed over roughly three centuries.
The Journey to the South.
Enoch went to the south to the ends of the earth and saw three open portals of heaven from which come dew, rain, and wind.
1nd from thence I went to the south to the ends of the earth, and saw there three open portals of the heaven: and thence there come dew, rain, and wind.
2 And from thence I went to the east to the ends of the heaven, and saw here the three eastern portals of heaven open and small portals above them.
3 Through each of these small portals pass the stars of heaven and run their course to the west on the path which is shown to them.
4 And as often as I saw I blessed always the Lord of Glory, and I continued to bless the Lord of Glory who has wrought great and glorious wonders, to show the greatness of His work to the angels and to spirits and to men, that they might praise His work and all His creation: that they might see the work of His might and praise the great work of His hands and bless Him for ever. SECTION TWO "The Parables" Chapters 37-71, XXXVII-LXXI
Did You Know?
Enoch went to the south to the ends of the earth and saw three open portals of heaven from which come dew, rain, and wind.
Enoch went to the east to the ends of the heaven and saw the three eastern portals of heaven open and small portals above them.
Through each of these small portals pass the stars of heaven and run their course to the west on the path which is shown to them.
As often as Enoch saw he blessed always the Lord of Glory who has wrought great and glorious wonders.
The Lord of Glory has wrought great and glorious wonders to show the greatness of His work to the angels and to spirits and to men.
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Commentary
In brief
Enoch travels south to the ends of the earth and sees three open portals of heaven bringing dew, rain, and wind. He then goes east and sees three eastern portals with small ones above through which the stars run their course west, and he blesses the Lord of Glory for His great wonders.