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Sirach preserves traditions about Enoch not found in the Hebrew Bible but seen in other texts such as the book of Jubilees, where he is depicted as an extraordinary example of righteousness or given unique, secret knowledge.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Sirach 44:16
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
14 Their bodies were buried in peace. Their name lives to all generations. 15 People will declare their wisdom. The congregation proclaims their praise. 16 Enoch pleased the Lord, and was taken up, an example of repentance to all generations. 17 Noah was found perfect and righteous. In the season of wrath, he kept the race alive. Therefore a remnant was left on the earth when the flood came. 18 Everlasting covenants were made with him, that all flesh should no more be blotted out by a flood.
Date: 195–180 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Jubilees 4:19
Pseudepigrapha, Hebrew Bible Expansions
18 And he was the first to write a testimony and he testified to the human beings among the generations of the earth, and recounted the weeks of the jubilees, and made known to them the days of the years, and set in order the months and recounted the Sabbaths of the years as we made (them) known to him. 19 And what was and what will be he saw in a vision of his sleep, as it will happen to the human beings throughout their generations until the day of judgment; he saw and understood everything, and wrote his testimony, and placed the testimony on earth for all the human beings and for their generations. 20 And in the twelfth jubilee, [582-88] in its seventh week, he married a woman named Edna, the daughter of Danel, the daughter of his father's brother, and in the sixth year in this week [587] she bore him a son and he named him Methuselah. 21 And he was moreover with the angels of God these six jubilees of years, and they showed him everything which is on earth and in the heavens, the rule of the sun, and he wrote down everything.
Date: 170–125 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... As with Enoch’s mediation in knowledge, which was carried out through distinctive written materials (tablets/books and petitions), the mediation of divine judgment again is executed through the written medium: Enoch’s testimony, depicted as a writing placed on the earth. This latter feature may indicate that this written evidence, just like some of Enoch’s other records, also bridged the boundaries between the heavenly and celestial realms. One must note that Enoch’s role as the witness of the divine judgment is rooted in his extraordinary personal situation: he was able to become a righteous person in the generation prominent for its iniquities. This is why according to the Greek text of Sirach 44:16, Enoch is predestined to serve as the 'sign of repentance for the generations'. This unique destiny also makes him the witness of the divine judgment at the time of the final condemnation ..."
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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