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1 Enoch

About this book
Chapter 100

1 In those days, in one place, fathers together with their sons shall be struck down, and brothers will fall in death with one another until the streams flow with their blood. 2 For a man shall not spare his hand from slaying his sons and his sons' sons, and the sinner shall not spare his hand from his honored brother: from dawn till sunset they shall slay one another. 3 And the horse shall wade up to the breast in the blood of sinners, and the chariot shall be submerged to its height.⁠ 4 In those days, the angels shall descend into the secret places and gather together all those who brought down sin, and the Most High will arise on that day of judgment to execute great judgment among sinners. 5 And over all the righteous and holy, He will appoint guardians from among the holy angels⁠ to guard them as the apple of an eye, until He makes an end of all wickedness and all sin, and though the righteous sleep a long sleep, they have nothing to fear. 6 Then the children of the earth shall see the wise in security, and shall understand all the words of this book, and recognize that their riches shall not be able to save them in the overthrow of their sins. 7 Woe to you, Sinners, on the day of strong anguish, you who afflict the righteous and burn them with fire: you shall be repaid according to your works. 8 Woe to you, you obstinate of heart, who watch to devise wickedness: therefore, fear shall come upon you and there shall be none to help you. 9 Woe to you, sinners, because of the words of your mouth, and because of the deeds of your hands which your godlessness has done, you shall burn in blazing flames burning worse than fire. 10 And now, know that from the angels He will inquire as to your deeds in heaven, from the sun and from the moon and from the stars in reference to your sins because upon the earth you execute judgment on the righteous. 11 And He will summon to testify against you every cloud, mist, dew, and rain; for they shall all be withheld because of you from descending upon you, and they shall be mindful of your sins.⁠ 12 And now give presents to the rain so that it may not be withheld from descending upon you, nor the dew, when it has received gold and silver from you so that it may descend. 13 When the hoar-frost and snow with their cold, and all the snowstorms with all their plagues fall upon you, in those days you shall not be able to stand before them.

Texts in conversation

Compare 1 Enoch 100:5 and Matthew 18:10

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · New Testament

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Summary

Matthew 18 and 1 Enoch 100 highlight the concept of guardian angels, portraying them as divinely appointed protectors of the righteous. In 1 Enoch, angels guard the faithful during judgment, while Jesus describes angels who watch over the vulnerable.

Passages

1 Enoch 100:5

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
4 In those days, the angels shall descend into the secret places and gather together all those who brought down sin, and the Most High will arise on that day of judgment to execute great judgment among sinners. 5 And over all the righteous and holy, He will appoint guardians from among the holy angels to guard them as the apple of an eye, until He makes an end of all wickedness and all sin, and though the righteous sleep a long sleep, they have nothing to fear. 6 Then the children of the earth shall see the wise in security, and shall understand all the words of this book, and recognize that their riches shall not be able to save them in the overthrow of their sins.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

Matthew 18:10

New Testament
8 If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into fiery hell. 10 “See that you do not disdain one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. 12 What do you think? If someone owns a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go look for the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

References

"... Another example of cultural echo concerns the angel Raphael, who, in the Tobit story is sent from heaven to protect Tobiah on his journey and to heal Tobit (Tobit 3:16-17; 5:4-5). The motif of angels as guardians protecting individuals also occurs in Psalm 91:11 (compare Exodus 14:19-20), Jubilees, and 1 Enoch 100:5. In an ambiguous reference to angels in Matthew 18:10, Jesus teaches the disciples not to despise “the little ones,” because “their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” A less ambiguous reference to angels as protectors occurs in Matthew 26:53, a passage unique to the Matthean passion narrative. Jesus rebukes an unnamed disciple for attacking those arresting him: “Or do you think I am unable to call upon my Father and he will send me at once more than twelve legions of angels? ..."
Vincent Skemp, “Avenues of Intertextuality between Tobit and the New Testament,” in Intertextual Studies in Ben Sira and Tobit: Essays in Honor of Alexander A. Di Lella, ed. Jeremy Corley and Vincent Skemp, CBQMS 38 (Washington, DC: Catholic Biblical Association of America, 2005), 43–70.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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1 Enoch 100:5 and Matthew 18:10

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