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1 Enoch

About this book
Chapter 102

1 In those days, when he unleashes a fierce fire upon you, where will you flee and where will you find safety? And when he speaks out against you, will you not be shaken and afraid?⁠ 2 And all the lights shall be struck with great fear, and all the earth shall be frightened and tremble and be alarmed. 3 And all the angels shall carry out their commands and shall seek to hide themselves from the presence of the Great Glory, and the children of earth shall tremble and quake; and you sinners shall be cursed forever, and you shall have no peace. 4 Fear not, you souls of the righteous, and be hopeful, you that have died in righteousness. 5 And do not grieve if your soul has descended into Sheol in grief, and that in your life your body did not fare according to your goodness, but wait for the day of the judgment of sinners and for the day of cursing and punishment. 6 And when you die, the sinners will say about you: 'Just as we have died, so also the righteous have died; and what gain did they have from their works?'⁠ 7 Look, just as we do, they also die in grief and darkness, and what advantage do they have over us? From now on we are equal. 8 And what will they receive and what will they see forever? Look, they too have died, and from now on they shall never see light.' 9 I say to you, you sinners, you are content to eat and drink and rob and sin and strip people bare and accumulate wealth and see good days.⁠ 10 Have you observed the righteous how their end transpires, that no violence is found in them until their death? 11 'Nevertheless, they perished and became as though they had not been, and their spirits descended into Sheol in tribulation.'

Texts in conversation

Compare 1 Enoch 102:9 and Wisdom of Solomon 2:6

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Deuterocanon

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Summary

The Wisdom of Solomon and 1 Enoch 102 reflect a developing Jewish tradition that expresses skepticism toward wealth and those who act unjustly. Both describe sinners enjoying their wealth and prosperity while disregarding the righteous.

Passages

1 Enoch 102:9

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
8 And what will they receive and what will they see forever? Look, they too have died, and from now on they shall never see light.' 9 I say to you, you sinners, you are content to eat and drink and rob and sin and strip people bare and accumulate wealth and see good days. 10 Have you observed the righteous how their end transpires, that no violence is found in them until their death?
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

Wisdom of Solomon 2:6

Deuterocanon
4 Our name will be forgotten in time. No one will remember our works. Our life will pass away as the traces of a cloud, and will be scattered as is a mist, when it is chased by the rays of the sun, and overcome by its heat. 5 For our allotted time is the passing of a shadow, and our end doesn’t retreat, because it is securely sealed, and no one turns it back. 6 “Come therefore and let’s enjoy the good things that exist. Let’s use the creation earnestly as in our youth. 7 Let’s fill ourselves with costly wine and perfumes, and let no spring flower pass us by. 8 Let’s crown ourselves with rosebuds before they wither.
50 BCE – 50 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Wisdom of Solomon

References

"... The author portrays the sinners’ understanding of reward as misconstrued (compare Wisdom of Solomon 2:6–12). The sinners’ perspective is not the consequence of wisdom or piety, but rather comes at the expense of others. If there is no distinction between the righteous and wicked in death, then they might as well sin if it means this will bring them prosperity (as e.g. the caricature of the sinners in Proverbs 1:11–14). However, the opponents’ view would not have necessarily been an open manifesto to engage in sin per se, but rather for them would have been an acceptable sapiential tradition ..."
Loren T. Stuckenbruck, 1 Enoch 91–108 (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, 2007), 510.

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 102:9 and Wisdom of Solomon 2:6

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