Go to Related Reading
About this book

1 Enoch

About this book
Chapter 104

1 I swear to you, that in heaven the angels remember you for good before the glory of the Great One: and your names are written before the glory of the Great One.⁠ 2 Be hopeful; for previously you were shamed through suffering and affliction; but now you shall shine as the lights of heaven,⁠ you shall shine and you shall be seen, and the portals of heaven shall be opened to you.⁠ 3 And in your cry, cry for judgment, and it shall appear to you; for all your tribulation shall be visited on the rulers, and on all who helped those who plundered you. 4 Be hopeful, and do not cast away your hopes for you shall have great joy as the angels of heaven. 5 What shall you be obliged to do? You shall not have to hide on the day of the great judgment and you shall not be found as sinners, and the eternal judgment shall be far from you for all the generations of the world. 6 And now, do not fear, you righteous, when you see the sinners growing strong and prospering in their ways: do not be companions with them, but stay away from their violence; for you shall become companions of the armies of heaven. 7 And, although you sinners say: 'All our sins shall not be searched out and written down,' nevertheless, all your sins shall be recorded every day. 8 And now I show you that light and darkness, day and night, see all your sins. 9 Don't be godless in your hearts, and do not lie nor alter the words of uprightness,⁠ nor charge with lying the words of the Holy Great One, nor take account of your idols; for all your lying and all your godlessness do not result in righteousness but in great sin.⁠ 10 And now I know this mystery, that sinners will alter and pervert the words of righteousness in many ways, and will speak wicked words, and lie, and practice great deceits, and write books concerning their words. 11 But when they write down truthfully all my words in their languages, and do not change or diminish anything from my words but write them all down truthfully - all that I first testified concerning them. 12 Then, I know another mystery, that books will be given to the righteous and the wise to become a cause of joy and uprightness and much wisdom. 13 And to them the books will be given, and they will believe in them and rejoice over them, and then all the righteous who have learned from all the paths of uprightness will be recompensed.

Texts in conversation

Compare 1 Enoch 104:9 and Revelation 22:18

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · New Testament

Share:

Summary

In 1 Enoch 104, Enoch warns to not change scripture, language that Revelation also uses in a similar warning. That language comes from a traditional covenant formula also used in Deuteronomy, where Moses forbids changing the text.

Passages

1 Enoch 104:9

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
7 And, although you sinners say: 'All our sins shall not be searched out and written down,' nevertheless, all your sins shall be recorded every day. 8 And now I show you that light and darkness, day and night, see all your sins. 9 Don't be godless in your hearts, and do not lie nor alter the words of uprightness, nor charge with lying the words of the Holy Great One, nor take account of your idols; for all your lying and all your godlessness do not result in righteousness but in great sin. 10 And now I know this mystery, that sinners will alter and pervert the words of righteousness in many ways, and will speak wicked words, and lie, and practice great deceits, and write books concerning their words. 11 But when they write down truthfully all my words in their languages, and do not change or diminish anything from my words but write them all down truthfully - all that I first testified concerning them. 12 Then, I know another mystery, that books will be given to the righteous and the wise to become a cause of joy and uprightness and much wisdom.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

Revelation 22:18

New Testament
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star!” 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say: “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wants it take the water of life free of charge. 18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy contained in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19 And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book. 20 The one who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.
92–96 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Revelation

References

"... The point, on which both agree, seems to be that John does not just stick to the original or historical meaning of the text, but that he uses the texts in a creative way for new situations. However, each one of the two has a different assessment of the written text. Michaels sees the written text as an obstacle to what John was trying to do. His view of a 'written' text emphasises the aspect of it being hardened or fixed. This is a modern understanding, but it would be an anachronism to apply this to the situation in New Testament times. The many warnings against interfering with texts make clear that it was a regular occurrence: Revelation 22:18-19; Deuteronomy 4:2; 13:1; Letter of Aristeas 310-311; Josephus Contra Apionem 1.8 par 42; 1 Enoch 104:9-13 ..."
Paul B. Decock, “The Scriptures in the Book of Revelation,” Neot 33.2 (1999): 373–410.

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

Your feedback

1 Enoch 104:9 and Revelation 22:18

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library