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About this book

1 Enoch

About this book

A Final Book by Enoch

Chapter 108

1 Another book which Enoch wrote for his son Methuselah and for those who will come after him, and keep the law in the last days. 2 You who have done good will wait for those days until an end is made of those who do evil and the power of the wrongdoers comes to an end. 3 You, however, wait until sin passes away; for their names will be erased from the book of life and from the books of the holy ones,⁠ and their offspring will be destroyed forever, and their spirits will be slain, and they will cry and lament in a place that is a chaotic wilderness, and they will burn in the fire; for there is no earth there.⁠ 4 I saw there something like an invisible cloud; because of its depth I could not look over it, and I saw a flame of fire blazing brightly, and things like shining mountains circling and sweeping to and fro. 5 I asked one of the holy angels who was with me and said to him: 'What is this shining thing? For it is not a heaven but only the flame of a blazing fire, and the voice of weeping, crying, and strong pain.'⁠ 6 He said to me: 'This place which you see is where the spirits of sinners and blasphemers are cast, and of those who do wickedness, and of those who pervert everything that the Lord has spoken through the mouth of the prophets, the things that will be. 7 For some of these things are written and inscribed above in heaven, so that the angels may read them and know what will happen to the sinners, and to the spirits of the humble, and of those who have afflicted their bodies and been rewarded by God, and of those who have been put to shame by wicked men. 8 They loved God and loved neither gold nor silver nor any of the good things in the world,⁠ but gave over their bodies to torture.⁠ 9 Since they came into being, they did not long after earthly food, but regarded everything as a passing breath, and lived accordingly,⁠ and the Lord tested them greatly, and their spirits were found pure, so that they should bless His name.⁠ 10 All the blessings destined for them I have recounted in the books. And He has assigned them their reward, because they were found to be such as loved heaven more than their life in the world,⁠ and though they were trampled underfoot by wicked men, and experienced abuse and reviling from them and were put to shame, yet they blessed Me. 11 And now I will summon the spirits of the good who belong to the generation of light, and I will transform those who were born in darkness, who in the flesh were not rewarded with the honor their faithfulness deserved. 12 I will bring out in shining light those who have loved My holy name, and I will seat each one on the throne of his honor.⁠ 13 They will shine for times without number, for righteousness is the judgment of God; for to the faithful He will give faithfulness in the dwelling of upright paths. 14 They will see those who were born in darkness led into darkness,⁠ while the righteous will shine brightly. 15 The sinners will cry aloud and see them shining, and they will indeed go where days and seasons are prescribed for them.

Texts in conversation

Compare 1 Enoch 108:9 and Wisdom of Solomon 3:5

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Deuterocanon

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Summary

1 Enoch 108 and the Wisdom of Solomon describe a Jewish tradition where the righteous are tested directly by God as a form of discipline, and through their suffering remain faithful.

Passages

1 Enoch 108:9

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
8 They loved God and loved neither gold nor silver nor any of the good things in the world, but gave over their bodies to torture. 9 Since they came into being, they did not long after earthly food, but regarded everything as a passing breath, and lived accordingly, and the Lord tested them greatly, and their spirits were found pure, so that they should bless His name. 10 All the blessings destined for them I have recounted in the books. And He has assigned them their reward, because they were found to be such as loved heaven more than their life in the world, and though they were trampled underfoot by wicked men, and experienced abuse and reviling from them and were put to shame, yet they blessed Me.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

Wisdom of Solomon 3:5

Deuterocanon
2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died. Their departure was considered a disaster, 3 and their travel away from us ruin, but they are in peace. 4 For even if in the sight of men they are punished, their hope is full of immortality. 5 Having borne a little chastening, they will receive great good; because God tested them, and found them worthy of himself. 6 He tested them like gold in the furnace, and he accepted them as a whole burnt offering.
50 BCE – 50 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Wisdom of Solomon

References

"... This final appendix to 1 Enoch is only extant in the Ethiopic tradition with no known attestation in Aramaic or Greek manuscripts. In addition, it is not found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. This document introduces new ideas into the Enochic tradition and most likely represents the ideas and concerns of a community that viewed itself as a later expression of the Enochic communities reflected in the earlier texts. The different concerns of this writer and community have been incorporated into the Enochic tradition probably due to its sustained discussion regarding the suffering of the righteous and issues concerning wealth and poverty. However, we will see in this tradition that suffering and a lifestyle of poverty are a decided position rather than the result of oppression. It is most likely among the latest additions to the Enochic tradition and has been dated sometime in the first century CE. In contrast to the prophetic tone of the Epistle, which addresses the rich sinners in the second person and focuses on their sinful activity, here the writer focuses more on the description of the faithful in relation to wealth. Not only this, but the crimes of the opponents do not overtly include economic references. They are categorized as ‘sinners’ and ‘those who do evil’, yet there is no mention of their economic power so frequently portrayed in the Epistle. Instead, they are guilty of wrongly interpreting the prophets. Although the earlier Enochic traditions take a prophetic stance, this document refers to the prophets in the biblical tradition as a distinct body of revelation. Moreover, the writer also emphasizes obedience to Torah as a distinguishing mark of the community (1 Enoch 108:1). These features indicate that the concerns being addressed here are quite distinct from the earlier communities ..."
Mark D. Mathews, Riches, Poverty, and the Faithful: Perspectives on Wealth in the Second Temple Period and the Apocalypse of John, SNTSMS 154 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013), 129–130.

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 108:9 and Wisdom of Solomon 3:5

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