1 Enoch

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Chapter 40

1 After that I saw thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand, a multitude beyond number and reckoning, who stood before the Lord of Spirits.⁠ 2 On the four sides of the Lord of Spirits I saw four presences, different from those that do not sleep, and I learned their names; for the angel who went with me made their names known to me and showed me all the hidden things. 3 I heard the voices of those four presences as they spoke praises before the Lord of glory. 4 The first voice blesses the Lord of Spirits forever and ever. 5 The second voice I heard blessing the Elect One and the elect ones who depend on the Lord of Spirits. 6 The third voice I heard praying and interceding for those who dwell on the earth and making requests in the name of the Lord of Spirits. 7 The fourth voice I heard fending off the Satans, forbidding them to come before the Lord of Spirits to accuse those who dwell on the earth.⁠ 8 After that I asked the angel of peace who went with me,⁠ who showed me everything that is hidden: 'Who are these four presences I have seen, whose words I have heard and written down?' 9 He said to me: 'The first is Michael, the merciful and patient; the second, who is set over all the diseases and all the wounds of the children of men, is Raphael; the third, who is set over all the powers,⁠ is Gabriel; and the fourth, who is set over the repentance that leads to hope for those who inherit eternal life,⁠ is named Phanuel.' 10 These are the four angels of the Lord of Spirits, and the four voices I heard in those days.

Texts in conversation

Compare Job 1:6 and 1 Enoch 40:7

Hebrew Bible · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

Summary

In 1 Enoch, the imagery of the divine council is reshaped in an apocalyptic setting, where the accusers have access to heaven and earth. This echoes Job, where the divine prosecutor similarly functions in the celestial court as an accuser.

Passages

Job 1:6

Hebrew Bible

5 When the days of their feasting were finished, Job would send for them and sanctify them; he would get up early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job thought, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s customary practice. 6 Now the day came when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord—and Satan also arrived among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” And Satan answered the Lord, “From roving about on the earth, and from walking back and forth across it.” 8 So the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil.”

500–401 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Job

1 Enoch 40:7

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

5 The second voice I heard blessing the Elect One and the elect ones who depend on the Lord of Spirits. 6 The third voice I heard praying and interceding for those who dwell on the earth and making requests in the name of the Lord of Spirits. 7 The fourth voice I heard fending off the Satans, forbidding them to come before the Lord of Spirits to accuse those who dwell on the earth. 8 After that I asked the angel of peace who went with me, who showed me everything that is hidden: 'Who are these four presences I have seen, whose words I have heard and written down?'

300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

References

"... In the Apocalypse, John portrays the world in such a way that Satan’s downfall inaugurates an irretrievable and categorical conflict. In addition, traditions that speak of the fall of Satan locate this event in primordial time. While it is not easy to discern John’s use of time in the Apocalypse, it is clear that the defeat of the Dragon and his angels is closely connected to the ascension and enthronement of Christ (Revelation 12:5, 10) and the subsequent inauguration of the eschatological age. Jewish traditions also viewed Satan as one who has access to both the throne-room of God and the earth (Job 1:6–7; Zechariah 3:1; 1 Enoch 40:7). John, however, indicates that a definitive moment has occurred which limited his activity to the earthly realm (compare 1 Enoch 14:5). Furthermore, the Dragon is aware that the eschatological age has been inaugurated and he has only a limited time (Revelation 12:12). The imagery of the Dragon being flung down to the earth and the knowledge of his impending doom is that of a wild animal cornered before it is killed, lashing out in a last attempt to inflict as much damage as possible ..."

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), 191.

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

1 Enoch108 chapters

Compare Job 1:6 and 1 Enoch 40:7

Summary

Passages

Job 1:6

1 Enoch 40:7

References

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