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1 Enoch

About this book
Chapter 41

1 And then I witnessed all the mysteries of the heavens, how the kingdom is divided, and how the actions of people are weighed on a scale.⁠ 2 There, I saw the dwellings of the chosen and the holy, and my eyes saw all the sinners being expelled, those who deny the name of the Lord of Spirits, dragged away, unable to endure the punishment from the Lord of Spirits. 3 My eyes also saw the mysteries of lightning and thunder, and the secrets of the winds,⁠ how they are distributed to blow across the earth, and the mysteries of the clouds and dew,⁠ observing where they originate and how they moisten the dusty earth.⁠ 4 I saw hidden chambers from which the winds are dispersed, the chamber for hail and winds, the chamber for mist, and of the clouds, with the cloud above floating over the earth since the beginning of time. 5 I observed the chambers of the sun and moon, where they emerge and return, their magnificent reappearance,⁠ how one surpasses the other in splendor, their majestic orbit, and how they remain faithful to their orbit, adding nothing and taking nothing from it, keeping their promise to each other, as per the oath that binds them. 6 First, the sun emerges and follows its course as commanded by the Lord of Spirits, whose name is mighty forever and ever. 7 Then I saw the hidden and visible paths of the moon, as it completes its journey day and night—one position opposing the other—before the Lord of Spirits, offering thanks and praise without rest, for their rest is in their thanksgiving. 8 For the sun often changes for a blessing or a curse, and the path of the moon brings light to the righteous and darkness to the sinners in the name of the Lord, who separated the light from the darkness,⁠ divided the spirits of people, and strengthened the spirits of the righteous in the name of His righteousness.⁠ 9 No angel can hinder nor any power obstruct; for He appoints a judge for them all and He judges them all before Him.

Texts in conversation

Compare 1 Enoch 41:3 and 2 Enoch 5:1

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

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Summary

1 Enoch and 2 Enoch describe winds, clouds, thunder, and lightning coming from hidden chambers in heaven. These follow apocalyptic traditions that reveal the hidden working of creation.

Passages

1 Enoch 41:3

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
2 There, I saw the dwellings of the chosen and the holy, and my eyes saw all the sinners being expelled, those who deny the name of the Lord of Spirits, dragged away, unable to endure the punishment from the Lord of Spirits. 3 My eyes also saw the mysteries of lightning and thunder, and the secrets of the winds, how they are distributed to blow across the earth, and the mysteries of the clouds and dew, observing where they originate and how they moisten the dusty earth. 4 I saw hidden chambers from which the winds are dispersed, the chamber for hail and winds, the chamber for mist, and of the clouds, with the cloud above floating over the earth since the beginning of time.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

2 Enoch 5:1

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Secrets of Enoch
1 And here I looked down and saw the treasure houses of the snow, and the angels who keep 2 their terrible storehouses, and the clouds from where they come out and into which they go.
1–100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 2 Enoch

References

"... Meteorological and cosmological language is found at several key points in the text of the Parables of Enoch, with notably dense accounts in the first and third parables, located in chapters 41/43 and 60/69 respectively. In 2 Enoch, the material is distributed more widely, though with a number of particularly dense clusters built into the structure of the book; the meteorological imagery that we will consider here is located in 2 Enoch 5–6 and 40, and the cosmological or astronomical material is found in 11–16, 30 and 48 ..."
Grant Macaskill, “Meteorology and Metrology: Evaluating Parallels in the Ethiopic Parables of Enoch and 2 (Slavonic) Enoch,” JSP 29.2 (2019): 79–99.

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 41:3 and 2 Enoch 5:1

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