1 Enoch

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Chapter 55

1 After that, the Head of Days felt remorse and said:⁠ 'In vain have I destroyed all who dwell on the earth.'⁠ 2 He swore by His great name: 'From now on, I will not act this way towards all who dwell on the earth, and I will set a sign in the heavens: and this will be a pledge of good faith between Me and them forever, as long as heaven is above the earth. This is according to My command.' 3 Whenever I wish to take hold of them by the hand of the angels on the day of trouble and pain, because of this, I will make My punishment and My anger rest upon them, says God, the Lord of Spirits. 4 You mighty kings who dwell on the earth, you will witness My Chosen One, how he sits on the throne of glory and judges Azâzêl, and all his companions, and all his armies in the name of the Lord of Spirits.'

Texts in conversation

Compare 1 Enoch 55:1 and Daniel 7:9

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Hebrew Bible

Summary

Daniel 7 presents a vision of the “Ancient of Days” seated on a throne, and 1 Enoch 55 describes a similar figure called the “Head of Days.” The similarity suggests they share a tradition about God as an elder heavenly judge, seated on a glorious throne.

Passages

1 Enoch 55:1

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

1 After that, the Head of Days felt remorse and said: 'In vain have I destroyed all who dwell on the earth.' 2 He swore by His great name: 'From now on, I will not act this way towards all who dwell on the earth, and I will set a sign in the heavens: and this will be a pledge of good faith between Me and them forever, as long as heaven is above the earth. This is according to My command.'

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

Daniel 7:9

Hebrew Bible

8 “As I was contemplating the horns, another horn—a small one—came up between them, and three of the former horns were torn out by the roots to make room for it. This horn had eyes resembling human eyes and a mouth speaking arrogant things. 9 “While I was watching, thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His attire was white like snow; the hair of his head was like lamb’s wool. His throne was ablaze with fire, and its wheels were all aflame. 10 A river of fire was streaming forth and proceeding from his presence. Many thousands were ministering to him; many tens of thousands stood ready to serve him. The court convened, and the books were opened.

200–101 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Daniel

References

"... Daniel 7 implies the Ancient of Days is eternal by his very name, but there is no explicit mention of the preexistence of the one like a son of man, even though one could argue it is implicit from his divine status. The Parables of 1 Enoch, however, makes the preexistence of the Son of Man explicit, as it depicts him with the Lord of the Spirits during Enoch’s journey ... 'There I saw one who had a head of days' [the Head of Days is synonymous with the Ancient of Days] ..."

Charles Gieschen, “The Importance of the Parables of 1 Enoch for Understanding the Son of Man in the Four Gospels,” in Jewish Roots of Eastern Christian Mysticism: Studies in Honor of Alexander Golitzin, ed. Andrei A. Orlov, VCSup 160 (Leiden: Brill, 2020), 52–65.

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 1 Enoch 55:1 and Daniel 7:9

Summary

Passages

1 Enoch 55:1

Daniel 7:9

References

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