1 Enoch

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Chapter 65

1 In those days, Noah observed that the earth had sunk down and its destruction was near. 2 He arose from there and went to the ends of the earth, crying out to his grandfather Enoch: and Noah said three times in a distressed voice: 'Hear me, hear me, hear me.' 3 I asked him: 'What is happening on the earth that it is in such a bad state and shaking, for I fear I will perish with it?' 4 At that moment, there was a great turmoil on the earth, a voice was heard from heaven, and I fell on my face. 5 My grandfather Enoch came and stood beside me, and asked me: 'Why have you cried out to me so bitterly and with tears?' 6 A decree has been issued from the Lord concerning those who dwell on the earth: their destruction is certain because they have learned all the secrets of the angels, the violence of the Satans, their most hidden powers, and all the power of those who practice sorcery and witchcraft,⁠ and those who make molten images across the earth. 7 He explained how silver is extracted from the dust of the earth, and how soft metal originates from within the earth. 8 'For lead and tin are not produced from the earth like silver: they come from a source that produces them, and an angel presides over it, and that angel is pre-eminent.' 9 Afterwards, my grandfather Enoch took me by the hand, raised me up, and said to me: 'Go, for I have inquired of the Lord of Spirits about this upheaval on the earth.'⁠ 10 He told me: 'Because of their wickedness, their judgment has been determined and shall not be withheld by Me forever. Because of the sorceries they have discovered and mastered, the earth and those who dwell upon it shall be destroyed.' 11 'These individuals have no chance for repentance forever, because they have revealed what was hidden, and they are doomed. But as for you, my son, the Lord of Spirits knows you are pure and blameless concerning these secrets.' 12 'He has ordained your name to be among the holy, and will keep you among those who dwell on the earth, and has destined your righteous descendants for kingship and great honors, and from your seed shall emerge a fountain of the righteous and holy without number forever.'

Texts in conversation

Compare 1 Enoch 65:9 and Daniel 10:11

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Hebrew Bible

Summary

Daniel 10 and 1 Enoch 65 share an apocalyptic pattern of a visionary falling in front of a divine being, being commanded to stand, and then given a message. This pattern, found in many apocalyptic texts, describes divine acceptance and authority.

Passages

1 Enoch 65:9

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

7 He explained how silver is extracted from the dust of the earth, and how soft metal originates from within the earth. 8 'For lead and tin are not produced from the earth like silver: they come from a source that produces them, and an angel presides over it, and that angel is pre-eminent.' 9 Afterwards, my grandfather Enoch took me by the hand, raised me up, and said to me: 'Go, for I have inquired of the Lord of Spirits about this upheaval on the earth.' 10 He told me: 'Because of their wickedness, their judgment has been determined and shall not be withheld by Me forever. Because of the sorceries they have discovered and mastered, the earth and those who dwell upon it shall be destroyed.'

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

Daniel 10:11

Hebrew Bible

8 I alone was left to see this great vision. My strength drained from me, and my vigor disappeared; I was without energy. 9 I listened to his voice, and as I did so I fell into a trance-like sleep with my face to the ground. 10 Then a hand touched me and set me on my hands and knees. 11 He said to me, “Daniel, you are of great value. Understand the words that I am about to speak to you. So stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up shaking. 12 Then he said to me, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel, for from the very first day you applied your mind to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard. I have come in response to your words.

200–101 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Daniel

References

"... In visionary texts the visionary normally first fell upon the ground in awe and was then commanded to stand upon his feet. This became a standard part of the visionary experience. It came to mark the point in the vision where the visionary was accepted into the presence of God, and could thus stand in his presence, as the angels do. This motif is first found in the Jewish mystical urtext Ezekiel (2:1), and is repeated in such texts as Daniel 10:11 when Daniel sees the vision of the angel; Joseph and Asenath (14:8, 11) during the conversion of Asenath by the appearance of the angel; 4 Ezra when Ezra is instructed by his companion angel during his visionary ascent (4 Ezra 7:2); the transfiguration as found in Matthew 17:1-9 (verse 7) and Acts 9:6; 22:10; 26:16 during the conversion of Paul through Christ's epiphany. Thus the appearance of a divine being, be it Christ or an angel, caused the recipient to fall on his or her face, and the acceptance of this individual into the presence of the divine being, in effect the acknowledgement that the visionary had been granted the right to stand on sacred ground, was indicated by the command to stand. This motif is also found in magical literature ..."

Norman Ricklefs, “An Angelic Community: The Significance of Beliefs about Angels in the First Four Centuries of Christianity” (PhD diss., Macquarie University, 2002), 208.

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 65:9 and Daniel 10:11

Summary

Passages

1 Enoch 65:9

Daniel 10:11

References

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