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1 Enoch

About this book
Chapter 71

1 After that my spirit was taken up, and I ascended into the heavens. I saw the holy sons of God walking on flames of fire; their garments were white, and their faces shone like snow. 2 I saw two streams of fire, and the light from the fire was like hyacinth. Overwhelmed, I fell on my face before the Lord of Spirits.⁠ 3 The archangel Michael took me by my right hand, lifted me up, and led me through all the secrets, showing me all the secrets of righteousness. 4 He revealed to me all the secrets of the ends of heaven, and all the chambers of the stars and the lights, from where they come out before the holy ones. 5 My spirit was taken into the highest heaven, where I saw a structure built of crystals with tongues of living fire between them.⁠ 6 I saw the band of fire surrounding this fiery house, with streams of living fire on all four sides. 7 Around it were Seraphim, Cherubim, and Ophanim, who do not sleep and guard the throne of His glory. 8 There I saw countless angels, thousands of thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand, surrounding the house.⁠ Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Phanuel, and the holy angels from above the heavens went in and out of the house. 9 They came out of that house, and along with Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Phanuel came many holy angels beyond number. 10 With them was the Head of Days,⁠ whose head was white and pure as wool, and whose garments were beyond description. 11 Overcome, I fell on my face, my whole body went limp, and my spirit was transformed;⁠ I cried out with a loud voice, blessing, glorifying, and exalting Him. 12 These blessings from my mouth pleased the Head of Days.⁠ 13 The Head of Days came with Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Phanuel, accompanied by thousands and tens of thousands of angels beyond number. 14 One of the angels came to me and said, 'This is the Son of Man who was born for righteousness. Righteousness dwells with him, and the righteousness of the Head of Days never leaves him.' 15 He told me, 'He proclaims peace to you in the name of the world to come. Since the creation of the world, peace has come from here, and so it will be for you forever.' 16 'All will follow his path because righteousness never leaves him. They will dwell with him, and their inheritance will be with him, never to be separated from him forever.' 17 'So the Son of Man will have long days,⁠ and the righteous will have peace and walk in upright ways in the name of the Lord of Spirits forever.'

Texts in conversation

Compare 1 Enoch 71:2 and Daniel 7:10

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

In Daniel 7, God takes his seat as judge on a throne of flames with a river of fire flowing from him. In 1 Enoch 71, Enoch is lifted into heaven and sees two rivers of fire, placing Enoch himself in a heavenly scene like Daniel's throne of judgment.

Passages

1 Enoch 71:2

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
1 After that my spirit was taken up, and I ascended into the heavens. I saw the holy sons of God walking on flames of fire; their garments were white, and their faces shone like snow. 2 I saw two streams of fire, and the light from the fire was like hyacinth. Overwhelmed, I fell on my face before the Lord of Spirits. 3 The archangel Michael took me by my right hand, lifted me up, and led me through all the secrets, showing me all the secrets of righteousness. 4 He revealed to me all the secrets of the ends of heaven, and all the chambers of the stars and the lights, from where they come out before the holy ones.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

Daniel 7:10

Hebrew Bible
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. 11 “Then I kept on watching because of the arrogant words of the horn that was speaking. I was watching until the beast was killed and its body destroyed and thrown into the flaming fire.
200–101 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Daniel

References

"... A most remarkable passage which offers early testimony of interest in the divine merkava is 1 Enoch 14:8ff. It is found in the context of Enoch’s intercession for the doomed Watchers and is in some ways an extraordinarily long digression from the main point of the saga. Enoch is commissioned to announce judgement on the watchers and Azazel (13:1) and is requested by them to intercede with God on their behalf (13:4ff.). The watchers’ petition is rejected (14:1ff.) and Enoch recounts his experience in 14:2ff. which leads to the heavenly ascent and another report of the divine rejection of the petition. Here we have an account of a mortal taken into the divine presence (parallel to other early Enoch traditions such as Jub 4:20ff. which itself may be dependent on 1 Enoch 14) ... 'From underneath the throne there came forth rivers of flaming fire ...' ... compare Daniel 7:10; 4QShirot; 1 Enoch 71:2; Revelation 4:5; 22:1; Exodus 19:16; Ezekiel 1:13; 47:1; Zechariah 14:8; Psalm 50:2; 3 Enoch 19:4; 33:3ff ..."
Christopher Rowland and Christopher R. A. Morray-Jones, The Mystery of God: Early Jewish Mysticism and the New Testament (Leiden: Brill, 2009), 77.

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 71:2 and Daniel 7:10

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