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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 71:5 and Acts 2:3

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · New Testament

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Summary

The “tongues of fire” in Acts 2 may follow Jewish traditions from texts like 1 Enoch 71, where Enoch enters a fiery, heavenly space. In this tradition, fire describes God’s presence, and the flames in Acts may carry the same meaning.

Passages

1 Enoch 71:5

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
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.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

Acts 2:3

New Testament
1 Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like a violent wind blowing came from heaven and filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And tongues spreading out like a fire appeared to them and came to rest on each one of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them.
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Acts

References

"... There are some early Jewish writings that could show some awareness of or be inspired by the Old Testament image of ‘tongues of fire’ being associated with a divine theophany in a heavenly or earthly temple. The phrase ‘tongues of fire’ also occurs in these Jewish passages. Perhaps a parallel to the fiery ‘tongues’ of Acts 2:3 is 1 Enoch 14:8–25. There Enoch ascends in a vision to the heavenly temple. Enoch comes to the wall of the outer court that was ‘surrounded by tongues of fire’, and he ‘entered into the tongues of fire’ (14:9–10). He then enters through the holy place and is able to peer into the holy of holies, which was ‘built with tongues of fire’ (14:15). Likewise, in 1 Enoch 71:5 Enoch sees a temple-like ‘structure built of crystals; and between those crystals tongues of living fire’. Thus, the ‘tongues of fire’ form part of the heavenly temple and contribute to the overall effect of the burning theophany in the holy of holies, where ‘the flaming fire was around about him, and a great fire stood before him’ ..."
G. K. Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2004), 247.

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 71:5 and Acts 2:3

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