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1 Enoch

About this book
Chapter 8

1 And Azâzêl taught men⁠ to make swords, knives, shields, and breastplates, and revealed to them the metals of the earth⁠ and how to work with them,⁠ as well as how to make bracelets, ornaments, and the use antimony, beautifying the eyelids, along with all kinds of precious stones and various dyes.⁠ 2 Widespread wickedness arose, and they engaged in fornication, were led astray, and corrupted all their ways. 3 Semjâzâ taught spells and the cutting of roots, Armârôs taught how to break spells, Barâqîjâl taught astrology,⁠ Kôkabêl taught about the constellations,⁠ Êzêqêêl taught about the clouds, Araqiêl taught the signs of the earth, Shamsiêl taught the signs of the sun, and Sariêl taught the course of the moon. 4 And as men died, they cried out, and their cries ascended to heaven.

Texts in conversation

Compare 1 Enoch 8:1 and 1 Timothy 4:1

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · New Testament

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Summary

1 Timothy may allude to 1 Enoch 8 where the Watchers corrupt humanity by teaching forbidden arts such as magic, astrology, and weapon-making. Both connect moral decline to the influence of deceptive spirits and the sharing of secret knowledge.

Passages

1 Enoch 8:1

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
1 And Azâzêl taught men to make swords, knives, shields, and breastplates, and revealed to them the metals of the earth and how to work with them, as well as how to make bracelets, ornaments, and the use antimony, beautifying the eyelids, along with all kinds of precious stones and various dyes. 2 Widespread wickedness arose, and they engaged in fornication, were led astray, and corrupted all their ways. 3 Semjâzâ taught spells and the cutting of roots, Armârôs taught how to break spells, Barâqîjâl taught astrology, Kôkabêl taught about the constellations, Êzêqêêl taught about the clouds, Araqiêl taught the signs of the earth, Shamsiêl taught the signs of the sun, and Sariêl taught the course of the moon. 4 And as men died, they cried out, and their cries ascended to heaven.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

1 Timothy 4:1

New Testament
1 Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the later times some will desert the faith and occupy themselves with deceiving spirits and demonic teachings, 2 influenced by the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared. 3 They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For every creation of God is good, and no food is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.
90–100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Timothy

References

"... The other instance, 1 Timothy 4:1, is a bit more informative: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.” The notion that “demons” led people astray by “teaching” arises from the Second Temple Jewish theology of the Watchers, who are repeatedly blamed for leading humanity astray via forbidden knowledge ... Paul’s association of false teaching and “demons” is quite consistent with the Second Temple Jewish perspective ..."
Michael S. Heiser, Demons: What the Bible Really Says about the Powers of Darkness (Bellingham, WA: Lexham, 2020), 187.

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 8:1 and 1 Timothy 4:1

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