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1 Enoch

About this book

Enoch Instructs His Children

Chapter 91

1 'And now, my son Methuselah, call to me all your brothers and gather all the sons of your mother; for the word calls me, and the spirit is poured out upon me, so that I may show you everything that will happen to you forever.' 2 And then Methuselah went and summoned all his brothers and assembled his relatives. 3 And he spoke to all the children of righteousness and said: 'Listen, sons of Enoch, to all the words of your father, and pay close attention to the sound of my voice; for I urge you and say to you, beloved: Love integrity and walk in its ways. 4 And do not approach integrity with a double heart, and do not associate with those who have a double heart, but walk in righteousness, my sons.⁠ It will guide you on good paths, and righteousness will be your companion. 5 For I know that violence must increase on the earth, and a great punishment will be executed on the earth, and all wickedness will come to an end: yes, it will be completely eradicated from its roots, and its entire structure will be destroyed. 6 And wickedness will again be complete on the earth, and all acts of wickedness, violence, and transgression will prevail to a greater degree. 7 And when sin, wickedness, blasphemy, and violence in all kinds of deeds increase, and apostasy, transgression, and impurity increase, a great punishment will come from heaven upon all these, and the holy Lord will come forth with anger and punishment to execute judgment on earth. 8 In those days, violence will be eradicated from its roots, and the roots of wickedness along with deceit, and they will be destroyed from under heaven. 9 And all the idols of the nations will be abandoned, and the temples burned with fire, and they will be removed from the whole earth, and they (i.e., the nations) will be cast into the judgment of fire, and will perish in anger and in severe judgment forever. 10 And the righteous will awaken from their sleep, and wisdom will arise and be given to them. 11 And after that, the roots of wickedness will be cut off, and sinners will be destroyed by the sword . . . will be cut off from the blasphemers in every place, and those who plan violence and those who commit blasphemy will perish by the sword. 12 And after that, there will be another, the eighth week, that of righteousness,⁠ and a sword will be given to it that a righteous judgment may be executed on the oppressors, and sinners will be delivered into the hands of the righteous. 13 And at its end, they will acquire houses through their righteousness, and a house will be built for the Great King in glory forevermore. 14 And after that, in the ninth week, the righteous judgment will be revealed to the whole world, and all the works of the godless will vanish from all the earth, and the world will be written down for destruction, and all mankind will look to the path of uprightness. 15 And after this, in the tenth week in the seventh part,⁠ there will be the great eternal judgment, in which He will execute vengeance among the angels. 16 And the first heaven will depart and pass away, and a new heaven will appear, and all the powers of the heavens will give sevenfold light.⁠ 17 And after that there will be many weeks without number forever, and all will be in goodness and righteousness, and sin will no longer be mentioned forever. 18 And now I tell you, my sons, and show you the paths of righteousness and the paths of violence.⁠ Yes, I will show them to you again so that you may know what will happen.⁠ 19 And now, listen to me, my sons, and walk in the paths of righteousness, and do not walk in the paths of violence; for all who walk in the paths of unrighteousness shall perish forever.'

Texts in conversation

Compare Isaiah 30:26 and 1 Enoch 91:16

Hebrew Bible · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

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Summary

1 Enoch 91 describes a future with intense light, where creation and the righteous are transformed in brilliance. This builds on Isaiah, which describes the moon shining like the sun and the sun shining seven times brighter as a sign of cosmic renewal.

Passages

Isaiah 30:26

Hebrew Bible
24 The oxen and donkeys used in plowing will eat seasoned feed winnowed with a shovel and pitchfork. 25 On every high mountain and every high hill there will be streams flowing with water, at the time of great slaughter when the fortified towers collapse. 26 The light of the full moon will be like the sun’s glare, and the sun’s glare will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, when the Lord binds up his people’s fractured bones and heals their severe wound. 27 Look, the name of the Lord comes from a distant place in raging anger and awesome splendor. He speaks angrily, and his word is like destructive fire.
740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

1 Enoch 91:16

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
14 And after that, in the ninth week, the righteous judgment will be revealed to the whole world, and all the works of the godless will vanish from all the earth, and the world will be written down for destruction, and all mankind will look to the path of uprightness. 15 And after this, in the tenth week in the seventh part, there will be the great eternal judgment, in which He will execute vengeance among the angels. 16 And the first heaven will depart and pass away, and a new heaven will appear, and all the powers of the heavens will give sevenfold light. 17 And after that there will be many weeks without number forever, and all will be in goodness and righteousness, and sin will no longer be mentioned forever.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

References

"... As the reference is in the present to either the light of creation or the eschatological light, it implies a mystical notion. Moreover, the co-text contains esoteric descriptions of illumination and hence the expectation of sevenfold shining does not need to be merely metaphorical. Indisputably eschatological is the co-text of 1 Enoch 91:16 ... That these 'powers' may include the righteous is, I believe, confirmed by the longer recension of 2 Enoch 66:7 ..."
Willem F. Smelik, “On Mystical Transformation of the Righteous into Light in Judaism,” JSJ 26 (1995): 122–144.

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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Isaiah 30:26 and 1 Enoch 91:16

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