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About this book

1 Enoch

About this book

The Epistle of Enoch

Chapter 92

1 The book written by Enoch—[Enoch indeed wrote this complete doctrine of wisdom, praised by all men and a judge of all the earth] for all my children who shall dwell on the earth. And for future generations who shall uphold integrity and peace. 2 Do not let your spirit be troubled on account of the times; for the Holy and Great One has appointed days for all things. 3 And the righteous one shall arise from sleep, [Shall arise] and walk in the paths of righteousness, and all his ways and actions shall be in eternal goodness and grace.⁠ 4 He will be gracious to the righteous and grant him eternal uprightness, and He will empower him so that he shall be endowed with goodness and righteousness. And he shall walk in eternal light.⁠ 5 And sin shall perish in darkness forever, and shall no more be seen from that day forevermore.

Texts in conversation

Compare 1 Enoch 92:3 and Ephesians 5:14

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · New Testament

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Summary

1 Enoch 92 describes the righteous rising from sleep to walk in eternal light. Ephesians 5 uses similar language in its call to wake up so that light may shine, with both following a common interpretive tradition of Isaiah.

Passages

1 Enoch 92:3

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
2 Do not let your spirit be troubled on account of the times; for the Holy and Great One has appointed days for all things. 3 And the righteous one shall arise from sleep, [Shall arise] and walk in the paths of righteousness, and all his ways and actions shall be in eternal goodness and grace. 4 He will be gracious to the righteous and grant him eternal uprightness, and He will empower him so that he shall be endowed with goodness and righteousness. And he shall walk in eternal light. 5 And sin shall perish in darkness forever, and shall no more be seen from that day forevermore.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

Ephesians 5:14

New Testament
11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For the things they do in secret are shameful even to mention. 13 But all things being exposed by the light are made visible. 14 For everything made visible is light, and for this reason it says: “Awake, O sleeper! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!” 15 Therefore consider carefully how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 taking advantage of every opportunity because the days are evil.
90–100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Ephesians

References

"... Many suggestions have been given regarding the possible source of this quotation. Whether or not we take Ephesians 5:14b as directly dependent on Isaiah 26:19 and 60:1-2, we cannot deny the similar usage of language. But more importantly the context of these verses in Isaiah, in the framework of God's plan of restoration of his people, becomes relevant for the understanding of Ephesians. Isaiah 26:19 and 60:1-2 speak in a context of moral and social chaos where Israel is perceived as living in darkness and being 'like dead men' (Isaiah 59:10, 1-15). God's intervention in history and in bringing (corporate) restoration to Israel is presented as a light shining (Isaiah 60.1). Through the shining of the glory of the Lord Israel is transformed and the nations will come to the light (Isaiah 60:3–62:12; compare 1 Enoch 92:3-5, 1QM 1:8-9). This pool of ideas is also seen here and confirms the function of Ephesians 5:13-14a. The time which was marked by a religious and spiritual lethargy (sleep) and alienation from God (death, compare Eph 2:1) is now marked by the transforming light of Christ and by the awakening of the community (the sons of light) which exposes the works of darkness and demonstrates the fruit of light that flows from Christ (compare Ephesians 2:1-10) ..."
Ester A. G. D. Petrenko, “Created in Christ Jesus for Good Works: The Integration of Soteriology and Ethics in Ephesians” (diss., Durham University, 2005), 172–173.

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 92:3 and Ephesians 5:14

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