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3 Enoch

Hebrew Book of Enoch

About this book
Chapter 21

1 R. Ishmael said: Metatron, the angel, the Prince of the Presence, said to me: Four (are) the Chayyoth corresponding to the four winds.⁠ Each Chayya is as the space of the whole world. And each one has four faces; and each face is as the face of the East. 2 Each one has four wings and each wing is like the cover (roof) of the universe. 3 And each one has faces in the middle of faces and wings in the middle of wings. The size of the faces is (as the size of) 248 faces, and the size of the wings is (as the size of) 365 wings. 4 And every one is crowned with 2000 crowns on his head. And each crown is like the bow in the cloud. And its splendour is like the splendour of the globe of the sun. And the sparks that go forth from every one are like the splendour of the morning star⁠ (planet Venus) in the East.

Texts in conversation

Compare Revelation 22:16 and 3 Enoch 21:4

New Testament · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

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Summary

In Revelation, Jesus calls himself the bright morning star. In 3 Enoch, heavenly creatures shine like the morning star, connecting his heavenly glory with an image also used for the angels around God's throne.

Passages

Revelation 22:16

New Testament
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can have access to the tree of life and can enter into the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the sexually immoral, and the murderers, and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood! 16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star!” 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say: “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wants it take the water of life free of charge.
92–96 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Revelation

3 Enoch 21:4

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Hebrew Book of Enoch
2 Each one has four wings and each wing is like the cover (roof) of the universe. 3 And each one has faces in the middle of faces and wings in the middle of wings. The size of the faces is (as the size of) 248 faces, and the size of the wings is (as the size of) 365 wings. 4 And every one is crowned with 2000 crowns on his head. And each crown is like the bow in the cloud. And its splendour is like the splendour of the globe of the sun. And the sparks that go forth from every one are like the splendour of the morning star (planet Venus) in the East.
400–600 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 3 Enoch

References

“... Especially a reference in 3 Enoch 21: 4 provides an interesting parallel, since in this passage some angelic creatures are not only described as emitting brightness like the morning star, but are furthermore attributed crowns (cp. Christ in Ape 14: 14; 19: 12) and a face shining like a sun (cp. Apc 1: 16). (Elsewhere, we find the designation as a morning star applied to Mordecai in Tg. L. sth. 10: 3. ) This feature as such might therefore hint at an angelomorphic understanding of the relation between angels and stars in the Apocalypse, now applied to Christ. However, it seems exaggerated to regard this feature simply as an angelomorphic aspect of Christology. Christ does, in turn, represent far more than an angel in Apc 22: 16. because he is said to be in command of angels (Ape 22: 16a), and he is also the brightest of the stars, which further hints at a superior position. 9 ...”
Matthias Reinhard Hoffmann, “Angelomorphic Christology and the Book of Revelation” (PhD diss., The University of Durham, 2003), 300.

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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