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3 Enoch

Hebrew Book of Enoch

About this book
Chapter 45

1 R. Ishmael said: Metatron said to me: Come, and I will show you the Curtain of MAQOM (the Divine Majesty) which is spread before the Holy One, blessed be He, (and) on which are graven all the generations of the world and all their doings, both what they have done and what they will do until the end of all generations. 2 And I went, and he showed it to me pointing it out with his fingers like a father who teaches his children the letters of Tora. And I saw each generation, the rulers of each generation, and the heads of each generation, the shepherds of each generation, the oppressors (drivers) of each generation, the keepers of each generation, the scourgers of each generation, the overseers of each generation, the judges of each generation, the court officers of each generation, the teachers of each generation, the supporters of each generation, the chiefs of each generation, the presidents of academies of each generation, the magistrates of each generation, the princes of each generation, the counsellors of each generation, the nobles of each generation, and the men of might of each generation, the elders of each generation, and the guides of each generation. 3 And I saw Adam, his generation, their doings and their thoughts, Noah and his generation, their doings and their thoughts, and the generation of the flood, their doings and their thoughts, Shem and his generation, their doings and their thoughts, Nimrod and the generation of the confusion of tongues, and his generation, their doings and their thoughts, Abraham and his generation, their doings and their thoughts, Isaac and his generation, their doings and their thoughts, Ishmael and his generation, their doings and their thoughts, Jacob and his generation, their doings and their thoughts, Joseph and his generation, their doings and their thoughts, the tribes and their generation, their doings and their thoughts, Amram and his generation, their doings and their thoughts, Moses and his generation, their doings and their thoughts, 4 Aaron and Mirjam their works and their doings, the princes and the elders, their works and doings, Joshua and his generation, their works and doings, the judges and their generation, their works and doings, Eli and his generation, their works and doings, Phinehas, their works and doings, Elkanah and his generation, their works and their doings, Samuel and his generation, their works and doings, the kings of Judah with their generations, their works and their doings, the kings of Israel and their generations, their works and their doings, the princes of Israel, their works and their doings; the princes of the nations of the world, their works and their doings, the heads of the councils of Israel, their works and their doings; the heads of (the councils in) the nations of the world, their generations, their works and their doings; the rulers of Israel and their generation, their works and their doings; the nobles of Israel and their generation, their works and their doings; the nobles of the nations of the world and their generation(s), their works and their doings; the men of reputation in Israel, their generation, their works and their doings; the judges of Israel, their generation, their works and their doings; the judges of the nations of the world and their generation, their works and their doings; the teachers of children in Israel, their generations, their works and their doings; the teachers of children in the nations of the world, their generations, their works and their doings; the counsellors (interpreters) of Israel, their generation, their works and their doings; the counsellors (interpreters) of the nations of the world, their generation, their works and their doings; all the prophets of Israel, their generation, their works and their doings; all the prophets of the nations of the world, their generation, their works and their doings; 5 and all the fights and wars that the nations of the world made against the people of Israel in the time of their kingdom. And I saw Messiah, son of Joseph, and his generation and their works and their doings that they will do against the nations of the world. And I saw Messiah, son of David, and his generation, and all the fights and wars, and their works and their doings that they will do with Israel both for good and evil. And I saw all the fights and wars that Gog and Magog will fight in the days of Messiah, and all that the Holy One, blessed be He, will do with them in the time to come. 6 And all the rest of all the leaders of the generations and all the works of the generations both in Israel and in the nations of the world, both what is done and what will be done hereafter to all generations until the end of time, (all) were graven on the Curtain of MAQOM.⁠ And I saw all these things with my eyes; and after I had seen it, I opened my mouth in praise of MAQOM (the Divine Majesty) (saying thus, Eccl. viii. 4, 5): "For the King's word has power (and who may say to him: What are you doing?) Whoever keeps the commandments shall know no evil thing". And I said: (Ps. civ. 24) "O Lord, how manifold are your works!"

Texts in conversation

Compare 2 Chronicles 3:14 and 3 Enoch 45:6

Hebrew Bible · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

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Summary

In 3 Enoch, Ishmael sees all human history written on the curtain in the heavenly temple, echoing a tradition from the Hebrew Bible where the earthly temple is a copy of the heavenly temple.

Passages

2 Chronicles 3:14

Hebrew Bible
14 He made the curtain out of blue, purple, crimson, and white fabrics, and embroidered on it decorative cherubim. 15 In front of the temple he made two pillars which had a combined length of 52½ feet, with each having a plated capital 7½ feet high. 16 He made ornamental chains and put them on top of the pillars. He also made 100 pomegranate-shaped ornaments and arranged them within the chains. 17 He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right side and the other on the left. He named the one on the right Yakin and the one on the left Boaz.
400–301 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in 2 Chronicles

3 Enoch 45:6

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Hebrew Book of Enoch
6 And all the rest of all the leaders of the generations and all the works of the generations both in Israel and in the nations of the world, both what is done and what will be done hereafter to all generations until the end of time, (all) were graven on the Curtain of MAQOM. And I saw all these things with my eyes; and after I had seen it, I opened my mouth in praise of MAQOM (the Divine Majesty) (saying thus, Eccl. viii. 4, 5): "For the King's word has power (and who may say to him: What are you doing?) Whoever keeps the commandments shall know no evil thing". And I said: (Ps. civ. 24) "O Lord, how manifold are your works!"
400–600 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 3 Enoch

References

“... 45 a. "The curtain [pargod] of the Omnipresent One": This curtain is the heavenly counterpart of the Veil which divided the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies in the earthly Tabernacle and Temple (Ex 26:31; 2Chr 3:14). The earthly veil is called the pdrdket: the heavenly veil, though sometimes called a pdrdket, is more commonly designated the pargod. Pargod is a loanword from Persian: Cf. the PdfoVawpardag, "curtain," "veil," and the cognate Hindustani pardah, from which the English "purdah" is derived. The heavenly pargod separates the immediate pres­ ence of God from the rest of heaven. It shields the angels from the destructive glare of the divine glory (Targum Job 26:9; cf. 3En 22B:6), and it conceals the ultimate mysteries of the deity; only the Prince of the Divine Presence is allowed to go within the curtain (cf. b.Yoma 77a). Some­ times secrets are announced by a heavenly voice "from behind the curtain" (b.Ber 18b; b.Hag 15a; 16a; b.Sanh 89b; Ma'yan Hokmah, BHM, vol. 1, p. 60, 1. 10; Ma'aseh 'asarah haruge malkut, BHM, vol. 6, p. 21, 1. 32, and p. 31, 1. 28; MidraS " 'Ellen 'ezkerah," BHM, vol. 3, p. 65, I. 25; MidraS 'aseret hadibberot, BHM, vol. 1, p. 81, 11. 3f.; Haggadat Sema' Yisra'el, BHM, vol. 5, p. 165, 11. 29f.; Masseket bibbut haqqeber 4; BHM, vol. 1. p. 152, I. 10). The idea in 3En 45 appears to be that the whole course of human history is already worked out "in blueprint" in the heavenly realm, and has been totally foreordained by God. Cf. the heav­ enly tablets on which, according to Hekalot Rabbati 6:3 (BM, vol. 1. p. 76), all the trials foreordained for Israel are already recorded. ...”
Philip S. Alexander, “3 (Hebrew Apocalypse of) Enoch,” in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, ed. James H. Charlesworth (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1983), 1:296.

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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