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In 1 Enoch, angels guide the stars along their courses. In 3 Enoch, named princes command large companies of angels for that task, giving the same movement of heavenly bodies an organized chain of authority.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
1 Enoch 80:1
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
1 In those days, the angel Uriel said to me, 'Behold, Enoch, I have shown you everything, and I have revealed to you that you should see this sun, this moon, and the leaders of the stars of heaven and all those who guide their paths, their duties, timings, and departures. 2 In the days of the sinners, the years will be shortened, and their seed will be delayed on their lands and fields. All things on the earth will change and will not appear at their proper times; the rain will be withheld, and the heavens will keep it back. 3 During these times, the fruits of the earth will be late, and will not grow at their proper times, and the fruits of the trees will be delayed in their time.
3 Enoch 17:6
Hebrew Book of Enoch
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
Under them is RAHATIEL, the prince who is appointed over the constellations. And he is accompanied by 72 great and honoured angels. And why is he called RAHATIEL? Because he makes the stars run (marhit) in their orbits and courses 339 thousand parasangs every night from the East to the West, and from the West to the East. For the Holy One, blessed be He, has made a tent for all of them, for the sun, the moon, the planets and the stars in which they travel at night from the West to the East. Under them is KOKBIEL, the prince who is appointed over all the planets. And with him are 365,000 myriads of ministering angels, great and honoured ones who move the planets from city to city and from province to province in the Raqia' of heavens.
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Notes and References
“... bodies are classified into four groups: sun, moon,
constellations, and stars (i.e. planets). They are
assigned to the second heaven (Raqia*), and their
orbits (in diminishing length) are given. In 46:1-
4 and probably also in 5:8, the heavenly bodies
are animate beings; here they are inert masses
which the angels trundle through the heavens.
For this latter idea see lEn 80:1; 4Ezra 6:3; 3Bar
6:2. Astronomy forms an element in some apoc
alyptic texts; see e.g. lEn 72-82. It is, strictly
speaking, a motif of Ma'aseh Bere'Sit (see "The
ological Importance"). ...”
Philip S. Alexander
"3 (Hebrew Apocalypse of) Enoch" in James H. Charlesworth (ed.) The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Volume 1
(pp. 269-270) Doubleday, 1983
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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