Votto
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- Oct 31, 2012
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Who here has heard or read the book of Enoch? There are more than one, but the one most interesting to me is the pre-Christian Jewish version that has a strong Messianic message.
It is not certain about the city or place in which 1 Enoch was written, or its constituent parts were composed. However, it is clear that the work originated in Judea and was in use at Qumran before the beginning of the Christian period.
Information regarding the usage and importance of the work in Jewish and Christian communities, other than the Ethiopian Church, is sparse. It is difficult, therefore, to understand its exact origin. It seems clear, nonetheless, that 1 Enoch was well known by many Jews, particularly the Essenes, and early Christians, notably the author Jude (1:14). The earliest portions of the world originated probably in a proto-Essene milieu; the latter sections perhaps in the setting quite different from Qumran Essenism. It is also clear that Enochic concepts are found in various New Testament books, including the Gospels and Revelation.
1 Enoch played a significant role in the early church; it was used by the authors of the Epistle of Barnabas, the Apocalypse of Peter, and a number of apologetic works. Many Church Fathers, including Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Origen, and Clement of Alexandria, either knew of Enoch or were inspired by it. Among those who were familiar with 1 Enoch, Tertullian had an exceptionally high regard for it. But, the beginning of the 4rth century, the book came to be regarded with disfavor and received negative reviews from Augustine, Hilary, ad Jerome. Thereafter, with the exception of a few extracts made by Georgius Syncellus, a learned monk of the 8th century, and the Greek fragmants found in a Christian grave in Egypt in 800 AD, 1 Enoch ceased to be apreciated except in Ethiopia. The relegation of 1 Enoch to virtual oblivion by medieval minds should not diminish its significance for Christian origins; few other apocryphal books so indelibly marked the religious history and thought of the time of Jesus
It is not certain about the city or place in which 1 Enoch was written, or its constituent parts were composed. However, it is clear that the work originated in Judea and was in use at Qumran before the beginning of the Christian period.
Information regarding the usage and importance of the work in Jewish and Christian communities, other than the Ethiopian Church, is sparse. It is difficult, therefore, to understand its exact origin. It seems clear, nonetheless, that 1 Enoch was well known by many Jews, particularly the Essenes, and early Christians, notably the author Jude (1:14). The earliest portions of the world originated probably in a proto-Essene milieu; the latter sections perhaps in the setting quite different from Qumran Essenism. It is also clear that Enochic concepts are found in various New Testament books, including the Gospels and Revelation.
1 Enoch played a significant role in the early church; it was used by the authors of the Epistle of Barnabas, the Apocalypse of Peter, and a number of apologetic works. Many Church Fathers, including Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Origen, and Clement of Alexandria, either knew of Enoch or were inspired by it. Among those who were familiar with 1 Enoch, Tertullian had an exceptionally high regard for it. But, the beginning of the 4rth century, the book came to be regarded with disfavor and received negative reviews from Augustine, Hilary, ad Jerome. Thereafter, with the exception of a few extracts made by Georgius Syncellus, a learned monk of the 8th century, and the Greek fragmants found in a Christian grave in Egypt in 800 AD, 1 Enoch ceased to be apreciated except in Ethiopia. The relegation of 1 Enoch to virtual oblivion by medieval minds should not diminish its significance for Christian origins; few other apocryphal books so indelibly marked the religious history and thought of the time of Jesus