Old Testament Week 5: Enoch (Moses 6:257:69)

1) [SLIDE 2] Joseph Smiths revelation on Enoch, comprising 112 verses (Moses 6:267:69), is one of his longest and most complex revelations. a) This material was received in December 1830 as part of Josephs work on his new translation of the Bible.1 It is the largest insertion he made of new material into the Bible. b) Of all the Biblical figures to expand on, why Enoch? i) [SLIDE 3] Less is written about Enoch in the Bible than of any other major prophet. He is mentioned in the Bible in only four passages, totaling ten verses.2 ii) From these few passages we learn the following: (1) Genesis 5:2124 (four verses) tells us that he lived 365 years, and had sons and daughters, including Methuselah. He walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. (2) Hebrews 11:5 (one verse) says that Enoch pleased God by his great faith and, because of this, he was translated that he should not see death. (3) Jude 1:1415 (two verses) quotes a prophecy of Enoch which is not found in the Old Testament that, at the end of the world,
the Lord cometh with ten thousands3 of his saints,4 to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

(a) [SLIDE 4] This is a quote from the Book of Enoch5 (also known as 1 Enoch),6 a pseudepigraphal work that was written between the 4th and 1st centuries B.C.7

1 We call this work the Joseph Smith Translation, but this term was coined in the 1970s. Joseph referred to it in his revelations as the translation or the new translation; see D&C 73:4; 76:15; 90:13; 94:10; 124:89. The early Latter-day Saints were interested in lost biblical books and reacted with great joy at receiving the prophecy of Enoch; see History of the Church 1:13133 (http://byustudies2.byu.edu/hc/1/14.html#131). 2 In addition to the three passages quoted below, Enoch is simply mentioned as the son of Jared in two additional locations, comprising of three verses (Genesis 5:1819; Luke 3:37). 3 The Greek word translated ten thousands is (muriasin)plural of (murias), from which the English myriad is derivedliterally means ten thousands, but was often used in Greek to refer to a numberless or countless amount. Its as if Jude had written the Lord cometh with a gazillion of his saints. 4 The Greek word translated saints is (hagias) means holy ones. In the New Testament its used by Paul and others to refer to believers in Christ (e.g., Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 2:19; Philippians 4:22). In this case, it refers to angels or other divine beings who accompany the Lord in his triumphant return to earth to destroy the wicked and vindicate the righteous. 5 1 Enoch 1:9. For an English translation, see R. H. Charles, The Book of Enoch, Translated from Professor Dillmanns Ethiopic Text (London: Oxford, 1893), 59 (http://archive.org/stream/thebookofenoch00unknuoft#page/59). 6 This differentiates it from the book of 2 Enoch (also known as Slavonic Enoch or The Secrets of Enoch), probably written in the late 1st century A.D., and 3 Enoch, probably written in the 5th century A.D. For a short introduction to these books, see James H. Charlesworth, Enoch: Ancient Sources, Encyclopedia of Mormonism 2:45960 (http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Enoch#Enoch:_Ancient_Sources). 7 This work is also known as the Ethiopic Book of Enoch because the only complete copy exists in the ancient Ethiopian language of Geez. It is most commonly believed that it was originally written in Aramaic (portions of the Book of Enoch in Aramaic have been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls), then translated into Greek (many of the New Testament writers, who wrote in Greek, are familiar with it, and portions of it in Greek survive to this day), and from there into Ethiopian.

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(b) The Book of Enoch was known to New Testament writers, who almost certainly considered scripture.8 Almost all of the New Testament books make allusions to it, most especially the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and the Second Epistle of Peter. Jude directly quotes from it, and the ideas and theology in Johns Revelation are heavily dependent on it.9 (c) The text of the Book of Enoch was considered lost until the beginning of the 17th century, and translations of it werent published in the west until 182110 nine years before Joseph Smith produced the Enoch portions of the Joseph Smith Translationbut these English editions werent widely available until R. H. Charles landmark translation, published in 1893.11 (d) [SLIDE 5] Whats so interesting about this is that, for the little the Old Testament says about Enoch, the ancient Book of Enoch has a lot to say about himthe Book of Enoch is approximately the length of the Book of Isaiah. (i) In the Book of Enoch, Enoch is portrayed as a super-prophet: He is an observer, a recorder, a leaner, a teacher, an initiator, a scribe, a seer, an advocate, a servant, a friend, a leader, a ruler, a priest, and a king.12 (ii) In his role as seer, he is shown a vision of angelswho are called the sons of the heavenswho rebel against God and are cast down to earth.13 He also sees the final judgment at the end of the world when the Son of Man sits on his throne and sinners and those who have led the world astray[are] destroyed from off the face of the earth.14 (e) [SLIDE 6] This depiction of Enoch as a great seer matches perfectly with the descriptions of him in Joseph Smiths revelation:
And the Lord spake unto Enoch, and said unto him: Anoint thine eyes with clay, and wash them, and thou shalt see. And he did so. And he beheld the spirits that God had created; and he beheld also things which were not visible to the natural eye; and from thenceforth came the saying abroad in the land: A seer hath the Lord raised up unto his people. (Moses 6:3536.)

8 This conclusion is based on Judes direct quote and the other numerous allusions to Enoch in the New Testament. Hugh Nibley asserted that the book of Enoch is quoted at least 128 times in the New Testament and very often in other places, including, he believed, the Book of Mormon (compare Helaman 13:33 with 1 Enoch 94:8). Hugh Nibley, Enoch the Prophet (Deseret Book and FARMS, 1986), 8 (http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/books/?bookid=53&chapid=480). Today the Book of Enoch is considered scripture by Ethiopian Jews, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church 9 Charles, The Book of Enoch, 4153 (http://archive.org/stream/thebookofenoch00unknuoft#page/41 ). Like the Biblical books of Daniel and Revelation, 1 Enoch is an apocalyptic workone that reveals or unveils hidden things of Gods plan. 10 Richard Laurence, The Book of Enoch, the prophet: an apocryphal production, supposed to have been lost for ages; but discovered at the close of the last century in Abyssinia; now first translated from an Ethiopic manuscript in the Bodleian Library (London: Oxford, 1821). Revised editions appeared in 1833, 1838, and 1842. Laurences 1838 (third) edition is available online (http://books.google.com/books?id=sT3RFYMeBvAC&pg=PR1). 11 See footnote 5. There is no evidence that Joseph Smith was aware of Laurences translation, let alone had access to a copy; see Nibley, Enoch the Prophet, 10607 (http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/books/?bookid=53&chapid=483). The earliest notice of Laurences book by Latter-day Saints appears be in 1840 while the Twelve were serving missions in England; see The Apocryphal Book of Enoch, The Latter-Day Saints Millennial Star 1/3 (July 1840), 61 (http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/MStar/id/34). 12 Nibley, Enoch the Prophet, 21. 13 1 Enoch 6:2; 13:8; 71:1. 14 1 Enoch 69:2629.

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(i) Enoch, in fact, sees everything:15 God revealing himself to Adam (Moses 6:5168), the wicked people of the earth in Enochs own time (7:411), the coming great flood during Noahs time (7:2053), the Son of Man16 killed on the cross and then resurrected in glory (7:5457), and the end of the world and the final judgment of God (7:5867).17 (ii) The material on Enoch revealed by Joseph Smith very closely matches the apocryphal description of him as a great seer. This was not something Joseph Smith could have known, and is very strong evidence, in my opinion, that the Enoch material in the JST is based on an actual ancient text.18 2) [SLIDE 7] So who was Enoch? a) The name Enoch comes from the Hebrew ( hnk), which probably means to introduce or to initiate. i) This may refer to Enochs initiation into the mysteries of God through his visions, or it may refer to Enoch as an initiator, one who brought his people to heaven through obedience to Gods covenants and commandments.19 b) Enoch was the first wilderness prophet. i) A wilderness prophet is an outsider to the community, and does not come from the accepted priestly class. He quite literally comes out of nowhere, bringing a message of repentance or judgment (Moses 6:2730). ii) Moses, Elijah, Abinadi, Samuel the Lamanite, John the Baptist, and Joseph Smith are all examples of wilderness prophets. All of them were obscure or unknown, and none of them were accepted by the people to whom they were sent.

And the Lord showed Enoch all things, even unto the end of the world (Moses 7:67, emphasis added). Except for one reference during the time of Abraham (at JST Genesis 15:1112), the phrase Son of Man appears in the JST Old Testament only in the Enoch portions (Moses 6:57; 7:24, 47, 54 56, 59, 65). The phrase son of man is used in other places in the Old Testament to refer to human beings (e.g. Numbers 23:19; Job 25:6; Psalms 8:4; Isaiah 56:2; Daniel 8:17; and 93 occurrences in Ezekiel); only once in Daniel (7:1314) does it refer to a supernatural messianic figure. The phrase first appears in Jewish apocalyptic literature (of which 1 Enoch is an example) in the 3rd century B.C., and the time of Jesus it was widely understood to refer to the messiah; hence its use in the Gospels to refer to Christ (e.g., Matthew 9:6; 12:40; 16:13; Mark 9:31; 14:62; Luke 6:5; 17:26; John 3:13; 12:23). 17 BYU professor Terry Szink has demonstrated that the author of the JST Enoch material presented the vision in a very deliberate and artistic way, using a literary structure. Szink lays out his proposed structure in The Vision of Enoch: Structure of a Masterpiece, Journal of the Book of Mormon & Restoration Scripture 17/12 (2008), 619 (http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/jbms/?vol=17&num=1&id=462). 18 For more on connections between the Book of Enoch and the Enoch material in the Book of Moses, see Andrew C. Skinner, Joseph Smith Vindicated Again: Enoch, Moses, and Apocryphal Sources, Revelation, Reason, and Faith: Essays in Honor of Truman G. Madsen, Daniel C. Peterson, Donald W. Parry, and Stephen D. Ricks, eds. (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 2002), #### (http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/books/?bookid=100&chapid=1115). 19 Brigham Young taught: I will not say but what Enoch had Temples and officiated therein, but we have no account of it. We know that he raised up a people so pure and holy that they were not permitted to remain with the wicked inhabitants of the earth, but were taken to another place. 1 January 1877; Journal of Discourses 18:303 (http://en.fairmormon.org/Journal_of_Discourses/18/38#303).
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iii) Note Enochs own reaction to being called by God:

And when Enoch had heard these words, he bowed himself to the earth, before the Lord, and spake before the Lord, saying: Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad,20 and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant? (Moses 6:31.)21

iv) And then the reaction of the people to his message:

And it came to pass that Enoch went forth in the land, among the people, standing upon the hills and the high places, and cried with a loud voice, testifying against their works; and all men were offended because of him. And they came forth to hear him, upon the high places, saying unto the tent-keepers: Tarry ye here and keep the tents, while we go yonder to behold the seer, for he prophesieth, and there is a strange thing in the land; a wild man hath come among us. (Moses 6:3738, emphasis added.)

(1) As the scriptural record shows, this reaction is all too common among the wicked when a prophet comes crying repentance. c) [SLIDE 8] Enoch was the seventh in a chain of Patriarchs extending back to Adam (Moses 6:1022). i) The number seven was significant to ancient Jews, for whom it represented a divine completion, or state of perfection. ii) Enochs righteousness can be contrasted with the wickedness of Lamech, the seventh generation from Adam along Cains line (Moses 5:4255). Just as Enoch entered into a covenant with God (7:51), so did Lamech entered into a covenant with Satan (5:49). iii) That Enoch and Lamech were both seven generations from Adam possibly represents, respectively, their perfection in holiness and wickedness.22 d) [SLIDE 9] Enoch was righteous priesthood holder. i) The Doctrine and Covenants reveals some additional things about Enoch and the priesthood:
Enoch was twenty-five years old when he was ordained under the hand of Adam; and he was sixty-five and Adam blessed him. And he saw the Lord, and he walked with him, and was before his face continually. (D&C 107:4849a.)

ii) He received a third blessing from Adam 240 years later at the council of Adam-ondiAhman (D&C 107:53).23 iii) Enoch was such a remarkable priesthood holder that heirs of the celestial kingdom are described as priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son (D&C 76:57, emphasis added).

Iam but a lad (Moses 6:25). Enoch was 65 years old (!) when he said this. Compare this to the reaction of other prophets: Exodus 4:1012; Jeremiah 1:410; Isaiah 6:110; Joseph Smith History 1:23. 22 Note that Lamech claims that If [my ancestor] Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly [I] Lamech shall be [avenged] seventy and seven fold (Moses 5:48; cf. Genesis 4:24). 23 The content of this blessing is unknown, but these things were all written in the book of Enoch, and are to be testified of in due time (D&C 107:57). This book of Enoch is not the one revealed in the JST (which was revealed before D&C 107), nor is it any of the three apocryphal books of Enoch. As of this time, it remains unknown to the world.
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e) Enoch was a foreteller and also a forth-teller. i) The common perception of a prophet is that he foretells, or predicts, future events. But this is not his primary role. ii) [SLIDE 10] Anthony W. Ivins of the First Presidency taught:
A careful study of the etymology [origin] of the word [prophet] and of the lives, works and character of the prophets of old makes clear the fact that a prophet was, and is, one called to act as God's messenger. He is to teach men the character of God, and define and make known to the people, his will. He is to denounce sin, and declare the punishment of transgression. He is to be above all else a preacher of righteousness, and when the people depart from the path which he has marked out for them to follow, is to call them back to the true faith. He is an interpreter of the scripture, and declares its meaning and application. When future events are to be declared he predicts them, but his direct, and most important calling is to be a forth-teller, or director of present policy, rather than a foreteller of that which is to come.24

iii) [SLIDE 11] The English word prophet comes from The Greek word (prophetes), referring to someone who is an interpreter or spokesman for God. (1) The roots of the Greek word are pro, meaning before, and phanai, meaning to speak.25 In other words, a prophet can speak of things before they happen, or they can speak in front of someone else as their spokesman.26 (2) The Hebrew word for prophet is ( nabiy), which means spokesman or speaker, speaking not his own words, but those delivered to him. (3) This brings more meaning to the scripture from Doctrine and Covenants that says whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same (D&C 1:38). iv) After he was called as a prophet, Enochs first message was not a revelation of future events, but a call for the people to repent:
Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time. Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying: That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory. And now, behold, I say unto you: This is the plan of salvation unto all men, through the blood of mine Only Begotten, who shall come in the meridian of time. (Moses 6:5759, 62.)
Anthony W. Ivins, General Conference, October 1925 (http://archive.org/stream/conferencereport1925sa#page/n21). Online Etymology Dictionary, s.v. Prophet (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=prophet). 26 This section is adapted from material by Bryce Haymond (http://www.templestudy.com/2009/03/16/lords-side).
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v) This pattern continues in todays Church: The prophet who leads us sometimes foretells future events, but, much more often, he acts in the role of a forth-teller, denouncing sin and encouraging the people to follow Gods commandments. f) [SLIDE 12] Enoch was a revealer of the character of God. i) Joseph Smith taught the first principle of truth and of the Gospel is to know for a certainty the character of God.27 ii) In Moses 7:2835, Enoch taught that God has the following characteristics: (1) When Gods children persist in sin, he is emotionally affected. He is not a distant, unmoved God, but is intimately and personally concerned with his children. He is indignant, displeased, and angry when men and women rebel against him. (7:2829, 31, 34.) (2) He is holy and eternal (7:29). (3) He is just, merciful, and kind, a God of peace, justice, and truth (7:3031). (4) He has given mankind knowledge and agency, and commanded them to love one another and choose him as their Father28 (7:3233). (5) He goes by many names: God, Man of Holiness,29 Man of Counsel, and Endless and Eternal.30 (These names reflect his character.) (7:35.) iii) Enoch also revealed the roles of the Holy Ghost (Moses 6:61): (1) The record of heaven.31 (2) The Comforter.32 (3) The peaceable things of immortal glory.33 (4) The truth of all things.34 (5) That which quickeneth all things, which maketh alive all things.35 (6) That which knoweth all things,36 and hath all power according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment.37

27 Joseph Smith, King Follett Discourse, 7 April 1844. Stan Larson, The King Follett Discourse: A Newly Amalgamated Text, BYU Studies 18/2 (Winter 1978), 201 (https://byustudies.byu.edu/showtitle.aspx?title=5321). 28 Contrast the commandment in 7:33 with the choice of the wicked in 7:37. We are commanded to be born of Christ (Mosiah 5:7) rather than to choose to be a child of the devil (Alma 5:41) . 29 This title is Gods name in the language of Adam (Moses 6:57). This may be the meaning of Ahman, one of the names of God given in the Doctrine and Covenants (78:20; 95:17), and which Orson Pratt taught is the name of God in the pure language. Orson Pratt, 18 February 1855; JD 2:342 (http://en.fairmormon.org/Journal_of_Discourses/2/50#342). 30 Compare D&C 19:10. 31 Compare Moses 6:66. 32 Compare John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7. 33 Compare D&C 36:2; 39:6. These words were struck out in the second JST manuscript copy, and in their place were written the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Richard S. Draper, S. Kent Brown, and Michael D. Rhodes, The Pearl of Great Price: A Verse-by-Verse Commentary (Deseret Book, 2005), 105. 34 Compare Moroni 10:5; D&C 124:97 35 Compare Romans 8:11. 36 Compare 1 John 2:20; Alma 7:13; D&C 35:19; 42:17. 37 Compare D&C 88:40.

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g) [SLIDE 13] Enoch was the founder of the first city of Zion. i) D&C 115:6 describes Zion as a defense, anda refuge from the storm, and from wrath. This accords well with its Hebrew meaning ( / tsiyyn): protection, fortress, or shield.38 (1) Zion is where the righteous dwell in peace,39 safe from the wars and bloodshed of the world (Moses 7:1519).40 (2) The enemies of the righteous mobilized against Enoch and his people, but they were saved by Enochs great power:
And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him. (Moses 7:13.)

(3) Stricken by fear, Enochs enemies and the giants41 of the land stood far off, and the Lord came and dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness (Moses 7:1517). ii) Under Enochs leadership, the people of Zion achieved total unity of heart and mind, loving obedience to the laws of God, and complete economic equality (Moses 7:18; D&C 97:21). (1) Their spiritual unity was so great that Zion was called the City of Holiness (Moses 7:19). Their lives were based on the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of yearsthe Lord Jehovah (6:67). (2) After 365 years,42 Enoch, his city, and all its inhabitants were received up into heaven (Moses 7:69; D&C 38:4). (a) Before this, Enoch was shown a vision of the last days, when he and his city would return to the earth and join with a latter-day city of Zion, and together they would be the dwelling-place of God (Moses 7:6264).43

38 This is the most plausible meaning; the exact meaning of the name is uncertain. See W. Harold Ma re, Zion, The Anchor Bible Dictionary, David Noel Freedman, ed. (Doubleday, 1992), 6:1096. 39 Compare D&C 45:66. 40 Moses 6:15 tells us that Satan had great dominion among men, and raged in their hearts; and from thenceforth came wars and bloodshed. 41 The giants are the Nephilim (Hebrew: ), referred to in Genesis 6:4. Well discuss them in lesson 6. 42 According to the biblical account, Enoch lived 365 years (Genesis 5:23). According to the Book of Moses, he lived 430 years (Moses 8:1)65 plus 365, (Moses 6:25; 7:68). 43 See also Revelation 21:24; Ether 13:23;

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iii) [SLIDE 14] The Encyclopedia of Mormonism sums up:

Latter-day Saints believe that Enochs righteousness was grounded on the same gospel principles that apply in all dispensations and eternally. For this reason, Latter-day Saints feel a spiritual kinship with Enoch and his people: Enochs Zion represents every spiritual ideal for which Latter-day Saints strive. An economic system designed to promote material and spiritual equality within the Church, the Order of Enoch, has been implemented at various times in Church history. Church members look toward the day when the righteous will build the counterpart of Enochs City of Holiness, the New Jerusalem, in Jackson County, Missouri. Missionaries around the world preach repentance, for the earth is to be cleansed by fire, as it was with the flood that followed Enochs ministry. Church members anticipate the return of Enochs city from above to be reunited with the Zion beneath (Moses 7:58), when the earth will rest under the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.44

3) [SLIDE 15] There will be no class next week! In two weeks well cover: a) Noah (Moses 8; Genesis 611).

Encyclopedia of Mormonism, s.v. Enoch: LDS Sources, 2:45859 (http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Enoch#Enoch:_LDS_Sources).

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