The book of Enoch

The Book of Enoch is a fascinating and complex topic in Jewish tradition. It is an ancient Jewish text attributed to Enoch (Chanoch in Hebrew), the biblical figure described as walking with God and being taken by Him, and while it never entered the Hebrew biblical canon, it left significant traces in rabbinic and kabbalistic literature. Its status ranges from authoritative mystical source (in the Zohar) to an interesting but extra-canonical text in mainstream rabbinic Judaism.

Key Takeaways

The Book of Enoch is attributed to Chanoch ben Yered (Enoch son of Jared), who "walked with God and was no more" (Genesis 5:24).
It was never canonized in mainstream Judaism but is quoted approvingly in the Zohar and referenced in Midrashic literature.
The book is connected to the figure of Metatron, the great heavenly scribe, identified as the transformed Enoch.
It contains rich material on fallen angels (Nephilim), the heavenly throne, and eschatology (end-times).
Rabbinic tradition treats it with cautious respect — drawing from it selectively rather than rejecting it outright.

Who Was Enoch?

The biblical basis for the entire tradition is a single, cryptic verse:

"וַיִּתְהַלֵּךְ חֲנוֹךְ אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים וְאֵינֶנּוּ כִּי־לָקַח אֹתוֹ אֱלֹהִים" "And Enoch walked with God, and he was no more, for God had taken him." (Genesis 5:24)

This verse is extraordinary — unlike every other figure in the genealogy of Genesis 5, Enoch does not simply die. The Torah says he was taken. This ambiguity became the launching point for a vast tradition.

Targum Yonatan (the Aramaic translation) makes this explicit, as cited in [Otzar Midrashim, The Book of Chanoch, Introduction 1]:

"והא ליתוהי עם דיירי ארעא ארום איתנגיד וסליק לרקיעא במימר קדם ה׳ וקרא שמיה מטטרון ספרא רבה" "He is no longer among the inhabitants of the earth, for he was drawn up and ascended to heaven by the word of God, and his name was called Metatron, the Great Scribe."

This identification of Enoch with Metatron — the supreme angelic being described in Sefer Hekhalot (also called 3 Enoch or the Hebrew Book of Enoch) — is foundational to Jewish mystical tradition.

The Books of Enoch

There are actually multiple texts associated with Enoch:

| Text | Description | |---|---| | 1 Enoch (Ethiopic Enoch) | The oldest and most complete version; preserved in full only in Ge'ez (Ethiopic); canonical in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church | | 2 Enoch (Slavonic Enoch) | Preserved in Old Slavonic; describes Enoch's heavenly journeys | | 3 Enoch (Hebrew Enoch / Sefer Hekhalot) | Hebrew mystical text; most deeply embedded in rabbinic/kabbalistic tradition |

The [Otzar Midrashim, The Book of Chanoch, Introduction 1] notes that the Sefer Chanoch is attributed to Enoch son of Jared, and that it is connected to the Sefer Hekhalot of Rabbi Yishmael the High Priest, which begins with Rabbi Yishmael ascending on high and questioning Metatron: "Why are you called by the same name as your Creator in the heavens — 'Na'ar' (youth)?" — to which Metatron replies: "Because I am Enoch son of Jared."

Enoch as a Sage and Lawgiver

The tradition about Enoch goes beyond mysticism. [Otzar Midrashim, The Book of Chanoch, Introduction 5] quotes Rabbi Shmuel Tzartzah (known by his Hebrew name Even Seneh) in his work Mekor Chayyim on Bereishit:

"I found written in the Sefer Datot HaNevi'im (Book of the Religions of the Prophets) that Enoch was a great sage and pious man who brought the nations under the worship of God, and that he was the first to develop the wisdom of the stars (astronomy/astrology)..."

He goes on to describe Enoch as having:

Legislated for all seven climates of the inhabited world
Ordained festivals and sacrifices
Instituted laws of niddah (ritual purity in marriage)
Laws regarding impurity of the dead
Divided the people into three classes: priests, kings, and the common people

This portrays Enoch as a kind of pre-Noahide universal lawgiver — a fascinating tradition suggesting his wisdom extended to all of humanity.

The Fallen Angels (Nephilim)

One of the most dramatic elements of the Book of Enoch is its elaboration of Genesis 6:1-4 — the "sons of God" who took human wives. [Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 22:4] states:

"The angels who fell from their holy place in heaven saw the daughters of the generations of Cain walking about naked, with their eyes painted like harlots, and they went astray after them, and took wives from amongst them, as it is said: 'And the sons of Elohim saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose.'"

These fallen angels were called Nephilim ("fallen ones"). The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch) greatly expands this narrative, naming the leader of the fallen angels as Shemihaza and describing how they taught humanity forbidden arts — metallurgy, cosmetics, sorcery — leading to the corruption that caused the Flood.

This tradition is deeply connected in the Enochic literature to the rationale for the Flood — humanity's corruption came not only from human sin, but from supernatural interference.

The Zohar's Use of the Book of Enoch

The Zohar quotes the Book of Enoch multiple times, treating it as an authoritative mystical source.

On Resurrection

[Zohar, Mishpatim 3:214] uses the Book of Enoch to interpret the verse from Daniel 12:2:

"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."

The Zohar explains that "the dust of the earth" carries a meaning expounded in the Book of Enoch, where the mystical letters of this phrase were perceived by Enoch's companions.

On the Soul After Death

[Zohar, Mishpatim 3:110] invokes the Book of Enoch on the profound mystery of the soul's post-mortem journey:

"According to the Book of Enoch, this 'building' is constructed by the other spirit which was left in the 'vessel,' and which draws after him the spirit which roams about in the air naked and alone; and these two spirits are welded together, and if the person is worthy to be built up..."

This reflects the Zohar's sophisticated doctrine of the soul (nefesh, ruach, neshamah) — and the Book of Enoch is cited as the source for understanding how the soul is "rebuilt" or reconstituted after death.

Why Wasn't It Canonized?

The Book of Enoch was widely known in the Second Temple period — it is quoted in the Letter of Jude in the New Testament (1:14-15), found extensively among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran, and clearly known to the rabbis. Yet it was excluded from the Hebrew canon. Several reasons are traditionally offered:

Post-Mosaic Torah exclusivity: The Talmud's canon generally closes with the later prophets and writings. A pre-Flood text presented a