Customer Reviews

The Book of the Secrets of Enoch

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I just finished reading this work, also called "2Enoch", and I must say it is the most beautiful and at times even poetic of all the so-called Apocrypha. It's imagery is vivid and it just draws you in! Amazingly, I can't find anything here which contradicts the canonical Bible, so I can imagine Paul or other early Christians perusing this text for some clues as to what Enoch may have actually seen as he "walked with God". I strongly urge you to BUY THIS BOOK!

This book is what is now more commonly known as "2 Enoch" (per Charlesworth's OT Pseudepigrapha edition, Doubleday 1983), or "Slavonic Enoch".

There seems to be some confusion in the editorial comments. There is no evidence that 2 Enoch, or "Slavonic Enoch" had any direct influence on Origen, Iranaeus or NT writers (Jude, 2Peter, Luke 20 etc.) that distinction goes to 1 Enoch, or "Ethiopian Enoch", most of which is also found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, which Slavonic Enoch is not.

The R. H. Charles or Richard Laurence english translations of the ethiopian Enoch would be the better choices for a first time reader. I, having read both translations, find this Slavic Enoch to be only for the serious student. Footnotes are full of Hebrew, Greek, and Latin to accurately parallel other sources. The footnotes do even outnumber the verses.

This Slavonic Enoch text is not as detailed as the Ethiopian text. It is most certainly a condensed, badly-translated (into the slavic language) version of one of the earlier (greek or ethiopian?) Enoch texts. There seems to be differences from the other texts but are probably because of the evolving ideas of heaven, hell, after-life, etc.

In the Introduction, which was written by R. H. Charles, definite parallels are drawn up with the Koran. Charles belives this text dates between 30 BC. and 70 AD. meaning Mohammud was familiar to some extent with it.

This particular book has a Melchizedek myth which will help one more fully understand the meaning of Hebrews 7:3. The absence of written material in Genesis ignited imaginations in the early Christian church to create stories about him. The book is worth it just for this tale, but I strongly warn not to bring it up at a Bible study unless you like making waves.

The Phoenix played a special role in the early church. Clement used it to symbolize the resurrection of Jesus(I Clement Chap 12). This bird shows up here(Chap 12).

One of the other reviews has mention of the 365 and 1/4 day calendar, revealed to Enoch, being a modern calendar. This calendar isn't really modern. The Egyptians knew of the 365 1/4 day solar cycle nearly two millennia before the Julian Calendar. When they instituted a 365 1/4 day calendar they reserved those extra days, like our leap year (Feb. 29), for the gods. The Maya, on the other side of the globe, used three different calendars(Haab, Tzolkin, and the Long Count). They knew the solar cycle was 365 1/4 days also.

This is one of the best books I have ever read, all the questions that you have about the bible about creation, man, sin, fallen angles, heaven, hell, enoch, the giants, the flood, and enoch's beautiful walk with God are answered.

This book provides great revelational knowledge about the Almighty himself, how he created the creations, the ten heavens, and more. Through all these, he tells his love for his children... An amazing book!

I'd recommend to read it together with The Book of Enoch (Enoch 1). Also, wish this Book of the Secrets of Enoch (Enoch 2) has an introduction like Enoch 1, translated by R.H. Charles, does.

I like reading extra biblical literature. I never take offense to it, well, no more than I would the Left Behind Series... If you take it with a grain of salt, it's a good read. Definitely not for those that like getting their knickers in a twist over religious beliefs... Just take it as what it is & you'll get some kind of enjoyment out of it!

This book on Enoch is a study of a legitimate Prophet and his encounters with the God of the Gods. I believe that it should have been in the Bible and only God knows why it was not. I am grateful for this book as I love the word of God.

This book is not worth $10.00. Inferior construction and minimal words per page. I bought three editions of the book of Enoch and this was the worst. Save your money and purchase a different edition.

This book takes refrences from the Russian Orthodox version of Enoch. Although many things are not unique or plagerized from older works it's still a very interesting read.

The Book of The Secrets of Enoch I did not find useful as it is likely a very corrupted text with very uncertain origin. However if one just desires a fancyful imaginative read it is all of that. A fun read if you do not take it to serious. I would consider it a falacy composition on an itriguing subject.

J