The Book of Enoch

translated by

R. H. Charles, D.Litt., D.D.

with an introduction by

W. O. E. Oesterley, D.D.

First published in Great Britain in 1917

in the series Translations of Early Documents

Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge

36 Causton Street

London SW1P 4ST

Introduction copyright © W. O. E. Oesterley 1917

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

SPCK does not necessarily endorse the individual views contained in its publications.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN-13: 978-0-281-05821-1

ISBN-10: 0-281-05821-0

We desire to express our hearty thanks to Canon Charles and the Delegates of the Oxford University Press for their permission to reprint here the translation given in their second edition of The Book of Enoch (1912).

W. O. E. Oesterley.

G. H. Box.

Contents

Editors’ Preface

Introduction

The Apocalyptic Literature

The Book of Enoch: its Component Parts and their Dates

Authorship

Language

General Contents

The Importance of the Book for the Study of Christian Origins

Abbreviations, brackets, and symbols specially used in the translation of 1 Enoch

The Book of Enoch

Chapters 1–36

Chapters 37–71: The Parables

Chapters 72–82: The Book of the Courses of the Heavenly Luminaries

Chapters 83–90: The Dream-Visions

Chapters 91–105: The Concluding Section of the Book

Chapters 106–107: Fragment of the Book of Noah

Chapter 108: An Appendix to the Book of Enoch

Editors’ Preface

The object of this series of translations is primarily to furnish students with short, cheap, and handy textbooks, which, it is hoped, will facilitate the study of the particular texts in class under competent teachers. But it is also hoped that the volumes will be acceptable to the general reader who may be interested in the subjects with which they deal. It has been thought advisable, as a general rule, to restrict the notes and comments to a small compass; more especially as, in most cases, excellent works of a more elaborate character are available. Indeed, it is much to be desired that these translations may have the effect of inducing readers to study the larger works.

Our principal aim, in a word, is to make some difficult texts, important for the study of Christian origins, more generally accessible in faithful and scholarly translations.

In most cases these texts are not available in a cheap and handy form. In one or two cases texts have been included of books which are available in the official Apocrypha; but in every such case reasons exist for putting forth these texts in a new translation, with an Introduction, in this series.

W. O. E. Oesterley.

G. H. Box.