2 Enoch 23 - The Secrets Written in 360 Books
2 Enoch 23
Section: Heavenly Journey (Ten Heavens)
Translated by W.R. Morfill, ed. R.H. Charles (1896)
Of the Writing of Enoch how he wrote about his wonderful Goings ant the heavenly Visions, and he himself wrote 366 Books
XXIII. 1. And he told me all the works of *the heaven and * the earth and the sea, * and their goings and comings >, *the noise of the thunder; the sun and moon and the movement of the stars; their changings; the seasons and years; days and hours®; and’ goings of the winds; and the numbers of the angels; *the songs of the armed hosts §. 2. And everything relating to man, and every language of their songs, and the lives of men, and the precepts ° and instructions, and sweet-voiced singings, and all whieh it is suitable to be instructed in. 3. * And Vretil instructed me thirty days and thirty nights, and his lips never ceased speaking ; and I did not cease thirty days and thirty nights writing allthe remarks’®. 4. And Vretil?! said to me: ‘ All the things which I have told thee, thou hast written down. Sit} down and * write all about}? the souls
1 And take a reed for speedy writing and give it to Enoch, A Sok. 7 A om. 3 And show him the books wonderful and fragrant with myrrh from thy hand, A; Sok. agrees with text, save that he adds wonderful before books, aud adds for speedy writing after reed.
XXIII, * Bom. 5 The movements of all the elements, B; A om. 6 The living things and the seasons of the year, and the course of his days and their changings, and the teaching of the commandments, B ; Sok. supports text, save that for movement of the etars he reads stars and their goings. After hours Sok. adds and the eoming forth of the clouds. 7 B omits from and goings to en of ver. 2. 8 The fashion of their songs, A. ° Narratives, A. ™ A om.; Sok. supports text, but that for remarke he reads marks of every creature. After creature Sok. adds and when I had finished the thirty days and nighte. 4 Pravuil, A; Vrevoil, Sok. So a’so in previous verse. #22 Lo! what things I have instructed thee in and what thou hast written: and now sit, Sok. #3 Write down all, Sok.
XXIII. 1. This verse would not tial Physics in Eth. En, Ixxii-lxxxii. unsuitably describe the Book of Celes- Songs of the armed hosts: see xvii.
30
Lhe Book of the Secrets of Enoch.
of men, those of them which are not born, and the places
prepared for them for ever.
eternally! before the foundation of the world.’
- For every soul was created
- And
I * wrote all out continuously? during thirty days and thirty nights, *and I copied all out accurately, and I wrote
366 books °.
1 For eternity, Sok. written 360 books, B.
~
- Every soul was created… before the foundation of the world. The Platonic doctrine of the pre-existence of the soul is here taught. We find that it had already made its way into Jewish thought in Egypt; cf. Wisdom of Solomon, viii. 19, 20 mais 6¢ Huny edputs, y- Xijs Te EXaxov dyabijs, uGAAov Be dya- ds av FAO cis c@pya duiayrov, This doctrine was accepted and further de- veloped by Philo. According to him the whole atmosphero is filled with souls. Among these, those who are nearer the earth and are attracted by the body descend into mortal bodies (rovrey stay woxyav al wey KaTiaow évdeOnodpevae owpact Ovyrois, boat mpooyedrara Kai gidocwpara, De Somn. i. 22). When they have en- tered the body they ure swept off by it as by a river and swallowed up in its eddies (€cetva: 5¢ Gomep els ToTApOr 70 o@pa KaraBdoa Tore pev bad avp- pot divns Biatoratys apracbetoa xare- néOncav, De Gigant. 3). Only a few escape by chedience to a spiritual philosophy and come to share in the incorporeal and imperishable life that is with Ged (De Gigant. 3). But there were other souls, called demons in philosophy and angels in Scripture, who dwelling in the higher parts were never entangled by love of the earthly (undevds pey ry wepiyetow tore dpex- Oeiom 76 rapdnay, De Somn. i. 22),and
2 Sat, Sok.
3 And so I ceased and I had
who reported the commands of the Father to the children, and the needs of the children to the Father (ras rot natpos émiedevoes Tots éxydvars Kat Tas tay éxydvwv ypelas Ta Tarpl diaryyéAAovar, De Somn. i..22; cf. De Gigant. 4). This doctrine of the preexistence of the soul was according to Josephus, Bell. Jud. ii. 8. 11, held by the Essenes: xal yap éppwrat nap’ abrots 75 4 Sdga, papra pev eivar Ta oapara kat Thy tAny ob pdvepoy abrots, ras 5@ Yuxas dbavdrous dei diapéverr, kat gupmAéxecOar pev, ex Tov AewroTd- Tov porwoas aidépos, wanep eipxtats rois odpacw tuyyi rim guoiky Kara- onmopévas, éwerday 5é dveO@or ray cara, cépka Secpav, ola o) paxpas SovAcias danddaypévas, Tore xalpeyv cal perew- pous pépecOar, It became a prevailing dogma in later Judaism. All souls which were to enter human hodies existed hefore the creation of the world in the Garden of Eden (Tan- chuma, Pikkude 3) or in the seventh heaven (Chagig 12”) or in a certain chamber (“yyx) (Sifre 143”) whence God called them forth te enter human bodies. These souls were conceived of as actually living beings. Accord- ing to Bereshith rabba c. 8, God takes counsel with the souls of the righteous before He creates the earth (cf. Weber, pp. 204, 205, 217-220). See xxx. 16 (note).
Chapters XXITI, 5—XXIV. 5. 31
[ Of the great Secrets of God, which God revealed and told to