2 Enoch 49
2 Enoch 49
Section: Instructions to Sons
Translated by W.R. Morfill, ed. R.H. Charles (1896)
Euoch instructs his Sons not to swear either by the Heaven or
the Earth ; and shows the Promise of God to a Man even in the Womb of his Mother. |
XLIX. 1. For® I swear to you my children °, but I will not swear by a single oath, neither by heaven, nor by earth, nor by any other creature which God made. God” said: ‘There
1 And the books will he more profitable to them than all good food
on earth, Suk. A adds or earthly advantage. 3 And it shall result to them if they have no thought of God nor fear him, and if they, A.
cling to them.
books, A. 5 Sok. om. XLIX. © B om. rest of verse.
So Eth. En, lxxxii. 3 ‘this wisdom will please those that eat (thereof) better than good food.’ Cf. xlvii. 2 (note). 8. Those who… will not receive them … the terrible judgement shall await them. The punishment denounced against those who refuse the disclosures of this book is more severe than anything to be found in the Eth. En. For a perfect parallel we must go to Rev. xxii. 18, 19. 9. The appeal for reception is far wider in this book than in the Eth. En. There only ‘the elect of righteousness,’ ‘the righteous and the wise,’ ‘those who understand,’ receive the revelations of Enoch: cf. lxxxii. 3; xcili. 10; civ. 12. Bears their yoke, cf. XXXIV. 1.
XLIX. 1. Swear… neither by heaven, &c. From this passage and
2 Sok. adds And let them
- Do not receive the
7 For the Lord, Sok.
from Philo it is clear that Mt. v. 34- 35 was a Jewish commonplace. For in Philo de Special. Leg. ii. 1 we find: 6 yap Tov orovéaiov, Pyai, Ad-yos SpKos tora BéBatos, dkrwhs, ayeviéoraros, épnpeopevos dAnfeia .. . eiwact yap dvapbeyédpevor tocotroy pdvoy ‘v7 Tov,’ ‘pa Tov,’ pndtv wapadaBerres, éugace: ris drokonys, tpavolv Sproy ob yevdpevoy, *AAAG kal mapadaBérw tis, el BoddAoiro, ph) phy Td dvwraro wai mpecBitarov cbOis airiov, ddAAd yiiv, WAwov, dorépas, obpavdy, ror cipravra Kugpov: De decem Orac. 17 KadAXortov 5} cal Biwpedéorarov wat dppdrrov AoyKH pdoe rd dvwpo- Tov, otas dAnbeder ed éxdarov ded:8ay evn, dis rads Adyous Spkous eivar vouiterOa. Cp. also Leg. All. ili. 72; De Sac. Abelis et Caini, 28; De Plant. Noe ig; Quod Omnis Pro- bus Liber, 12. It was Mr. Conybeare
66 The Book of the Secrets of Enoch.
is no swearing in me, nor injustice, but truth. If there is no truth in men, let them swear by a word, yea, yea, or nay, nay. 2. * But I swear to you, yea, yea, that * there has not been even a man in his mother’s womb, for whom a place has not been prepared for every soul”; * and a measure is fixed how long a man shall be tried in this world®?. *O! my children, be not deceived! * there is a place prepared there for every soul of man +.