The Books of Enoch - Zion

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rewcox
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The Books of Enoch - Zion

Post by rewcox »

The quote below is from Approaching Zion, Hugh Nibley. Would any of you have links to electronic versions of the books or comments to share?
In all of this, the early Christians conscientiously followed the ancient order of Enoch. The order was constantly on their lips. And it, in turn, went back to the order of Adam. (We find many references to these things now that we didn't even know twenty years ago. The only person who knew was Joseph Smith.) The order was not invented by the apostles; the Dead Sea Scrolls show us that. The sectaries of the desert—the people out in the desert trying to live the old law of Israel—always followed these rules and always identified themselves with the order of Zion or Enoch (see Moses 7:18).13 (Joseph Smith is called Enoch [D&C 78:1].14) The pious sectaries of the desert thought of themselves as living after the order of Enoch. The Old Testament tells us little about Enoch, just four verses in Genesis (Genesis 5:21-24). But the Apocrypha tell us a great deal, and especially the books of Enoch, which were always a part of the scripture until the fourth century, when they were thrown out. Now we know they were the most sacred parts, esteemed as number one by both the Christians and the Jews.15 The doctors of the Christian Jews didn't like them at all and couldn't get rid of them fast enough. The new apocryphal writings tell us a great deal about Enoch, but it's Joseph Smith who tells us most of all.

With the loss of the temple in A.D. 70, an entirely new social and economic order was imposed on Judah—the doctors went to Jamnia and founded the academy, the beginning of rabbinical Judaism—rabbinical halakhic normative Judaism. It was violently opposed to the older order, of which Enoch is the idealized leader, and which goes by the code name of Zion. The Jewish doctors were as zealous as the Christians in getting rid of every trace of this tradition. So the Enoch literature disappeared, and the relevant passages were deleted from the Bible.16 We find now that Enoch is quoted at least 128 times in the New Testament and also by the Church Fathers, who never realized it was Enoch they were quoting;17 and you find in the Book of Mormon some beautiful quotations from the old, lost book of Enoch.18

deep water
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Re: The Books of Enoch - Zion

Post by deep water »

Rewcox; I was once privileged to have a middle of the day, open vision of the mechanics of Zion. I had studied Zion as a concept for several years. I just could not see how the concept given in the scriptures would ever work here and now. Then one Sunday afternoon as I sat at the kitchen table once again looking through writings about Zion. The lord opened my mind. I was able to look upon my rich neighbor and the love that is Zion, was given to me to fill for him, (He was latter my bishop, and told me that I was the devil) and him for me. Then I looked upon another rich neighbor and the same love was expressed between us. This love that is Zion, is a love far beyond what I have ever experienced hear on earth as a married man having raised 5 Children. For weeks after the vision closed, I would set in meditation to try to fill of the wonder again. All Zion is, is living the first and second commandments. Jesus showed us the love of Zion when he said upon the cross, "forgive them, for they know not what they do". Only God can give this degree of love to us. We live so far below the Gospel that is available to us. So far below, that we have chosen Babylon and the secret combinations rule over us. We have just not felt the wrath of that living yet. You can do all the works the Church bids us to do and never live the Gospel of God. Living the first and second commandment to the best of our ability, will be living the Gospel, Father would have us live.

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Gad
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Re: The Books of Enoch - Zion

Post by Gad »

Seems to me Zion is an emergent property that arises when you have a critical mass of the pure in heart gathered.

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rewcox
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Re: The Books of Enoch - Zion

Post by rewcox »

A link to electronic version: http://book-ofenoch.com/
What is the Book of Enoch?
The Book of Enoch is considered to have been written by Enoch, the seventh from Adam. It is considered an apocryphal book as well as a part of the Pseudepigrapha (literally means “falsely ascribed” is a collection of works supposedly written by a biblical character), although it is not a part of the canonical Apocrypha.

Once considered to be of Christian origin because of its obvious references to Christ, ten fragments of The Book of Enoch have been found at Qumran in the Dead Sea Scrolls, it is known to have existed in its present form since at least the 2nd Century BC.

The book was believed to have been composed by Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah. Most critics and scholars believe it was begun in the second century BC and was a collection of works that includes writings for the first century BC as well. Some believe it contains the actual words of Enoch and that it was handed down through the ages. There is no real way to know for certain if that is so. The only thing we know for certain is that fragments of the book date back to the 2nd century BC.

It is generally believed that the Apostles and the writers of the New Testament were fully aware of the Book of Enoch also called 1 Enoch. In fact, it is directly quoted in the Bible:

Jude 1:14-15 “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, {15} To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him”

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Niemand
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Re: The Books of Enoch - Zion

Post by Niemand »

Enoch is still in the Ethiopian (?and Coptic?) Bible.

I suspect the two main reasons it was cut out were its length and also that it might encourage people to contact angels.

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