http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Enoch
http://www.yourgoingtohell.com/enoch.html
http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/e/enoch_book_of_history.html
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/boe/index.htm
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01602a.htm
http://www.alienresistance.org/book_of_enoch.htm
http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/living/13797220.htm
Book of Enoch is a juicy story about evil
Q. I saw a TV program that mentioned a lost book of the Bible called
"Enoch." I sent away for the lost books of the Bible, and it wasn't
among them. It's supposed to be about life on Earth before the Flood.
-- Robert Rainbolt of Fairview Heights
A. If you want to get the tongues of biblical conspiracy theorists
wagging, just mention the Book of Enoch. In no time, you'll get a juicy
story that makes Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" look almost tame by
comparison.
Many allege that early Christians purposely suppressed this book for
centuries because of its revelations into the origins of good and evil.
Some even say it explains why reports of modern alien abductions and
such suicidal cults as the Branch Davidians and Heaven's Gate got so
much media attention.
Of course, most others probably would say this is all nonsense; I'll
let you decide. In any case, here's a brief introduction:
The book in question supposedly offers the revelations of Enoch, the
father of Methuselah and the great-grandfather of Noah. Just as
important, he was of the seventh generation of mankind, and you're
probably aware how magical the number seven is in the Bible.
As a result, some scholars say the book was once cherished by Jews and
Christians alike, alleging that even Christ himself used concepts from
it in his teachings. They point to Genesis 5:24 ("And Enoch walked with
God ... ") as proof he was favored.
But here's where the book ran into trouble, some say: Much of Enoch
talks about how evil filled the world when fallen angels abducted and
mated with human women, leading to the "giants on the earth" (the
Nephilim) as described in Genesis 6.
Conspiracy theorists allege that the thought of angels mating with
humans eventually appalled religious leaders, and they tried
desperately to destroy every trace of the book. Because of that, the
spirits of the dead Nephilim continue to haunt the Earth, and, without
reading Enoch, mankind lacks the knowledge to resist them. At least one
Web site (www.alienresistance.org) even drew parallels to "The X-Files"
plot line.
Of course, mainstream religious leaders will tell you that while it may
be an interesting piece of literature, the Book of Enoch was left out
of the Bible because it was not divinely inspired. Either way, the book
was pretty much forgotten until 1773, when Scottish explorer James
Bruce discovered the book in Ethiopia, where it apparently is revered
in the Ethiopic church. Copies also turned up among the Dead Sea
Scrolls in the 1940s.
You should have no problem finding a copy. It's all over the Internet;
just tell Google to search for the Book of Enoch. Or, head to Borders;
they have a number of translations and histories, including those by
R.H. Charles, Richard Laurence and Indus Khamit Cush.
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