City of Enoch where is it? Enoch (son of Cain). In early Christianity

Enoch

Circumstances of birth

The Bible only says that Cain “knew his wife”; her name is not mentioned (in Byron’s mystery “Cain” the main character’s wife is called Ada, but this name was borrowed by the poet from the wife of Lamech).

Foundation of the city

Filaret believes that the city was simply a fenced village and was founded much later than the birth of Enoch (when Cain’s offspring had multiplied sufficiently). The reason for the founding of the city, according to the Metropolitan, was Cain's fear of wild animals and murderers.

Chrysostom notes that naming the city after his son was a substitute for the immortality lost in paradise and was only a “monument of sins.”

Filaret notes that Cain did not want to give the city his name because of its reputation tarnished by fratricide.

Later life and offspring

Little is known about the further life of the “first townsman”; his wife's name is not found in the Bible. His son is called Gaidad in Greek and Slavic lists, but Lopukhin suggests the reading "Irad", which he interprets as "city".

In art

• Enoch is mentioned in Victor Hugo's poem "Conscience" ( La Conscience, 1859):

Enoch said: "He should be a fence for the tower,
So scary that no one can get close to her.
Let's build a city with a fortress,
Let's build a city and we will be covered."

Original text(French)

Henoch dit:--Il faut faire une enceinte de tours
Si terrible, que rien ne puisse approcher d'elle.
Batissons une ville avec sa citadelle.
Batissons une ville, et nous la fermerons.--

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Notes

Passage characterizing Enoch (son of Cain)

The only thing I saw in front of me was a luminous ball (as I now understand, it was the Earth). And inside it, a bright “egg” glowed with green fire. Then it began to grow and change, becoming brighter and more transparent. Hundreds of green “bridges” stretched from it in all directions, and at the end of each of them there was a “different” Earth... I don’t know how this can be explained differently, but this really was our Earth, only each of them looked completely different, as if she was in another time or dimension...
I didn’t understand what it was, but I absolutely knew that I had to remember it. And I tried as hard as I could. Suddenly everything disappeared, and I again found myself inside the same huge pyramid and saw all my shining “friends”. There were twelve of them again, and just like the very first time, they stood in a circle, and I stood inside. Only this time, in addition to the warmth emanating from them, I also felt a strange deep sadness. And I realized that they came to say goodbye...
To my great surprise, I took it very calmly, as if I knew that this would not last forever. They came up one at a time and put their right hand on my chest, which made me feel unusually warm and calm. Each touch left a different glowing color on me, and in the end my body glowed with twelve amazingly bright, changing colors. I again heard strange music inside me, and everything disappeared... I didn’t remember anything else.

With dual feelings, both loss and happiness, I quietly returned home. And here a big surprise awaited me. My mother, half-fainting, was waiting for me in my room. The world turned upside down, and in quiet horror I fell from my “sparkling dreams” into a ruthless reality... I couldn’t lie. But I absolutely didn’t know what to say. And I also felt that my mother knew very well that this something, again, was somehow connected with my “strange talents,” a conversation about which neither she nor I, unfortunately, could avoid...

To my great relief, she didn't say anything that night. Perhaps she didn’t even know what to say. But the next morning the windows in my room were securely boarded up. Mom did not return to this incident for another two weeks, as if giving me time to comprehend “what she had done.” But this, of course, didn’t make it any easier for me. Dad was on a business trip at the time and I hoped with all my heart that maybe it would somehow “get over me” and everything would be forgotten before his arrival. But that was not the case... One fine morning, before leaving for work, my mother said that she wanted to talk to me. Well, naturally, there was no big secret for me - what...
Mom was, as always, affectionate and warm, but I felt with all my gut that this whole story was oppressing her and that she really didn’t know where to start. We talked for a very long time. I tried as best I could to explain to her how much all this meant to me and how scary it would be for me to lose it all... But it seems that this time I really scared her and my mother said that if I don’t want her to tell all this to her father when he returns home from a business trip, I have to promise that this will never happen again.
She did not understand that all these strange, wild “surprises” of mine do not at all happen according to my wishes and that I almost never know when one or the other will happen.... But, since my father’s opinion meant more to me than anything else, I I made a promise to my mother that I would not do anything like that, as far as of course it would depend on me. We decided on this.

Honestly, like all normal children, I went to school, did my homework, played with my “ordinary” friends... and immensely missed others, my extraordinary, sparkling “star friends”. School, unfortunately, also had its difficulties for me. I started going at the age of six, because during the test it turned out that I could go to grades 3-4, which, naturally, no one liked. My school friends thought that everything was too easy for me, and their mothers simply disliked me for some reason. And it turned out that at school I also spent almost all the time alone.
I had only one real school friend, a girl with whom we sat at the same desk for all twelve school years. But for some reason, relations with the other children did not improve. And not because I didn’t want it or because I didn’t try - on the contrary. I just always had a very strange feeling, as if we all lived at different poles... I almost never did my homework, or rather, I did, but it only took me a few minutes. My parents, of course, always checked everything, but since usually no mistakes were found, I had a lot of free time. I went to a music school (I learned to play the piano and sing), did drawing, embroidered, and read a lot. But still, I always had plenty of free time.

The following is known from the Bible about Enoch, the seventh descendant of Adam: Enoch lived sixty-five years and gave birth to Methuselah. And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.

And Enoch walked with God; and he was no more, because God took him. Gen 5:21-24. This “took” gave rise to comments claiming that Enoch (like the prophet Elijah after him) was taken to heaven alive, either for exceptional righteousness, or for some other reason.

In the photo: The Book of Enoch has reached us in the form of such fragments

The Book of Enoch is one of the so-called pseudepigrapha. It was written in the 1st century. BC. on behalf of the Old Testament Patriarch Enoch. Written by an unknown author (or authors), the Book of Enoch tells of Enoch's journey to heaven, where he observed the uprising of the Sons of God, pictures of the coming end of the world, comprehended celestial mechanics and the future of the sons of Israel and many other hidden things. His visions and prophecies make up this book.

The main part of the Book of Enoch, which is extremely unusual for a religious text, is devoted to the description of natural and technical phenomena. Simply put, the reader's attention is unable to follow the abundance of details and details with which Enoch amazes.

At times it seems as if the central character of the book is occasionally confronted by someone who, although sent by God or the angels, shows no interest in religious instruction. Perhaps this just indicates the true nature of heavenly creatures?..

The very details that Enoch gives in such abundance, describing his heavenly journey or, if you like, ascension, are of great interest to us today. Enoch gives instructions regarding the classification of types of stars, distinguishes between orbital stations and shuttle ships, and, finally, describes the appearance and technical devices of the angels of God. And we are more and more fascinated by the powerful figure of Enoch, who, having more than modest knowledge of his time, managed to withstand such a powerful confrontation.

“...and the vision appeared to me in this way: behold, the clouds called me in the vision, and the cloud called me; the movement of stars and lightning drove and attracted me; and the winds in the vision gave me wings and drove me.

Based on the specific observations described here, we have no reason to doubt the reality of what happened. The sight that Enoch writes about is commonly called a “vision” in theology. To our modern eyes, this chapter tells us that Enoch, in the face of such an incredible vision, was on the verge of doubt. How can he understand God, who - as we will soon see - is at home in heaven?

Was he really just seeing a vision? Let's take a closer look at its description:

“They took me up into heaven, and I approached one wall, which was made of crystal stones and surrounded by fiery flames; and she began to frighten me."

This wall of crystal stones, made of crystal or some shiny material (metal), is described in almost the same terms by Moses, and by Ezekiel, and in the Revelation of John the Theologian
.
Based on the unambiguous interpretation of the description in the book of the prophet Ezekiel, former NASA lead engineer Joseph Blamrich created a reconstruction of the unique aircraft. Here we can recall the third argument in favor of paleocontact: the Blamrich reconstruction is one of them. And now let us again give the floor to Enoch:

“...and I entered into the fiery flames, and approached the great house, which was built of crystal stones; The walls of this house were like a floor made of crystal stones, and its soil was crystal.

Its roof was like a path of stars and lightning with fiery cherubs [angel-like creatures or mechanisms that resembled living people] between it [the roof] and the waterway.”

Here the eyewitness again resorts to similes in his comparisons. “Water” is, quite possibly, a roof made of some light blue, transparent material through which you can admire the Universe.

Fantasy truly knows no bounds. And we have the right to see in any “house” a certain cosmic body or aircraft that is able to lift Enoch and his retinue - alien astronauts - to heaven. What else, besides such an aircraft, could be meant here?

Description of the orbital space station.

“A flaming fire surrounded the walls of the house, and its door was burning with fire.And I entered that house, which was hot as fire and cold as ice; there was no joy or life in it - fear covered me and trembling overwhelmed me.And because I was shaken and trembling, I fell on my face; and I saw in a vision.

And behold, there was another house, larger than that; . all its gates stood open before me, and it was built of fiery flames.And it was like that in everything. exceedingly abundant: in glory, in splendor and greatness, that I cannot give you a description of its greatness and its glory.

The ground of the house was fire, and on top of it was lightning and the path of the stars, and even its roof was blazing fire.
And I looked and saw in him a sublime figure; and his appearance was like frost, and around him there was, as it were, a shining sun and cherubic voices.

And rivers of blazing fire came out from under the throne, so that it was impossible to look at it.
And He who was great in glory sat on him; His clothing was brighter than the sun itself and whiter than pure snow.
Neither an angel could enter here, nor a mortal behold the sight of the face of the Most Glorious and Majestic.

A flame of blazing fire was around Him, and a great fire was before Him, and none of those who were around him could approach Him: darkness was before Him, but He did not need holy counsel...
Then the Lord called me with His own lips and said to me: “Come, Enoch, here and to My holy word!”
And He commanded me to rise and approach the gate, but I lowered my face.”

Why don't you like a description of the ascension or, if you like, the heavenly journey of Enoch? After all, it is quite natural to see in this description how the biblical patriarch moved from the shuttle ship on which he took off from Earth into orbit, to “another, bigger house,” that is, a large orbital station where the command center of the expedition was located. Doors or passageways opened to greet the arrivals. Access to some compartments was closed. Here's another passage:

“And they [the angels] took me to a place where there were figures like blazing fire, and when they wanted to, they seemed like people.

And they led me to the place of the storm and to a certain mountain, the end of the top of which reached the sky...
And they brought me to the so-called water... And I saw all the great rivers, and came to great darkness... And I saw the mouth of all the rivers of the earth and the mouth of the abyss.And I saw the storehouse of all the winds... and I saw the foundation of the earth."

The next excursion into the field of natural philosophy takes Enoch to almost all corners of our planet, and fiery creatures that outwardly resemble people come into contact with his guides - angels.

(43) “--and I again saw lightning and the stars of heaven, how He called them all separately by name and they listened to Him.

And I saw them weighed with righteous scales according to the measure of their light, according to the vastness of the places and the time of their appearance and circulation; I saw how one lightning gives birth to another, and their conversion according to the number of angels, and how they remain faithful to each other.

And I asked the angel who walked with me and showed me what was hidden: “Who is this?”
And he said to me: “The Lord of spirits showed you their image: these are the names of the righteous who live on earth and believe in the name of the Lord of spirits throughout all eternity.”

And I also saw something else about lightning, how they arise from the stars and become lightning, and cannot hold anything to themselves.”

The classification of star types appears to be universal. No one will argue with the fact that Enoch is talking here about phenomena of a purely physical, material plane.

(57) “...and it happened after this: there again I saw a detachment of chariots in which people were riding, and they walked on the wings of the wind from rising to setting towards noon.And the noise of their chariots was heard, and as soon as this confusion occurred, the holy angels noticed it from heaven; and the pillars of the earth were removed from their places, and it was heard from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens in one day.”

Thus, “raids” of prehistoric UFOs on our Earth occurred quite often in ancient times. Here, the description of the flight direction is of particular interest: in all likelihood, the “chariots” flew along a curve. In this case, we have before us the exact observation of an eyewitness, and not at all the “vision” of a visionary who has fallen into a trance.

(71) “...And after this it happened that my spirit was hidden and taken up into heaven; there I saw the sons of angels, how they walked on a fiery flame; and their garments and their apparel are white, and the light of their faces is like crystal.
And I saw two rivers of fire, and the light of that fire shone like a hyacinth, and I fell on my face before the Lord of spirits...
And the spirit took Enoch into the heaven of heaven, and I saw there, in the middle of that light, something that was made of crystal stones, and between those stones there was a flame of living fire.And my spirit saw how the fire went around that house...”

Enoch visiting the "guardians of heaven"

The descriptions of the various stations Enoch visited are almost identical. This is another indirect evidence of the truth of the evidence. The prophet Ezekiel also talks about his space flights many times. He, too, with an interval of several years, sees the same or almost identical aircraft in front of him. Could the visions really coincide with each other down to the smallest details?

Enoch, whose very name means “wise”, “insightful”, may well have served as a kind of chosen “object for experiment” for the “advanced” aliens. Enoch's contemporaries had no idea about these events, for in chapter 12 of the Book of Enoch it is said:

(12) “...And before all this happened, Enoch was hidden, and none of the people knew where he was hidden, and where he was, and what became of him.And all his activities during earthly life were with the saints and with the guards.”

Enoch was with the “guardians of heaven,” as he himself described in his book:

(75) “...I saw twelve gates in heaven at the ends of the earth, from which the sun, moon and stars and all the works of heaven come out in the east and in the west.And there are many window openings to the right and to the left of them, and each window throws out heat in its time, corresponding to those gates from which the stars come out according to the commandment that He gave them, and into which they enter, corresponding to their number.And I saw chariots in the sky, how they rushed through the world - above and below from those gates - in which the never-setting stars turn.And one of them is greater than all of them, and it runs through the whole world...”

What is this? Earliest extant description of a mothership or orbital station? The book, or rather the books of Enoch, provide very interesting details for specialists in astromythology. associated with the Flood and the story of the forefather Noah. Therefore, it should not be surprising that when reading this topic broadly, fragments of the Flood epic emerge in the Book of Enoch.

The story of Lamech leads to equally serious reflections. Enoch presents his narrative in a single flow, so we will try not to make any cuts in it.

(106) “...And after some time my son Methuselah took a wife for his son Interference, and she conceived by him and gave birth to a son.
His body was white as snow and red as a rose, and his head and crown hair were like a wave or a fleece, and his eyes were beautiful, and when he opened his eyes they illuminated the whole house like the sun, so that the whole house became unusually bright.And as soon as he was taken from the hands of the midwife, he opened his mouth and began to speak to the Lord of righteousness.

And his father Interference was afraid of this, and withdrew and came to his father Methuselah.And he said to him: “I have given birth to an extraordinary son; he is not like a man, but looks like the children of heavenly angels, for he was born differently than we are: his eyes are like the rays of the sun and his face is brilliant.And it seems to me that he comes not from me, but from the angels; and I am afraid that in his days a miracle might happen on earth.And now, my father, I am here with a persistent request to you that you go to our father Enoch and find out the truth from him, for he has his dwelling near the angels...”

Genetic compatibility

Here the question naturally arises about the possibility of carnal copulation of gods and angels with mortal people. What is this? Self-evident nonsense, from which the entire harmonious edifice of astromythology, one of the directions in the search for paleocontact, is ready to collapse?

However, a simple logical analysis, almost an intellectual game, makes this “improbability” quite probable and even real, because without normal sexual relations between aliens and earthlings, no offspring could be born. The point is that the likelihood is that:

1) the body structure of both will be similar;
2) the location of the corresponding genitalia of aliens and their earthly partners will be close; and finally
3) the number and type of chromosomes will be identical.

However, this (largely apparent) obstacle can be REMOVED:

A) through artificial genetic manipulation; or
b) as a result of the emergence of a situation where both races of space inhabitants come from a common root and evolution has not yet had time to separate them too far from each other.

Both of these possibilities could well have been realized on Earth during the activities of astronauts. Artificial genetic manipulation? Why not? Such manipulations do not necessarily require the creation of new life forms and the emergence of the notorious mutants. Another, even more interesting aspect can be noted. We are talking about the programmed development of the mind, carried out at certain intervals.

The moment in time from which the higher mind begins to consider humanity as intelligent and highly civilized beings can be placed within a fairly broad framework. This moment, quite possibly, is the point in time at which the return of cosmic intelligence carriers should occur. Another aspect that should be taken into account is the meaning of sexual relations between gods and people.

Everything that is said directly and bluntly, without sparing color, about sexual intercourse usually comes from whether the partners are suitable for each other anatomically and genetically. And since the probability of a random biological coincidence, as we already know, is zero, all that remains is the possibility of distant kinship, so to speak, “cosmic ties of kinship.”

At the very beginning, we already mentioned the settlement of intelligent beings in space. Each of the worlds that was able to do this certainly sent expeditions to the Universe, without waiting for the return of its envoys. The goal of such expeditions was not always a thorough study of any specific planet and subsequent return to their home planet.

Considering the problems of space and time that such a strategy would certainly face, it is quite clear that the results of such a grandiose research project upon returning to their home planet would have long ago turned out to be outdated and irrelevant. And this made the very idea of ​​space flight—the expansion and dissemination of knowledge—far from sufficient.

Such a desire to expand knowledge through contacts with other civilizations is quite understandable. No culture represented by thinking beings will calm down even after exploring its home planet up and down, as they say, to the last atom. The next goal of research should naturally and inevitably be space.

This goal is quite probable, because it occupies even us earthlings, although we have not yet solved all the problems of a planetary order. The only true and at the same time logical consequence of the corresponding strategy would be the creation of some kind of permanent settlements of neighbors in the galaxy.

Each of these worlds could build its own civilization and, based on it, come into contact with its neighbors. Subsequently, on the basis of such contact, a certain closeness and mutual understanding could develop, for the parties could come to the realization that they are the offspring of the same cosmic ancestral race.

We often talk about so-called “humanoids” or “human-like” creatures, and we find support for our definitions in the same mythology. The books of Enoch convincingly demonstrate to us an example of the observation skills of our ancestors.

(87) “...And I again raised my eyes to heaven and saw in a vision: and there came out of the sky those who looked like white people; One and three people came out of that place.And the three who came out after took me by the hand and lifted me up from the family of the earth, and carried me up to a high place, and showed me a tower standing high above the earth, and all the hills were below it...”

In such images and hallucinatory pictures it is pointless to try to find an accurate description. However, our hypothesis about “human-likeness” is well correlated with the fact that Enoch (and other contactees of antiquity) did not identify strangers with people, but only compared them with a person. And this is natural: gods, angels, guardians of heaven and other celestial beings were different in nature from our ancestors.

These creatures, seated in the chariots and flying vehicles of the gods, their clothes, which perhaps hid their faces, their weapons, completely incomprehensible to the people of that time, and not least the very nature of their appearance made a powerful impression on the people of the distant past, who stood much further lower stage of cultural development.

Sons of God on Earth

Along with the question of how communication between earthlings and aliens was possible, the long "Lamech" passage from the Book of Enoch poses another interesting question. There, among other things, it talks about the conflict between the “gods”, and, in particular, it says that “some of the angels of heaven have transgressed the word of God.”

These discords in the ranks of the celestials further strengthen the belief that we are actually talking about “humanoid” creatures. If in a highly developed human society of the distant future feelings and emotions change or even die out altogether, it is likely that differences of opinion on controversial issues will remain valid. Unfortunately, the canonical Bible says very sparingly about such a perspective of events (Genesis 6:2)1, in contrast to the “secret” apocryphal Book of Enoch.

(6) “...And it happened that after the sons of men multiplied in those days, beautiful and lovely daughters were born to them.
And the angels, the sons of heaven, saw them, and desired them, and said to each other: “Let us choose wives for ourselves from among the sons of men and give birth to children!”And Semyaza, their leader, said to them: “I am afraid that you will not want to carry out this matter and then I alone will have to atone for this great sin.”

Then they all answered him and said: “We will all swear an oath and pledge ourselves to each other not to abandon this intention, but to carry it out.”Then they all swore together and pledged themselves to each other with spells: there were only two hundred of them.”

This seemingly minor violation of the “law” by the angels mentioned in the tradition had the most dramatic consequences. The discipline among the “sons of heaven,” established by the order of the Almighty, was shaken. In other mythologies and legends (especially in Indian epics), we very often talk about, one might say, continuous wars of “gods” with each other.

According to the main content of these texts - the subjective interpretations of the original author of the legends can be omitted - these magnificent conflicts unfolded between "gods", both equal and unequal to each other. And people, naturally, transferred these events to themselves, to the human plane, believing that the cause of this catastrophe was their own mistakes and “sins.”

Archeology as a science has long been torn apart by sharp, knife-like contradictions and overflowing with a mass of mysterious finds. Mythology offers the keys to solving these mysteries. In her basic settings, she calmly, as befits, talks about the “divine” origin of people, about the wars of the “gods,” about partly “alien” and partly “humanoid” “gods” and their strange flying machines on which they came to us from the depths of the Universe and gave the people of Earth their names. Let me give just one example from the same Enoch:

(17) “...And they (the angels) took me to one place where there were figures like blazing fire, and when they wanted, they seemed like people.”
(39) “--and at that very time a cloud and a storm carried me away from the earth and brought me to the limits of the sky.”
(52) “...And after those days, in the place where I saw all the visions of what is hidden, I was caught up in a whirlwind of the wind and brought to the west...”

In principle, it should not be surprising that these and other legends are constantly trying to hide, deny, ignore or surround them with a wall of silence. Equally understandable are their interpretations solely in a religious spirit: how could texts of this kind be perceived differently in the past?

The approach to their interpretation used by proponents of modern paleoastronautics would have been unthinkable in earlier times. And only today, after we acquired new, unprecedented technical capabilities and were drawn into the spiral of evolutionary escalation of development, new paths of knowledge opened up for us.

After all, it would be an absolutely hopeless task to try to tell people of the Middle Ages, and even more so of antiquity, about visits to Earth by representatives of alien intelligence and to convince poor earthlings that these mysterious creatures were considered gods solely because of their incredible abilities.

Published based on the book "Legacy of the Gods" by Erich Von Däniken.

In my opinion, the Sumerian ancestors of Adam “descended” from the Zagros plateau to the Susiana plain. However, is it possible to admit that it was Irad, who “descended,” who was the leader who led his people to the lands of pre-Flood Sumeria and gave his name to the first city - Eris? Genesis 4:17 contains an important clue to the mystery of the origin of settlements in the Mesopotamian lowlands.

“And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. And he built a city; and he named the city after the name of his son, Enoch.”

At first glance, this passage seems quite clear: Cain founded a city and named it Enoch. However, we should understand that Bible translations may contain errors and distortions. Therefore, we had better turn to the original Hebrew to see that there is a certain confusion in it regarding the question of who founded what. As Robert Wilson has noted, the subject of the phrase “he built a city” remains completely unclear.

The natural conclusion that follows from this reading of Genesis 4:17 is that Enoch built the city and named it after his son, Irad, and that this city, as Sayce suggested, was the first Sumerian city of Eridu . Indeed, the hypothesis that Enoch, and not Cain, was recognized as the builder of the city, was put forward back in 1883 by the German scientist Karl Buddha. But this reading of this “verse is clearly contradicted by the mention at the very end of the name of Enoch.” However, Wilson also noted that the generally accepted interpretation, which recognizes Cain as the founder of the city, and his son as the prototype of the city’s eponym, creates a number of serious problems.

(a) Subordinate clause wayhi boneh ir (wayhi boneh ir), if one follows the usual rules of syntax observed in the rest of the genealogy (Genesis 4), should refer to Enoch rather than Cain, since the name Enoch immediately precedes the main clause. Thus, the meaning of the phrase “...she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. And he built a city” is completely clear.

(b) Moreover, in Genesis 4:2 Cain is called a plowman of the land (Heb. obed adamah), in other words - a farmer. It does not at all follow that Genesis 4 supposedly ascribes to him a second “profession” - city planner. This would deprive Enoch of his true role in genealogy.

(c) According to Wilson, there is not a single city bearing the eponym Enoch - named after the son of Cain (see below).

Wilson concludes that "it is therefore quite possible that the name Enoch at the end of Genesis 4:17 is a gloss, that is, in other words, an editorial insertion or even a marginalia, which has entered the body of the text (in the wrong place in it). ) much later, when the true meaning of this phrase had already been forgotten. Then the original text should have sounded directly and unambiguously, namely:

“And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. And he [Enoch] built a city; and he called the city by the name of his son Irad.”

This version sounds very convincing and, moreover, is supported by a number of scientists, including William Hallo and Donald Wiseman. However, Wiseman also points out that in this case we are dealing with a linguistic conjuncture. An alternative point of view is that the names of the pre-Flood patriarchs were “invented” on the basis of the oldest Sumerian documents, which mention the first cities on earth. In this case, it turns out that the name Irad arose from the name of the city Uru-du(g), in which Eri and Uru are dialectal pronunciations of the word meaning “city”.

As the reader already knows, I have no problem with scientists willingly using their knowledge combined with their intuition to find new solutions to old problems. In this regard, I would also like to put forward one hypothesis, which claims that the biblical patriarchs of the pre-Flood era were the founders of not one, but two great cities of Ancient Sumeria. I am inclined to agree with those who claim that Eridu was named after Iradus, the man who “came down [from the mountains],” but at the same time it seems very likely to me that the name of Enoch (father of Iradus) is connected with the name of the other largest city of Sumeria, homeland of Enmerkar and Gilgamesh. I mean Uruk

Until now, I deliberately did not tell you what the name of Uruk sounded like in Sumerian. So, it turns out that it was written as Unuk or Unug; it is likely that this is what the original Sumerian version of the name Enoch sounded like! This may also serve as an explanation for the mistake of the scribe who copied the biblical text. He added the name of Enoch at the end of the phrase telling about the builder of the city, precisely because he knew very well that the most powerful city of Ancient Sumer was named after this greatest patriarch of the antediluvian era. On the other hand, it is quite possible that the marginalia "Enoch" (explained above) was the result of an insertion made by the scribe, who for the sake of clarity inserted the name of the city, which he believed to be Unuk. But he may well not have known that Enoch also built the city of Eridu, naming it in honor of his son Irad.

Thus, we can identify in the text of the Bible other names and titles associated with the legendary founders of the cities of Ancient Sumer. The city of Ur, discovered during excavations by Leonard Woolley's expedition, is logographically transcribed in Sumerian as uru Unuki. Subsequently, this name was shortened, or hypocoristicon, becoming the city of Uruk in Akkadian, and then simply Uru/Ur in Semitic/Hebrew. Ur actually means "city", but originally Uru-Unuki meant "City of Unuki", that is, in other words, the city of Enoch.

Moreover, the name of Badtibira, another pre-Flood city of Ancient Sumeria, which was the second (after Eridu) largest political center, in which “royal power” was also “sent down from heaven,” goes back to the name of another biblical patriarch.

The name Badtibir means “Settlement of a metal craftsman (i.e., blacksmith).” If we isolate the Hebrew consonants that determine the root of the word Tubal, we get T-v(b) - l. We remember that the soft consonant “l” can often mean “r”. Having made this replacement, we obtain the original T-b-r, originating from ancient Tibir. By the way, it is curious that the word “Cain” in the name Tubalcain means “blacksmith”. This indicates that this epithet-nickname was inserted for greater clarity by the Hebrew codifier of the Book of Genesis. We have, then, a clue indicating a parallel between Tubal-Cain and the city of Badtibira. Perhaps in this case we are dealing with the eponym “Settlement of Tuval”, which in translation sounded like “city of the blacksmith”.

Enoch [Heb. , Greek ᾿Ενώχ], the name of 2 persons mentioned in the Bible. 1. Son of Cain, father of Irad. The city built by Cain is named after E. (first mentioned in the Bible - Gen. 4. 17-18). 2. Old Testament forefather, descendant Adam And Eve in the 7th generation, son of Jared and father of Methuselah, great-grandfather But I(Genesis 5. 18-24; 1 Chronicles 1. 3). An extensive legendary tradition is associated with his name, which arose in Judaism at the turn of the era and also became widespread in Christianity.

The name E. is etymologically related to West Semite. root - introduce, begin (Reif. 1972). Researchers offer other meanings for the name E.: “founder” - as an indication that the foundation of the 1st city in Gen. 4.17 (Westermann. 1984. P. 327) is associated with his name, or “initiated” - as a reminder of the apocryphal tradition of initiation of E. into the mysteries of the world (VanderKam. 1984).

The Old Testament story about E. is distinguished by its brevity and mystery. His life is significantly shorter (only 365 years) than the life of his ancestors and descendants along the line of Seth; he is pious - “walked... with God” (Genesis 5.22); nothing is said about the death of E., instead it is said: “... and he was not, because God took him” (Gen. 5.24). E.’s pious life, according to researchers, is contrasted with the life of the 7th generation of Cain’s descendants, who were guilty of bloodshed (Gen. 4. 23-24) (Sasson. 1978). In the number of years of E.’s life, interpreters see a symbolic indication of the number of days of the solar year (365 days).

Enochic tradition

As a possible comparative material explaining the prehistory of ideas about E., scientists cited data from the Sumerians. and Akkadian sources about ancient kings and great sages (Grelot. 1958); legends about Ziusudra, the king of the solar city, who escaped during the flood and received the gift of providence from the gods (Kvanvig. 1988. P. 179-180). In addition, the legends about the Mesopotamian king Enmeduranka (Sumerian: Enmenduranna), endowed with features similar to E., are compared with the history of E.: he is the ancestor of all seers, 7th in the list of ancient kings who ruled before the flood (cf. Jude 14); knowledge of astronomy and the art of predicting the future go back to it (VanderKam. 1984. P. 33-52; Lambert. 1967).

In the Book of Wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirach

E. opens and ends the series of heroes and righteous people of the Old Testament: “Enoch pleased the Lord and was taken into heaven, an image of repentance for all generations” (Sir 44.15). Sir 49.16 lists the righteous forefathers: E., Joseph, Shem, Seth, Adam, and about E. it is said: “There was no one created on earth like Enoch, for he was caught up from the earth” (Sir 49 . 14).

In the Book of Wisdom of Solomon

dated to plural modern researchers of the Hellenistic era speak about E., although he is not named (Winston D. The Wisdom of Solomon. Garden City (N.Y.), 1979. P. 139-140), very sublimely: “As one who has pleased God, he is beloved and, as one who lived among sinners, he was reposed, caught up, so that malice did not change his mind, or deceit deceive his soul. For exercise in wickedness darkens what is good, and the excitement of lust corrupts a gentle mind. Having achieved perfection in a short time, he fulfilled long years; for his soul was pleasing to the Lord, and therefore he hastened from the midst of wickedness. But people saw this and did not understand, did not even think that grace and mercy are with His saints and providence for His elect” (Wis 4:10-15). E., thus, stands out especially from among the Old Testament righteous men, of whom we speak in Chapter 10, and becomes an Old Testament example of holiness. Wis 4.20 - 5.8 is an adaptation of 1 Enoch 62-63, and Wis 2.1-4. 9 contains many similarities with 1 Enoch 102. 6-103. 15 and 108. 8-9, 13 (see J. Nickelsberg's commentary on the corresponding verses of 1 Enoch).

In the intertestamental apocrypha

E. appears as a model of the righteous, a scribe, a sage and a seer of secrets, who learned the secrets of creation and the structure of the world, its past and future. Moreover, there is a clear tendency to endow E. with angelic attributes. Finally, astrological and astronomical discoveries are beginning to be associated with the name E. Thus, Pseudo-Eupolemus (probably a Samaritan author of the early 2nd century BC) mentions E. as one of the discoverers of astrology, who passed on to his son Methuselah some knowledge he received from the angels (Euseb. Praep. evang. IX 17. 8-9).

In the intertestamental era, a whole series of texts appeared, inscribed with the name of E., telling about him or containing revelations received by him. All these texts are known in fragments or in later compilations and adaptations: Enoch the first book(or Ethiopian. Book of Enoch), which is a compilation of a number of older texts (Book of the Watchers, Astronomical Book of Enoch, Book of Dreams of Enoch, Epistle of Enoch, Book of Proverbs (Book of Similarities) of Enoch), which have not been preserved separately (known in Aram., Greek. , Copt., Ethiopian versions), and the Book of Giants (or the Manichaean Book of Enoch), fragments of which were discovered at Qumran (Aramic, Greek, Latin, Persian versions are known).

I. Book of Jubilees. There are several adjacent to the Enochic tradition. texts in which E. is mentioned and even his writings are quoted, although on a number of fundamental theological issues they diverge from purely Enochic writings. In particular, the Book of Jubilees, compiled between 168 and 150. BC, is considered one of the first evidence of the use of the writings of E. in the interpretation of the Pentateuch (cf., however, the view of J. van Ruyten, who rejects the theory of its literary dependence on the 1st Book of Enoch on the basis analysis of vocabulary and syntax: Ruiten J. T. A. G. M., van. Primaeval History Interpreted: The Rewriting of Genesis 1-11 in the Book of Jubilees (Leiden; Boston, 2000). We are talking about sections Yub 4. 15-26; 5. 1-12; 7. 20-39; 8. 1-4; 10. 1-17, where E. is essentially compared with the prophet. Moses, acting as his predecessor. According to the Book of Jubilees, E. “was the first of the sons of men born on earth who learned writing, and knowledge, and wisdom; and he wrote the signs of heaven in the order of their months in a book, that the sons of men might know the seasons of the years in the order of their particular months. He, first of all, wrote down the testimony, and gave the sons of men a testimony about the generations of the earth, and explained to them the weeks of jubilees, and announced to them the days of the years, and distributed the months in order, and explained the Sabbath years, as we announced them to him. And what was and what will be, he saw in his dream how this would happen to the sons of the children of men in their generations until the day of judgment. He saw and recognized everything, and wrote it down as a testimony, and laid it down as a testimony on earth for all the sons of the children of men and for their generations” (Jub 4:17-20). It is also reported that he married at the age of 60-64 to Adni, the daughter of Danial, and the birth of his son Methuselah. It further says that he was with the angels of God for 6 jubilees (294 years) and “they showed him everything that is on earth and in heaven, the dominion of the sun; and he wrote down everything” (Jub 4.21-22). E. testified against the guards, and then at the age of 65 he was taken to heaven. The description of his actions in paradise does not correspond to the currently known Enochic texts. Here E. acquires functions that were usually considered angelic: “... he writes down judgment and eternal punishment, and every evil of the sons of the children of men” (Jub 4.23-24; a similar image of E. is found in the 2nd Book of Enoch and in “ Testament of Abraham").

II. Apocrypha book. Genesis, discovered at Qumran, also contains signs of familiarity with the Enochic tradition (the stories of the watchmen and the birth of Noah). Although the narrative has a number of similarities with the Book of Jubilees, it is likely that the authors of these apocrypha used the Enochic tradition independently of each other (Nickelsburg. 2001. P. 76).

III. E. and Qumran texts. On the 4th Qumran. In the cave, a large number of fragments of sections of the 1st Book of Enoch and the associated Book of Giants, dating back to the beginning, were found. II century BC - beginning I century according to R.H. Considering the presence there of the Book of Jubilees and the Apocrypha of the book. Genesis, it becomes obvious that the Enochic tradition was very significant for the community that kept these texts. However, the identification of this community, as well as its relationship to the creators of the Enochic tradition in the present day. time are a controversial issue. Despite the fact that a number of themes of the Enochic tradition, namely: dualistic cosmology, eschatological expectations, criticism of the priesthood and the cult of the Jerusalem Temple - are consonant with the documents of the community (the Charter, the Damascus Document), there are also differences, the main of which is the significant attention to Qumran. manuscripts to the Law of Moses (which is almost not mentioned in the Enochic texts) and the connection of their eschatology with the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets. According to the theory of G. Boccaccini, Qumran. the community is a movement that separated due to disagreement on certain issues (primarily due to the doctrine of the origin of evil and sin) from the Enochic tradition, which was a separate religion. movement (Boccaccini G. Beyond the Essene Hypothesis. Grand Rapids (Mich.), 1998).

IV. “The Testaments of the 12 Patriarchs,” although traditionally considered among intertestamental literature, in the form that has come down to us, represents Christ. work. It may be based on written Jewish texts (since fragments of similar testaments of the Old Testament forefathers were found at Qumran), but the original material has been significantly revised. E.’s writings and he himself are mentioned many times in the “Testaments of the 12 Patriarchs,” but the source of the quotations has not been established. E. is called “Righteous” (Test. XII Patr. III 10. 5; VII 5. 6; XII 9. 1). For example, in the “Testament of Simeon” there is a prophecy by E. about enmity between the descendants of Simeon and Levi (Ibid. II 5.4). In the “Testament of Levi,” on behalf of E., a prophecy is given about the apostasy and impurity of the Jerusalem priesthood (Ibid. III 14. 1; 16. 1). The atrocities of the descendants of Judah, Dan, Naphtali and Benjamin, announced by E., are also spoken of in the corresponding sections of the “Testaments” (Ibid. IV 18. 1; VII 5. 6; VIII 4. 1; XII 9. 1). Finally, E. is mentioned along with Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob among those who will “rise” (that is, rise) in joy at the right hand of God at the end of time (Ibid. XII 10. 6).

E. and rabbinic Judaism

For the rabbinic tradition, the fixation of which began only in the 3rd century. According to R.H., a critical attitude towards the figure of E. is characteristic, who is called a hypocrite (Breshit Rabbah 25.1 on Gen. 5.24), which is apparently associated with the Judeo-Christ. polemics. His “taking up” to heaven is considered simply death (based on Ezek 24:16-18).

In early Christianity

The influence of the Enochic tradition on Christianity is assessed by researchers in different ways. On the one hand, E. is a righteous man who pleased God. Both in the books of the New Testament and in Christ. writers quote his writings. On the other hand, the image of E. occupies a place among the Old Testament forefathers and prophets and is perceived as one of the prototypes of Jesus Christ. At the same time, as a result, the Enochic literature is not recognized as canonical (with the exception of the Ethiopian Church).

The NT says about E. in the Epistle to the Hebrews: “By faith Enoch was translated so that he did not see death; and he was no more, because God had translated him. For before he was carried away he received a testimony that he pleased God” (Heb. 11:5). The Epistle of Jude quotes from 1 Enoch 1.9: “Enoch, the seventh from Adam, also prophesied about them, saying: “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousand of His holy angels to execute judgment on all and to convict all the wicked among them in all their deeds, which their wickedness produced, and in all the cruel words that ungodly sinners spoke against Him” (Jude 14-15). The reference in Jude 6 to “the angels who did not retain their dignity, but left their habitation” is probably a reflection of the legend of the rebellion of the giants described in the Enochic literature.

Several places in NZ associated with the name of the ap. Peter, also contain allusions to the books of E. (the vision of the Apostle Peter in Acts 10 resembles the 2nd dream of E.; in 2 Peter 2.4-5 the same story is mentioned as in Jude 6; in the 1st Epistle St. Peter contains a number of passages consonant with the Epistle of Enoch). In early Christ. Interpretations of words from the Revelation of John the Theologian about two witnesses of the Lord not named by name, who will prophesy at the end of time, the general opinion has become that we are talking about the prophet. Elijah and E.: “And I will give to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth... They have power to shut the heavens, so that there is no rain on the earth in the days of their prophecy... And when they have finished their testimony, the beast coming out of the abyss will fight with them and defeat them and kill them, and leave their corpses in the streets of the great city...” (Rev 11:3, 6-8).

Among the New Testament apocrypha, the books of E. are quoted in the “Apocalypse of Peter” (in the 4th chapter - 1 Enoch 61.5; in the 13th chapter - 1 Enoch 62.15-16; 63.1, 7-9). Moreover, these books stand side by side in Copt. Akhmim manuscript (Codex Panopolitanus, V-VI centuries). The Enochic tradition is contained in a revised form in the Pseudo-Clementines.

Author Barnabas the Apostle Epistle quotes 1st Book of Enoch as St. Scripture (1 Enoch 89.56, 60, 66-67 in Barnaba. Ep. 16.5; 1 Enoch 91.13 in Barnaba. Ep. 16.6), and in Barnaba. Ep. 4. 3 gives a quotation on behalf of E. (“as Enoch says”), the source of which has not been established.

E. also speaks about righteousness. Clement of Rome: “Let us take Enoch, who through his obedience was found righteous, and died, and they did not see his death” (Clem. Rom. Ep. 1 ad Cor. 9. 3). Mch. Justin not only retells the story of the fallen angels (Iust. Martyr. II Apol. 5. 2), but also turns to the image of E. in connection with the controversy about circumcision: “If carnal circumcision were necessary ... He [God] would not please ] Enoch so uncircumcised that he was not found, because God took him” (Idem. Dial. 19. 3). The same aspect in the story about E. is emphasized by schmch. Irenaeus of Lyons: “And Enoch, although he was a man without circumcision, pleased God, fulfilled the embassy of God to the angels and was converted and has been preserved to this day as a witness of the righteous judgment of God; therefore, the angels who sinned fell to earth for condemnation, and the godly man was translated into salvation” (Iren. Adv. haer. IV 16. 2; probably based on the passage - 1 Enoch 12. 4-5; 13. 4-7; 15) . He also points out that E. showed a prototype of the resurrection of the righteous: “... Enoch, who pleased God, was transposed in the body in which he pleased, foretelling the transposition of the righteous” (Iren. Adv. haer. V 5. 1).

Tertullian was one of those who defended the authenticity and inspiration of the "writing of Enoch." In Op. “On female attire” after the story about the fall of the angels (Tertull. De cultu fem. 1. 2), he writes: “I know that the book of Enoch, in which such a future of angels is predicted, is rejected by some on the grounds that it is not included in the Jewish canon. I hope they don’t think that it was written before the flood, and after the global catastrophe it was able to survive. And if they agree with this, then let them remember that Enoch’s great-grandson was Noah, who survived the catastrophe, who, thanks to family tradition, heard about the godliness of his great-grandfather and about all his prophecies, since Enoch instructed his son Methuselah to pass them on to his descendants” (Ibid. 1 .3). And a little further he says that in the same book E. prophesied about the Lord (i.e. about Jesus Christ), and therefore “we should not reject anything that has to do with us” (Ibidem). In his treatise “On Idolatry,” Tertullian writes: “Enoch was the first to announce that all the elements and in general everything that inhabits the world, that is, living in heaven, on earth and in the sea, will be directed to idolatry by demons and the spirits of apostate angels. These forces will try to make sure that instead of God and in defiance of God they surround themselves with service and honor. This is why human delusion reveres anything but the Creator of everything. These images are idols, and the veneration of idols as sacred is idolatry. Whoever commits idolatry must undoubtedly be counted among the creators of this very idol. Therefore, the same Enoch equally threatens those who worship idols and those who make them. Thus he says: I swear to you, sinners, that sorrow is reserved for you on the day of destruction. I warn you, who serve stones, and who make images of gold and silver, as well as wood, stone and clay, who serve ghosts, demons and spirits of the underworld, and who follow error and not teaching, that you will not find help for yourself in them” (Idem. De idololatr 4; quoted 1 Enoch 99. 6-7). And a little further he says this: “From the very beginning, the Holy Spirit foresaw this and, through his most ancient prophet Enoch, announced that doorways would also be the subject of superstition” (Tertull. De idololatr. 15). In his treatise “On the Resurrection of the Flesh,” Tertullian discusses the “taking” of E.: “Enoch and Elijah (they have not yet been resurrected, for they were not given over to death, but were taken away from the earth and therefore are already seeking eternity) learn that their flesh is not subject to any vice, all damage, all injustice and reproach" (Idem. De resurr. 58). In his treatise “On the Soul,” Tertullian writes that E. has yet to die along with the prophet. Elijah, “to weaken the Antichrist with his blood” (Idem. De anima. 50.5).

According to Sschmch. Hippolytus of Rome, E. and prophet. Elijah will be those 2 witness-prophets, about whom it is spoken of in Rev. 11. 3 (Hipp. De Christ et antichrist. 43; cf.: Idem. In Dan. 4. 35; Idem. De consum. mundi. 21, 29 ). Shchmch. Cyprian of Carthage also says that E. deserved resettlement from the world of filth, because he pleased God, and was taken so that wickedness would not change his mind (Cypr. Carth. De mort. 23). St. Ambrose of Milan noted that E. was ascended to heaven by the Holy Spirit (Ambros. Mediol. De Isaac. 8.77).

Alexandrian authors paid attention to the writings associated with the name E.. Clement of Alexandria quotes the 1st Book of Enoch (1 Enoch 19.3 in Clem. Alex. Eclog. proph. 2.1; 1 Enoch 8 in Clem. Alex. Eclog. proph. 53.4), in the Stromata he mentions history fallen angels and the revelations received from them (Idem. Strom. III 59. 2; V 10. 2), and also says: “Soon after the forgiveness of Cain, did not God then reveal Enoch, the son of repentance, on earth, and did he not show those the very fact that repentance gives rise to forgiveness” (Ibid. II 70. 3).

Origen mentions and quotes the writings of E. (Orig. De princip. I 3. 3; IV 4. 8; quotes - 1 Enoch 21. 1 and 19. 3), which he considered authentic and inspired (Orig. Comm. in Ioan. VI 42.217 (quotes 1 Enoch 6.5); Idem. In Num. 28.2). However, in a polemic with Celsus, he wrote that not all Churches recognize the inspired nature of the books of E. (Idem. Contr. Cels. 5. 52-55), and doubts are caused primarily by the fact that they are not included in Heb. canon of the Bible. But, for example, Origen’s contemporary Julius Africanus quoted 1 Enoch 6.1 as St. Scripture in "Chronography", and sschmch. Anatoly of Laodicea relied on the authority of E. in the 5th canon on Easter (Euseb. Hist. eccl. VII 32.19).

Sschmch. Methodius of Patara calls E. “the first lover of truth” along with Seth, Abel, Enos and Noah; all of them are the firstborn mentioned in Heb. 12.23 (Method. Olymp. Conv. decem virg. 7.5). St. Cyril of Jerusalem emphasizes that John the Baptist was superior to E. (Cyr. Hieros. Cathech. 3.6), and the Ascension of the Lord surpasses the “taking” of E. to heaven (Ibid. 14.25). St. Ephraem the Syrian adds that the ascension of E. took place in front of Adam, so that he would not think that E. had been killed, like Abel (Ephraem Syr. In Gen. 5. 2). For St. John Chrysostom's ascension served as proof that the flesh cannot become an obstacle to the achievement of holiness (Ioan. Chrysost. In Ioan. 75). In the “Apostolic Constitutions” (c. 380) E. is one of those through whom God calls people to repentance in every generation (Const. Ap. II 55.1). In prayers, he, along with other Old Testament righteous people, is called a saint glorified by God (Ibid. VII 39. 3) and a priest chosen by Him (Ibid. VIII 5. 4).

The Enochic tradition was to some extent known to Athenagoras, Minucius Felix, Commodianus, Lactantius, St. Epiphanius of Cyprus, Blessed. Jerome, Rufinus, although most likely from secondary sources. Probably in early Christ. era prototypes appeared Enoch 2nd book(or slav. Book of Enoch), Enoch third book(or Heb. Book of Enoch, Hekhalot), History of Enoch and Elijah (Latin), “Apocalypse of Enoch” (Syr.), fragments of Copt. Apocrypha about E. (based on the 1st Book of Enoch; 2 said versions are known), “Visions of the Righteous Enoch” (Armenian).

However, to the end. IV century quoting Enochic literature begins to be perceived as a sign of deviation from Orthodoxy (Enochic texts were actually used by the Manichaeans: for example, in the Cologne Manichaean Codex (Colon. 4780) 1 Enoch 58.7 - 60.12 is quoted (cf. 2 Enoch 1.3 -10)). Yes, darling. Jerome writes that many reject the Epistle of Jude only on the grounds that it quotes the writings of E. (Hieron. De vir. illustr. 4). Blzh. Augustine, analyzing the history of giants, speaks of the apocryphal nature of E.’s books: “Therefore, those distributed under the name of Enoch and containing fables about giants of this kind, as if their fathers were not people, in the fair opinion of reasonable people, should not be attributed to him; for in a similar way, under the name of other prophets, and in later times under the names of the apostles, many things were spread by heretics that, after careful research, were excluded from among the canonical books under the name of apocrypha” (Aug. De civ. Dei. 15.23). However, his position is ambivalent: he believes that since the writings of E. are quoted in the Epistle of Jude, they are inspired (“It cannot be denied, however, that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, wrote something divine” - Ibidem), but were not accepted into the canon : “If their writings have not received authority either from the Jews or from us, the reason for this is extreme antiquity, as a result of which they considered it necessary to treat them with distrust, so as not to mistake the false for the true” (Ibid. 18. 38).

To Byzantium. and sire. traditions, the last to quote the writings of E. were George Sincellus in the beginning. 9th century and Michael the Syrian and George Kedrin in the 12th century.

However, a different attitude towards E. developed in the Ethiopian Church, where the 1st Book of Enoch was included in the canon of the Old Testament and several were compiled. new works about E. (“Another sermon on the birth of Enoch” was included in the “Book of the Secrets of Heaven and Earth”, as well as the unpublished “Visions of Enoch”). E. retained authority in calendar matters. In the 15th century imp. Zara Yacob argued that no one “can calculate the time of Lent, Passover and holidays without Enoch” (CSCO. Vol. 235. Aethiop. T. 43. P. 99. 10-14; CSCO. Vol. 236. Aethiop. T. 44. P. 87. 17-21).

The memory of E.'s taking into heaven is celebrated by the Ethiopian and Coptic Churches on January 23. (27 terra or tobe, respectively) and July 18 (24 hamle or epepa). In some sir. In the month's words, E. is remembered on Tuesday of Bright Week or July 7th. To Byzantium. traditions commemorate E. on the Week of the Forefather (in some monthlies the memory of the antediluvian patriarchs is found on March 1).

Since the 19th century E.'s image and writings began to be especially revered by Mormons (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).

In the Old Believer tradition

E., together with Elijah, acts as a prophet of the imminent coming of the Antichrist. The idea of ​​how the coming of the prophets would be realized - sensual or spiritual - caused controversy among the Old Believers, who were divided into 2 groups. The first, which includes the Crimea, are the followers of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Russian Orthodox Church and partly the DOC, and from the twentieth century. a significant part of the chapels believe that the appearance of prophets is only expected and they will come in the flesh; etc.- bespopovtsy of different agreements (in our time a minority) - they claim that the spiritual arrival has already taken place and the Antichrist has been reigning in the world for a long time.

Starting from the first teachers of the Old Believers, the idea of ​​fulfilling all predictions was affirmed, but there was no unity regarding the prophets. Protopop Habakkuk, calling: “See with the mind of the beast of the chronicle” (Bubnov, Demkova. 1981. P. 150), nevertheless, he believed that the Antichrist had not yet come into the world, and condemned those who “believed that the coming of the prophets Elijah and Enoch to expose the Antichrist will be in spirit, not in flesh” (Smirnov. 1898, p. LIV). The devils agreed with him. Fyodor, priest Lazar and monk Abraham, who also claimed that the prophets would come in the flesh. But Yakov Lepyokhin in Siberia, Ignatius Solovetsky in Pomorie and Kuzma Kosoy on the Don preached, claiming that the mental coming of the prophets would take place and a spiritual Antichrist would appear, answering the pressing questions of changing life and in the future would dominate. Grigory Yakovlev, who lived on Vyga and knew Pomeranian views well, wrote in the middle. XVIII century: “Do not expect Elijah and Enoch (with them and John the Theologian), but understand them spiritually, and not sensually” (Yakovlev. 1888. P. 656). Fedoseev's spiritual teachers tried, through critical reasoning, to show the unreasonableness of the literal understanding, which was most clearly manifested in the work of the book. XVIII century “The most humble petition of Alexei Andreevich Karetnik,” in which he shows that Ilya and E. will not physically be able to preach throughout the entire earth in the 3.5 years allotted to them according to Scripture, so their arrival must be understood allegorically. Founder of Pilgrim Concord Euthymius in his essays “On the Preaching of the Prophets”, “Flower Garden” and “Titin” he wrote that the preaching of the prophets should be understood in the spiritual, and not in the letters. sense.

The controversy continued in the nineteenth and early years. XX century Ep. Belokrinitsky hierarchy Arseny (Shvetsov) in the “Book of the Antichrist” he asserted “the sensual coming in the flesh of the prophets Enoch and Elijah, as a denunciation of the Antichrist, and for the conversion and confirmation of man.” Polemicist of Spasovsky consent A.A. Konovalov argued that “the coming of the prophets Enoch and Elijah and with them John the Theologian cannot be understood literally, but should be understood spiritually” and that “prophets are killed spiritually where they are corrupted by an incorrect understanding of their prophecies” (Konovalov. 1906. P. 33 -34). On May 9, 1909, at the Polytechnic Museum, under the chairmanship of M.I. Brilliantov, the 3rd interview “On the Prophets and the Antichrist” took place in a series of conversations between the Pomeranian rector L.F. Pichugin and a representative of the Belokrinitsky hierarchy and Fellow Chairman of the Union of Old Believer Readers F.E. Melnikov, during which the spiritual and sensual views of the interlocutors were again confirmed.

The twentieth century was marked by a sharp intensification of the controversy between these directions, Ch. arr. in the east of Russia, which led to a rapprochement of irreconcilable positions and the appearance of a number of Old Believer works that allowed both a literal and spiritual understanding of the Antichrist and the prophets of his coming E. and Elijah.

In the Muslim tradition

E. is known by the name Idris. The Koran says about him that “he was a most righteous man and a prophet,” who was exalted by God “to a high place” (Sura 19. Ayat 56-57). He is called “patient” (Sura 21. Ayat 85). The "Stories of the Prophets" reports that Idris lived during the 308 years of Adam's life and, according to Ibn Ishaq, the 1st began to write with a cane (kalam). There is also a hadith in which it is said that Muhammad saw Idris in the 4th heaven during the night journey and ascension.

Apocrypha associated with the name E.

In addition to the 3 “main apocrypha” - the 1st Book of Enoch, the 2nd Book of Enoch and the 3rd Book of Enoch - several more are associated with the name of this Old Testament forefather. works that were composed in the Middle Ages.

The History of Enoch and Elijah is preserved in Latin. language in a poetic arrangement by Gottfried from Viterbo (Ɨ 1191) called “Pantheon” (Esposito M. Un apocrifo “Libro d" Enoch ed Elia” // Città di Vita: Riv. di studi religiosi. Firenze, 1947. Vol. 2. P. 228-236). This apocrypha spoke of an island on which E. and Elijah await the coming of the Antichrist. In addition to other miracles, this island abounds in gold. Celtic monks managed to swim to it and talk with E. and Elijah, who appeared before them in the form of elders. M. Esposito put forward the hypothesis that this apocrypha formed the basis of the “Voyage of St. Brendan”, compiled in the 9th century (Idem. An Apocryphal “Book of Enoch and Elias” as a Possible Source of the Navigatio Sancti Brendani // Celtica. Dublin, 1960. Vol. 5. P. 192-206). However, it was rejected due to many discrepancies in the details of the narratives (Dumville D. Biblical Apocrypha and the early Irish: A prelim. Investigation // Proc. of the Royal Irish Academy. Sect. C: Archaeology, Celtic Stud., History, Linguistics and Literature. Dublin, 1973. Vol. 73. P. 299-338).

Sire. "The Apocalypse of Enoch" is quoted in the Chronicle of Michael the Syrian (book 11, chapter 22). The authors of the text are the Monophysite bishops Kyriakos of Sijistan and Bar Salta of Reshain. The text talks about the rise to power of the Umayyad caliph Abu Abd al-Malik Marwan II ibn Muhammad (744-749) and his son. The apocrypha was probably compiled in order to gain the favor of the caliph (however, his son did not become heir).

3 fragments of Copt. The apocrypha about E., based on the 1st Book of Enoch, is preserved in the Saidic dialect on parchment found in Aswan (Cair. Mus. 48085). E. is called the righteous scribe, who is responsible for the Book of Life (cf.: Yub 4.23).

Another Said version is known in 9 papyrus fragments from the 7th century. from Luxor (NY Morgan. Coptic Theol. Texts. 3. 1-9). In this apocrypha, Christ. or Gnostic origin, we are talking about the prophecy of the Sibyl, who is called the sister of E. She predicts E. of his future. the role of the heavenly judge.

“The Vision of Enoch the Righteous” survives only in Armenian. language (Maten. 1500, 1271-1285) and represents the Middle Ages. a work unrelated to 1, 2 and 3 Enoch. The apocrypha was compiled in con. VIII century (reflects the events of the Arab conquest of Syria, etc.) and the Arab is closest to him. "The Apocalypse of Daniel."

“Another Sermon on the Birth of Enoch” is not an independent work, but an excerpt from Ethiopian. “The Book of the Secrets of Heaven and Earth,” which is a collection of interpretations of the Holy Scriptures. Scripture compiled by Bahailah Mikael (Abba Zosimas) in the end. XIV - beginning XV century (Paris. Aeth. 117, XVI or XVII century). On behalf of E., this text tells about the history of the world. The appearance of the image of E. is not accidental and is associated with ideas about E. as the inventor of astrology that arose in the intertestamental era.

In Ethiopian Another text is also known to tradition - “The Visions of Enoch”, which is contained in manuscripts that belonged to the Falashas (Paris. Abbadie. 107, 19th century Fol. 56v - 59) and Christians (Paris. Aeth. Griaule. 324).

In the Gnostic Op. “Pistis Sophia” states that E., being in paradise, wrote 2 books of Yeu under the dictation of Jesus Christ (Pistis Sophia. 99.246; 134.354). However, in the apocrypha known under this name, the name E. or quotes from his works are not found.

The story of the giants after. ceased to be associated with the books of E., although some traces of the Enochic tradition are seen in the Anglo-Saxon. “Beowulf” (Kaske R. E. Beowulf and the Book of Enoch // Speculum. 1971. Vol. 46. N 3. P. 421-431).

Pedro Alfonsi († 1140), Spanish convert to Christianity. Jew, composed in Latin. language, a collection of short instructive stories, the 2nd and 3rd chapters of which were associated with the name E. Vposl. they were translated into Hebrew. language called “The Book of Enoch about Friendship”, and from Hebrew - into plural. European languages.

Lit.: Yakovlev G. Righteous notice about the schism of the priestless people // Bratskoe slovo. 1888. No. 8. P. 656; Smirnov P. S. Internal issues in the schism in the 18th century. St. Petersburg, 1898; Konovalov A.A. About the coming of the prophets Enoch and Elijah, about the Antichrist and about his destruction of the sacrament of St. Communions. Kovrov, 1906; Conversations of the Old Believers L.F. Pichugin, a representative of the non-popovites of the Pomeranian marriage consent, and F.E. Melnikov and D.S. Varakin, a representative of the priests who accept the Belokrinitsky hierarchy. M., 1909. P. 156-235; Grelot P. La légende d "Henoch dans les apocryphes et dans la bible // RechSR. 1958. Vol. 46. P. 5-26; Cassuto U. A Commentary on the Book of Genesis / Transl. I. Abrahams. Jerusalem, 1961. Pt. 1: From Adam to Noah; Reiner E. The Etiological Myth of the "Seven Sages" // Orientalia. N. S. 1961. Vol. 30. P. 1-11; Lambert W. G. Enmeduranki and Related Matters // J. of Cuneiform Stud. 1967. Vol. 21. P. 126-138; Reif S. C. Dedicated to // VT. 1972. Vol. 22. P. 495-501; Borger R. Die Beschwörungsserie und die Himmelfahrt Henochs // JNES. 1974 Vol. 33. N 2. P. 183-196; The Books of Enoch: Aramaic Fragments of Qumrân Cave 4 / Ed. J. T. Milik. Oxf., 1976; Sasson J. M. A Genealogical "Convention" in Biblical Chronography? // ZAW 1978. Bd. 90. S. 171-185; Bubnov N. Yu., Demkova N. S. A newly found message from Moscow to Pustozersk “Announcement from the spiritual son to the spiritual father” and the answer of Archpriest Avvakum (1676) // TODRL. 1981. T. 36. P. 127-150; VanderKam J. C. Enoch and the Growth of an Apocalyptic Tradition. Wash., 1984; idem. Enoch: A Man for All Generations. Columbia (S. Carolina), 1995; Westermann C. Genesis 1-11: A Comment. L.; Minneapolis, 1984; Guryanova N. S. Peasant anti-monarchist protest in Old Believer eschatological literature of the period of late feudalism. Novosibirsk, 1988; Berger K. Henoch // RAC. 1988. Bd. 14. S. 473-545; Kvanvig H. S. Roots of apocalyptic: the Mesopotamian background of the Enoch figure and of the Son of Man. Neukirchen-Vluyn, 1988; Maltsev A.I. Old Believers-Wanderers in the 18th - 1st half. XIX century Novosibirsk, 1996; The Jewish Apocalyptic Heritage in Early Christianity. Assen; Minneapolis, 1996; Alexander Ph. S. From Son of Adam to Second God: Transformations of the Biblical Enoch // Biblical Figures Outside the Bible / Ed. M. E. Stone, Th. A. Bergren. Harrisburg (Pennsylvania), 1998, pp. 87-122; Nickelsburg G. W. E. 1 Enoch: A Comment. Minneapolis, 2001; Pokrovsky N. N., Zolnikova N. D. Old Believers-Chapels in the East of Russia in the 18th - 20th centuries. M., 2002. S. 236-237, 257; Arseny (Shvetsov), bishop. Ural. A book about the Antichrist and about other actions that wanted to exist under him. M., 2005. S. 77-86, 112-117.

A. A. Tkachenko, E. A. Ageeva

Iconography

Probably one of the oldest images of E. is presented in the Christian topography of Cosmas Indikoplov (Vat. gr. 699. Fol. 65, late 9th century). E. is depicted “elderly, with little hair on his head, with a full blond beard, standing thoughtfully, blessing” (Redin. P. 356). He wears a green chiton with a wide blue clave and a pink himation. Nearby is the figure of a man sitting on a sarcophagus and turning his face away from E. - the personification of death. The image of E. is also in copies of the Vatican list of Christian topography: Laurentian (Laurent. Plut. IX. 28. Fol. 118) and Sinai (Sinait. gr. 1186. Fol. 97).

In Greek “Erminia” by Dionysius Furnoagrafiot E. is described as an old man with a pointed beard (Part 2. § 128. No. 8). In Russian in the consolidated iconographic original (18th century), published by S. T. Bolshakov, the description of the righteous man is equally brief: “Enoch writes in a scroll. I hope to call on the name of my Lord to me.”

E., who prophesied about the Flood and the resurrection from the dead, was depicted among the prophets in the fresco cycles of Novgorod churches in the 14th century: in the drum c. Transfiguration in Vel. Novgorod (1378) - a full-length figure, short hair frames the face and covers the forehead, the left hand is lowered, the right hand is in front of the chest with the palm facing outward; in the medallion on the east slope. girth arch in c. Dormition on Volotovo Field in Vel. Novgorod (1363 or after 1380) - an almost bare skull, a long beard with curly ends, a large nose, the right hand raised to the chest is hidden under the end of the himation thrown from the back to the chest, the left hand is in front of the chest with the palm facing out; red clothes.

The image of E. is often found as part of the ancestral series of high iconostases. Perhaps the earliest image is an inset with painting from the 50s and 60s. XVI century on the 18th century board in the iconostasis of the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin: E. is represented from the waist up, as a medieval man with short hair and a small neat beard, in a blue chiton and red himation, with a rolled scroll in his left hand, his right hand raised to his chest. Beginning XVI century date a small icon from c. in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in Yaroslavl (YIAMZ; 13×5 cm), the image on it is an old man with a pointed beard, full-length - determined by the inscription on a paper sticker on the back. The wide shoulder and stripe at the hem are unusual for the clothes of a righteous man. Icons from the 17th century have been preserved. with a shoulder-shaped image of E.: icon of 1652 in the iconostasis of the Pokhvalsky chapel of the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin - E. has a long oval-shaped beard, a red chiton and a brown himation; icon of 1678 in the iconostasis c. Resurrection of the so-called Moscow Kremlin - E. has long wavy hair, a long beard, a green chiton and a brown-burgundy himation (both in the GMMC). A full-length depiction of E. is included in the ancestral row of iconostases of the 17th century: in the Smolensk Cathedral of the Novodevichy Monastery in Moscow (late 16th century), in the Nativity Cathedral of the Anthony Monastery in Vel. Novgorod (late 17th century, NGOMZ), in the Trinity Cathedral of the Ipatievsky Monastery in Kostroma (1652, KGOIAMZ).

In Russian icons “Resurrection - Descent into Hell” in the 17th century. An image of E. was often placed along with the prophet. Elijah as 2 witnesses of God, about whom it is said in Rev. 11. 3 (icons: 2nd half of the 16th century, GVSMZ; from the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (Wet) in Yaroslavl, late 16th century, YIAMZ ; 40s of the 17th century, YIAMZ; circle of Gury Nikitin from the Church of the Resurrection on Debra, last quarter of the 17th century; from the Church of Theodore Icon of the Mother of God in Yaroslavl, late 80s of the 17th century. , YaIAMZ). This version of iconography is found until the 19th century, often as part of extensive compositions (for example, the “Last Judgment” icon, 1st quarter of the 19th century, RIAMZ; “Four-part” icon, 1813, GMIR).

Lit.: Erminia DF. P. 76; Iconographic original / Ed. S. T. Bolshakov, ed. A.I. Uspensky. M., 1903. P. 10; Redin E.K. Christ. topography of Kozma Indikoplova in Greek. and Russian lists. M., 1916. Part 1. P. 356-357; Lifshits L. I. Monumental painting of Novgorod XIV-XV centuries. M., 1987. Ill. 121; Yaroslavl Art Museum. Yaroslavl, 2002. T. 1. Cat. 16. P. 70-71; Kostroma icon of the XIII-XIX centuries. / Compiled by: N. I. Komashko, S. S. Katkova. M., 2004. P. 511; Icons of Vladimir and Suzdal. M., 2006. pp. 250-251.

I. A. Zhuravleva