Second Book of Enoch

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This article discusses 2 Enoch (surviving only in Old Slavonic, c. 1st century; Eng. trans. by R. H. Charles (1896) ^[1]^[2]). It is unrelated to the Book of Enoch which survives completely only in Ethiopic language. There is also a 3 Enoch (surviving in Hebrew, c. 5th-6th century^[3]). The numbering of these texts has been applied by scholars to distinguish the texts from one another.

The Second Book of Enoch (usually abbreviated 2 Enoch, and otherwise variously known as Slavonic Enoch or The Secrets of Enoch) is a Jewish pseudepigraphic apocalyptic text of uncertain date and unknown authorship. The text has been preserved only in Slavonic, but this has certainly been translated from Greek. It is widely held that the Greek version may itself have been a translation from Hebrew or Aramaic. Dates ranging from the 1st century BCE to the 10th century CE have been proposed, with the late 1st century CE often preferred. Authorship no earlier than the 7th century CE is sometimes argued for due to the specifics of a detailed solar calendar that is presented in the work.

It was first rediscovered by Professor M I Sokolov in 1886 in the archives of the Belgrade Public Library. Today, the text is known from five manuscripts in two versions (known simply as "the longer" and "the shorter") with most scholarship agreeing that the shorter is probably closer to the original. Some commentators have perceived a Christian influence, either on the original text, or in later editing.

The book begins with a first-person account by Enoch of a journey through the ten heavens that culminates in a meeting with God. This is followed by a discussion about the creation of the world, and God's instructions to Enoch to return to Earth and disseminate what he has learned. These teachings are then described as taking place within a 30-day stay, at the end of which Enoch is taken back to heaven and transformed into the angel Metatron. At this point, the text switches to third-person and tells the stories of Methuselah, Nir (Noah's younger brother), and Melchizedek.