Now of these Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying: Behold, the Lord cometh with thousands of his saints:
προεφητευσεν δε και τουτοις εβδομος απο αδαμ ενωχ λεγων ιδου ηλθεν κυριος εν αγιαις μυριασιν αυτου
9 Church Fathers comment on this verse
To what was said above he adds that Enoch also prophesied concerning the punishment from God that awaits them in the last days, that is, on the day of God’s righteous judgment. The difference between the ungodly man and the sinner is this: the ungodly man sins in relation to God, while the sinner turns aside in the affairs of life from the aim of righteousness.
And is it not said of Enoch, the seventh from Adam, in the canonical Epistle of the Apostle Jude, that he prophesied? If the writings of Enoch received no authority either among the Jews or among us, the cause is their extreme antiquity. Because of this, it was thought necessary to treat them with distrust, lest what is false be accepted as true.
This is a quotation from the book of Enoch, which the Church numbered among the apocryphal writings. She did this not because what was written by the patriarch could be cast aside, but because the book signed with his name hardly belongs to him. Apparently someone else composed these writings and placed Enoch's name under them. Even if they were his writings, they do not contradict the true faith. Of course, many things narrated by this book cannot be believed. For example, there are stories about giants whose parents were not men but angels. It is clear that a truthful man could not have authored this book, since it is stained with falsehood. Because of this quotation from an apocryphal book, Jude's epistle was at first rejected by many.
Yet it must certainly take its place in Holy Scripture for many reasons: because of its author, its antiquity, its use, and especially because Jude cited from an apocryphal book a statement that is itself neither apocryphal nor doubtful. It clearly manifests the light of truth.
"Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these also, saying, 'Behold, the Lord will come'"; from the Greek, more correctly, "has come," hlqe, "with myriads of holy angels." Enoch was the seventh of the antediluvian patriarchs, including Adam in that number. Nothing is known of his prophecy from the canonical books of the Old Testament. But in the earliest times of the Church an apocryphal book of Enoch was widely used among heretics. In it were collected various stories about this patriarch and prophecies supposedly belonging to him. The Fathers of the Church and the Councils strictly forbade the use of this book, and little by little it was completely forgotten. Only small excerpts remained among ecclesiastical writers.
But it has survived to the present in an Ethiopic translation and was used among the Abyssinian Christians. In 1853 it appeared in a complete German translation with Dillmann's explanations in Leipzig. The content of this book, or rather of the whole collection, is chiefly a story about the fall of the angels. This fall allegedly consisted in the mingling of the sons of God with the daughters of men (Gen 6:1-4), and in the consequences of this fall. Then come descriptions of various mysterious things and places that Enoch saw during his journey over earth and through heaven, when he was sent by God to the angels to exhort them to obedience. Another important subject of the book of Enoch consists of Enoch's prophetic speeches and dreams concerning the first and second judgment of the world, the lot of men after death, the mysteries of the heavenly Kingdom, the resurrection of the dead, and the coming of the Messiah. Finally, there are exhortatory and consoling speeches about steadfastness in the faith and the preservation of justice amid all temptations and persecutions. In one of the angel's speeches to Enoch (Gen 1:9), during the vision in which the future judgment was revealed to him, are found precisely those words cited in the Epistle of the Apostle Jude. Some think the Apostle Jude had this very book before him, either in the Hebrew original or in a Greek translation, when he wrote his epistle. Blessed Jerome, speaking of the Epistle of Jude, directly notes that it was rejected on the grounds that the writer borrowed one testimony from the apocryphal book of Enoch (Catalog. ch. 4). But most ancient and modern interpreters recognize the independence of the Apostle Jude's account. They think he borrowed Enoch's prophecy from oral tradition. They also think the book of Enoch itself, which became known only in the second century, was composed much later by some heretic with a view to the prophecy of Enoch mentioned in Jude's epistle. Indeed, the book of Enoch bears so many traces of a Christian worldview that even its most zealous defenders cannot place its origin earlier than the second century or the last quarter of the first. This, of course, gives grounds to conclude that the Apostle Jude could have borrowed Enoch's prophecy not from this book. Yet even if he were referring precisely to this apocryphon, it would in no way harm the truth and dignity of his epistle. Wishing to strike the heretics with their own weapon, he could take from a book they esteemed a saying that he considered true and that spoke against the heretics. Other sacred writers did the same. Thus we see that the Apostle Paul cites certain expressions from the book of Zohar (2 Tim 3:8) and even from pagan writers (Tit 1:12; Acts 17:28; 1 Cor 15:33).
"Enoch also prophesied about them," and so forth. About them, these and similar impious men, Enoch also long ago prophesied, among other prophets and seers. He foretold the divine judgment threatening them and their condemnation to destruction (Jude 1:4-5). He spoke often, or constantly and without slackening, about this. Enoch was the seventh from Adam, and therefore spoke from the most ancient times of the world. When, where, and on what occasion did Enoch prophesy about the impious? From the sacred books of the Old and New Testaments nothing is known about such a prophecy, or about the seemingly precise words of the prophecy cited here. The book of Genesis speaks very briefly about righteous Enoch himself (Gen 5:21 and following).
Therefore it is very probable that this prophecy, or prophetic utterance, of Enoch was preserved in the tradition of the Old Testament Church. The Apostle Jude drew it precisely from tradition and, as true, included it in his book. He did the same with the tradition about the dispute of Archangel Michael with the devil over the body of Moses (Jude 1:9). An echo of this tradition is heard in the apocryphal book of Enoch, which appeared after this epistle. Ancient Christian writers mention it, among them blessed Jerome in his catalogue. One may suppose that Enoch uttered this prophecy when the impious Cainites lived in licentiousness, lawlessness, and impiety, following in Cain's steps (Jude 1:11). Thus the earth was little by little being corrupted, and God's judgment against the impious was already ready to break forth. It later broke forth in the flood. "Behold, the Lord comes," and so forth. In the original, "has come." This is prophetic contemplation of present, past, and future in one general time. It is not unusual among all the prophets. They express contemplation and event in the past tense instead of the present and future, in the sense of its complete and entire accomplishment. "The Lord" means the Son of God before the Incarnation, the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. He is understood here in the same sense as in Jude 1:5 and in the Apostle Paul, 1 Cor 10:1 and following. In His Incarnation, God the Father gave all judgment to Him (Jn 5:22 and note). He, the Judge of the world from its beginning to its end, has executed and will execute judgment upon all. He will judge those to whom and about whom Enoch also prophesied, and all past and future impious men. "Behold, He comes with thousands," or myriads, "of His saints," and so forth. By "saints" are meant here, first, the heavenly powers, the angels. Elsewhere in the sacred books they are presented as an army around a king, present at judgment over the world in various cases, especially at the universal judgment. Second, the holy and righteous souls are meant, who will accompany the Lord at such a judgment (cf. Dan 7:10; Mt 24:31; 25:31, 33; 2 Thess 1:10; cf. Zech 14:4-5; Mt 19:28; 1 Cor 6:2-3; Rev 19:14, and others).
After this the Apostle cites the prophecy of Enoch, and also that of Christ's Apostles, concerning the bitter lot awaiting the heretics he denounces. He outlines their manner of life in the darkest colors. Where is the prophecy of Enoch quoted by the Apostle Jude found? It is not in the sacred books of the Old Testament. But it was preserved in Hebrew tradition, which the holy Apostle Jude introduced into his epistle. By this he gave it inspired significance. For New Testament writers often supplemented the Old Testament writers, introducing into their books from the sacred tradition of God's people what the Holy Spirit inspired them to say about it.
Meanwhile, this passage in Jude, like the previous passage about Michael the Archangel, raised various doubts among ecclesiastical writers about its authenticity. Blessed Jerome, for example, bears witness to this. In antiquity there existed an entire apocryphal book under the title "Book of Enoch," filled with various mythical tales about Enoch. Among other things, it contains the above-mentioned prophecy cited by the Apostle Jude. It was said that the Apostle could not have drawn from such a turbid source. But he did not draw from it. According to the strictest scholarly investigations, the "Book of Enoch" could have appeared only in the second century of the Christian era, or at least at the end of the last quarter of the first. This means that in any case it is later than Jude's epistle. Therefore the reverse could have occurred: from the Epistle of the Apostle Jude, the prophecy he recorded passed into the apocryphon about Enoch that later took shape.
The prophecy of Enoch mentioned here is not recorded in the sacred books of the Old Testament, but is taken from Tradition. This prophecy fully accords with Enoch's position among the impious men of his time and with the true teaching about the last judgment over all men. In particular, it accords with the teaching on recompense for blasphemy. "For every idle word men may speak, they will give account in the day of judgment," says Jesus Christ Himself (Mt 12:36). How much more will those give account who blaspheme God and His Christ (cf. v. 8 and Ps 2:3).
In confirmation of the threat of eternal punishment against the impious false teachers, expressed in the preceding verse, the Apostle Jude applies to them the prophecy of the antediluvian patriarch Enoch. According to this prophecy, contained in the apocryphal Book of Enoch and preserved in living oral tradition, the Lord will come with myriads of His holy angels. Compare Deut 33:2; Zech 14:5; Heb 12:22. He will execute judgment upon all and convict the ungodly not only of their impious deeds, but also of all the harsh words they have spoken against God.
But since Enoch in the same Scripture also speaks of the Lord, we at least ought not reject anything that concerns us. We have read that every Scripture intended for spiritual edification was inspired from above (2 Tim 3:16). Later, as you have already seen, it was rejected by the Jews for the same reason as almost everything else that proclaimed Christ. In any case, it is not surprising that, if they did not acknowledge other writings that spoke of Him, they were not going to acknowledge Enoch himself. To this is added that the Apostle Jude bears witness concerning Enoch.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 16 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS