Enoch, son of Seth. Forefather Enoch - the day of remembrance is celebrated on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers and on the Sunday of the Holy Fathers (according to the calendar this is the last and penultimate Sunday before the Nativity of Christ) From the stichera on the Sunday stichera

Deprived of their blessed home, the first people settled east of Eden. This eastern, non-paradise country has become the cradle of humanity. Here the first labors of everyday harsh life began, and here the first generation of “born” people appeared. " Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived and gave birth“son, to whom she gave the name Cain, which means: “I acquired a man from the Lord” (). Adam and Eve probably hoped that in the person of Cain they would see the fulfillment of the promise of a Redeemer, but their hope was not justified. In their first son, only the beginning of new, still unknown to them, suffering and grief appeared for the first parents; however, Eve herself soon realized that she too soon began to cherish the hope of the fulfillment of the promise, and therefore, when her second son was born, she named him Abel, which means ghost, steam. The increase in the family required more and more effort to obtain food. Soon his sons began to help him in this matter. Cain began to cultivate the land, and Abel was engaged in cattle breeding. But original sin was not slow to manifest itself with cruel force already in the first family.

One day Cain and Abel made a sacrifice to God. Cain sacrificed the fruits of the ground, and Abel sacrificed the firstborn ram from his flock. But Abel made the sacrifice with faith in the promised Savior and with a prayer for mercy, and Cain made it without faith and looked at it as his merit before God (). Therefore, Abel’s sacrifice was accepted by God, and Cain’s sacrifice was rejected. Seeing the preference shown to his brother, and seeing in him a clear exposure of his “evil deeds” (), Cain was greatly upset, and his gloomy face drooped. Ominous features appeared on him. But the merciful God, wanting Cain to reform, warned him against his evil deed. He told Cain: " Why are you sad? why has your face fallen?... sin... attracts you to itself, but you rule over it" (). Cain disobeyed God's call and opened the door of his heart to sin. Calling his gullible brother into the field, he killed him, committing an atrocity unprecedented on earth. The terrible crime, which for the first time brought destruction into the order of nature, could not go unpunished.

"Where is Abel, your brother?? – the Lord asked Cain. " I don't know if I'm my brother's keeper? – the killer answered with insolence. (). In this answer one can see what a terrible step forward evil has taken since the fall of the first parents. This insolence, this shameless denial did not allow the possibility of further testing of Cain, and the Lord pronounces his sentence: “... The voice of your brother's blood cries to Me from the earth; and now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened its mouth to receive the blood of thy brother at thy hand; you will be an exile and a wanderer on earth" Cain trembled, but not from repentance, but from fear that he would be avenged for his brother.

"My punishment is more than I can bear, he said to the Lord, ... anyone who meets me will kill me". In response to this, the Lord said: " For this, whoever kills Cain will be avenged sevenfold.". And the Lord told Cain a sign so that no one who met him would kill him. ().

The fratricide could no longer stay with his parents. He left them and settled in the land of Nod, even further east of Eden. But Cain did not move here alone. No matter how great the crime and insult he inflicted on the purity and holiness of brotherly love, from among the brothers, sisters and subsequent generations that multiplied during this time, there were people who decided to follow Cain to the country of exile. Cain settled in a new place with his wife. Soon he had a son, whom he named Enoch.

Removed from the rest of human society, left to his own fate, Cain, naturally stern and stubborn, had to fight with even greater tenacity against nature and the external conditions of life. And he really devoted himself to hard work to ensure his existence and was the first person to build a city as the beginning of a settled life. The city was named after his son Enoch.

Descendants of Cain and Seth

Cain's generation began to grow rapidly, and at the same time the struggle against nature, begun by his ancestor, continued. In the fight against nature, the descendants of Cain learned to mine copper and iron and make tools from them. Being carried away by material well-being and purely everyday concerns, the Cainites cared least about spiritual life. Such neglect of spiritual life developed countless vices among them. With this direction of life, the Cainites could not become true representatives of the human race and, even more so, the guardians of great spiritual treasures - the first promise of the Savior and the primitive religious and moral institutions associated with it. Cain's generation, with its crude everyday materialism and atheism, was only capable of perverting the historical course of development intended for humanity. This one-sided direction needed a counterbalance. And he really appeared in the generation of Adam’s new son, Seth, who was born after the murder of Abel.

With the birth of Seth, a generation of people began in antediluvian humanity who, in their spiritual mood, represented the complete opposite of Cain. In Cain's generation, people worshiped only material power and turned all their abilities (to the point of complete oblivion of God) to the acquisition of material wealth. In the generation of Seth, on the contrary, a completely different, more elevated direction of life was developed and developed, which, awakening in people a humble consciousness of human helplessness and sinfulness, it directed their thoughts towards God, who gave fallen people hope for deliverance from sin, curse and death. This spiritual direction of life among the Sethites noticeably manifested itself already under the son of Seth, Enos: " Then, says the Writer of Life, began to call on the name of the Lord[God]" (). This, of course, does not mean that before that time there were absolutely no prayers in which God was invoked. Religion began to be expressed in external forms, and therefore in prayer, even under Adam. This expression only means that now in the generation of Seth, the calling of the name of the Lord God became an open confession of their faith in God, as opposed to the generation of Cainites, who, because of their godlessness, began to be called the sons of men. The highest exponent and representative of the spiritual life of the Sethites was Enoch, who “ walked before God" (), i.e. always in his life embodied the height of original human purity and holiness. At the same time, he was the first to realize to what abyss of depravity and sinfulness the atheism of the Cainites could lead, and he acted as the first preacher and prophet to announce the terrible coming judgment of God over the “wicked” (). As a reward for this high piety and fiery faith, the Lord took him alive from the sinful earth ().

The generation of Seth, being the bearer of the true and associated promise, naturally had to become the root from which the entire “tree of humanity” was to develop. In this generation, patriarchs appear one after another - great representatives of antediluvian humanity, who, being strong in spirit and body, were called upon through many years of labor to develop and preserve spiritual principles that were to form the basis of the moral life of all future generations. To successfully fulfill their purpose, by the special providence of God, they were endowed with extraordinary longevity, so that each of them could be a living guardian and interpreter of the promise entrusted to them for almost a whole millennium. The first man Adam lived 930 years; his son Seth - 912 years old; son of Seth Enos - 905 years old; representatives of subsequent generations: Cainan - 910 years, Maleleel - 895, Jared - 962, Enoch - 365, Methuselah - 969, Lemech - 777 and Noah - 950 years.

global flood

The unusual longevity of the patriarchs was necessary in the primitive history of mankind both for the speedy settlement of the earth and the dissemination of useful knowledge, and, especially, for preserving the purity of the original worship of God and faith in the promise of the Redeemer given to the first people. The patriarch of each generation could pass on his knowledge for centuries to the ancestors of other generations. Thus, Adam was a living witness of primitive legends until the birth of Lemech, and Lemech’s father, Methuselah, lived almost until the flood.

But, on the other hand, the longevity of wicked people could serve as a means of multiplying and spreading evil in humanity. And so, indeed, evil began to quickly spread in the world. It reached its highest development as a result of the mixing of the descendants of Cain and Seth. At this time, the land was already significantly populated, and along with its settlement, the terrible evil of depravity and corruption spread. " And the Lord [God] saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually." (). This was evidently not the mere natural depravity of a corrupt nature, but the general reign of open and bold sin and rebellion against God. From the criminally voluptuous communication of the Sethites with the Cainites, giants began to be born. Relying on their strength, they introduced into human society the horrors of violence, lawlessness, predation, voluptuousness and general disbelief in the promise of future deliverance. And so, at the sight of such a state of people “... The Lord repented that he had created man on earth, and was grieved in His heart. And the Lord said: I will destroy from the face of the earth man whom I have created, from men to cattle and creeping things and birds of the air I will destroy, for I have repented that I created them." (). As created together with man and for man, animals must also share the fate of man. But the waves of vice have not yet flooded all of humanity. Among him was a man who “found grace in the sight of the Lord.” This was Noah, son of Lemech, “a righteous man and blameless in his generation.” He “walked with God” just like his ancestor Enoch.

And so, when the earth “was corrupt before the face of God and was filled with ... evil,” when “all flesh had perverted its way on the earth,” the Lord said to Noah: “The end of all flesh has come before Me, ... I will destroy them from the earth. Make yourself an ark... I will bring a flood of water on the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the spirit of life from under the heavens... But I will establish my covenant with you, and you and your sons and your wife will enter into the ark. , and your sons’ wives are with you” (). God appointed one hundred and twenty years for the human race to repent, and during this time Noah had to carry out his extraordinary construction, which could only cause ridicule and threats among the people around him. But Noah's faith was unshakable.

Having received a revelation from God, he began to build the ark. The ark was built according to the exact instructions of God - from gopher wood and was tarred inside and out. The length of the ark is 300 cubits, the width is 50 cubits and the height is 30 cubits. At the top there was a long hole made throughout the ark, a cubit wide, for light and air, and at the side there was a door. It was supposed to consist of three tiers with many compartments intended for livestock and feed. " And Noah did everything as he commanded him[Lord] God…» ().

Of course, throughout the entire construction, Noah did not stop preaching and calling people to repentance. But his most eloquent sermon was, of course, his construction of a huge ship on land, far from the water. God's long-suffering still awaited the awakening of a sense of repentance among the wicked people during this construction, but all was in vain. Mocking and blaspheming Noah's preaching, people became even more carefree and lawless. They " They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all." ().

By the time Noah finished the ark, he was 600 years old, and then, seeing no more hope for the repentance of sinful humanity, the Lord commanded Noah to enter the ark with his entire family and a certain number of animals, both clean and unclean. Noah obeyed God and entered the ark. And so "... all the sources of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of heaven were opened; and rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights(). After the end, the water kept coming and coming to the ground. For one hundred and fifty days its level rose, so that even the highest mountains were covered with water. " And all flesh that moved upon the earth lost its life" ().

This is how God’s great punishment was accomplished for corrupted and drowned humanity. All people perished, and only one Noah’s ark, containing the chosen seed for the development of a new life, rushed across the vast sea, prefiguring the coming of Christ.

"And God remembered Noah and all... who were with him in the ark; and God brought a wind upon the earth and the waters stood still" (). Gradually the water began to decrease, so that in the seventh month the ark stopped on one of the peaks of the Ararat Mountains. In the twelfth month, when the water had subsided significantly, Noah sent a raven through the window to see if he would find a dry place, but the raven flew away and then returned to the ark. Then, after seven days, Noah released the dove, but it also returned, not finding a place where it could rest. Seven days later, Noah released it again, and then in the evening the dove returned, holding a fresh olive leaf in its beak. Noah waited seven more days and released the dove for the third time. This time he did not return, because the ground had already dried out. Then the Lord commanded Noah to leave the ark and release the animals to reproduce on earth. Coming out of the ark, Noah first of all gave thanks to the Lord for his miraculous deliverance. He built an altar to the Lord, took clean animals and offered them as burnt offerings. Such piety of Noah pleased the Lord, and He “ He said in His heart: I will no longer curse the earth because of man." ().

Since Noah and his family were the new ancestors of humanity on earth, God repeated to him the blessing given to the ancestors: " And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth[and possess it].” ().

After the Flood, along with plant foods, the Lord allowed man to eat animal meat, but forbade him to eat blood along with meat, for “their soul is in the blood of animals.” At the same time, a law was given against murder - on the basis that all people are brothers, and each of them bears the image and likeness of God. “Whoever sheds human blood,” says the Lord, “his blood will be shed by the hand of man” ().

After the flood, religion was renewed by the new alliance that God made with Noah. By virtue of this union, the Lord promised Noah that “all flesh will no longer be destroyed by the waters of a flood, and there will no longer be a flood to destroy the earth.” God chose the rainbow as the banner of this everlasting covenant. Of course, the rainbow as a physical phenomenon existed before the flood, but now it has become a symbol of the covenant.

Descendants of Noah

After the flood, everyday life began again with its usual worries and labors. Noah was an example of piety, hard work and other virtues for his sons. But man is weak in the fight against sin. Soon the righteous Noah himself showed his sons an example of vicious weakness. One day Noah drank grape wine, intoxicated, threw off his clothes and fell asleep naked in his tent. Ham, who had no respect or love for his father, was delighted when he saw that the one who served as a model of strict life and curbed his evil behavior was now himself in an indecent position. He hurried to his brothers and with a feeling of gloating began to tell them about his father. But Shem and Japheth showed filial love for their father: averting their eyes so as not to see his nakedness, they covered him with clothes. When Noah woke up and learned how Ham behaved, he cursed his descendants and predicted that they would be slaves of Shem and Japheth. Addressing Shem and Japheth, he said: “Blessed is the Lord God of Shem; May God spread Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem" ().

Primitive society was patriarchal, Patriarch, i.e. the head of the clan had unlimited power over his children and their descendants. At the same time, he performed the role of a priest, making sacrifices, was the guardian of the true and the herald of future destinies. Therefore, what Noah said to his sons was indeed decisive for their future fate. The meaning of this prophecy is as follows: the earth will be divided among people, and the greatest space will be occupied by the descendants of Japheth (Indo-European peoples), the true religion will be preserved by the descendants of Shem - the Semites, or Semites (Jews), and the Redeemer of the world will appear in their tribe. The descendants of Japheth will dwell in the tents of Shem, i.e. they will believe in Christ, while the Semites (Jews) will reject Him.

Noah lived another 350 years after the flood and died 950 years from birth. Nothing more is said about him in the biblical chronicle, which proceeds to describe the further fate of his descendants. From the sons of Noah came descendants who populated the earth. The descendants of Shem - the Semites - settled in Asia, mainly on the Arabian Peninsula with the adjacent countries; the descendants of Ham - the Hamites - settled almost exclusively in Africa, and the descendants of Japheth - the Japhethites - settled the entire southern part of Europe and Central Asia, where they formed the Aryan Kingdom.

Babylonian Pandemonium and the Dispersion of Nations

But people did not settle across the earth right away. At first they lived in the Ararat Valley as one large family and spoke the same language. Wanting to return to the homeland of their fathers, people began to move to the Senaar Valley, which was located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The fertile soil and other favorable conditions of Mesopotamia attracted post-Flood humanity here, and civilization soon began to develop here. The first post-Flood states emerged, such as Sumerian, Akkadian and Babylonian. The Bible tells that the founder of the first Babylonian kingdom and the conqueror of Assyria was Nimrod from the descendants of Ham... He was a “strong hunter” and in character resembled the first city builder Cain. Nimrod founded a city (Babylon), which quickly grew into a large, proud capital, at the head of a large population with a number of other cities. It is not surprising that such success filled Nimrod and his descendants with extraordinary pride. They began to dream of establishing a worldwide monarchy in which the descendants of Ham would occupy a dominant position. Their pride reached the point that they, having formed a council, decided, as a sign of their political power and obvious fight against God, to build a “tower as high as the heavens.” The enterprise, undoubtedly, was crazy and unfulfillable, but at the same time it was criminal and dangerous. Criminal because it stemmed from pride, which turned into apostasy and fight against God, and dangerous because it came from among the Hamites, who had already distinguished themselves by their wickedness.

And so the work began to boil. People began to burn bricks and prepare earth resin. Having prepared the building material, people began to build the tower. “And the Lord said, Behold, there is one people, and they all have one language; and this is what they began to do, and they will not deviate from what they planned to do; Let us go down and confuse their language there, so that one does not understand the speech of the other. And the Lord scattered them from there throughout all the earth.” (). People, not understanding each other's language, stopped building the city and the tower and dispersed in different directions, settling on free lands and creating their own culture there. The city they built together with the tower they called Babylon, which means mixing.

The event of “mixing of languages” cannot be identified with the emergence of new languages. Languages ​​appeared gradually, at the same time, during the construction of the tower. The Lord confused their concepts, so that people did not understand each other. The event - the confusion of languages ​​and the dispersion of peoples across the earth - had a positive meaning.

First, the people escaped the oppression and political despotism that would have inevitably happened if they had fallen under the rule of despots like Nimrod. Secondly, by dispersing humanity, the Lord prevented the possibility of extreme religious and moral corruption; and thirdly, humanity, settled throughout the earth in the form of separate tribes and peoples, was given complete freedom to develop its national abilities, as well as to organize its life in accordance with the conditions of residence and historical characteristics.

The Beginning of Idolatry

But, moving further and further into lands unknown to them, people gradually began to forget the legends about the true God. Under the influence of the formidable phenomena of the surrounding nature, people first began to distort the true concept of God, and then completely forgot Him. Forgetting the true God, people, of course, did not become absolute atheists, a religious feeling lived in the depths of their spiritual nature, they still had a need for spiritual life, their souls gravitated towards God.

But, having lost the concept of the invisible God, they began to deify objects and phenomena of visible nature. This is how idolatry began.

Idolatry was expressed in three main types: Sabeism - the deification of the stars, sun and moon; zootheism - deification of animals; and anthropotheism - the deification of man. These three types of idolatry subsequently found their most dramatic expression in Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece.

Waves of sin and superstition, flooding the earth, again threatened to eradicate true religion in the hearts of people, and with it the hope of the coming Messiah, who should free people from slavery to sin and moral death. True, on earth, among the general idolatry and wickedness, there were still some individuals who retained the true faith. But the environment could quickly carry them away with the general flow of disbelief. Therefore, in order to preserve the seeds of true faith and prepare the way for the coming Savior of the world, the Lord, among the pagan world, chooses Patriarch Abraham, strong in spirit and faith, and in his person the entire Jewish people who were to come from him.



Enoch, Hanoch(חנוך) - descendant of Seth, son of Jared and father of Methuselah, seventh patriarch starting from Adam. The fifth chapter of the Book of Genesis says that Enoch “walked with God” and lived 365 years after which “he was no more, because God took him” (Gen. 5:22-24). The fifth chapter of Genesis itself is a genealogy from Adam to Noah and his sons. About all the other ancestors of Noah, unlike Enoch, it is said “and he died.” These controversial statements are interpreted, and also interpreted in later non-biblical traditions, as indicating that, unlike the other patriarchs, Enoch did not die, since God took him to heaven, freeing him from the death caused by the sins of his first parents, as a reward for piety, cf. . (Heb. 11:5). The appearance of Enoch with the prophet Elijah (Eliyahu) is expected by some Christians before the second coming.

In the 17th century, messages about the appearance of Elijah and Enoch were repeatedly delivered to the Ambassadorial Prikaz in Moscow through diplomatic channels from various European countries. In Europe, this news spread among Protestants. They played the role of propaganda writings directed against Rome. In Russia, the basis for their spread was the schism in the Russian Orthodox Church. The Old Believers rewrote the texts copied in the Ambassadorial Prikaz until the end of the 18th century. The Secret Chancellery was hunting for documents distributed among the people.

The legend about Enoch has been preserved among different peoples. Thus, in the city of Iconium there was a legend about King Anak, who lived 300 years before the flood (cf. Enoch’s lifespan on earth according to the Bible - 365 years) and begged the gods to have mercy on the human race, doomed to destruction.

Enoch is mentioned in the Qur'an and Islamic religious tradition as the prophet Idris. According to some Islamic traditions, he invented astronomy, writing and arithmetic and is identified with Osiris, a deified king who lived at the dawn of civilization.

There are several known pseudo-apocryphal books bearing the name of Enoch. The most famous is 1 Book of Enoch, usually called simply “The Book of Enoch.” She is mentioned and quoted in the works of many church fathers, including Tertullian, Irenaeus, Origen, Clement of Alexandria, Justin the Philosopher and others.

For a long time, the contents of a book could only be judged by quotes and reviews. However, in the 18th century its full text was discovered in Ethiopian, and since that time it has been published several times, both in the original and in translations. The book dates back to the 2nd-1st centuries BC. e. and represents a rich source for studying the religious worldview of the Jews of that era. As can be seen from a comparison of the epistle of Jude (15 and 16) and the book of Enoch (I, 9), it was also used by early Christian writers.


Notes
  1. Shamin S. M. “The Tale of the Two Elders”: on the question of the existence of European eschatological prophecy in Russia // Bulletin of Church History. 2008. No. 2(10). pp. 221–248.

When writing this article, material was used from the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron (1890-1907).

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Forefather Enoch. Museum of Frescoes of Dionysius. Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
The holy forefather Enoch is a descendant of Seth, son of Jared and father of Methuselah, the seventh of the patriarchs starting from Adam. The Book of Genesis says that Enoch “walked with God,” i.e. strove for the highest purity and holiness, and lived 365 years, after which “he was no more, because God took him” (Gen. 5:22-24). These ambiguous statements are interpreted in later non-biblical traditions as indicating that, unlike the other patriarchs, Enoch did not die, since God took him to heaven, freeing him from the death caused by the sins of his first parents, as a reward for piety and faith, cf. (Heb. 11:5). According to the apocryphal Book of Enoch, he was called by the Lord to judge the fallen angels. The appearance of Enoch along with the prophet Elijah is expected before the Second Coming of Christ.
The legend about Enoch has been preserved among different peoples. Thus, in the city of Iconium there was a legend about King Anak, who lived 300 years before the flood (cf. Enoch’s lifespan on earth according to the Bible - 365 years) and begged the gods to have mercy on the human race, doomed to destruction. Enoch is also revered in Islam; he is mentioned as a prophet in the Koran.

Book of Enoch.

There are several known pseudo-apocryphal books bearing the name of Enoch. The most famous is 1 Book of Enoch, usually called simply “The Book of Enoch.” She is mentioned and quoted in the works of many church fathers, including Tertullian, Irenaeus, Origen, Clement of Alexandria, Justin the Philosopher and others.
The Book of Enoch has always been recognized by the Church as apocryphal and, obviously, constitutes a creation of a later period of time. It is remarkable that each of the three most important religious eras in the history of the Old Testament and New Testament is marked by a miraculous event of relocation to heaven: for example, the Patriarchal Church - in the person of Enoch, the Jewish Church - in the person of the prophet Elijah, and the Christian Church - in the miraculous event of the Ascension into heaven of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Perfector our salvation and His Most Pure Mother, the Ever-Virgin Mary, as the pious tradition of this has been preserved in the Christian Church.
For a long time, the contents of the Book of Enoch could only be judged by quotations and reviews. However, in the 18th century its full text was discovered in Ethiopian, and since that time it has been published several times, both in the original and in translations. The book dates back to the 2nd-1st centuries BC. e. and represents a rich source for studying the religious worldview of the Jews of that era. As can be seen from a comparison of the epistle of Jude (15 and 16) and the book of Enoch (I, 9), it was also used by early Christian writers.

The memory of the forefather Enoch is celebrated on the Week of the Forefathers, on Sunday 2 weeks before the Feast of the Nativity of Christ.

From the stichera on the Sunday stichera:

Glory, voice 3. Germanovo: Council of the forefathers, lovers of leisure, / come, let us psalmically praise: Adam the forefather, Enoch, Noah, Melchizedek, / Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, / according to the law of Moses, and Aaron, / Jesus, Samuel and David, / with them Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, / and Daniel, and the twelve, / together with Elijah, Elisha and all, / Zechariah, and the Baptist, and who preached Christ, / the life and resurrection of our race.

From 8 songs of the canon by the forefathers on the Sunday of Saints, forefathers:

Today we commemorate the honorable fathers of those who exist from all eternity, / Adam, Abel, Seth, and Noah, / and Enos, and Enoch, and Abraham, / Melchizedek and Job, Isaac and the faithful Jacob, / may the creature, crying out, bless the Lord / and exalts it to all ages.

(www.dionisy.com; dic.academic.ru; Bible. Old and New Testaments. Sinoidal translation. Biblical encyclopedia. architect. Nikifor. 1891.; azbyka.ru; illustrations - pravicon.com; www.dionisy.com; www .agavaart.com).

The Sacred Biblical History of the Old Testament Pushkar Boris (Bishop Veniamin) Nikolaevich

Descendants of Cain and Seth.

Descendants of Cain and Seth.

Life 4:17–5:31

Cain's generation began to grow rapidly, and at the same time the struggle against nature, begun by his ancestor, continued. In the fight against nature, the descendants of Cain learned to mine copper and iron and make tools from them. Being carried away by material well-being and purely everyday concerns, the Cainites cared least about spiritual life. Such neglect of spiritual life developed countless vices among them. With this direction of life, Cainites could not become true representatives of the human race and, even more so, guardians of great spiritual treasures - the first promise of the Savior and the primitive religious and moral institutions associated with it. Cain's generation, with its crude everyday materialism and atheism, was only capable of perverting the historical course of development intended for humanity. This one-sided direction needed a counterbalance. And he really appeared in the generation of Adam’s new son, Seth, who was born after the murder of Abel.

With the birth of Seth, a generation of people began in antediluvian humanity who, in their spiritual mood, represented the complete opposite of Cain. In Cain's generation, people worshiped only material power and turned all their abilities (to the point of complete oblivion of God) to the acquisition of material wealth. In the generation of Seth, on the contrary, a completely different, more elevated direction of life was developed and developed, which, awakening in people a humble consciousness of human helplessness and sinfulness, it directed their thoughts towards God, who gave fallen people hope for deliverance from sin, curse and death. This spiritual direction of life among the Sethites noticeably manifested itself already under the son of Seth, Enos: "Then, - says the Writer of Life, - began to call on the name of the Lord[God] » (Gen. 4:26). This, of course, does not mean that before that time there were absolutely no prayers in which God was invoked. Religion began to be expressed in external forms, and therefore in prayer, even under Adam. This expression only means that now in the generation of Seth, the calling of the name of the Lord God became an open confession of their faith in God, as opposed to the generation of Cainites, who, because of their godlessness, began to be called the sons of men. The highest exponent and representative of the spiritual life of the Sethites was Enoch, who "walked before God"(Gen.5:22, 24), that is, he always embodied in his life the height of original human purity and holiness. At the same time, he was the first to realize to what abyss of depravity and sinfulness the atheism of the Cainites could lead, and he acted as the first preacher and prophet to announce the terrible future judgment of God over the “wicked” (Jude 1:15). As a reward for this high piety and ardent faith, the Lord took him alive from the sinful earth (Heb. 11:5).

The generation of Seth, being the bearer of the true religion and the promise associated with it, naturally had to become the root from which the entire “tree of humanity” was to develop. In this generation, patriarchs appear one after another - great representatives of antediluvian humanity, who, being strong in spirit and body, were called upon through many years of labor to develop and preserve spiritual principles that were to form the basis of the moral life of all future generations. To successfully fulfill their purpose, by the special providence of God, they were endowed with extraordinary longevity, so that each of them could be a living guardian and interpreter of the promise entrusted to them for almost a whole millennium. The first man Adam lived 930 years; his son Seth - 912 years old; son of Seth Enos - 905 years; representatives of subsequent generations: Cainan - 910 years, Maleleel - 895, Jared - 962, Enoch - 365, Methuselah - 969, Lemech - 777 and Noah - 950 years.

From the book Biblical Meanings [full edition] author Berman Boris

VII. LESSONS OF CAIN 1 In the process of Creation, which is narrated in the first chapter of the Book of Genesis, Elokim, God, acts. In the second and third chapters, from the moment of the announcement of human freedom and the Path of man, `Hashem Elokim, the Lord God, is the One who leads man as

From the book Nag Hammadi Library author author unknown

Second treatise of the great Seth 49. The Perfect Greatness rests in the inexpressible Light, in the Truth of the Mother of them all and of you all, who - since I am the only Perfect One - have come to me for the sake of the Word. For I abide with all the Majesty of the Spirit, who is a companion to us and our relatives in

From the book The Explanatory Bible. Volume 1 author Lopukhin Alexander

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From the book The Evolution of Life. The path from God-man to man author

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From the book Holy Scripture. Modern translation (CARS) author's Bible

Birth of Seth 25. And Adam also knew (Eve) his wife, and she gave birth to a son, and called his name Seth, because, (she said,) God gave me another seed, instead of Abel, whom Cain killed "And I knew Adam still had his wife... and she gave birth to a son and called his name Seth..." In place of the two eldest

From the book of the Bible. New Russian translation (NRT, RSJ, Biblica) author's Bible

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From the book Explanatory Bible by Lopukhin. OLD TESTAMENT.GENESIS author

Descendants of Cain 17 Cain knew his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. At that time, Cain was building a city and named it after his son Enoch. 18 Enoch begat Irad, Irad begat Mechiael, Mechiael begot Methushail, and Methushail begat Lamech. 19 Lamech took a wife

From the author's book

Descendants of Cain 17 Cain knew his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. At that time, Cain was building a city and named it after his son Enoch. 18 Enoch begat Irad, Irad begat Mechiael, Mechiael begat Methushael, and Methushael begat Lamech. 19 Lamech took a wife

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Enoch, son of Seth The descendants of Adam through Seth are listed, not counting Adam and Seth themselves, for eight generations. They are described in somewhat more detail than about the descendants of Cain. These are the so-called antediluvian patriarchs. The names of Seth's genealogy are suspiciously similar to

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Descendants of Cain It is completely incomprehensible why in our hospitals women on preservation and women preparing for an abortion are assigned to the same ward? Just some kind of nonsense. The other day I got into a conversation at the temple with a girl who felt faint because of it. She goes all out

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8. Fratricide of Cain. 8. And Cain said to Abel his brother: (let's go into the field). And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. “And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him...” Like death itself, appearing in the world as a quitrent.

From the author's book

9. Cain's judgment and punishment. 9. And the Lord (God) said to Cain: Where is Abel your brother? He said: I don’t know; Am I my brother’s keeper? “Where is Abel your brother?” Following the example of the judgment of the fallen ancestors (3:9) and the judgment of their criminal son, the merciful God begins with an appeal (call) to

From the author's book

25. Birth of Seth. 25. And Adam knew (Eve) his wife, and she gave birth to a son, and called his name Seth, because, (she said,) God gave me another seed, instead of Abel, whom Cain killed. “And Adam knew also her wife... and she gave birth to a son and called his name Seth..."In place of the two

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 of Adam and Eve in the 7th generation, son of Jared and father of Methuselah, great-grandfather of Noah (Gen. 5. 18-24; 1 Chr. 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 compilations and adaptations of later times: the first book of Enoch (or the 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, Epistles of Enoch, Book of Proverbs (Book of Similarities) of Enoch), individually not preserved (Aram., Greek, Copt., Ethiopian versions are known), and the Book of Giants (giants) (or Manichaean Book of Enoch), fragments of which were discovered in Qumran (known to Aram ., Greek, Latin, Persian versions).

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 Leiden, 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 up 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 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 there are 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.

The author of Barnabas the Apostle's Epistle quotes the 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 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); 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 of the second book of Enoch (or slav. Book of Enoch), Enoch of the third book (or Heb. Book of Enoch, Hekhalot), the History of Enoch and Elijah (Latin), “Apocalypse of Enoch” (Syr.), fragments of Copts appeared. 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 cases, 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; others - bespopovtsy of various agreements (nowadays a minority) - claim that the spiritual arrival has already taken place and the Antichrist has long reigned in the world.

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. Archpriest Avvakum, calling: “See with the mind of the beast of the chronicle” (Bubnov, Demkova. 1981. P. 150), nevertheless believed that the Antichrist had not yet come into the world, and condemned those who “thought that the coming of the prophets Elijah and Enoch will be in spirit, not flesh, to expose the Antichrist” (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 be physically 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. The founder of the Pilgrim Consent, Euthymius, wrote in his works “On the Preaching of the Prophets,” “Flower Garden,” and “Titin” that the preaching of the prophets should be understood in the spiritual, and not in the letter. sense.

The controversy continued in the nineteenth and early years. XX century Ep. Of the Belokrinitsky hierarchy, Arseny (Shvetsov) in “The Book of the Antichrist” affirmed “the sensual coming of the prophets Enoch and Elijah in the flesh, as a denunciation of the Antichrist, and as a conversion and confirmation by man.” The polemicist of Spasovsky Consent A. A. Konovalov argued that “there is no way to understand the coming of the prophets Enoch and Elijah and with them John the Theologian in a literal sense, 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 abbot L. F. Pichugin and the 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 where E. and Elijah await the coming of the Antichrist. In addition to other miracles, this island is replete with gold. 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 Royal Irish Academy. C: Archaeology, Celtic Stud., History, Linguistics and Literature, Dublin, 1973. 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. 1961. Vol. 30. P. 1-11; Lambert W. G. Enmeduranki and Related Matters // J. of Cuneiform Stud. 1967. Vol. 21. P. 126-138; Dedicated to // VT. 22. P. 495-501; . Vol. 33. N 2. P. 183-196; The Books of Enoch: Aramaic Fragments of Qumrân Cave 4 / Ed. J. T. Oxf., 1976; Sasson J. M. A Genealogical “Convention” in Biblical Chronography? 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, YaIAMZ from the Church of the Resurrection on Debra, the last quarter 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