What Scripture says
Genesis says Enoch “walked with God, and he was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:24, ESV). Hebrews 11:5 says he was taken up without seeing death. Jude 14–15 quotes one prophecy found in 1 Enoch 1:9 (see 3.5). No biblical book treats 1 Enoch as Scripture.
What the evidence says
History
1 Enoch is a collection of five works, written roughly between 300 and 100 BC, with one section possibly later. Its full contents are covered in 3.3:
| Section | Chapters | In brief |
|---|---|---|
| Book of the Watchers | 1–36 | Fallen angels, giants and the flood; Enoch tours heaven |
| Book of Parables | 37–71 | A heavenly “Son of Man” judges the world |
| Astronomical Book | 72–82 | Sun, moon, stars and a 364-day year |
| Dream Visions | 83–90 | Israel’s history as an animal allegory |
| Epistle of Enoch | 91–108 | Woes on the wicked; comfort for the righteous |
It was popular among some Jews before Jesus, especially the community behind the Dead Sea Scrolls, which had at least 11 copies, and with some early Christians, such as Tertullian. But it was never part of the Hebrew Bible, and most of the church set it aside by the 4th century (see 3.4). Today only the Ethiopian Orthodox Church includes it (see 3.11).
Textual Criticism
- Survival. The full text survives only in Ge’ez, with Aramaic fragments from Qumran and portions in Greek.
- Authorship. Its multiple sections, styles and dates show several authors, writing many centuries after the Enoch of Genesis, who lived before the flood.
- Language. It was composed in Aramaic, a language from long after Enoch’s time.
Where they meet
1 Enoch is a window into Jewish thought before Jesus, and helps explain passages like Jude 6 and 2 Peter 2:4. Its comparison with Scripture is covered in 3.6: it shares some themes, such as God’s holiness and coming judgment, but differs on others, such as the origin of evil.
What’s still open
The exact date of some sections, especially the Book of Parables.
Bottom line
1 Enoch was written c. 300–100 BC by several authors, not by Enoch. The full breakdown is in 3.3–3.6. Its date and authorship are well established, so leaving it out is rated Settled.