Enoch's Gospel and the Canon of Scripture
Enoch's Gospel and the Canon of Scripture
The concept of Enoch's Gospel relates to the biblical figure Enoch, who is described in Genesis 5:24 as being taken by God without experiencing death. The book of Jude quotes from a non-canonical work attributed to Enoch, sparking debate about the canonical status of this and other apocryphal texts [4].
The term "canon" refers to a rule or standard, derived from the Greek word for a straight rod or measuring stick. In the context of Scripture, it denotes the collection of books considered authoritative and divinely inspired [1, 2]. The process of establishing the canon involved recognizing texts that were written by apostles or their companions and were widely accepted by early Christian communities.
The book of Enoch, also known as 1 Enoch, is an ancient Jewish text that contains apocalyptic and revelatory material. While it is not considered canonical by most Protestant traditions, it is regarded as canonical by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The early Church Fathers were divided on its canonical status. Tertullian, for example, accepted the book of Enoch as genuine and authoritative, while others, such as Origen, were more cautious [6].
The quotation from Enoch in Jude 1:14-15 is significant, as it demonstrates that the author of Jude considered the book of Enoch to be authoritative. However, this does not necessarily imply that the book of Enoch is canonical. Rather, it highlights the complex relationship between canonical and non-canonical texts in early Christianity [4].
The criteria for canonicity, as articulated by Charles Hodge, include apostolic authorship, universal acceptance by the early Christian church, and consistency with other recognized canonical texts. By these criteria, the book of Enoch is not considered canonical, as it is not attributed to an apostle and was not universally accepted by the early Church [5].
Different Christian traditions have varying views on the canon of Scripture. The Catholic Church, for example, includes the Deuterocanonical books in its canon, while Protestant traditions generally do not. The Eastern Orthodox Church has its own distinct canonical tradition [8, 7].
The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, an Anglican document, states that "All the Books of the New Testament, as they are commonly received, we do receive, and account them Canonical" [9]. This reflects a broader Protestant consensus on the canon, which excludes texts like the book of Enoch.
The significance of Enoch's translation lies in its demonstration of God's power over death and its foreshadowing of the eschatological hope of Christians. Calvin notes that Enoch's translation served as an example of immortality, elevating the faith of God's people and mitigating their fear of death [3, 10].
The relationship between Enoch's Gospel and the canon of Scripture remains a topic of ongoing debate and discussion among Christian traditions. While the book of Enoch is not considered canonical by most Protestant traditions, its influence on early Christian thought and its continued relevance for understanding the biblical narrative are undeniable.
Sources
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Canon Of Scripture, The — may be generally described as the "collection of books which form the original and authoritative written rule of the faith and practice of the Christian Church," i.e. the Old and New Testaments. The word canon, in classical Greek, is properly a straight rod, "a rule" in the widest sense, and especially in the phrases "the rule of the Church," "the rule of faith," "the rule of truth," The first direct application of the term canon to the Scriptures seems to be in the verses of Amphilochius (cir. 380 A.D.), where the word indicates the rule by ”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Canon — This word is derived from a Hebrew and Greek word denoting a reed or cane. Hence it means something straight, or something to keep straight; and hence also a rule, or something ruled or measured. It came to be applied to the Scriptures, to denote that they contained the authoritative rule of faith and practice, the standard of doctrine and duty. A book is said to be of canonical authority when it has a right to take a place with the other books which contain a revelation of the Divine will. Such a right does not arise from any ecclesiastical authority, but fr”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 9.6: grown into a great people, the voice of Adam might daily resound, in order to renew the memory of the creation, the fall, and the punishment of man; to testify of the hope of salvation which remained after chastisement, and to recite the judgments of God, by which all might be instructed. After his death his sons might indeed deliver, as from hand to hand, what they had learned, to their descendants; but far more efficacious would be the instruction from the mouth of him, who had been himself the eyewitness of all these things. Yet”
- Hebrews (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Hebrews 11:4: By faith Enoch was translated,.... Which is to be understood, not of a spiritual translation from the power of darkness, into the kingdom of Christ, as all converted, persons are translated, and doubtless Enoch was; nor of a rapture, or removal from one part of the earth to another, or from one part of a country to another, as Philip was caught away by the Spirit, after the baptism of the eunuch; but of a translation from earth to heaven; and not for a while only, as Paul was caught up to the third heaven; but as Elijah was, there to continue, and as the living saint”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, section 40: Word of God. When we refer to the Bible as 153 of divine authority, we refer to it as a volume and recognize all the writings which it contains as given by the inspiration of the Spirit. In like manner when Christ or his Apostles quote the “Scriptures,” or the “law and the prophets,” and speak of the volume then so called, they give their sanction to the divine authority of all the books which that volume contained. All, therefore, that is necessary to determine for Christians the canon of the Old Testament, is to ascertain what books wer”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 4: Tertullian IV, Minucius Felix, Commodian, Origen — CHAP. III.--CONCERNING THE GENUINENESS OF "THE PROPHECY OF ENOCH."[11]: I am aware that the Scripture of Enoch,[12] which has assigned this order (of action) to angels, is not received by some, because it is not admitted into the Jewish canon either. I suppose they did not think that, having been published before the deluge, it could have safely survived that world-wide calamity, the abolisher of all things. If that is the reason (for rejecting it), let them recall to their memory that Noah, the survivor of the deluge, was the great”
- CCEL (Eastern Orthodox) “John of Damascus, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, section 105: Index of Scripture References Genesis 1:1 1:1 1:2 1:2 1:2 1:2 1:2 1:3 1:3 1:5 1:5 1:6 1:6-7 1:8 1:8 1:9 1:10 1:11 1:14 1:22 1:26 1:26 1:26 1:26 1:26 1:26 1:27 1:27 1:28 1:31 1:31 1:31 2 2:2 2:8 2:9 2:9 2:10 2:16 2:16 2:17 2:23 2:25 3 3:1 3:7 3:9 4:1 4:7 4:19 5:3 6:13 6:17 6:18 7:1 7:17 8:11 8:16 8:21 9:3-5 9:6 9:6 11:7 14:18 14:19 15:6 15:16 16:9-10 16:13 17:10 17:12 17:19-20 18:1 18:1 18:10 18:13-14 18:17 18:20 18:20-21 18:25 18:25 18:25-26 19:1 19:1-2 19:24 19:24 19:24 21:1-2 21:17-18 22:12 22:12 22:12 32:26 35:1 35:1 ”
- Catechism of the Catholic Church (Catholic) “Catechism of the Catholic Church, 3. the anagogical sense (Greek: anagoge, "leading"). We can view (part 1): 3. the anagogical sense (Greek: anagoge, "leading"). We can view realities and events in terms of their eternal significance, leading us toward our true homeland: thus the Church on earth is a sign of the heavenly Jerusalem.86 118 A medieval couplet summarizes the significance of the four senses: The Letter speaks of deeds; Allegory to faith; The Moral how to act; Anagogy our destiny.87 119 "It is the task of exegetes to work, according to these rules, towards a better understanding and”
- Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican) “Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican, 1571), All the Books of the New Testament, as they are commonly received, we do receive, and account them Canonical.: All the Books of the New Testament, as they are commonly received, we do receive, and account them Canonical.”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 9.8: him away, as we read was also done with respect to Elijah. Since, in the translation of Enoch, an example of immortality was exhibited; there is no doubt that God designed to elevate the minds of his saints with certain faith before their death; and to mitigate, by this consolation, the dread which they might entertain of death, seeing they would know that a better life was elsewhere laid up for them. It is, however, remarkable that Adam himself was deprived of this support of faith and of comfort. For since that terrible judgment ”