Did Jesus Quote the Book of Enoch?

A common argument I see online in support of 1 Enoch comes from comparing Matthew 5:5 to 1 Enoch 5:7.

Jesus says in Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth,” and 1 Enoch 5:7 reads, “But for the chosen, there will be light, joy, and peace, and they shall inherit the earth.”

At first glance, this can look like convincing evidence that Jesus was quoting Enoch.

Except For This

Psalms 37:11 says, “But the meek shall inherit the land, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”

See, the Psalms were written long before the Books of Enoch. Although the entire collection took centuries to complete, all of it predates the birth of Jesus. Blue Letter Bible provides estimated dates for each section, with Psalm 37 being written during the Babylonian Captivity around 539 B.C.

Concerns About the Books of Enoch

When evaluating the authority of the Books of Enoch, several issues stand out, and trust me, I know this makes some people mad, but I question why the Bible isn’t enough for you.

First, the books were written during the Intertestamental period and after. Second, they contain numerous contradictions with Scripture (Some sources to check out: 1, 2, 3, and 4,).

Third, Jesus and the apostles never validated the unusual and often bizarre subject matter found in Enoch. The narrative presented in these books does not align with the teachings found in the rest of the Bible.

The books are attributed to Enoch, but this is an example of pseudepigrapha, a common practice in which writings were assigned to notable biblical figures. Enoch was certainly noteworthy, as he walked with God and was taken by Him, but that does not mean he authored these texts.

When comparing sources, the order is clear, and this is historically and academically established.

— Psalms came first.

— Jesus quoted Psalms.

— Enoch quoted Psalms.

Understanding Jude’s Reference to Enoch

Another argument often raised is Jude 14, which says, “Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: ‘See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones.’” Some use this to claim that Jude validated the Book of Enoch as inspired Scripture.

A closer look shows otherwise.

Biblehub.com

Jude mentioned the name of Enoch, not the Book of Enoch. He did not say he was quoting from an authoritative text. Quoting an outside source does not make that source inspired. Jesus quoted Caesar, but that did not make Caesar’s words authoritative.

Second, Jude was fighting back against people who had renounced Christianity (apostates), people who were using 1 Enoch. Jude was making a rather sassy and clever point by using the religious material that was familiar to them.

That judgment would come to the ungodly and all false teachers. By using this to make his point, he was able to engage the Apostates directly and more effectively.

I recommend reading the article “Why Does the New Testament Cite Extrabiblical Sources?” It is very informative on the topic of Jude and extrabiblical sources and talks about Paul doing the same thing as well.

The Issue Now

Instead of this being about the Apostates and the point he was getting across to them, it has turned into him “validating” 1 Enoch as being somehow authoritative Scripture.

Again, Jude never stated it was authoritative; the Books of Enoch (and the other ones) invalidate themselves as authoritative all on their own, and if people want to go that far, then they might as well go after Jesus and Paul, too.

No one denies that books exist, and no one denies that there is some historical truth contained in them, but that does not make them authoritative or inspired. The Books of Enoch were written by people who wanted to believe certain things because they didn’t like what they were hearing.

“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of Jehovah your God which I command you.” Deut 4:2

“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them that are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary to the doctrine which ye learned: and turn away from them.” Rom 16:17

Believe what you will, but ask yourself, why is there a need to put faith in these books that are proven to be unbiblical, inaccurate, and uninspired?

© Jane Isley

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