This pseudepigraphon of the Old testament was rejected for what seems obscure reasons, like most of the time with apocrypha, and yet this book is probably essential. It shows that God's creation was far from being perfect, which we knew of course. But it also gives the episode in which some angels known as the Watchers because they were supposed to be watching the human race, got fascinated by the beautiful women on earth. But these angels were not pure spirits and they were sexually very well provided (??? the great stars whose privy members were like those of horses ??? 88:3) and males. Hence they descended from their heights and took some women and procreated a new race of beings with them, the famous giants who destroyed the earth. And the book contains two versions of the tale, the first one with women procreating giants, and the second one with cows, this time procreating elephants, camels and asses. This is a perfect parable for those scientists and technicians who invent anything and menace the life of the planet and of humanity with the implementation of their inventions. This will bring about God's decision to send the deluge and wipe life out completely or nearly. To clean up the damage god causes even greater damage : the radical, though not quite final, solution. But this book is also essential because there is a complete vision of the other worlds, paradise and all the hells that were being prepared for the coming apocalypse and that were surrounding the human world. The descriptions are very vivid and the trip in these climes reminds us of Dante's Divine Comedy. And that is not all. The book contains a strong section about astronomy, summarizing all human knowledge at the time about the sun and the moon, not so much about the stars, except the twelve sun portals that will give the twelve zodiacal signs. It also contains a strong prediction in the shape of wisdom chapters and verses and in the shape of dream visions that the rich and the powerful will be destroyed, even if God has to stir some trouble down on earth among their victims or subjects to have them removed from power. Finally it also predicts there will be a final day of judgment when the Elect One will perform divine justice in the name of the God of the Spirits. This is very similar to the Book of Revelation. In other words it is an important source and model for that Book of Revelation. Finally it reveals very clearly that Noah is an albino, the fear his birth caused among his relatives, first of all his father, and how Enoch saved him from destruction, which was normal in those days for off-standard children, with the argument that he had a divine mission to fulfill and that he, Enoch, knew about it because it had been revealed to him in his visions and his communication with God. This book is thus both tremendously human by the desire to get a compensation for the oppression of the majority of the people by a few rich and powerful persons or the fear an albino baby can cause among human beings, and tremendously visionary in a way that announces Isaiah, Ezekiel and John but with an extreme sense of retribution, punishment and destruction in suffering for the rich, the powerful and the violent, essentially, plus the dishonest, the blasphemous, liars, and sexual perverts, meaning here fornicators. This book should be reinstated in the Old Testament and it cannot be ignored, especially since it is one of the sources of inspiration of the English poet William Blake. It gives a vision of the Jewish and Christian religions that has a lot more power by its imagination, its humanity and its great descriptive and evocative style.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

Contrary to one review here, I believe it is obvious that the Biblical authors considered the Book of Enoch to be "scripture." At least Jude did. (JFYI, I don't believe the Bible is infallible or literally "God's word", nor do I believe Enoch is)

Regardless of your perspective on the Bible or the Book of Enoch I think most will agree with me that the Book of Enoch is an enjoyably chilling, goose-bump giving read; absolutely fascinating!

Chapters 6-8 were marvelously entertaining. The descriptions of the vampire-like beings known as the Nephilim (also called Rephaim, which some scholars translate as "the dead") were more interesting than anything Hollywood could come up with! This book gives writers a perfect story for a horror-film so I am surprised that so little has been done in this area--not that I would not Hollywood to corrupt the story.

I think Charles was mistaken on some of his translations. Hebrew "Nephilim" should not be translated into "giants", not from etymology (which isn't a correct method of translation in the first place) or in usage. Scholars do not know what it means, so he should have left it UN-translated (simply "Nephilim").

"Sin against" in 6:5 might not be not a correct translation either. I think "defile" might be more accurate. This translation could be interpreted as saying that the Nephilim somehow mated with the animals (which happens to correlate with the Authentic Book of Jasher's account on the subject). Besides, how could the Nephilim sin against un-divine animals?

"Wives" in chapter 5 is ncorrect. The "Irin'" (often translated as "watchers", though others often have it as "those who are awake" or "those who watch") did not choose "wives", they chose "women." The Hebrew text indicates that these sex-crazed angels were lusting after "women" rather than choosing "wives." It is nonsense to think that the angels talked to the human fathers of these women and discussed contracts and legal issues (which is what usually went on before marriages could take place)!

"Bastards" (describing the Nephilim) in chapters 10 and 13 might not be correct. Others have proposed "biters" (and it is interesting that these "biters" happened to drink blood according to chapter 6).

While I have much more to say about some of the translations, as well as some comments to make about Charles' theory of why the church rejected the book, I think I've said enough.

In summary, this book simultaneously beautiful and terrifying! I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the paranormal.

-- Pat Casanova...