Kingdom Kutz MediaQuestions
Should Christians Read the Book of Enoch?
Jude quotes it, the Dead Sea Scrolls preserve it, and most churches leave it out. Here is how to read it without getting lost.
Yes, Christians are free to read the Book of Enoch as an ancient Jewish document, but not as Scripture. Jude 1:14-15 quotes it once, which shows Jude knew it, not that it is inspired. Only the Ethiopian Orthodox Church counts it as canon. Read it with your Bible open, and test every claim against the sixty-six books.
Few books spark more curiosity in Christian circles than 1 Enoch. It has angels who fall, giants on the earth, and a prophecy that shows up word for word in the New Testament. People hear all that and wonder why their Bible left it out, and whether they are missing something God wanted them to have.
Is It Okay for Christians to Read the Book of Enoch?
Yes, as a historical document, with clear eyes about what it is. Reading it will not hurt your faith. Treating it as Scripture will, because it quietly pulls your theology away from the sixty-six books that carry God's authority. Think of it like reading a primary source from the world Jesus grew up in. You learn a lot, and you test every line against the Bible.
Our video on the Watchers walks through the strangest parts of the book and where they connect to Genesis 6. Watch The Book of Enoch: What Genesis Isn't Telling You About the Watchers and you will see exactly what the text claims, and where it goes past anything the Bible itself says about those fallen angels.
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Does the Bible Quote the Book of Enoch?
It does, once. Jude takes a prophecy about the Lord's return and attributes it to Enoch.
And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,Jude 1:14 (KJV)
Those words appear in 1 Enoch, and Jude had clearly read it. Some conclude the whole book must be inspired. That does not follow. Paul quoted pagan poets in Acts 17 and nobody adds them to the canon. A New Testament writer pointing to a true line in a book does not stamp every other line in it as God-breathed. The Bible Study Tools overview makes the same distinction between quoting and canonizing.
Why Isn't the Book of Enoch in the Bible?
Several reasons stack up. The book claims to come from a man who lived before the flood, but the oldest copies we have are Aramaic fragments found among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran, in about eleven manuscripts covering roughly a fifth of the text, according to the Biblical Archaeology Society. Those copies come from the centuries before Christ, long after Enoch's day. Jewish teachers never counted it among the Hebrew Scriptures. Early Christians were divided, and by the third century and after, leaders like Ambrose and Augustine pushed against it, as the history of its reception shows.
Today the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is the one major body that treats it as Scripture. Catholic, Protestant, and the rest of the Orthodox world do not. For how the Bible itself came together, see who wrote the Bible.
What Should You Watch For if You Read It?
Hold it up to the text God gave us. Paul tells Timothy what Scripture does.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV)
Enoch's long accounts of angels teaching humans forbidden arts, detailed heavenly tours, and a precise cosmic calendar all go well beyond what the Bible tells us. Where it matches Scripture, fine. Where it adds, leave it as an interesting ancient opinion. Never build a doctrine on it.
A simple plan works. Read Genesis 5 and 6 first. Then read Jude. Then, if you want, pick up a good scholarly translation of 1 Enoch with notes. Keep your Bible open beside it.
Key Points for Reading Enoch Wisely
- Reading it is fine. Treating it as inspired Scripture is the mistake.
- Jude quotes it once, which proves Jude knew it, not that it belongs in the canon.
- The oldest copies are Aramaic fragments from Qumran, written long after Enoch's day.
- Only the Ethiopian Orthodox Church counts it as Scripture.
- Test everything against the sixty-six books.
If you came here because something in your own life made you hungry for more of God, the best answer is already on your nightstand. Open the Gospel of John tonight. Then come back to Enoch with a settled foundation, and you will read it with wisdom instead of wonder alone.
🙏 Pray With Us
Lord, for the one searching this question right now, give them hunger for Your Word and a steady mind to tell what is true. Lead them to peace in Jesus.
The Book of Enoch: What Genesis Isn't Telling You About the Watchers ft @WhatTheBibleSaysaboutkkm
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