The Bible clearly shows Enoch as an important prophet. He was the seventh from Adam and “walked with God.” He was translated—obviously, his works pleased God. He has prophesies relevant to the latter days. (Genesis 5:22-24; Hebrews 11:5, Jude 1:14) Yet, the Bible has none of his writings.
What is Apocryphal Literature
The Book of Enoch is in the category of apocryphal literature even though the Bible shows him to be a very important prophet—the Bible has none of his writings. What is Apocryphal Literature? Most people don’t know that there are three categories of apocryphal literature: 1) those books written after Malachi, which are in the Catholic Bibles, 2) books written before Malachi and mentioned in the Bible, and 3) all other apocryphal books. The Book of Enoch is in the third category and is one of the most important ancient books—written more than 600 years before Noah’s flood. The traditional view of apocryphal literature is just those books written between Malachi and Matthew, which is a very limiting view. The Gospel of Joseph of Arimathea is an extremely important example.
David Hocking’s Book of Enoch
If you go to Amazon.com, you will find dozens of versions of the Book(s) of Enoch. From ancient writings, there are three different versions of the Book of Enoch: Slavonic, Ethiopic, and Hebrew. David Hocking, in his “Book of Enoch,” has all three of these books and additionally, the words of Enoch in the Book of Moses revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith. The Bible also mentions the Book of Jasher, which also contains the writings of Enoch, which Hocking includes in his version as well.
Book of Enoch Third Printing
David Hocking’s Annotated Edition of the Book of Enoch is relatively new and is already in its third printing. It is the most popular of his six Annotated Edition books and is a major contribution to Christian literature.
David Hocking’s six annotated editions (Book of Mormon, The Book of Jasher, The Book of Enoch, The Book of Isaiah, The Joseph Smith New Testament, and The Five Books of Moses the Joseph Smith Translation) are major contributions as well. After reading through the table of contents below, you see why many Christians are buying Hocking’s Book of Enoch. Because the Bible has so little about this significant prophet. All of Hocking’s books are available at BeaconLight Books.
The Chronology of Enoch Texts
Hocking’s 250-page Book of Enoch is sectioned off as follows:
Introduction
The Chronology of Enoch Texts
A Text Formatting Guide
The Genealogy of Enoch
The Ethiopic Book of Enoch
1 Enoch 1-16 The Fallen Angels
1 Enoch 17-23 The Watchers
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Enoch 24-25 The Beautiful and Fragrant Tree
1 Enoch 26-36 The Ends of the Earth
1 Enoch 37-44 The First Parable
1Enoch 45-57 The Second Parable—The Son of Man, the Messiah
1 Enoch 58-59 The Third Parable
1 Enoch 60-69 Fragments from the Book of Noah
1 Enoch 70-71 Lifted on the Chariots of the Spirit—Enoch’s Translation
1 Enoch 72-80 The Courses of the Heavenly Luminaries
1 Enoch 81-90 The Dream Visions of the Future
The Slavonic Book of the Secrets of Enoch
2 Enoch 1-38 Enoch’s Journey to Ten Heavens
2 Enoch 39-68 Enoch’s Ethical Instructions to His Sons
1-4 Appendix: The Exaltation of Melchizedek
The Hebrew Book of Enoch (Sefer Hekhalot)
3 Enoch 1-14 Metatron (Enoch) Ascends to Heaven
3 Enoch 15-16 Fragment of the “Ascension of Moses”
3 Enoch 17-22 Angelological Section
3 Enoch 23-24 “The Winds” and “Chariots”
3 Enoch 25-34 Angelological Section (Continued)
3 Enoch 35-48 The Celestial Qedushsha
The Writings of Moses—“Joseph Smith Enoch”
Appendix
Index
As you look at the table of contents, you can see why it has become such a popular book. Enoch is an extremely important prophet in the Lord’s doings. The Lord showed Enoch the end from the beginning of the earth. Hocking’s Book of Enoch is the best by far on the market to better understand the contributions of this great ancient prophet, whose City will come back in our day and join the City of Zion in preparation for the Lord’s coming.
Enoch’s calendar goes from the beginning to the end of time. How relevant is that? My good friend Dr. John Pratt (recently deceased) has shown from Enoch’s calendar the date of the First Vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith (26 March 1820). Several critical future events are part of Enoch’s calendar.
David Hocking’s Testimony
David shares his testimony in his introduction to his Book of Enoch, which testimony is the same as mine:
It is my testimony that Joseph Smith, Jr. was a true Prophet, Seer, and Revelator. The “Joseph Smith Enoch,” revealed to him in Dec. 1830-Feb. 1831, at the age of 25 years, has established his credentials for being a revelator of ancient texts. He could only have known about Enoch’s life and importance, as provided in the later discoveries of Enoch manuscripts, by receiving authentic revelations. Those revealed writings act as a “control” that validates Joseph’s claim of being given a history of Enoch, an almost unknown prophet in Joseph’s day. I offer this book to substantiate it.
What the Bible mentions about Enoch is so limited, which is all the world had access to at the time Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon. The Savior gives us both a necessary and sufficient test to know if a man is a true prophet (Matt. 7:7-8). A bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit; neither can a good tree bring forth bad fruit. “By their fruits, ye shall know them.” Using the Savior’s test, we know Joseph Smith, Jr. was a prophet of God. Hocking’s “control” test satisfies the Savior’s criteria perfectly.
We are grateful to have David Hocking as a dear friend. His annotations in his edition of the Book of Enoch give great insight.
David Hocking’s Next Book
I believe David’s next Annotated Edition, The Revelations of Joseph Smith, Jr. The Chronological History of the Restoration as Recorded in his Journal, will be the best one yet—a “game changer.” David’s goals are the same as mine. Get the truth out as best we can as best we understand it. The Lord has blessed David’s efforts significantly, and I am happy to help him in this work. The Lord has blessed me greatly, and I want to do everything I can to honor the Lord, to serve His precious sons and daughters, and to help them know the TRUTH. As the Savior said, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)
David W. Allan
P.S. I have extra copies of his Book of Enoch, which I am happy to make available to you.
Photo: BeaconLight Books