The Book of Enoch-pages

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The Book of Enoch-pages

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collected in that house, and the Lord of the sheep rejoiced greatly, for they were all good and had returned to his house. 34. And I saw till they laid down that sword which had been given to the sheep, and returned it to his house; and it was sealed before the face of the Lord, and all the sheep were closed up in that house, but it could not contain them. 35. And the eyes of all of them were opened, and they saw the good, and there was not ONE among them that did not see. 36. And I saw that that house was large and broad and exceedingly full. 37. And I saw that a white bullock was born, and his horns were large, and all the wild beasts and all the birds of heaven feared him and petitioned him at all times. 38. And I saw till all their generations were changed, and they all became white bullocks, and the first one of them [was the word, and that word] was a great animal, and had on its head large and black horns; and the Lord of the sheep rejoiced over them and over all the bullocks. 39. And I reposed in their midst, and I awoke and saw everything. 40. And this is the vision that I saw as I was asleep; and I awoke and blessed the Lord of justice and gave him glory. 41. And then I cried greatly, and my tears did not stand still till I was not able to endure it; when I looked they flowed on account of that which I saw, because everything will come and be fulfilled; and all the deeds of men in their order appeared to me. 42. And in that night I remembered my first dream, and on its account I cried and trembled, because I had seen that vision. Cuap. 85. The second vision, which reaches to chapter 90, gives a history of the world from the beginning to the completion in the Messianic times. As in Daniel, the men of Israel and of other neighbors are given under the symbolism of animals. The representatives of the “plant of righteousness” are pictured as tame animals, the patriarchs are bullocks, and in later times the faithful are sheep; names suggested by the gradual decrease of faith and fidelity in Israel. Those not of the people of God and the enemies of Israel are symbolized as wild beasts and vultures. Single persons are individuals of the species to which they belong, the nations are herds. The accountitself is based chiefly on the Old Testament record.—1. Another, cf. 83:2.—2. Cf. Prov. v. 1.—3. Edna, cf. note on 83:2. This bullock is Adam. White is the color of the theocratic line of descent, 85:3; 87:2; 90:6, 21, 31-37, symbolizing moral purity; cf. Isa. I. 18; Ps. li. 10; Dan. vii. 9; Cant. iv. 2.A female etc., designating Eve as a virgin; after verse 6 she is called a cow. Cain is black, the emblematic color of sin; Able is red, a color in token of this martyrdom; cf. 22:7 and Num. xix —4. Death of Abel_—5. Acow is Cain’s wife, according to Jewish tradition, his sister —6. Eve seeking Abel. The Book of the Jubilees, chap. 4, relates that Adam and Eve lamented over Abel “four times seven years.” —8. White bull, i.e. Seth. The cows are called black to explain how afterwards the daughters of men were so easily enticed by the fallen angels. Dillmann thinks black should stand before bullocks; cf. Gen. v. 4.9. Origin of the Sethites, opposed to the Cainites. CuaP. 86. As 88:1 shows, this fallen star is Azazel. Bullocks, both Sethites and Cainites.—2. The result was tumult and confusion among mankind. The large are probably the Sethites, the black certainly the Cainites—3. Fall of the rest of the angels. The three kind of giants; cf. note on 7:2.—6. Children of the earth; the angels being children of heaven; cf. 6:2. Cuap. 87. The contest between the bullocks and the giants; the former horn the latter, the latter devour the former; cf. 7:4.—2. Like white men, i.e. angels. Throughout the whole tableau angels are always dignified as men. The are white because holy and pure; cf. 85:3. The four are probably Michael and three other archangels; cf. note on 81:5.—3, 4. This removal of Enoch is explained by the prominent part he takes in the punishment of the angels; cf. chap. 12 sqq. On this tower he remains also till the Messianic judgment, 89:52; 90:31. Where that tower was is uncertain.