[15] Significantly, however, some of the earliest and most explicit of the extant descriptions of the resurrection in Jewish literature that do exist are found in the Enoch literature, in particular the Parables of Enoch which is so rich in its descriptions of the Son of Man:[16]. many children into the same glory he possesses (2:10). Image Collections; Gospel Art; Gospel Art Book; Old TestamentGospel Art Book; The Prophet Joseph Smith explained:[17]. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1969. https://scriptures.byu.edu/tpjs/STPJS.pdf. 17172. The Pearl of Great Price: A Verse-by-Verse Commentary. The city of Enoch thus attained a terrestrial . The Pearl of Great Price: A Verse-by-Verse Commentary. https://www.learnreligions.com/archangel-haniel-enoch-124046 (accessed May 2, 2023). He is also said to be leading . They lived in the light of God and had a shining appearance. While talking to the Lord, Enoch expressed his full confidence in Zion, saying, "SurelyZionshall dwell in safety forever" (Moses 7:20). 2 vols. [28] G. W. E. Nickelsburg et al., 1 Enoch 2, 45:45, p. 148. And my chosen ones I shall make to dwell on it., For a second time in this passage, Moses 7:63 shares similar imagery with Psalm 85and this time 1 Enoch does the same. 3. He saw the God of Heaven weep as He looked upon the wickedness of the world and the eventual flood that would destroy the wicked, events that would not happen for hundreds of years. c. 1105. And where is it now? The archangels also kept the record of all the incarnations of every human being.". 7. ET on EWTN: Holy Mass and Rosary on Sunday, April 23, 2023 Tell us where you're. A new take on the parable of the lost sheep may change how you see yourself in the church, 5 things Latter-day Saints should know about ancient Christians, 6 temple dresses + accessories Latter-day Saint women will love. Imagine a 365-year-old citydisappeared. Metzger, Bruce M. The Fourth Book of Ezra. In The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, edited by James H. Charlesworth. [32] Church History Library, MS 2567. An individual, often the leader of the group or community, recounts how he has been taken up into heaven to stand in the divine council; b. In this final installment, well continue the story with new details of the ascent of Enochs city to heaven and its return in the last days. The author of the epistle treats at length the notion that the followers of Christ, because of his exaltation, are, in like manner, now able to enter the heavenly sanctuary.8 The exact function and use of the epistle have long been debated by scholars. And (as for) this fragrant tree, no flesh has the right to touch it until the great judgment, in which there will be vengeance on all and a consummation forever. Create a moving picture to use in telling the story of the city of Enoch being taken up to heaven. Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company, 1983. In chapter 7 of the book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith provides us with an extensive account of how Enoch built a city called the City of Holiness, even ZION (Moses 7:19). Elder Alvin R. Dyer observed that the dimensions of the drawing of the Prophets proposed temple structures for Zion were 610 x 870, thus matching the dimensions of the Latter-day Saints Visitors Center, finished in 1981 and located on part of the Independence Temple Lot owned by the Church (Alvin R. Dyer, Report of Meeting with President David O. McKay, diary, March 10, 1967, accn. And we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other. 12. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003. To use an example that I see as similar, the temporary transfiguration of Christ on the mountain height was, if anything, a preview of his anticipated exaltation and heavenly enthronement. For Joseph Smith, Enoch and his people set the pattern for others to follow. New York City, NY: HarperOne, 2008. The resurrection and the Old Testament: A fresh look in light of recent research. Journal of The Adventist Theological Society 24, no. New York City, NY: W. W. Norton, 2019. The story from the Bible of Enoch: a man who pleased God by his faith in Him, and who walked with God, and was taken up into Heaven without dying. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain [veil], where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. Does John 3:13 mean that no one went to Heaven before Jesus? Thank you Jeffrey. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! 2 (Syriac Apocalypse of) Baruch. In The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, edited by James H. Charlesworth. 11:10, NKJV). Although they do not feature Enoch or his city explicitly, there is a recurring theme in some of the texts that corresponds to the idea of a priestly figure who leads a community of priests in an ascension into the heavenly realm. Enoch and the people of Zion became so righteous that the Lord translated them and took their city to heaven after 365 years (Moses 7:69). He goes on to declare that those who walk in the way of your heart listen to me; they are drawing themselves up before you in the council of the holy ones.30. They were then miraculously freed from prison by angels who came from heaven in a brilliant light and were lifted up to dwell in Paradise. The scene also evokes the imagery of Nephis vision (1 Nephi 11:1, 3, 4,8, 25): I was caught away into an exceedingly high mountain . and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven (Heb. Reprint, Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft, 1966. 1 Enoch 2: A Commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch, Chapters 37-82. 5. This unique community matured over a period of 365 years, after which it was received up into heaven. Original drawing prepared at the direction of Joseph Smith, Jr. in Kirtland, Ohio, in 1833 by Frederick G. William and mailed to Edward Partridge and others in Independence, Missouri, in June 1833. Afterwards my spirit was concealed, ascending into the heavens. 6. [21] G. W. E. Nickelsburg et al., 1 Enoch 2, 45:5, p. 148. Mackie, Ancient Jewish Mystical Motifs, 9899 n.34. [6] Moses 7:61. 1, 91-221. 16. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1980. Hartmut Stegemann and Eileen Schuller (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2009), 155. . Stained glass design for the Chapel of the Ascension, Bayswater Road, London. 8. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2005. . According toThe Pearl of Great Price: Verse by Verse Commentary, this will not be just a casual meeting, with the "receive them into our bosom" not representing a place, but a form of greeting: "an expected embrace between righteous people that is accompanied by falling on one anothers 'necks' and kissing 'each other.'". So I never realized until yesterday that the whole "City of Enoch taken up to heaven" is uniquely mormon. And the Lord of Spirits will dwell over them. In trying to unravel these anomalies, we should recall that the Book of Moses chronicles a transformation of the earthly Zion, symbolically located in the foothills of the mountain of the Lord, into a heavenly Zion, as shown in the annotated figure above. [14] G. L. Mitton, Book of Mormon As a Resurrected Book, p. 131. Peter W. Flint and James C. VanderKam, 2vols. We know that the use of the word "bosom" in this instance means more than just some vague, heavenly location. Faulring, Scott H., Kent P. Jackson, and Robert J. Matthews, eds. Later, referring to the publication of the Book of Mormon, the Prophet wrote (J. Smith, Jr. et al., Histories, 1832-1844, History Drafts, 1838Circa 1841, Draft 2, p. 386, emphasis added): It had now come to pass that, Truth had sprung out of the earth; and Righteousness had looked down from Heaven, so we feared not our opponents, knowing that we had both Truth and righteousness on our side. . (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1985), 2:453, 454, 458. 3. [24] Moreover, in one version of 2 Enoch, the seer calls the place of his ascent the highest Jerusalem.[25], Linda McCarthy (1947): The City of Enoch, 2002. * In the last days, the city and its people will return to earth and be part of the New Jerusalem. It's very possible, then, that the citizens of the City of Enoch have ministry assignments of their own and are "ministering angels unto many planets," (History of the Church, 4:210). Send Me Your Angel: Saint Padre Pio and Guardian Angels, Seraphim Angels: Burning With Passion for God, The Holy Spirit Appears as a Dove During Christ's Baptism. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. 1 Enoch 1: A Commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch, Chapters 1-36; 81-108. This seems to indicate that communication between heaven and the children of men would be severed due to wickedness. Aquila Lee argues that the idea about Mt. [26], N. T. Wright, the well-known Anglican bishop and New Testament scholar, described the uniting of heaven and earth as follows:[27]. It seems also to refer to renewed revelation in the last days. The book of 3 Enoch features archangel Metatron (who had originally been the prophet Enoch before becoming an angel in heaven) reflecting on what happened when archangel Haniel came to take him on a trip from Earth to heaven. 24. The name Melchizedek is arguably found two or three times in the Songs, where he is likely depicted, as Davila argues, as continuing his priestly duties in the heavenly temple after his apotheosis.23. The ritual ascent described in Hebrews was merely a temporary, terrestrial preview of the glory they hoped to eventually share in heaven with Christ. When these themes are brought together, the following picture begins to emerge: a. . For the Qumran community, their religious practices gave them the experience of being there, praising God among the angels. See, for example, Philip S. Alexander, The Mystical Texts: Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice and Related Manuscripts, JSPSupp 61, Companion to the Qumran Scrolls 7 (London: Continuum, 2006), 129; Israel Knohl, Between Voice and Silence: The Relationship between Prayer and Temple Cult, Journal of Biblical Literature 115, no. My thanks to John W. Welch for bringing this to my attention. However, N. T. Wright (N. T. Wright, Resurrection of the Son of God, pp. S.Daniel Breslauer (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1997), 224. MS_2567_f0001-Plat_of_city_of_Zion__1833-ORIGINAL.pdf. . Thus, in the MCP depiction of BG, in the Book of Moses, and in the envisioned latter-day City of Zion, God dwelt in the midst, literally and symbolically central in the eyes of His people. 85128) and others (for example, J. Paulien, Resurrection and the OT) see a much earlier idea of a personal resurrection present earlier in Hosea, Isaiah, and elsewhere. [30] G. W. E. Nickelsburg, 1 Enoch 1, 11:2, p. 216. Are there any traces of the heavenly ascent of Enochs people in the Book of Giants (BG)? But the Lord's response revealed there was more in store for the City of Enoch than its earthly abode. In chapter 7 of the book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith provides us with an extensive account of how Enoch built a city "called the City of Holiness, even ZION" (Moses 7:19). Haniel's Role. [11] For examples, see J. When I first saw the photo that accompanied the inspiring New Years message and invitation for 2022 from President Nelson,[1] I could not help but think of the following verses from the Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis about the city of Enoch (JST Genesis 9:2122): 21 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant, which I made unto thy father Enoch; that, when men should keep all my commandments, Zion should again come on the earth, the city of Enoch which I have caught up unto myself. Temple on Mount Zion 6, 3196. 18. Scholars give various reasons why Elijah and Enoch (or possibly Moses) will be . When the people of God were attacked, their enemies fled to "a land out of the depth of the sea, and so great was the fear of the enemies of the people of God, that they fled and stood afar off and went upon the land which came up out of the depth of the sea" (Moses 7:14), which could have been anisland or a peninsula in the general region of the City of Enoch. Dramatic [re]enactment of the Sons exaltation (chs. (2021, February 8). Fulfilling his covenant to preserve the lineage of Enoch upon the earth, the Lord left behind Enoch's son, Methuselah, and grandson, Lamech (Moses 8:2, 5). The Book of Enoch, which is part of the Jewish and Christian Apocrypha, credits archangel Haniel (under one of her alternate names) with traveling to Earth on assignment from God to pick up Enoch in a fiery chariot and escort him through the flames into another dimension to reach heaven. When there was corruption in the earthly temple, peoplesuch as the Qumran community and the early Christianswere striving for the heavenly temple located in the heavenly city. . Enoch is taken up to heaven, and is appointed guardian of all the celestial treasures, chief of the archangels, and the . [6] As to the righteous, Elder Neal A. Maxwell comments:[7], God preserved and prepared Enochs people in the midst of awful and enveloping evil, and, reassuringly, he has promised His people in our own time that though great tribulations shall be among the children of men, my people will I preserve.[8], The phrase: And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of earth recalls a similar phrase in Psalm 85:11. In fact, this concept has become so apparent to me in the research I have done that I must limit my analysis here to just a few representative examples. Brigham Young, in Journal of Discourses, 26vols. In our day, when stories of scripture figures are often dismissed as fables or ignored altogether, Enochs story and message are more vital and relevant than ever. You'll also like: 5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About the Three Nephites. 16K views, 545 likes, 471 loves, 3K comments, 251 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from EWTN: Starting at 8 a.m. Harold Attridge believed it to have been presented as an oratorical performance.9 Scott Mackie refers to it as a mystical drama.10 Similarly, a number of scholars in recent years, including Crispin Fletcher-Louis, John Dunnill, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Silviu Bunta, have described Hebrews as a symbolic, participatory liturgy that moves worshippers from the profane to the sacred sphere.11 In other words, the epistle, or at least parts of it, was plausibly meant to have been performed, or acted outwith a series of events set in the heavenly temple, which would be dramatically brought to life through the use of visually oriented literary practices such as dramatized narrative with speaking actors, visual imagery, cues, and commandsincluding directions to behold, gaze upon, draw near, and enter.12 Scott Mackie has attempted a reconstruction of this dramatic portrayal, which he understands to be a divine adoption ceremony. He outlines the following elements in Hebrews: 1. She is the author of the book "Wake Up to Wonder.". 18, 23549. . They were all equal in height, had brilliant faces and identical robes. We make this interpretation of veil of darkness being spiritual in nature based on similar phrases elsewhere in scripture, for example, Moses 7:56 (the heavens were veiled) and Doctrine and Covenants 38:8 (the veil of darkness shall soon be rent), which imply that this veil will cut off direct communication from heaven. Media. All the homesgone. The Book of Enoch chapter 71 1. Linda McCarthy (1947-): The City of Enoch, 2002. The Lord told Enoch that His people would be gathered unto a place which I shall prepare.[18]Jewish tradition echoes these words. Enoch preached repentance to "all the people" except the Caananites because of their wickedness (Moses 7:12). In his book Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism, Howard Schwartz comments: Archangel Haniel's role as an angel who allows people into various heavenly places may be one of the reasons God chose her to take Enoch into heaven. The Book of Mormon and Other Hidden Books. Jrg Frey, 145-86. In this way, the redemptive descensus initiated by Jared and his brethren culminated in the glorious ascensus led by Enoch: And Enoch and all the people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion; and it came to pass that Zion was not, for God received it up into his own bosom; and from thence went forth the saying, Zion is Fled. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Translated by Mayer I. Gruber. Having sworn that He would return, the Lord at last addresses Enochs repeated, unanswered question with the solemn declaration that, indeed, the day would come when the earth shall rest (Moses 7:61). Learn Religions. I will cite here examples from the pertinent Qumran texts to demonstrate each of these points. Who Was the Angel Who Guided Moses During the Exodus? Everything was gone without a trace. Digital and softcover copies of the book are available now in black and white or beautiful premium color. 1, 615-52. [20] A. F. J. Klijn, 2 Baruch, 4:23, p. 622, emphasis added. Doctrine and Covenants 110:1: The veil was taken from our minds.See also a phrase added to the end of Genesis 9:26 in theJST: and a veil of darkness shall cover him (S. H. Faulring et al., Original Manuscripts, OT1, p. 118; OT2, p. 632. 29. Translation by Newsom in Discoveries in the Judaean Desert XL, 142. The Doctrine and Covenants, Section 38:4. Givens, Terryl L., and Fiona Givens. Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company, 1983. [5] G. Ksa, Book of Giants Tradition, pp. Enoch was 430 years old at that time. Nickelsburg, George W. E., ed. (Moses 7:21) Your Hardest Family Question: How do I get closure from my divorce? The patriarchs and those in the monarchy, as well as those who lived in ancient Palestine before the sixth-century BCE Babylonian exile, did not imagine that the dead would be raised.. Harold Attridge, Paraenesis in a Homily ( ): The Possible Location of, and Socialization in, the Epistle to the Hebrews, Semeia 50 (1990): 217. There are several versions of this history, but the earliest English translation came long after Joseph Smiths work on the book of Moses. For instance, in 4 Ezra13:35 we read:[19] Zion will come and be made manifest to all people,preparedand built, as you saw the mountain carved out without hands. Similarly, 2 Baruch4:23 reads:[20] [I]t is that [city] which will be revealed, with me, that was alreadypreparedfrom the moment that I decided to create Paradise., The nature of the gathering place of Gods elect as a Holy City is described in 1 Enochs Book of the Parables 45:5:[21] And my chosen ones I shall make to dwell on it, but those who commit sin and error will not set foot on it. Jewish tradition also describes a New Jerusalem.[22] According to theTestament of Levi10:5:[23] For the house which the Lord shall choose shall be called Jerusalem, as the book of Enoch the Righteous maintains. This account may be citing1 Enoch90:2829, whichtells of how the old house (that is, the old city of Jerusalem) is removed and replaced with a new house (that is, New Jerusalem). Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001. 10. The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson. 1 and 2)Now see Jesus crowned with glory and honor (2:9)13Sit on my right hand (1:13). [9] Heavenly messengers (perhaps meant to include the Savior, the Righteous Himself[10]) are to be sent down out of heaven and truth (referring to the Book of Mormon and perhaps other hidden books[11]) is to be sent forth out of the earth.[12] The personification of righteousness in the Book of Moses is apt in light of the use of divine virtues as the names of heavenly messengers in 1 Enoch 40:89. They declared that they were originally from Earth, where they were known as the sons of Rechab. Because they would not obey the wicked King Jehoiakims request that they renounce their covenants and abandon the Lord, they were imprisoned. "Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Genesis 5:24 tells us that "Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him." Hebrews 11:5 adds: "By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, 'and was not found, because God had taken him'; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God." Some erroneously jump to the conclusion that Enoch was taken up . We are then told that "Zion, in process of time, was taken up into heaven" (Moses 7:21). I see them as an attempt to stitch back together isolated truths that had been scattered. (accessed October 29, 2021). God and His people, the living and the departed, heaven and earth, embrace. One of the most significant additions to the biblical record in Josephs revelation on Enoch is not only that Enoch was taken up alive into heaven, as the Genesis passage implies, but also that the entire city of Enoch was eventually received up into heaven as well. George Nickelsburg and James VanderKam see this passage as a compelling reference to resurrection (ibid., p. 268). . : Afterlife Animal Miracles. I beheld the sons of the holy angels treading on flaming fire, whose garments and robes were white, and whose countenances were transparent as crystal. Rashi. Hopler, Whitney. Wright, Nicholas Thomas. Enoch and His People Are Taken Up to God (City of Zion Translated or City of Zion Is Taken Up), by Del Parson; GAK 120; GAB 6; Primary manual 6-06; Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5; Moses 7:18-19, 69. Elijah was taken up in both a chariot of fire (2Ki. The author contrasts the experience of the Israelites under Moses and how they were not able to even touch Mount Sinai with that of the followers of Jesus Christ, who were given full access to Mount Zion. Proceedings of the Fifth Interpreter Foundation Matthew B. Paulien, Jon. The parallels here between the story of the Rechabites and the account of Enochs people in the book of Moses are numerous. 1874. Summarizing his findings regarding this ritualized ascent, Mackie concludes, Hebrews depicts Jesus exaltation as involving an ascent, as he passed through the heavens (4:14; see also 1:6; 7:26) and entered into heaven itself (9:24). "The Story of Archangel Haniel Taking Enoch to Heaven." 2 (Slavonic Apocalypse of) Enoch. In The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, edited by James H. Charlesworth. Hermeneia: A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible. Enoch and the City of Zion: Can an EntireCommunity AscendtoHeaven? Papua New Guinean Saints Rejoice as Ground is Broken for New Temple. James H. Charlesworth, 2vols. This series of articles introduces a new book entitled Enoch and the Gathering of Zion: The Witness of Ancient Texts for Modern Scripture (see review at: https://latterdaysaintmag.com/a-new-biography-of-enoch-and-an-excellent-tool-for-the-book-of-moses/ . The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary. During the millennium, the people of Enoch will return to help build the kingdom of God on Earth. Salt Lake City, UT: The Church Historians Press, 2012. Enoch became a prophet to a wicked people, and eventually, all the people of the City of Enoch became so righteous, that they were "translated" and taken up to heaven, to return during the millennial rule of Jesus Christ. They were seven yet onethe unity of angels. Psalm 110:4 was understood to declare that Jesuss priesthood was related to the priesthood of Melchizedek. As a number of scholars have argued,31 I believe that some of these texts, or similar ones, originated with, or were used by, the priesthood at the Jerusalem Temple. Translation by Newsom in Discoveries in the Judaean Desert XL, 165. As the righteous of Enochs day were remembered by BG as having been divinely led westward, so the early Saints were told by the Lord: gather ye out from the eastern lands and go ye forth into the western countries (Doctrine and Covenants 45:64, 66). And when we come to the picture of the actual end in Revelation 2122, we find not ransomed souls making their way to a disembodied heaven but rather the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven to earth, uniting the two in a lasting embrace. [10] R. D. Draper et al., Commentary, p. 146: Because one of the titles for the Savior is the Righteous (Moses 7:45, 47), this prophesied event may well refer to the coming of the Savior in the latter days, perhaps to the youthful Joseph Smith, thereby anticipating the restoration of the Gospel. Later in Hebrews, we get more insight into his disappearance: "By faith . In Psalm 85 and 1 Enoch, two divine attributes meet and kiss, whereas in Moses 7:63 it is Enochs city and the Lord Himself that fall upon the necks of the righteous and kiss them, as they would a returning prodigal. 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Vol. Rather my hope is that in reading and applying his message and the lessons of the story of the city of Enoch we will remember that the glorious day of the return of heavenly Zion to the earth depends on the degree to which each of us individually embrace the truth and look upward (JST Genesis 9:22). The meaning of Enoch. The Story of Archangel Haniel Taking Enoch to Heaven. For example, Moses, when he ascended Mount Sinai into the presence of God, left the general body of the Israelites down at the bottom of the mountain and even left the seventy specially chosen elders at the halfway point before ascending to the heights.