Discover the foundational texts of Christianity

Jesus called 1 Enoch scripture. Have you ever wondered why the New Testament has so much assumed theology and imagery that is so original from that found in the Old Testament? The Book of Enoch is the most influential book in that regard. E. Isaac said: “There is little doubt that 1 Enoch was influential in molding New Testament doctrines concerning the nature of the Messiah, the son of Man, the messianic kingdom, demonology, the future, resurrection, final judgement, the whole eschatological theatre, and symbolism. No wonder, therefore, that the book was highly regarded by many of the earliest apostolic and Church fathers.”

In this accurate readable edition of The Book of Enoch, enthusiasts have the best, most recent scholarship compiled at their fingertips. The goal is neither to promote nor “debunk” The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch) but simply let it speak for itself. This volume will correct both the inflated beliefs and unfair criticisms many make of The Book of Enoch. You will understand it as written, in all its insights, surprises and complexities. The goal of this edition is for readers to understand this important text that continues to shape our world through its widespread but mostly unrecognized influence.

Jesus and his disciples were very familiar with this text, and it was foundational to their world view. With 1 Enoch you are not reading anything that Jews and Christians of the first century were not reading, and in most cases, regarded as scripture. Nickelsburg calls 1 Enoch “arguably the most important Jewish text of the Greco-Roman period.”

To understand what Jesus Christ taught, and who He claimed to be, you need to understand The Book of Enoch. Norman Glob said: “The Aramaic Book of Enoch, of which a fragment was included in the American exhibitions, very considerably influenced the idiom of the New Testament and patristic literature, more so in fact than any other writing of the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha.” Gabriele Boccaccini wrote: “The presence of Enoch texts among the Dead Sea Scrolls, the literary and ideological connections with Old and New Testament documents, and the uncountable ramifications of Enoch ideas and concepts in the many Judaisms of the Second Temple period (including early Christianity) have made the study of Enoch literature a central issue for any specialist in ancient Judaism and Christian origins.” This ground breaking edition of 1 Enoch launched on Amazon on March 12, 2024.

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Kindle https://tinyurl.com/w7bh5ym5

That some non-canonical books such as the Book of Watchers in 1 Enoch were considered scripture by Christ, opens the possibility for more. Jubilees would be an immediate candidate, based on a comparison between John 8:56 and Jubilees 16:16-27. “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad" (Jn 8:56).

Lebsack writes: “Reading this for the first time, you probably overlooked this detail without giving it much attention. Upon closer examination, you then ask yourself, where in the standard “Old Testament” do we see where Abraham saw Jesus’s day and rejoiced? Based on the context, Jesus was talking about something Moses wrote. Nowhere in the Pentateuch, nor anywhere in the standard “Old Testament” for that matter, do we see this detail Jesus said about Abraham. This detail however, is in the Book of Jubilees, which is a self-proclaimed work of Moses himself. In Jubilees 16, we see Abraham rejoicing several times about this festival. (20) “Then he [Abraham] built an altar there for Yahweh who had rescued him, and who was making him rejoice…” (25) “So he [Abraham] celebrated this festival for seven days, rejoicing with all his heart and all his soul…” (27) “And Abraham gave a blessing and rejoiced. So he named this festival the Festival of Yahweh, for it was a joy acceptable to the Most High God” (29) “For this reason it has been ordained on the heavenly tablets regarding Israel, that they should celebrate the Festival of Booths joyfully for seven days during the seventh month which is acceptable before Yahweh.” The clues all point towards the chapter 16 passage from Jubilees describing Abraham’s experience with the Festival of Booths/Tabernacles. It was during this very same festival that Jesus said this about Abraham rejoicing during it. Coincidence? It seems highly unlikely. When you read John 7-8 with the mindset that Jesus was referring to Jubilees, all the strange things he does and says suddenly seem to make perfect sense. (Lebsack, Phillip. Did Jesus Fulfill and Reference Prophecy about Himself from the Book of Jubilees?)

A large number of copies of Jubilees were known to be at Qumran (15 copies in 5 caves). In addition, Jubilees was embraced as an important text among early Christians who called it little Genesis, or Lesser Genesis (Leptogenesis). These reasonably priced volumes contain a great variety of period texts in addition to Jubilees. They are classic editions that contain excellent introductions to each work.

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The Universal Deuterocanon includes Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, (also known as Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees. These should be read by all Christians after they have completed the canonical books.

The Essene-like sect called the Yahad, or The Way, pgs. 131, and 465, appears to be a pre-Christian Jewish sect. Texts from this sect include # 7 Charter of a Jewish Sectarian Association, #8 Charter for Israel in the last Days, #9 Priestly Blessings for the Last Days, #12 Thanksgiving Hymns, #24 Commentaries on Psalms, #30 The Ages of the World, #101 The Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, #104 A liturgy of Ritual Washings, #123 A record of Disciplinary Action, #125 A liturgy of Thanksgiving, #128 The songs of the Sage for Protection Against Evil Spirits, and possibly #105 The Secret of he Way Things Are. The name, The Way, is linked to Christianity because that is what the early followers of Christ were called (see Acts 9:2; 18:25-26; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22; Jn 1:23; 2Peter 2:2; Mt 7:14).

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The Apostolic Fathers by Michael W. Holmes is an important collection of writings revered by early Christians but not included in the final canon of the New Testament.

The third edition features numerous changes, including carefully revised translations and a new, more user-friendly design. The introduction, notes, and bibliographies have been freshly revised as well.

After the New Testament, these writings are the earliest in Christianity. It contains 1 & 2 Clement, The Letters of Ignatius, Polycarp to the Philippians, The Martyrdom of Polycarp, The Didache, The Epistle of Barnabas, The Shepherd of Hermas, Diognetus, and Fragments of Papias.

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Josephus was a general in the first Jewish revolt who was captured by the Romans, and was therefore an eyewitness of the siege of Jerusalem. You need to be a strong reader since this is a long book but the understanding Josephus gives of the history of his times is very illuminating. He was a Pharisee but was very aware of other Jewish groups and has two long sections describing the Essenes. He also mentions Christ and John the Baptist.

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This should be required reading for al Christians. Eusebius who lived in the 4th century was properly placed to write the church history of the first three centuries. He did an excellent job. Maier’s translation is very readable and engaging. It is hard to put down. It is eye opening in many ways.

http://tinyurl.com/497fnnmm

The Book of Jasher/Jashar (Sefer ha-Yashar) is mentioned in the Masoretic text of Josh 10:13 “And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar?” The Book of Jasher is however, not mentioned in the LXX text of Josh 10:13. 2Sam 1:18 reads: “and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar.” The LXX reads “behold it is written in a book of the upright.” A possible 3rd mention is in 1Kings 8:53 LXX “a book of the song.” The LXX never mentions Jasher by name.

A Book of Jasher, named after the one in the bible, first appeared printed in Rabbinical Hebrew in Venice in 1625 published by Joseph Ben Samuel. There may have been a previous edition of this same text printed in Naples in 1552. Joseph Ben Samuel presented two dramatic scenarios for the transmission of the text to his time, for which no evidence has been found.  Leon Modena (1571-1648) recognized it as a forgery, soon after its publication. (Leon Modena's Ari Nohem, MS A ed Libowitz 1929 pp73-74). However this book of Jasher was widely printed in Europe over the next 200 years, becoming very popular. “In the compiling of the work the following sources were made use of, namely: the Babylonian Talmud; Bereshit Rabbah; Pirḳe R. Eliezer; the Yalḳut; the Chronicle of Moses; Yosippon; Midrash Abkir; and various Arabic legends. That Italy, however, was the land of its origin seems evident from the author's knowledge of Italian names, as Tuscany, Lombardy, and the Tiber (x. 7-36), and also from the description of the rape of the Sabines (xvii. 1-14). The appearance of Arabic names, such as Sa'id, Allah, Abdallah, and Khalif, only tends to show that the book was written in southern Italy, where Arabic influence was strongly felt even in the eleventh century” (Jewish Encyclopedia “Yashar”). Its authenticity was challenged in early November of 1828 when debate about another “Book of Jasher” AKA “Pseudo-Jasher” appeared. This totally separate 37-chapter work had been published in English by Jacob Ilive, a Christian Deist, in 1751. This forgery led to an investigation of Joseph Ben Samuel’s 1625 text. Moses Samuel, a Hebrew scholar of Liverpool, translated the Hebrew text of Joseph Ben Samuel’s book into English in 1839. In 1840, Mordecai Manuel Noah and A. S. Gould published Moses Samuel’s translation. This is the text most commonly circulating today in English. (Chiel, Arthur A., The Mysterious book of Jasher, Judaism, A Quarterly Journal, Issue 103, Vol 26, Number 3, Summer 1977, pgs. 367-374.)

The date and provenance of the text are nowhere near that of the Biblical book of Jasher, having a 2500-year gap! No trace of the text has been found in any collection of ancient manuscripts. It was not referenced in any of the later books of the Old Testament. No fragment of it was found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. It was not referenced by the writers of the New Testament, nor by the Church fathers, nor has it been accepted by rabbinic Judaism. By all appearances it is a product of the medieval period. Unbelievably, in spite of all this, the Book of Jasher has a large and loyal following among amateurs who accept it as the Book of Jasher mentioned in the Bible. It is even promoted as such by some leaders in the Christian community, who thus instantly lose credibility! Copies are circulating as having been translated by R H. Charles but the wording is exactly the same as Moses Samuel’s translation. I can find no evidence that R. H. Charles ever translated the Book of Jasher. Specialist scholars in the field universally and rightfully shun the Book of Jasher as a medieval forgery.