Chapter III.—Concerning the Genuineness of “The Prophecy of Enoch.”22    [Elucidation.]    Substantia.  Comp. Heb. xi. 1, ἔστι δὲ πίστις ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις .

I am aware that the Scripture of Enoch,23    Comp. de Idol., c. iv.    Timor. which has assigned this order (of action) to angels, is not received by some, because it is not admitted into the Jewish canon either.  I suppose they did not think that, having been published before the deluge, it could have safely survived that world-wide calamity, the abolisher of all things.  If that is the reason (for rejecting it), let them recall to their memory that Noah, the survivor of the deluge, was the great-grandson of Enoch himself;24    See Gen. v. 21, 25, 28, 29.    Matt. v. 17.  Comp. de Or., c. xxii. mid.; de Pa., c. vi. mid.; de Pæn., c. iii. sub fin. and he, of course, had heard and remembered, from domestic renown25    “Nomine;” perhaps ="account.”    The second “non,” or else the first, must apparently be omitted. and hereditary tradition, concerning his own great-grandfather’s “grace in the sight of God,”26    Comp. Gen. vi. 8.    Matt. v. 28.  See de Idol., c. ii.; de Pa., c. vi.; de Pæn., c. iii. and concerning all his preachings;27    Prædicatis.    “Qui,” Oehler; “quæ,” Rig. since Enoch had given no other charge to Methuselah than that he should hand on the knowledge of them to his posterity.  Noah therefore, no doubt, might have succeeded in the trusteeship of (his) preaching; or, had the case been otherwise, he would not have been silent alike concerning the disposition (of things) made by God, his Preserver, and concerning the particular glory of his own house.

If (Noah) had not had this (conservative power) by so short a route, there would (still) be this (consideration) to warrant28    Tueretur.    Comp. de Pæn. c. iii. (latter half). our assertion of (the genuineness of) this Scripture:  he could equally have renewed it, under the Spirit’s inspiration,29    In spiritu.    Tu facta es. after it had been destroyed by the violence of the deluge, as, after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian storming of it, every document30    Instrumentum.    Lev. xix. 18; Matt. xix. 19; xxii. 39; Mark xii. 31; Luke x. 27; Rom. xiii. 9; Gal. v. 14; Jas. ii. 8. of the Jewish literature is generally agreed to have been restored through Ezra.

But since Enoch in the same Scripture has preached likewise concerning the Lord, nothing at all must be rejected by us which pertains to us; and we read that “every Scripture suitable for edification is divinely inspired.”31    See 2 Tim. iii. 16.    Comp. 1 Cor. x. 24; xiii. 5; Phil. ii. 4.  By the Jews it may now seem to have been rejected for that (very) reason, just like all the other (portions) nearly which tell of Christ.  Nor, of course, is this fact wonderful, that they did not receive some Scriptures which spake of Him whom even in person, speaking in their presence, they were not to receive.  To these considerations is added the fact that Enoch possesses a testimony in the Apostle Jude.32    See Jude 14, 15.    Comp. 2 Pet. i. 20.

CAPUT III.

Scio scripturam Enoch, quae hunc ordinem angelis 1307B dedit, non recipi a quibusdam, quia nec in armarium judaicum admittitur. Opinor, non putaverunt illam ante cataclysmum editam, post eum casum orbis, omnium rerum abolitorem, salvam esse potuisse. Si ista ratio est, recordentur pronepotem ipsius Enoch fuisse superstitem cataclysmi Noë, qui utique domestico nomine et haereditaria traditione audierat et meminerat, de proavi sui penes Deum gratia, et de omnibus praedicatis ejus; cum Enoch filio suo Mathusalae nihil aliud mandaverit, quam ut notitiam eorum posteris suis traderet. Igitur sine dubio potuit Noë, 1308A in praedicationis delegatione successisse, vel quia et alias non tacuisset tam de Dei conservatoris sui dispositione, quam de ipsa domus suae gloria. Hoc si non tam expedite haberet, illud quoque assertionem scripturae illius tueretur. Perinde potuit abolefactam eam violentia cataclysmi, in spiritu rursus reformare: quemadmodum et Hierosolymis Babylonia expugnatione deletis, omne instrumentum judaicae litteraturae per Esdram constat restauratum. Sed cum Enoch eadem scriptura etiam de Domino praedicarit, a nobis quidem nihil omnino rejiciendum est , quod pertinet ad nos. Et legimus (II Tim., III, 16), omnem Scripturam aedificationi habilem divinitus inspirari. A Judaeis potest jam videri propterea rejecta , sicut et caetera fere quae Christum sonant. Nec utique 1308B mirum hoc, si scripturas aliquas non receperunt de eo locutas, quem et ipsum coram loquentem non erant recepturi. Eo accedit, quod Enoch apud Judam Apostolum testimonium possidet (Ep. Jud., v. 14).