Did Jude Quote from the Book of Enoch? 

Jude, in his letter that warned about apostates and false teachers, made a reference to something the prophet Enoch said:

Jude 1:14-15  And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, {15} To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

This prophecy from Enoch is not found in the Genesis account, but it is found in the Book of Enoch:

Enoch 1:9 And behold! He cometh with ten thousands of His Saints To execute judgment upon all, And to destroy all the ungodly: And to convict all flesh Of all the works of their ungodliness which they have ungodly committed, And of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.

So was Jude quoting from the Book of Enoch?  Before answering that, let’s learn about the Book of Enoch.

The Book of Enoch

The book has five sections:

1. The Book of the Watchers
2. The Book of Parables of Enoch
3. The Astronomical Book
4. The Book of Dream Visions
5. The Epistle of Enoch

While the book offers some information complementary to biblical teachings, most Jews and Christians do not accept the book as canonical (i.e., books that have been declared to be the Word of God).

When Was the Book of Enoch Written?

From the third century BC to the third century AD, many apocryphal writings began to emerge.  Apocryphal writings are defined as stories or statements of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true. The Book of Enoch is very difficult to date, but most scholars suggest it was written in the second century BC.  

Many of the apocryphal writings, including the Book of Enoch, reference the biblical Enoch, the seventh from Adam. But only the Book of Enoch bears the name of Enoch. This raises the question: Was it written by Enoch and survived the centuries? The answer is no, it was not written by the biblical Enoch. It is considered a pseudepigraphal work, which is defined as a text falsely attributed to a historical figure or a work whose real author is attributed to a figure of the past.

Only those of Ethiopian tradition accept the Book of Enoch as canon.  Although the book is included in some Catholic Bibles, it is not considered canonical.

The Presbyterian Church’s Westminster Confession of Faith clearly states a rejection of apocryphal books:

Chapter 1, Section 3.) The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon of the Scripture. And therefore are of no authority in the Church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved, or made use of, than other human writings.(Lk 24:27,44; Ro 3:2; 2 Pe 1:21)

The apocryphal (meaning of doubtful authenticity, but widely circulated as being true), should not be considered inspired Scripture. Rather they can be viewed as books with useful information, written by fallible humans, and should be read as any Bible commentary book would be read.  In these books there is some information that can be verified as true by the Bible, but there is also information that is contrary to the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. [Emphasis, mine]

Britannica.com states that the book’s survival is due to the fascination of marginal and heretical Christian groups, such as the Manichaeans, with its syncretic blending of Iranian, Greek, Chaldean, and Egyptian elements. The Book of Enoch may be an interesting read, and it does contain some truths; however, it should not be considered entirely trustworthy.  

Worth repeating is the admonition of the Westminster Confession: Apocryphal books should be read as Bible commentaries, written by fallible humans, and containing both true and false information.

So Who Wrote the Book of Enoch?

Perhaps a man named Enoch — but again, not the biblical Enoch of Genesis 5.  The prophet Enoch was a godly man. He walked with God and was raptured (caught up) to Heaven (Gen 5:24).  His name was a very popular choice for baby boys as recently as the 19th century.  In 1880, the name “Enoch” ranked 202nd in popularity.  However, by the 21st century, the name had dropped to 882 — likely a consequence of young people not knowing the godly prophet in the Bible (statistics source: https://ohbabynames.com/all-baby-names/enoch/).

While the book may have been written by someone named Enoch, it might also have been falsely attributed and, thereby, justly labeled as pseudepigraphal.  It doesn’t really matter who wrote the book, the information is not inspired or infallible and therefore should not be considered authoritative or trustworthy.

Conclusion

Jude quoted the biblical prophet Enoch when he wrote his letter around 70- 80 AD. He did not quote the second-century BC Book of Enoch.  Saying that he did, just because the book contains the same statement, or bears the same name, is not logical reasoning.  We can agree that Enoch 1:9 is true, but that does not legitimize other information in the book as being true. In fact, one Bible scholar has even called the book “a patchwork of fanciful and unscriptural material.”

If you choose to read any of the apocryphal writings, read them as you would any other historical document or biblical commentary. They were written by the hand of man without divine inspiration.  Only the Word of God is inspired  — “given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16).  And only the Word of God is inerrant (there are no errors) and infallible (there can be no errors). So don’t spend much time reading apocryphal writings.  Read the absolute truth…the Holy Bible.

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