Link to the Show / Show Notes
As we continue the short book of Jude, it is hard to miss the “problems” with what Jude writes concerning Enoch. What problems, you say? For starters, we haven’t got a book of Enoch in the scriptures! Where did Jude hear Enoch’s sayings?
How do we know what Enoch said? Better yet, where can we read what he said? Well, before you head to the internet to do a search, be aware that there are a lot of teachings, quotes, and more than one book attributed to Enoch. The fact that none of these books appear in our bibles should be an indicator of their validity as scripture. Just like with the Talmud, or any other extra-biblical writings, take whatever you read from these sources with a proverbial grain of salt. They are not in our scriptures, therefore, the words they contain are not scripture… unless it is a direct quote from scripture, or in this case, scripture its self is quoting them.
That’s the difference with the book of Enoch; it is not scripture, but when Jude quotes Enoch’s words, those words actually become elevated to the status of being scripture. Confusing? Don’t let it be. Jude tells us what Enoch said concerning Moses’ bones – we can trust that that is truth because it is in our scriptures. Jude probably got the information from oral tradition, passed down from generation to generation. As for the extra-biblical writings floating around on the internet, take them with a grain of salt. Then be like the Bereans, and "search the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." (Acts 17:11)
May the Lord bless you and keep you,
Shabbat shalom!
Useful Links for this Study:
Read Jude online
Seeds of Restoration - by Tim Terry
Google Search of Book of Enoch (view with a grain of salt... a large grain of salt)
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