the-book-of-enoch-r-h-charles - Fallen Angels

Sect. IT] Chapters XXXVIII. &—XXXIX. 7 75
And the resting-places of the righteous.
5. Here mine eyes saw their dwellings with His righteous angels,
And their resting-places with the holy.
And they petitioned and interceded and prayed for the
children of men,
And righteousness flowed before them as water,
And mercy like dew upon the earth :
Thus it is amongst them for ever and ever.
6 a. And in that place mine eyes saw the Elect One of righteous-
ness and of faith,
7 ('. And I saw his dwelling-place under the wings of the Lord
of Spirits.
6 L And righteousness shall prevail in his days,
And the righteous and elect shall be without number before
Him for ever and ever.
7 b. And all the righteous and elect before Him shall be
f strong f
as fiery lights,
what we have here to deal with is munity will one day be composed of
a vision of the future Messianic king- both angels and men, nnder the rule of
dom, and that we must not press the the Messiah and the immediate protec-
detaile ; for in this, as in visions fre- tion of the Lord of Spirits. 5.
quently, there is no exact observance of His righteous angels (a). /3 ' the
the unities of time and place. No one angels '. Bighteousness flowed . . .
individual period is indicated ; for the as water. Cf. Amos 5'*. See also
fact that the Messiah is surrounded by 49^ 97°. 6-7. The text is slightly
all His righteous and elect ones shows confused. By jjlacing 7" before 6''
that the history of the world is closed, I think I have recovered the original,
and the final judgement already passed
;
6. That place (a-m). m,fi0 'those
yet this is impossible, as the angels are days '- The Sleet One (0-9). 2> P-ax
still praying on behalf of men. Nor 'the place of the elect'. See note on
from this chapter, taken by itself, can 38^. ' Elect One ' = "I'ri3. Cf. Is.
we argue as to the locality indicated by 41'> ^ i2^ Luke 23'^. 7*. His
the vision. At first sight it seems to dwelling-place (gm). gitu0 'their
be heaven, as the Messiah and the dwelling-place'. 6'. In his days (a),
righteous are under the wings of the i^^'in their days'. 7". Be fstrongf
Lord of Spirits ; yet this is impossible, (jSth^jald a-m). mfip-a jetlahajft =
as the history of mankind is not yet ' be beautiful ', not ' shine ' as it has
consummated, and the Messiah appears hitherto been taken. The latter is proonly
to carry out its consummation. bably a correction of the former, a-m
The chief inference that we can legiti- = IptD', which may be corrupt for
mately draw is that the Messianic com- ITnT' = '
shine'. Tlius
' the righteous