The book of Enoch : translated from Professor Dillmann's Ethiopic ...

Sect. II.] Chapter XXX VIII, 2-5. 113
will no longer be powerful and exalted, and they will not be
able to behold the face of the holy, for the light of the Lord
of Spirits is seen on the face of the holy and righteous and
elect. 5. Then will the kings and the mighty perish and
5. The kings and the mighty. So G M.
has been taken over into the Interpo-
lations, lxvii. 8-1 3 ; and this is one
of the leading characteristics which
distinguish xxxvii-lxix from xci-civ.
With the rulers of the earth as such
the latter section has practically no
concern. The holy and right-
eous and elect. This designation is
found also in xlviii. I. The light
of the Lord of Spirits is seen on
the face of the holy. This light is
at once spiritual and physical : the
nearness ofGod's presence transfigures
the countenance and person of His
saints. Light in all its forms is the
blessing of the kingdom. The right-
eous will have light, and joy, and
peace, v. 7, and the light of God
shining upon them, i. 8. In the
Similitudes the heaven will be trans-
formed into an eternal light, xlv. 4
and light will appear unto the right-
eous, xxxviii. 2 ;
and the light of days
will abide upon them, 1. 1 ; they will
abide in the light of the sun and in
the light of eternal life, lviii. 3 ; their
faces will be illuminated with the
light of the Lord of Spirits, xxxviii. 4;
and they will seek after light and find
righteousness, and the light of truth
will be mighty for evermore, lviii.
3-6. The idea is still further de-
veloped in xci-cviii. The righteous
belong to the generation of light,
cviii. 1 1 ; and will be clad in light,
cviii. 1 2 ; and will walk in eternal
light, xcii. 4 ; and will be resplendent
and shine as the lights of heaven for
evermore, cviii. 13; civ. 2. 5. The
kings and the mighty : cf. lxii. 1,.
3,6,9; lxiii. 1, 2, 12; lxvii. 8, 12.
These designations are practically
synonymous in the Similitudes. The
phrase 'mighty kings,' which appears
often in Dln.'s text, is without the
support of the best MSS. except in
lv. 4, and there I feel we must regard
the text as corrupt, and read 'the
kings and the mighty.' This better
text removes, as we shall find, at least
one formidable difficulty in the inter-
pretation. Who then are these kings
and mighty ones ? The facts taken
together point decidedly to unbelieving
native rulers and Sadducees. They
have denied the Lord and His Anoint-
ed, xlviii. 10 ; and a heavenly world,
xlv. 1 ; they belong to the houses of
His congregations—to the Theocratic
community, xlvi. 8 ; but they are an
offence thereto, an offence on the
removal of which the Theocratic ideal
will be realised, liii. 6 ; they do not
acknowledge from whom their power
is derived, xlvi. 5 ;
but trust in their
riches, xlvi. 7 ; and place their hope
in their sceptre and glory, lxiii. 7 ;
they have made the righteous their
servants, xlvi. 7 ; and outraged God's
children, lxii. 1 1 ; and shed then-
blood, xlvii. 1, 2. Accordingly they
will have to stand before the Messiah
whom they have denied, when He
judges the angels, lxi. 8 ; lv. 4 ; and
the righteous, lxii. 3 ; and the sinners,
lxii. 2 ; and they will be terrified,
lxii. 5
the Messiah, lxii. ; 9 and acknowledge
; and fall down and worship
the righteousness of their judgment,
lxiii. 9 ;
and pray for a respite in order