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

1 1 The Book of Enoch. [Sect. II.
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 j thus it is they fare for ever
and ever. 6. And in that place mine eyes saw the Elect
One of righteousness and of faith, and how righteousness
shall prevail in his days, and the righteous and elect shall be
without number before him for ever and ever. 7. And I
saw his dwelling-place under the wings of the Lord of Spirits,
and all the righteous and elect before him are beautifully
resplendent as lights of fire, and their mouth is full of blessing,
and their lips extol the name of the Lord of Spirits, and
righteousness before Him never faileth, and uprightness never
XXXIX. 6. And in that place. So G :
hSD-tt\ cn>*il Din.
reads RmftVl cn>«p0£v 'in those days.' The Elect One of
righteousness. So G M : «K* rt8\£*>. Din. and FHKLO
give cn>*if ; 'Ksffc HJWHr* = '
the place of the elect ones of right-
eousness.' In his days. So G M. Din. and FHKLO give
'in their days/ 7. His dwelling-place. So GM "V'l&G.
Din. and FHKLNO "Y'^U'cn*' = 'their dwelling-places/
The original reading of G is obliterated: a late hand gives
&T*iR(k. And uprightness never faileth before Him.
of the future Messianic kingdom, and under the wings of the Lord of Spirits
that we must not press the details yet this is impossible, as the history
for in this, as in visions frequently, of mankind is not yet consummated,
there is no exact observance of the and the Messiah appears only to carry
unities of time and place. No one out its consummation. The chief
individual period is indicated ; for the inference that we can legitimately
fact that the Messiah is surrounded draw is that the Messianic community
by all His righteous and elect ones will one day be composed of both
shows that the history of the world angels and men, under the rule of the
is closed, and the final judgment Messiah and the immediate protecalready
passed ; yet this is impossible, tion of the Lord of Spirits. 5. The
as the angels are still praying on be- water and dew are here symbolical
half of men. Nor from this chapter, of abundance. Cf. Is. xi. 9 ; Amos
taken by itself, can we argue as to v. 24. See also ch. xlix. 1 ; xcvii. 9.
the locality indicated by the vision. 6. The Elect One of righteousness
At first sight it seems to be heaven, and of faith : see note on xxxviii. 2.
as the Messiah and the righteous are 7. Besplendent as lights of fire =