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

134 The Book of Enoch. [Sect. II.
Son of Man was named in the presence of the Lord of
Spirits and his name before the Head of Days. 3. And
before the sun and the signs were created, before the stars
of the heaven were made his name was named before the
Lord of Spirits. 4. He will be a staff to the righteous
on which they will support themselves and not fall, and he
will be the light of the Gentiles and the hope of those who
are troubled of heart. 5. All who dwell on earth will fall
down and bow the knee before him and will bless and laud
and celebrate with song the Lord of Spirits. 6. And for
this reason has he been chosen and hidden before Him before
the creation of the world and for evermore. 7. And the
wisdom of the Lord of Spirits hath revealed him to the holy
1
innumerable/ 5. The Lord of Spirits. So G : ([XVlUii cn>££ft}\
Din. gives ' the name of the Lord of Spirits.' 6. And for evermore.
So E G H M N O. L and Din. add a$£ ir Zlh ' And he
his name) has been chosen and hidden
in God's presence from before creation
and unto eternity, xlviii. 3, 6 : the
Most High has preserved him and
revealed him to the elect, xlvi. 1,2;
lxii. 7 ; his glory is for ever and ever,
xlix. 2 ;
and when Enoch was trans-
lated, the Son of Man was already
abiding with the Lord of Spirits, lxx. i #
This actual pre-existence of the Son of
Man is only in keeping with his other
supernatural attributes of universal
dominion, lxii. 6, and unlimited judicial
authority, lxix. 27. That the earlier
Rabbis taught only an ideal pre-
existence of the Messiah (Weber,
Lehr. d. Talmud, 339-41) does not in
the least make against the idea of an
actual pre-existence being found in
the Similitudes, as the whole con-
ception of the Son of Man there is
unique in Jewish literature. It is
moreover found in iv Ezra xii. 32 ;
xiii. 26. Besides, Edersheim, Life
and Times of Jesus, i. 174-6, main-
tains that this doctrine is taught in
the oldest Rabbinic writings, and
Weber (p. 340) concedes its appear-
ance in the later. Cf. Schurer, Div.
ii. vol. ii. 159-162, who agrees with
the view above followed. 3. The
signs. These are the signs of
the Zodiac 1"H"W?, Job xxxviii. 32.
See also viii. 3 ; lxxii. 13, 19. 4.
The light of the Gentiles. Is. xlii.
6 ; xlix. 6. The Messiah will become
the light of the Gentiles through his
future coming and character being
made known unto them. Cf. lxii. 7,
where he is already revealed to the
righteous. 5. All will bow the
knee before him. Even those who
have denied him, lxii. 6, 9, 10 j lxiii.
See also xc. 33-38. Cf. Phil. ii. 10.
6. For this reason, i. e. that given
in vv. 4, 5. Hidden: cf. iv Ezra
xiii. 52. 7. Kevealed him to
the holy and righteous, i.e. through