Enoch Fragment (4 Q201-821)
A fragment of the book of Enoch was found in Cave 4, the library of the Essene community of Qumran. This piece has been exactly reproduced and is offered here by Biblical Reproductions. Enoch was the son of Cain (Genesis 5:21-24) who did not die but “was no more, because God took him away.” A man who did not die, Enoch naturally became a hero and inspiration for a large part of post-Biblical Jewish mysticism. He was believed to hold the secrets of creation and salvation, and all of the esoteric and apocalyptic information not ordinarily available to mortal man. He was the source of inspiration for the messianic movement which swept the Judaism of those centuries.
The book which bears his name was a long (108 chapters!) and very influential book in post-Biblical Jewish thinking. Enoch plays a part in ideology of the Dead Sea Scrolls community, is quoted by the New Testament (in the letter of Jude), known and used by the earliest generation of Christians. Enoch is also known to the equally influential pseudepigraphal Book of Jubilees, and he was influential in the development of the Kabbalah.
Perhaps because of the enormous influence of Enoch on Jewish mysticism and apocalypse, and the many midrashic praises and tales of him, the rabbis of the Talmud were somewhat suspicious of him. He alternated between good and evil, it was said. The Talmudic ambivalence was related, no doubt, to their general suspicion and disapproval of Jewish sectarian and heterodox theologies which flourished then.
The Book of Enoch is also beautifully written, in a prose and poetry style of the highest quality, and widely considered a literary masterpiece.
Biblical Reproductions is licensed by the Israel Antiquities Authority, and offers this exquisite reproduction of the scroll fragment, from the book of Enoch. Visit www.biblicalreproductions.com for details.