Even after Zion was taken off the earth, there were still those taking up residence in the city. See Hebrews 11:16; 12:2224; Revelation 3:12; 21:2; 3 Nephi 20:22; 21:2324; Ether 13:210; Doctrine and Covenants 42:67; 133:56. Proceedings of the Fifth Interpreter Foundation Matthew B. 1, 91-221. Generally speaking, the stories and texts that I have analyzed in this article are about the temple and about the priesthood. [24] See G. W. E. Nickelsburg, 1 Enoch 1, 90:2829, p. 402. BG scholar Gbor Ksa sees the thirty-two palaces, shown on the foliage [at the top] of the tree-like Mount Sumru, as implying a divine association; this is reinforced by the presence of three divine figures in front of the [much bigger] thirty-third palace, with the central figure seated on a lotus throne and the two [attendants] standing on either side. Therefore, a mystical, heavenly ascent of the whole community would appear to be envisaged.15 Indeed, Jesus himself declares as much in John 14:2.16 He says, In my Fathers house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. Vol. 2 (Syriac Apocalypse of) Baruch. In The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, edited by James H. Charlesworth. In the Psalm, the personification of the divine traits is used to create a metaphor of peace and prosperity in the land, whereas in Moses 7:62, it depicts the coming forth of a united testimony from above and below of the Only Begottenspecifically of His resurrection and the resurrection of all men., Latter-day Saint interpreters understand the imagery of Moses 7:62 as referring to the restoration of the Gospel. (2021, February 8). Elijah was the second man to be taken to heaven in a natural body, Enoch being the first (Gen. 5:24; Heb. 18. Haniel's many alternate names have confused some people over which angel really carried Enoch into heaven, so Richard Webster says in his book Encyclopedia of Angels that "Haniel is sometimes thought to be the angel who transported Enoch to heaven" but some people credit other angels. They were then miraculously freed from prison by angels who came from heaven in a brilliant light and were lifted up to dwell in Paradise. I see them as an attempt to stitch back together isolated truths that had been scattered. And he answered me and said, this high mountain that you saw, whose peak is like the throne of God, is the seat where the Great Holy One, the Lord of glory, the King of eternity, will sit, when he descends to visit the earth in goodness. [2] Ascent and transformation of BGs thirty-two divinely prepared cities of earthly Zion to thirty-two palaces of heavenly Zion atop Mount Sumru. (accessed October 28, 2021). Who are the two witnesses in the book of Revelation? Bradshaw, Jeffrey M., and David J. Larsen. 16K views, 545 likes, 471 loves, 3K comments, 251 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from EWTN: Starting at 8 a.m. Rather my hope is that in reading and applying his message and the lessons of the story of the city of Enoch we will remember that the glorious day of the return of heavenly Zion to the earth depends on the degree to which each of us individually embrace the truth and look upward (JST Genesis 9:22). [32] Church History Library, MS 2567. Again, the ancient Enoch literature echoes the themes of the Book of Moses. Aquila Lee argues that the idea about Mt. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1989. An individual, often the leader of the group or community, recounts how he has been taken up into heaven to stand in the divine council; b. Are there any traces of the heavenly ascent of Enochs people in the Book of Giants (BG)? Verse18 indicates that those who have received this covenant have fled in order to take hold upon the hope set before them. As a leader and prophet of the people of God, Enoch met personally with the Lord on many occasions throughout his 365-year ministry. The past and the future of the Temple Lot in Jackson County, Missouri. In The Temple: Past, Present, and Future. 22 And this is mine everlasting covenant, that when thy posterity shall embrace the truth, and look upward, then shall Zion look downward, and all the heavens shall shake with gladness, and the earth shall tremble with joy; I hope no one will take this as a hidden prophecy that President Nelson is soon to be translated. many children into the same glory he possesses (2:10). Hopler, Whitney. Afterwards my spirit was concealed, ascending into the heavens. The Brill Reference Library of Judaism 18. 27. In chapter 7 of the book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith provides us with an extensive account of how Enoch built a city called the City of Holiness, even ZION (Moses 7:19). Archangel Haniel's role as an angel who allows people into various heavenly places may be one of the reasons God chose her to take Enoch into heaven. 14. 1874. See https://interpreterfoundation.org/books/ ). 2 vols. The text reads that Enoch "walked with God: and he was no more; for God took him" (Gen 5:21-24), which is interpreted . So Enoch was snatched up from earth to heaven, and then we are told "that he did not see death." A plain reading of Hebrews 11:13 seems to say that Enoch actually did experience death. Translation by Newsom in Discoveries in the Judaean Desert XL, 166. They asked Zosimus all about the happenings on Earth and then proceeded to recount their own history and how they came to live in Paradise. They were taken from earth to heaven by God. The parallels here between the story of the Rechabites and the account of Enochs people in the book of Moses are numerous. Psalm 110:4 was understood to declare that Jesuss priesthood was related to the priesthood of Melchizedek. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2005. Carol Newsom, Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice: A Critical Edition, Harvard Semitic Studies, vol. 1 (2013): 3-24. http://archive.atsjats.org/Paulien_-__Resurrection.pdf. New York City, NY: T & T Clark, 2006. The author contrasts the experience of the Israelites under Moses and how they were not able to even touch Mount Sinai with that of the followers of Jesus Christ, who were given full access to Mount Zion. 4. Learn Religions, Feb. 8, 2021, learnreligions.com/archangel-haniel-enoch-124046. And I said: I desire to behold the things which my father saw. Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith. I will briefly outline the pattern that I have been able to piece together, drawing on an array of different texts within these collections. . The author of the epistle treats at length the notion that the followers of Christ, because of his exaltation, are, in like manner, now able to enter the heavenly sanctuary.8 The exact function and use of the epistle have long been debated by scholars. and have ceased to cast down their faces. The description of the flood of righteousness and truth that will result in the gathering of the elect in the last days is in deliberate counterpoint to the account of the flood of water that brought about the destruction of the wicked in Noahs day. However, these are all narratives of the ascension of a single exceptional individual allowed to partake in, generally, a single exceptional experience. [6] Moses 7:61. [29], Robert Alter, writing of Psalm 85, captures the commonality of spirit with Moses 7:63:[31] This bold metaphor focuses the sense of an era of perfect loving harmony. Of One Heart: The Glory of the City of Enoch. For thousands of years, people have wondered: Where did it go? Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2015. https://www.academia.edu/28945654/_Introduction_to_MANI_S_PICTURES_The_Didactic_Images_of_the_Manichaeans_from_Sasanian_Mesopotamia_to_Uygur_Central_Asia_and_Tang_Ming_China_Leiden_Brill_2015_pp_1_19. There is, perhaps, a comparison that we can make here between the idea that this community has fled and the statement in Moses 7:69, ZION IS FLED. Importantly, the church that can be found in this city on Mount Zion is actually the Church of the Firstborns, plural, in the Greek. While there are many theories about where the City of Enoch could have been, there's not enough evidence to give an exact location of where it was built. Speaking to a community of Christian believers, the author declares, But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, . Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. 18, 23549. The people of the City of Enoch were also "of one heart and one mind," united in their belief, and there were "no poor among them" (Moses 7:18). Obviously they were able to preserve some pearls that otherwise had been vaguely remembered but discarded. 2. We know that the use of the word "bosom" in this instance means more than just some vague, heavenly location. 9. He is taught the heavenly mysteries, often by God himself; c. He is appointed to be a teacher and is called to teach the mysteries to others; d. Those who follow his teachings are then permitted to participate in a heavenly ascent or vision. 12:2224). Melchizedek, in this account, is the son of Noahs brother, Nir. Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company, 1983. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1980. [22] Moses 7:62. According to The Pearl of Great Price: Verse by Verse Commentary, bosom in this instance means God's throne, His actually dwelling place. And it came to pass in his days, that he built a city that was called the City of Holiness, even Zion (Moses 7:13, 17-19). Click Here To 'Like' Meridian Magazine on Facebook. . and lie down and rise up forever and ever. [28] G. W. E. Nickelsburg et al., 1 Enoch 2, 45:45, p. 148. Fulfilling his covenant to preserve the lineage of Enoch upon the earth, the Lord left behind Enoch's son, Methuselah, and grandson, Lamech (Moses 8:2, 5). Thus began a vision of what would happen to the earth from then to the Millennium, and where Zion would eventually be located. R. D. Draper et al., Commentary, p. 146. Men and angels are to be co-workers in bringing to pass this great work, and Zion is to be prepared, even a new Jerusalem, for the elect that are to be gathered from the four quarters of the earth, and to be established an holy city, for the tabernacle of the Lord shall be with them. Mitton, George L. The Book of Mormon as a resurrected book and a type of Christ. In Remembrance and Return: Essays in Honor of Louis C. Midgley, edited by Ted Vaggalis and Daniel C. Peterson, 121-46. The scene also evokes the imagery of Nephis vision (1 Nephi 11:1, 3, 4,8, 25): I was caught away into an exceedingly high mountain . 1, 775-828. Ksa, Gbor. Nibley, Hugh W. The Prophetic Book of Mormon. Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company, 1983. https://www.marquette.edu/maqom/slavonicenoch.html. 16. 85128) and others (for example, J. Paulien, Resurrection and the OT) see a much earlier idea of a personal resurrection present earlier in Hosea, Isaiah, and elsewhere. 1334, box 46, f 6, cited in R. J. Addams, Past and Future of the Temple Lot (TMZ 2020), p. 65). However, Enoch and Elijah did not die. Dramatic [re]enactment of the Sons exaltation (chs. Enoch is taken up to heaven, and is appointed guardian of all the celestial treasures, chief of the archangels, and the . Harold Attridge, Paraenesis in a Homily ( ): The Possible Location of, and Socialization in, the Epistle to the Hebrews, Semeia 50 (1990): 217. (accessed December 8, 2021). 2:1, 11). (accessed May 24, 2020). When these themes are brought together, the following picture begins to emerge: a. Declaration of familial relationship between Father and Son (naming ritual)Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee (1:5; 2:1213). Mackie, Heavenly Sanctuary Mysticism, 98. Scott D. Mackie, Heavenly Sanctuary Mysticism in the Epistle to the Hebrews, The Journal of Theological Studies 62 (April 2011): 78. Enoch preached repentance to "all the people" except the Caananites because of their wickedness (Moses 7:12). Nickelsburg, George W. E., and James C. VanderKam, eds. This was the belief of Brigham Young, who stated: I will not say but what Enoch had Temples and officiated therein, but we have no account of it.1, One of the most intriguing elements of Joseph Smiths inspired translation of Genesis is that this concept of communal ascent is not limited to Enochs city of Zion. I know that there is hope for one whom you have formed from the dust for an eternal council . Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God (D&C 76:5558). All rights reserved. Genesis 5:24 tells us that "Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him." Hebrews 11:5 adds: "By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, 'and was not found, because God had taken him'; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God." Some erroneously jump to the conclusion that Enoch was taken up . 5. You'll also like: 5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About the Three Nephites. This Enoch was the ancestor of Irad, who was the ancestor of Mehujael, who was the ancestor of Methushael. after his call, the Lord showed Enoch, and us, a little more about the ancient prophet's divine potential: And we find later in Moses that God's promises to Enoch were fulfilled as he led the people of God against their enemies. For instance, in 4 Ezra13:35 we read:[19] Zion will come and be made manifest to all people,preparedand built, as you saw the mountain carved out without hands. Similarly, 2 Baruch4:23 reads:[20] [I]t is that [city] which will be revealed, with me, that was alreadypreparedfrom the moment that I decided to create Paradise., The nature of the gathering place of Gods elect as a Holy City is described in 1 Enochs Book of the Parables 45:5:[21] And my chosen ones I shall make to dwell on it, but those who commit sin and error will not set foot on it. Jewish tradition also describes a New Jerusalem.[22] According to theTestament of Levi10:5:[23] For the house which the Lord shall choose shall be called Jerusalem, as the book of Enoch the Righteous maintains. This account may be citing1 Enoch90:2829, whichtells of how the old house (that is, the old city of Jerusalem) is removed and replaced with a new house (that is, New Jerusalem). My thanks to John W. Welch for bringing this to my attention. 3. Joseph Smith himself wrote, commenting on the parable of the mustard seed (J. Smith, Jr., To the Elders, p. 227, emphasis added. They lived in the light of God and had a shining appearance. They controlled and harmonized everything in Gods creation. [24] Moreover, in one version of 2 Enoch, the seer calls the place of his ascent the highest Jerusalem.[25], Linda McCarthy (1947): The City of Enoch, 2002. James H. Charlesworth, 2vols. With Enochs Zion removed from the world, the residue of the people left behind continued to increase in wickednessa downward spiral that ultimately ended with the coming of the Great Flood to cleanse the earth of their iniquity. For example, newly analyzed passages from the Book of Giants confirm the Latter-day Saint account of Enochs gathering of Zion and the eventual ascent of his people to heaven. . Noel Reynolds (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 1997), 32374, an expanded and updated version of The Narrative of Zosimus and the Book of Mormon, BYU Studies 22, no. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek (NIV). Scholars give various reasons why Elijah and Enoch (or possibly Moses) will be . [9] Heavenly messengers (perhaps meant to include the Savior, the Righteous Himself[10]) are to be sent down out of heaven and truth (referring to the Book of Mormon and perhaps other hidden books[11]) is to be sent forth out of the earth.[12] The personification of righteousness in the Book of Moses is apt in light of the use of divine virtues as the names of heavenly messengers in 1 Enoch 40:89. See, for example, Philip S. Alexander, The Mystical Texts: Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice and Related Manuscripts, JSPSupp 61, Companion to the Qumran Scrolls 7 (London: Continuum, 2006), 129; Israel Knohl, Between Voice and Silence: The Relationship between Prayer and Temple Cult, Journal of Biblical Literature 115, no. This collection is known as the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, or the Angelic Liturgy, and consists of thirteen songs meant to be sung or recited on each of the first thirteen Sabbaths of the year. For the Qumran community, their religious practices gave them the experience of being there, praising God among the angels. To use an example that I see as similar, the temporary transfiguration of Christ on the mountain height was, if anything, a preview of his anticipated exaltation and heavenly enthronement. God and His people, the living and the departed, heaven and earth, embrace. Vol. . Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Digital and softcover copies of the book are available now in black and white or beautiful premium color. Faith and Scholarship Colloquies 3, 218-31. Salt Lake City, UT: Ensign Peak, 2012. 6. In the previous article in this series, we saw how ancient texts combine with the Book of Moses to tell a more complete story of the gathering of Zion. I will cite here examples from the pertinent Qumran texts to demonstrate each of these points. They were all equal in height, had brilliant faces and identical robes. As George Nickelsburg has argued, it is very possible that the Enochic Book of Parables was originally meant to be an oral performance, an idea that he discusses in depth in the second volume of his commentary on 1Enoch, in the section entitled Orality and Performance. George W.E. Nickelsburg and James C. VanderKam, 1Enoch 2: A Commentary on the Book of 1Enoch Chapters 3782 (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2012), 3638. Carol Newsom, one of the foremost authorities on the Songs, suggests that the recitation of these Sabbath songs was a major vehicle for the experience of communion with the angels18 and is intended as a communal experience of the human worshipping community that gives the participants a sense of being in the heavenly sanctuary and in the presence of angelic priests and worshippers.19 Davila argues that these songs were meant for liturgical use and refers to them as part of a weekly cultic drama.20 Crispin Fletcher-Louis sees the Songs as a conductors score for not merely a descriptive heavenly tour but a more concrete ritualized heavenly ascent. The Prophet Joseph Smith explained:[17]. 2 vols. This is the connection that the author of Hebrews makesthat Jesuss priesthood is the priesthood of Melchizedek. [26] The Lord and Enoch's City will Receive the Righteous (7:63) N. T. Wright, the well-known Anglican bishop and New Testament scholar, described the uniting of heaven and earth as follows: [27] God made heaven and earth; at last he will remake both and join them together forever. Scott D. Mackie, Ancient Jewish Mystical Motifs in Hebrews Theology of Access and Entry Exhortations, New Testament Studies 58 (January 2012): 98 n.33; Mackie, Heavenly Sanctuary Mysticism, 78. Cf. Summarizing his findings regarding this ritualized ascent, Mackie concludes, Hebrews depicts Jesus exaltation as involving an ascent, as he passed through the heavens (4:14; see also 1:6; 7:26) and entered into heaven itself (9:24). A. Tvedtnes, Hidden Books; H. W. Nibley, Prophetic, pp. 11:1316). New York City, NY: W. W. Norton, 2019. Rashi imagines a landscape in which all Israelites will kiss one another., Differing with the Lords previous instruction to Enoch, He delivers His word as a monologuethere is no reply from Enoch this time, only an epilogue from the narrator. Depiction of Jesuss ascent to heaven and entry into the celestial templea great high priest, that is passed into the heavens (4:14)Christ entered into heaven itself (9:24). Andrew Louth, The Origins of the Christian Mystical Tradition: From Plato to Denys (New York: Oxford University Press, 1981), 199200. According to Mackie, all of this would have been performed by actors or described in a way that the participants could vividly imagine themselves as being in the heavenly temple and visualize Christ on his throne and so on. 24. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2004. Kee, Howard C. Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. In The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, edited by James H. Charlesworth. [16] G. W. E. Nickelsburg et al., 1 Enoch 2, 62:1316, pp. The idea of Melchizedek (if not his city with him) being taken up into . They controlled the movement of the stars, the seasons, and the waters on the Earth, as well as plant and animal life. that he might take his place with the host of the holy ones and enter into community with the congregation of the children of heaven (1QHa XI, 2023).24, The second point, regarding the idea that the individual is, while in the heavenly realm, taught the mysteries of heaven, can be seen in columnXII of 1QHodayota. What a blessing it is to live in a day when we are preparing for the return of Zion. ( Read Moses 7 .) Both now reside in heaven in their natural bodies, having never died. Why did God take Enoch and Elijah to heaven without them dying? 12 Who were separated from the earth, and were received unto myself-a city reserved . On the origins of this text, see John W. Welch, The Narrative of Zosimus (History of the Rechabites) and the Book of Mormon, in Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited, ed. The religion itself reminds me of an apocryphal book; there are wonderful gems inside as well as interpolations. This seems to indicate that communication between heaven and the children of men would be severed due to wickedness. One of the most significant additions to the biblical record in Joseph's revelation on Enoch is not only that Enoch was taken up alive into heaven, as the Genesis passage implies, but also that the entire city of Enoch was eventually received up into heaven as well. In the end, I would suggest that the ultimate goal of the various ascents described is similarwhether, like the city of Enoch, the community expects to return to the world and inherit it in its paradisiacal (and eventually celestial) state, or if such a return is not directly delineated, the result is the same in the end. Jarringly, the Lord immediately followed His welcome promise with a terrible warning of great tribulations that would take place before that day (Moses 7:61). There are several versions of this history, but the earliest English translation came long after Joseph Smiths work on the book of Moses. Believed to be originally written in Aramaic in the late 2nd century BCE, the Book of Enoch is attributed to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah, who was said to have been taken up to heaven by .

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