The book of Enoch has become increasingly popular among Christians in recent years. It is easy to understand the fascination. Reading the Book of Enoch can sometimes feel like reading a science-fiction novel. Its elaborate accounts of fallen angels, giants, heavenly journeys, and the coming judgment naturally capture the imagination. More importantly, New Testament authors such as Peter and Jude draw on traditions also found in the Book of Enoch.
For students of Scripture, the book provides valuable insight into the diverse world of Second Temple Judaism and can illuminate the historical and literary background of the New Testament. But some Christians have gone much further. They argue that the Book of Enoch is not merely interesting ancient Jewish literature but inspired Scripture that belongs in the Bible. So, how should followers of Jesus approach the Book of Enoch?
Should we really consider it inspired Scripture, on par with Genesis, Isaiah, and Daniel? In my book, Pseudo-Scripture: Why 1 Enoch, Jubilees, and Jasher Are Not Inspired Scripture, I examine this question in much greater detail. When it comes to the Book of Enoch, I believe there are three compelling reasons Christians should not consider it inspired Scripture.
Contrary to popular claims that the Book of Enoch was “removed from the Bible,” there is no evidence that it ever belonged to the Jewish biblical canon in the first place. By the first century, Jewish Scripture was recognized according to the familiar threefold division of the Law, Prophets, and Writings. Josephus, writing near the end of the first century, describes a fixed collection of 22 sacred books that Jews regarded as divinely authoritative.
He distinguishes these books from later writings that were not considered to have the same authority (Against Apion 1.37–42). Notably, Josephus also begins his list with the five books