Bible Question:

Did the Council of Nicaea reject the book of Enoch?

Bible Answer:

Some claim the Council of Nicaea rejected the book of Enoch and did not allow it into the Bible. They state the book of Enoch belongs in the Bible. They think it has lots of great information. Some interesting statements in the book cannot be found in the Bible. So, the question is, “Did the Council of Nicaea reject the book of Enoch?” Should the book be in the Bible?

Did the Council of Nicaea reject the book of Enoch?

Here are eight reasons why the book of Enoch does not belong in the Bible.

1) The book of Enoch is a false writing. It is classified as one of the books of the Pseudepigrapha. The word Pseudepigrapha refers to false writings. The book was rejected by Judaism, Roman Catholics, and Protestants. It is rejected by almost all scholars as inspired, except for a small minority. The book was rejected by Judaism since it was not included in the Septuagint (LXX), which was written about 270 B.C. It was also rejected as divinely inspired by the Roman Catholic Church and Protestants. Jesus never quoted from it, and it will be shown that neither did the apostles.

2) The prophet Enoch did not write the book of Enoch since scholars agree this pseudepigraphal book was not written until the second or first century B.C. Since the patriarch Enoch lived around 3,000 B.C. (Genesis 5:21-24), he could not have written it. Someone else had to write the book. That raises a serious problem. First, that would mean the author of the book of Enoch wrote about the patriarch Enoch about 2,800 to 2,900 years after Enoch was taken to heaven (Genesis 5:21-24; Hebrews 1:5-6). Second, the author of the book of Enoch either based it on oral tradition or legend or fabricated the content.

3) The peudepigraphal book of Enoch was not a source for the New Testament book of Jude. The article “Did Jude copy from the book of Enoch?” demonstrates that Jude 14-15 does not agree with the book of Enoch. The quotes are different and the meanings are different. Just because the pseudepigraphal book of Enoch was written before the book of Jude does not mean that Jude used it as a source.

4) The prophecies of both the Old and New Testaments prove the Bible is a supernatural book. It was written by ordinary people who were writing under the control of the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:20-21 teaches that God the Holy Spirit moved men to write the Bible. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 states that all Scripture is inspired by God or written by God. That means Jude was written by God. The fact that God wrote the book of Jude is the standard by which we know the book of Jude is authoritative. The article “Is the book of Enoch inspired? . . . Luke 24:44” provides the explanation.

5) Even if we assume that Jude did quote from the pseudepigraphal book of Enoch, that does not give any credibility to the book of Enoch as being accurate. We must remember that 3) above indicates the quotes in the two books are different and their meanings are different. Therefore, if we assume that Jude did quote Enoch, then a better statement would be that the book of Jude corrected errors in the book of Enoch. It is agreed by the vast majority of Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant scholars that the book of Enoch is a false book and as such is part of the Pseudepigrapha.

6) Since Jude’s statement does not agree with the statement in the book of Enoch, those who claim Jude copied from the book of Enoch have a serious problem. Did Jude copy but make a number of serious copying errors? Does that make Jude’s statement even a legitimate copy? The opposite is the only reasonable conclusion.

7) Some claim the book of Enoch offers a lot more information and enlightenment. Does more or different “information and enlightenment” prove a book is inspired and belongs in the Bible? The length of a book or the quantity of information does not mean that God wrote it. It just means that whoever wrote the book of Enoch was a prolific writer and may have made some interesting comments. It does not prove the book contains accurate or true statements and was inspired and should be included with the other divinely inspired books of the Old and New Testaments.

8) The claim that the early church councils of Nicaea (325 and 381 A.D.) decided which books would be contained in the New Testament has been factually proven above to be wrong. That same false claim was made in the book entitled “Da Vinci Code.” Since the book has been published, it has been widely discredited as inaccurate. In addition, the Muratorian Fragment (circa. 150-170 A.D.) provides a list of the books that were recognized as part of the New Testament. For more information read, “What books belong in the Bible? – Canon of Scripture.”  The articles demonstrate that the contents of the New Testament were known before the Councils of Nicaea. Therefore, the council did not determine the books of the New Testament.

Conclusion

Here are some of the highlights from the above discussion. First, the book of Enoch is part of the Pseudepigrapha, which is recognized by scholars as a group of false writings. The book was written almost 3,000 B.C. after the patriarch Enoch left the earth and went directly to heaven. Jude 14-15 is different than the quote in the book of Enoch. Jude 14-15 is clearly not a copy. The reader is encouraged to read, “Why is the book of Enoch not included in the Bible?” It provides even more information as to why Enoch is not in the Bible.

 

 

Recommended Links:

The Da Vinci Code — Attack On Christianity

Judgment of All the Ungodly Apostates – Jude 14-15

Why is the book of Enoch not included in the Bible?

Is the book of Enoch inspired? . . . Luke 24:44

Is Phanuel an angel? The Book of Enoch refers to the angel Phanuel.

What are the additional books of the Bible in the Roman Catholic religion?

What is the Pseudepigrapha? Should it be in the Bible?

What Is The Apocrypha? Should It Be In The Bible?

 

Suggested Links:

Did Jude copy from the book of Enoch?
Did Jesus quote the book of Enoch in Matthew 22:29-30?