Book of Moses Evidence: Enoch’s Anointing

As part of Enoch’s prophetic calling in the Book of Moses, readers learn of the process by which he became known as a seer:1

And the Lord spake unto Enoch, and said unto him: Anoint thine eyes with clay, and wash them, and thou shalt see. And he did so. And he beheld the spirits that God had created; and he beheld also things which were not visible to the natural eye; and from thenceforth came the saying abroad in the land: A seer hath the Lord raised up unto his people. (Moses 6:35–36)

A close parallel to this idea comes from Jesus’s encounter with the man who was born blind in the New Testament: “When [Jesus] had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam …. He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing” (John 9:6–7).2 With this passage in hand, those skeptical of Joseph Smith’s prophetic calling possess what may appear to be an obvious source of derivation.3 Deeper exploration, however, reveals parallels with the ancient world that are difficult to explain from a naturalistic perspective.

Traditions of Anointing Eyes to Restore Sight

The general idea of anointing eyes with various substances to facilitate the recovery of sight can be found in a variety of extrabiblical texts. For instance, a document known as the Hygromancy of Solomon gives the following medicinal advice: “The plant of Hermes is the cinquefoil. … After drying its leaves, making them like dust and mixing them with oil, anoint any bruise of the eye, darkening, mist, cloud-like opacity and bird-like blindness, and immediately you will heal it.”4 This passage is interesting because Enoch is sometimes merged with the figure of Hermes in arcane traditions.5 Other texts, of a more generic nature, could also be cited.6

Enoch’s Anointing in 2 Enoch and Other Extrabiblical Texts

Yet, in order to significantly bolster the case for the authenticity of Joseph Smith’s revelation, it seems necessary to find a source that directly and specifically associates Enoch with the concept of anointing. Such a parallel can be found in 2 Enoch:

And the Lord said to Michael, “Go, and extract Enoch from his earthly clothing. And anoint him with my delightful oil, and put him into the clothes of my glory.” And so Michael did, just as the Lord had said to him. He anointed me and he clothed me. And the appearance of that oil is greater than the greatest light, and its ointment is like sweet dew, and its fragrance myrrh; and it is like the rays of the glittering sun. And I looked at myself, and I had become like one of his glorious ones, and there was no observable difference.7

At first glance, one might protest that, in this passage, Enoch is anointed with oil rather than clay and it doesn’t even mention his eyes being anointed. While both points are valid, other contextual parallels, once understood, may more than make up the difference.  

For one thing, the anointings in each text are given in the context of a remarkable spiritual transformation. In the Book of Moses, Enoch’s anointing is part of a theophany in which he transitioned into seer and could then behold “things which were not visible to the natural eye” (Moses 6:36). It would appear that Enoch’s experience was similar to the transfiguration of Moses recorded several chapters earlier: “But now mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes, for my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have withered and died in his presence; but his glory was upon me; and I beheld his face, for I was transfigured before him” (Moses 1:11). Similarly, in 2 Enoch, “the oil is used … for transforming the righteous ones in their transition into the angelic state in the celestial realm.”8

Furthermore, just as the angel Michael put Enoch “into the clothes of my glory” in 2 Enoch, the Book of Moses mentions later that Enoch was “clothed upon with glory” (Moses 7:3).9 The dual anointing and clothing imagery in each text holds temple connotations that will likely be familiar to endowed Latter-day Saints.10 According to Enoch scholar Andrei Orlov, “The anointing with the oil causes the patriarch’s transformation from the garments of skin to the luminous garment of an immortal angelic being, one of the glorious ones.”11

As for its origin, the oil mentioned in 2 Enoch appears to derive from the Garden of Eden. Support for this idea comes from several Adamic texts, some of which mention that Enoch regained the glory that Adam and Eve lost when they fell from their paradisiacal condition in Eden. One such example from the Jewish Zohar specifically mentions Enoch’s anointing. Notice, once again, that the anointing and clothing motifs show up together in this source:

… the perfection below was lacking since it had been lost through the transgression of Adam the Protoplast. He (i.e., Adam) descended below and hid himself among the trees of the garden. There he was stripped of all the aspects of the garden until Enoch b. Yared was born. After he had been born, he found himself near the Garden. That light began to shine within him. He was anointed with a holy anointment, and that sparkling light settled upon him. He entered the Garden of Eden and found there the Tree of Life, the branches and the fruits of the Tree. He breathed their aroma, and that spirit of the Light of Life took up residence within him. … Afterwards he cloaked himself (with) that light inside that garment in order to show the supernal heights and by this (display) to bring shame on those who protested before their Lord that He should not create humanity in the world.12

Another text, known as the Life of Adam and Eve, tells of Adam becoming sick and asking his family members to return to the paradise of Eden to obtain healing oil from the sacred tree within the garden.

Seth and his mother walked toward the regions of Paradise for the oil of mercy, to anoint the sick Adam. And they arrived at the gates of Paradise, took dust from the earth, and put it on their heads, prostrated themselves to the ground on their faces and began to mourn with loud sighs, begging the Lord God to pity Adam in his pains and to send his angel to give them the oil from the tree of mercy.13

Based on a number of similarities, Orlov persuasively argues that the oil mentioned in this story is likely one and the same as that mentioned in 2 Enoch.14

The close association in this text between putting dust from the earth on one’s body and the petition for the sacred oil may also be significant. Throughout Jewish history, the dust from which Adam and Eve were created came to represent their fallen human condition and impending demise. As the Lord himself had explained, “dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19). Thus, the oil that Adam’s family members were seeking through their dust-applying petition was intended to overcome the infirmity inherent in Adam’s dust-related creation. The fact that these dust-applying petitions are repeatedly juxtaposed with the regenerative oil suggests the association isn’t a coincidence.15

This may all be relevant since the symbolism of dust and clay overlap in many ancient sources, as they were both viewed as the substance of mankind’s creation.16 Several commentators have even made the connection between the spittle-formed clay which Jesus used to anoint the blind man in John 9:6 and God’s creative acts in the book Genesis. For instance, the early Christian father, Irenaeus, made this association in the second century AD, with other patristic commentators following suit.17

Although some modern scholars have doubted this association, Daniel Fayer-Griggs has drawn attention to several texts among the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as earlier Babylonian and Egyptian creation myths, which support the earlier view held by Irenaeus. Griggs concludes that “Jesus’ act of curing blindness was not merely an act of healing but a work of creation.”18 A similar interpretation has been put forward by Craig Keener: “By making clay of the spittle and applying it to eyes blind from birth, Jesus symbolically repeated the creative act of Genesis 2:7.”19

Thus, although the symbolism is not identical, it seems likely that the anointing with clay in the Book of Moses and the anointing with oil in 2 Enoch both relate back to the dust-derived creation of Adam and Eve. The fact that both Enoch and the blind man from the New Testament story were told to wash away the clay with water seems significant, as it suggests washing away the dust-related element of human creation which was limiting the individual’s sight. Likewise, the anointing oil in 2 Enoch seems intended to overcome the dust-related infirmity inherent in the creation of Adam’s physical body. This becomes significant once one recognizes that immediately after Enoch’s anointing in each text, he is shown a profound vision of God’s creations.

In the Book of Moses, Enoch beheld “the spirits that God had created” (Moses 6:36). Likewise, in 2 Enoch, he took a guided tour of the heavens: “And [the Lord] was telling me all the things of heaven and earth and sea and all the elements and the movements and their courses,” which included “all the souls of men, whatever of them are not yet born …. For all the souls are prepared for eternity, before the composition of the earth.”20

The premortal context and preparatory nature of spiritual creation in each text is also notable, as is the emphasis on visible versus invisible creation. In 2 Enoch, the Lord explained, “Enoch [Beloved], whatever you see and whatever things are standing still or moving about were brought to perfection by me. And I myself will explain it to you. Before anything existed at all, from the very beginning, whatever exists I created from the non-existent, and from the invisible the visible.”21

This is surprisingly consistent with Moses 3:5: “For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth.”22 It also accords with God’s statements quoted by Enoch in Moses 6:36: “I am God; I made the world, and men before they were in the flesh.” Additionally, it corresponds to Enoch’s unique ability, after his anointing, to see “things which were not visible to the natural eye.”

The words visible and invisible, when relating to God’s creations, are exceedingly rare in Joseph Smith’s revelations and in scripture generally, showing upon only in Moses 6:36, Colossians 1:15–16, and Romans 1:20.23 It would therefore be a remarkable coincidence for the Prophet to invoke this particular concept immediately after Enoch was anointed with a creation-related substance, and for such a similar idea to show up in a similar context and sequence in 2 Enoch.

The idea of Enoch beholding created spirits and otherwise invisible things also turns up in a Jewish text in an Eden setting, which once again situates Enoch as inheriting a spiritual essence once possessed by Adam and Eve:

Now Enoch stated that he saw them, but it remains unknown who they are or what they signify. Blessed be he who is adept in the(se) mysteries! This particular secret is in the Book of Enoch. Before Adam the Protoplast had been introduced there, the Garden was not empty. And not only were the plants and the delightful things there, also there were all the souls destined to exist in the world, each of them endowed with the likeness, form, and appearance which they would have afterwards. Truly they have been (there) since the day they came into existence, and they still by a miracle remain there at present. Those waiting there are not visible to anyone corporeal, except to the one who is totally righteous. …

They say that when Adam the Protoplast was introduced therein, he initially did not see them until the time of which it is written in Scripture: “and the eyes of both of them were opened…” (Gen 3:7). Then they recognized and saw them and became embarrassed before them due to the splendor and status of those souls who were present there. It was there that the Holy One, blessed be He, “showed him each generation and its scholars, etc.” He saw all of them, each in accordance with his service and his burden. However, no one corporeal who is clothed in the vestment of this body can perceive those righteous (souls) who are there. (They are visible) only as something like birds standing on the top of and beside the outermost wall. Enoch did not notice (them) at first while he still remained in his normal (i.e., bodily) state, but after he had trained himself to be with God, he saw (them) and comprehended the whole subject, and he grasped the gist of all matters with complete certainty. All of this can be found in his book.24

Just like the clothing motif in 2 Enoch and the Book of Moses, this text, known as Sefer Mishkan ha-ʿEdut, implies that Enoch had to be transfigured (i.e., clothed in a new heavenly vestment) to behold the human spirits and other spiritual entities that God had created. Note that this took place in the Garden of Eden, which, in this text, appears to symbolically function as a sort of liminal realm tied to premortal entities.

The text also specifically states that “no one corporeal who is clothed in the vestment of this body can perceive those righteous (souls) who are there.” This again parallels Moses 6:36, which states that Enoch “beheld also things which were not visible to the natural eye.”25 The idea that Enoch’s anointing transformed his natural body is likewise reinforced in Enoch’s admonition to his son in 2 Enoch 56:2: “Listen, child! Since the time when the Lord anointed me with the ointment of his glory, food has not come into me, and earthly pleasure my soul does not remember; nor do I desire anything earthly.”26

As the above analysis attests, the account of Enoch’s anointing is surprisingly congruent with material in 2 Enoch, especially when that material is, in turn, interpreted in light of other relevant extrabiblical sources.27

Anointing with Clay: An Early Christian Liturgical Parallel

Anointing with clay in order to facilitate spiritual enlightenment can also be found in an early Christian liturgical ceremony, specifically as part of a baptism rite for new converts.28 As explained by David Calabro,

For the second stage [of the ceremony], the whole company would form a procession and go down to the river, holding torches to light the way. By the riverside, the candidate’s eyes would be anointed with clay. He or she would then be baptized by immersion, and the bishop would declare the baptized person to be a son or child of God, using words similar to Ps. 2:7, “You are my son, this day I have begotten you.”29

This idea is intriguing because, as reported in the Book of Moses, Enoch’s anointing with clay is followed soon after by an extended discourse on the meaning and purpose of baptism, which concludes with the declaration “Behold, thou art one in me, a son of God; and thus may all become my sons. Amen” (Moses 6:52–68). The specific symbolism of this anointing ordinance, as understood in late antiquity by the early Christian father Ambrose of Milan, is also worthy of attention. Calabro writes,

The purpose of this rite, according to Ambrose, is to allow the candidate to see spiritual things and thereby recognize what the sacramental emblems on the altar represent. This purpose coincides perfectly with the result of Enoch’s action in Moses 6:35–36. Ambrose’s brief and somewhat cryptic description is sufficient to suggest both the antiquity of the rite and its placement during the second stage, since the natural place for anointing the eyes with clay and washing it off would be by a river. Having performed this rite before being baptized, the candidate would be able to witness with spiritual eyes the descent of the Spirit after emerging from the water. The rite would also prepare the candidate to understand with greater clarity the later stages of the ritual.30

The specific origin of this ritual is ultimately unknown. Based on several lines of evidence, Calabro suggests that perhaps the early Christian community had a version of the Book of Moses itself which was integrated as part of the ceremony. On the other hand, if the Book of Moses is taken at face value, ritual ordinances related to baptism stretch all the way back to Adam and Eve. This would likely mean that many aspects of Christianity are themselves restorations of earlier truths and ceremonies, thus complicating any theory based on supposedly distinctive Christian features.31

Whatever the precise relationship may be, the account of Enoch’s anointing in the Book of Moses intersects with this genuinely ancient ritual on multiple levels: (1) after an initiate’s eyes were anointed with clay, a washing ritual was then performed, (2) the ordinance was intended to facilitate spiritual enlightenment or understanding, and (3) the ordinance was connected to baptism and included a pronouncement of divine sonship.

Conclusion

For those who doubt or reject Joseph Smith’s prophetic calling, it may be tempting to assume he derived the elements of Enoch’s anointing in Moses 6:35–36 from the story of Jesus healing the blind man in John 9:6–7. After all, a man’s eyes are anointed with clay in both texts. He is then told by the Lord to wash them, which results in the restoration or enhancement of sight. In the entire scriptural canon, this pairing of ideas is unique to these two passages.

While this close textual parallel is certainly valid and significant, the conclusion that Smith merely borrowed the contents of Moses 6:35–36 from John 9:6–7 faces several challenges. First of all, as an alternative explanation, it seems just as plausible that this relationship could have originated in the ancient world. This is due to the fact that many New Testament teachings seem to have been informed by what Samuel Zinner describes as an “Enochic matrix” of texts.32 In other words, in directing the blind man to anoint his eyes with clay and wash, Jesus could easily have been alluding to an Enochic tradition available at the time.

More significant, however, is the fact that nothing in John 9—or even in the Bible at large—would have led Smith to specifically apply these concepts to Enoch. Nor does it appear that any extrabiblical sources in Smith’s environment would have provided this connection. For instance, nowhere in 1 Enoch—the primary source of Enoch-related information available at the time—is it stated or implied that Enoch was anointed. As explained by Orlov,

It should be noted that Enoch’s oil anointing is a unique motif in the Enochic tradition. Enoch’s approach to the throne in the Book of the Watchers [within 1 Enoch] and his transformation into the son of man in the Book of the Similitudes [also within 1 Enoch] do not involve anointing with or any usage of oil. Later Enochic traditions are also silent about oil. For example, the account of Metatron’s transformation in 3 Enoch does not mention any anointing with oil.33

In other words, this appears to be a feature unique to 2 Enoch and, as far as this study could discover, a singular passage mentioned in the Jewish Zohar—neither of which would have been available to Joseph Smith in 1830.

It is true that Enoch’s anointing with oil in these sources is not the same as his being anointed with clay in the Book of Moses. And perhaps a surface-level analysis would find no meaningful connection between the two. But such an assessment would be premature. As demonstrated throughout this article, Joseph Smith’s account of Enoch’s anointing in Moses 6:35–36 is supported by a converging array of contextual parallels with 2 Enoch and various other ancient traditions.

These parallels include at least the following elements: (1) the spiritually transformative nature of Enoch’s anointing, (2) the associated clothing ordinance, (3) the creation symbolism inherent in the substances—both clay and oil—used in the anointing, (4) the creation-oriented visions that immediately follow the anointing, (5) the vision of all of God’s created spirits, (6) the premortal context or setting of the vision, (7) the discussion of a dual physical/spiritual creation, and (8) an emphasis on Enoch’s unique ability to see entities that were invisible to the natural eye, due to his spiritual transformation. Since it is difficult to suppose that such a specific set resemblances are a product of random chance or that the relevant Enochic sources were available in 1830, the account of Enoch’s anointing in Moses 6:35–36 offers substantial evidence supporting the antiquity of Smith’s revelation.

The plausibility of this explanation is enhanced even further by the fact that an early Christian baptism ceremony correlates with Enoch’s anointing on several levels. While the origin of this ceremony and its relationships with the Book of Moses remain uncertain, it nevertheless provides one more set of meaningful parallels with the ancient world.34

Overall, based on the currently available evidence, Enoch’s anointing in Moses 6:35–36 cannot be easily explained by any naturalistic theory. On the other hand, if Joseph Smith was telling the truth about the source of the Book of Moses, then these converging parallels would be quite understandable, as they can be seen as strands of a genuinely ancient tradition that filtered down through the ages into separate texts.