Book of Moses Evidence: God Created Enoch

In the context of the judgments that would come upon the wicked in the Book of Moses, Enoch declared, “Forasmuch as thou art God, and I know thee, and thou hast sworn unto me, and commanded me that I should ask in the name of thine Only Begotten; thou hast made me, and given unto me a right to thy throne, and not of myself, but through thine own grace; wherefore, I ask thee if thou wilt not come again on the earth” (Moses 7:59).

The phrase “thou hast made me” is actually rather unique in scripture. While many biblical passages discuss God’s creation of mankind in general, only a few verses feature a speaker who, in the first-person, comments on being personally made or created by God.1 Even fewer verses follow up that statement by describing some type of gift or blessing that God gave or appointed to the individual.2 It is therefore quite remarkable that these two elements show up in a statement made by none other than Enoch himself in 1 Enoch 14:2:3

At first glance, it may seem like the blessings given to Enoch in these separate texts may not be associated in any meaningful way. Moses 7:59 states that Enoch was given “a right to thy throne” while 1 Enoch 14:2 mentions he was given “the word of understanding.” However, once the passage in 1 Enoch is read in context and in light of other extrabiblical sources, a much more intriguing relationship presents itself.  

After 1 Enoch 14:2, the chapter goes on to describe how Enoch was raised up to witness God’s heavenly sanctuary, which included a throne room: “And I observed and saw inside it a lofty throne—its appearance was like crystal …. And the Great Glory was sitting upon it” (1 Enoch 14:18–20). Although most of the heavenly hosts were unable to come near the throne, the most holy ones were allowed to do so. The Lord then specifically invited Enoch to do the same: “‘Come near to me, Enoch, and to my holy Word.’ And he lifted me up and brought me near to the gate” (1 Enoch 14:24).4

In other words, Enoch was directed to approach the throne and hear the holy words that would come forth from God’s mouth. This isn’t to suggest that “word” and “throne” are strictly synonymous images, but there is no question that they have a close relationship. For instance, we read the following in 1 Enoch 51:3: “In those days, (the Elect One) shall sit on my throne, and from the conscience of his mouth shall come out all the secrets of wisdom.”5 Likewise, 1 Enoch 62:2 states, “The Lord of the Spirits has sat down on the throne of his glory, and the spirit of righteousness has been poured out upon him. The word of his mouth will do the sinners in.”6 Similar imagery arises in 2 Enoch. In its account of the creation, the Lord declared, “And I placed for myself a throne, and I sat down on it. And then to the light I spoke” (2 Enoch 25:4).7

It thus becomes clear that the throne is the locus of authoritative speech. It is from the throne—the seat of divine power and governance—that God’s judgments and edicts issue forth. With this in mind, it is important to recognize that, in agreement with Moses 7:59, some traditions specifically depict Enoch himself as inheriting God’s throne.8 Particularly relevant is the description of the enthronement of Metatron (Enoch in his angelic state) in 3 Enoch. Metatron explains that “the Holy One, blessed be he, made for me a throne like the throne of glory” (3 Enoch 10:1). The Lord then declares, “Any angel and any prince who has anything to say in my presence should go before him [Metatron] and speak to him. Whatever he says to you in my name you must observe and do. I have committed to him the Prince of Wisdom and the Prince of Understanding” (3 Enoch 10:1–5).9

The sequence in this account is notable. Enoch is first given a throne, and then with his seat of governance established, his speech becomes authoritative, as if his words reflect God’s own words. The phrase “Prince of Understanding” is particularly significant, as it correlates with the “word of understanding” given in the key passage of 1 Enoch 14:2. All of this is to demonstrate that the key phrases in Moses 7:59 (“thou hast made me, and given unto me a right to thy throne”) and 1 Enoch 14:2 (“he has created me and given me the word of understanding”) are closely aligned on a conceptual level, as Enoch’s enthronement is directly associated with the bestowal of authoritative divine speech in extant Enochic sources.

The throne/word relationship is enhanced even further by the fact that “sacred names” are described as having been “engraved with a pen of flame on the throne of glory” in 3 Enoch 39:1.10 That is to say, the throne itself was conceived of as a medium for sacred words.

Contextual Parallels

Some contextual parallels surrounding the key phrases in Moses 7:59 and 1 Enoch 14:2 must also be considered. In the Book of Moses, the Earth is personified as the mother of mankind. She is depicted as groaning and mourning over her defilement and over the wickedness of her children. She also petitions the Lord and desires to rest in peace. This corresponds closely to the fallen Watchers in 1 Enoch, who are said to be imprisoned inside the earth. They too weep and groan in response to the wickedness of their children and the judgments that will come upon them, including a lack of peace or rest. This cluster of parallels is highlighted in the chart below:11

It is true that the Earth and the fallen Watchers are not perfectly analogous in these passages. The Earth in Moses 7 is presented as a noble anthropomorphic entity that longs for peace and rest. She is a mother figure who is emotionally distraught by the wickedness of mankind that has gone forth out of her. In contrast, the Watchers are ignoble angels who once were holy but fell from heaven and committed sexual abominations with mortals.

Although these differences should not be downplayed or overlooked, it seems that there is nevertheless a strong resonance between them. In addition to other contextual parallels, both entities are pained by the suffering of their children. Both seek for relief by petitioning God. And since the Watchers are, themselves, imprisoned inside the earth, the source of the ascending voices becomes one and the same—the internal domain of the earth itself. 

One can therefore view the Watchers’ paternal grief over their children as a striking counterpart or foil to the Earth’s maternal mourning.12 While both parties are aggrieved by the sins and wickedness that were taking place on earth, the grief of the Watchers can be described as the “sorrowing of the damned” (Mormon 2:13), whereas the grief of the earth is the type that will be met with divine comfort (Matthew 5:4).13

In any case, the essential point here is that 1 Enoch 12–14 contain a cluster of elements that, on various levels, mirror the immediate context of Moses 7:59. When similar phrases arise in obviously related settings, the likelihood of a random resemblance is reduced.

Conclusion

As demonstrated, the phrase “thou hast made me, and given unto me a right to thy throne” in Moses 7:59 closely parallels the phrase “he has created me and given me the word of understanding” in 1 Enoch 14:2. Analogous language is very rare in biblical texts, and nothing quite like this turns up in Joseph Smith’s other revelations. The fact that these statements are both made specifically by Enoch in separate sources is therefore quite striking. This is especially so when one considers that extrabiblical sources establish that Enoch’s authority to speak on God’s behalf was closely linked to his being granted a right to a heavenly throne. The fact that the key statements in Moses 7:59 and 1 Enoch 14:2 arise alongside other contextual parallels enhances the connection even further. 

Because a translation of 1 Enoch was published by Richard Laurence in 1821, and because extracts of the Book of Watchers (1 Enoch 1–36) had been sporadically made available in English for more than a century before that date, it is not impossible that Joseph Smith could have derived this detail from his environment before he published the Book of Moses in 1830.14 On the other hand, it seems unlikely that Smith ever directly accessed Laurence’s translation of 1 Enoch, and the chances seem quite slim that he stumbled across this specific detail in any other source.15 It must also be recognized that 3 Enoch—the source that most clearly establishes a connection between Enoch’s enthronement and his capacity to speak on God’s behalf—would not have been available in 1830. These textual relationships therefore support the authenticity of the Book of Moses and Joseph Smith’s prophetic calling.