Book of Moses Evidence: Enoch, a Student of Righteousness

Jared’s Righteous Instruction

Unlike the account of Enoch in Genesis 5, the Book of Moses discusses the righteous instruction given to Enoch by his father: “Jared taught Enoch in all the ways of God” (Moses 6:21). Later in the narrative, when questioned about his identity, Enoch reiterates this detail: “I came out from the land of Cainan, the land of my fathers, a land of righteousness unto this day. And my father taught me in all the ways of God” (Moses 6:41).

Similar statements are made of Jared (also known as Yared) in various Islamic sources. One text explains that Enoch “was designated successor of his father Yared: he committed to him that which his forefathers had bequeathed to him and to each one succeeding them.”1 Another reports that “<Yared> empowered Enoch and entrusted him with the legacy of his father. He taught him the knowledge which he had received from him. … His father put him unharmed in the temple, and he taught him the writings.”2

A separate source, which identifies Enoch as the prophet Idris, explains, “Then he (i.e., Yared) appointed Idrīs as executor (of God’s laws) after him—his name in the Torah is Enoch …. He (i.e., Idrīs) was the first prophet whom God called. He taught him computation and writing/Scripture.”3 Yet another source declares that “the name (of Yared’s heir) in the Hebrew Torah is Enoch. Its meaning in Arabic pertains to learned studies. He is (the same as) Idrīs, upon whom be peace!”4

Several other Islamic texts mention Enoch’s status as a son of Yared before they emphasize that the name Idris was given to Enoch due to his diligent study and acquisition of knowledge:

• “The first prophet after Seth was Idrīs, and his name was Enoch b. Yared b. Mahalalel. He was called “Idrīs” due to the multitude of his studies.”5
• “and to Mahalalel was born Yared, and to Yared was born Enoch, and he is Idrīs, upon whom be peace! … He bore the name “Idrīs” on account of the quantity of knowledge and religious practices which he learned from the Scripture of God Most Exalted.”6
• “Story of Idrīs the prophet, upon whom be peace! People who know this lore claim that he is (the same as) Enoch b. Yared b. Mahalalel b. Qaynān b. Enosh b. Seth b. Adam. … He received the name ‘Idrīs’ on account of the large number of his scholarly pursuits.”7

Thus, Enoch is often characterized as the consummate student, often in a way which is either directly or implicitly linked to his father Jared.

“In All the Ways of God”

The notion that Enoch’s instruction involved the “ways of God” is also significant: “And Jared taught Enoch in all the ways of God” (Moses 6:21). This element is repeated later on by Enoch himself: “And my father taught me in all the ways of God” (Moses 6:41). This concept has parallels in a couple of rabbinic texts:

• “Truly this is a secret of wisdom, for [Enoch] was removed from the earth, as scripture states: ‘and he was not, for God took him’ (Gen 5:24), and he is the ‘youth’ of whom it is written: ‘Educate the youth (חנך לנער) in accordance with His way’ (Prov 22:6).”8
• “As it is written (in Scripture): ‘And he was no more, because God took him’ (Gen 5:24): ‘and he was no more’ signifies ‘in this world’; ‘and he was no more’ means ‘as he existed in this world.’ ‘Because God took him’ means ‘(he became) another image’; in that (world) he is permanently a youth. This secret we found (in the verse): ‘Enoch became a youth following His way’ (Prov 22:6) (so as) to conduct all the worlds.”9

In light of the repeated emphasis on Enoch being taught “in all the ways of God” in Moses 6, the fact that these commentaries directly link Enoch with Proverb 22:6—a famous passage about instructing children in the way of the Lord—is quite striking.10 The specific context of these rabbinic statements may also be significant, as each is given immediately after commentary on Genesis 5:24, much like Moses 6:21 is part of a revelatory expansion inserted between Genesis 5:19–20. In other words, the statements about Enoch’s instruction in the Book of Moses and in these Jewish sources all connect back to the same textual unit in Genesis 5:18–24.11 

A similar description of Enoch gaining “knowledge of the ways of the Lord” shows up amid these same contextual elements in a text known as Sefer ha-Yashar. For comparison, this Jewish account has been placed alongside related passages in Moses 6 and Genesis 5 in the chart below (with corresponding elements color-coded and the key parallel underlined for easier identification):12

Impressively, this same Jewish source then goes on to emphasize this detail again and again (with the following excerpts coming from just a single page of text):

An angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, saying, ‘Enoch! Enoch!’ He responded, ‘Here I am.’ He (the angel) said to him: ‘Arise and depart from your house and the place wherein you were concealed, and assume rulership over all of humanity so that you might instruct them in the way they should behave and about the action(s) they should perform in order to walk in the ways of the Lord.’ … He issued a decree and circulated a message among all the places where humanity dwelt which said: ‘Whoever wishes to know the ways of the Lord and proper behavior should come to Enoch!’ … Divine inspiration would fill Enoch, and he would teach all present the wisdom of the Lord and His ways. … Enoch instructed them in wisdom, knowledge, and the way of the Lord, and established good relations among all of them … He supervised their progress in the ways of the Lord.”13

A variation on this theme is also found in 1 Enoch, in connection with the ancient doctrine of the Two Ways.14 After having his son Methuselah summon together his family, Enoch declared,

Now I shall speak unto you, my children, and show you the ways of righteousness and the ways of wickedness. Moreover, I shall make a revelation to you so that you may know that which is going to take place. Now listen to me, my children, and walk in the way of righteousness, and do not walk in the way of wickedness, for all those who walk in the ways of injustice shall perish. (1 Enoch 91:18–19)15

These instructions given by Enoch to his own family in 1 Enoch mirror the broader theme of teaching children in the Book of Moses. After the text establishes that Enoch himself was brought up “in all the ways of the Lord” (Moses 6:21), it goes on to declare that “faith was taught unto the children of men” (v. 23). Later, Enoch quotes the Lord’s instruction to Adam, saying “Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent …. Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children” (vv. 57–58).16

Conclusion

While many prophets and leaders in scripture had righteous parents, not all of them did. For instance, Abraham wrote, “My fathers, having turned from their righteousness, and from the holy commandments which the Lord their God had given unto them, unto the worshiping of the gods of the heathen, utterly refused to hearken to my voice” (Abraham 1:5). Likewise, even though King Limhi was a righteous man, his father was the wicked King Noah (Mosiah 7:9). In many other cases, the scriptures just don’t say much, if anything, about the parents of righteous prophets or leaders.

Thus, if Joseph Smith were just making up details about the prophet Enoch and his father Jared, there is no guarantee that similar information would turn up in arcane extrabiblical traditions. Yet, just as the Book of Moses emphasizes certain details—(1) Jared’s righteous instruction, (2) Enoch being brought up in the “ways of God,” and (3) the righteous instruction of children generally—so too do a variety of Enochic sources in Jewish and Islamic literature, sometimes in very similar contexts. Such resemblances strengthen the case for the genuine antiquity of the Book of Moses.17