Het boek van Henoch

The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch) is one of the most influential, yet also most forgotten, writings from early Jewish and early Christian thought. Although the book was ultimately excluded from the biblical canon, it demonstrably influenced both Jewish apocalypticism and the theological vocabulary of the New Testament in antiquity. The Epistle of Jude explicitly quotes Enoch, while key concepts such as the Son of Man, the Elect, and cosmic judgment reveal a clear Enochic background.

This edition presents a new Dutch translation of the Book of Enoch, based on the Ethiopic (Ge’ez) text tradition and exclusively using public domain sources. The translation is preceded by an extensive historical and theological introduction, carefully situating the origin, canonical status, and lasting relevance of Enoch within the broader framework of Second Temple Judaism and the early church.

In contrast to later, strongly anthropocentric concepts of sin, Enoch offers a cosmic worldview in which evil is not exclusively explained from human origins, but is also linked to spiritual powers and transgressions within the heavenly order. This shift in perspective sheds new light on biblical themes such as justice, judgment, and redemption, and forms an indispensable key to understanding the intertestamental thought from which Christianity emerged.

The translation is faithful to the meaning, terminologically consistent, and deliberately slightly academic in tone, making it suitable for both theological study and interested readers without specialized prior knowledge. Selective annotations provide necessary context without disrupting readability.

This edition does not aim to revise the canon, but to offer a responsible re-reading of a text that has stood at the fringes of tradition for centuries, and precisely for that reason remains challenging. The Book of Enoch invites critical reflection on the cosmic dimensions of faith, justice, and human responsibility, themes that have lost none of their relevance in contemporary theology.