The Forbidden Knowledge of the Book of Enoch

Book excerpt: Examines the meaning, context, secrets, and impact in a clear, accessible, secular, and respectful way so that readers can make up their own minds about the mysterious Book of Enoch. Forbidden knowledge is at the core of the Book of Enoch. Its text has captured interest from 300 BCE up to the present day. Ancient people living in the Qumran area of the Land of Israel, to the Near East, to Ethiopia, and to Eastern Europe have all consulted the Book of Enoch for their magical and mystical practices. Sometimes part of religious canon and doctrine, and sometimes outright banned, the Book of Enoch has persisted for well over 2,000 years. Roth interprets the content of the Book of Enoch and addresses how that knowledge has been used in the past and can be useful in the present. The Forbidden Knowledge of the Book of Enoch shows that the Book of Enoch remains as vital, if not more so, today as it has been for centuries. From Renaissance magic (Dr. John Dee) to early Christian apocalyptic texts, all the way down to today's conspiracy theories and modern magical angelology, the Book of Enoch has been influential in many spiritual and religious traditions. What has been missing from the various approaches to the Book of Enoch, more popular today than ever, has been any real attempt to find not only what is at the center of these stories but also their connections to magic. The Forbidden Knowledge of the Book of Enoch finds and elucidates those connections. This new work will be useful to magic workers, mystics, those who work with angels, those interested in Jewish magic and mystical practices, and those who are simply curious to peek at apocalyptic visions.