How should we feel about the book of 1 Enoch? It is not part of our contemporary Bible, but some argue that it should be included. Others contend its exclusion from the Hebrew Bible was proper and it ought to be kept out of the accepted canon. How does Jude’s quotation from the book impact our understanding?

First Enoch is a late Jewish document written sometime between the 3rd century BCE and the 1st CE. The author is anonymous, but certainly not the antediluvian patriarch Enoch. It was likely ascribed to Enoch to give it credibility when it was written. Some people suggest it reflects a developing Jewish cosmology leading up to the first century. Others consider it Jewish historical fiction written to entertain audiences by filling in gaps in the biblical narrative with creative speculations about fallen angels, judgment, sons of God, and the coming Son of Man.

If God inspired 1 Enoch it should be canonized. If God did not inspire it, it should not be included in the canon but may have some value. Tertullian believed Noah could have saved the prophecy of Enoch, either in literary or oral form, and preserved it. He believed Jude’s use of 1 Enoch gave it credibility (On the Apparel of Women, 1.3). Augustine agreed, believing Enoch spoke by God, since Jude quotes him. However, he did not hold 1 Enoch as canonical (The City of God, 15.23.4). Jerome rejected 1 Enoch because the Jews did not accept it as part of the Hebrew Bible. However, he also rejected Jude because it quoted 1 Enoch (Lives of Illustrious Men, IV).

Jude’s use of 1 Enoch is powerful support for its historical value, but not necessarily canonical value. Inspired writers sometimes quoted uninspired writers. This may be the case with Jude. First Enoch contradicts parts of the Bible. It did not appear until just before the 1st century and is anachronistically connected to Enoch. These factors suggest it is not canonical. Historically, it may reflect Second Temple Jewish thinking. The value of that history depends on several unanswerable factors. This leaves 1 Enoch in the realm of an uninspired writing shrouded in questions. Jude’s use simply proves the story was useful to his argument.