Why Was The Book Of Enoch Removed From The Bible - An Old Question

30 Jun, 2025

Have you ever thought about certain books that seem to have just vanished from what we usually think of as the good old Bible? It's a bit of a puzzle, you know, because there are these really old writings that some people once held as very important, and one of them, the Book of Enoch, is honestly quite a topic of discussion for many. This ancient writing, a collection of prophetic visions and stories, was a big deal for some early religious groups, yet it’s not in most Bibles you see today.

This book, which many believe was put together over several centuries, tells tales of fallen angels, heavenly journeys, and deep wisdom about the end of days. It was known and even quoted by some of the very first Christian writers, which makes its absence from the commonly accepted list of sacred texts all the more curious. So, it almost makes you wonder what happened along the way.

What led to this particular book being left out of the main scriptural collections? The reasons are a little complicated, and involve looking at how the Bible itself came to be, what was considered truly inspired by early religious leaders, and the different ideas floating around during those very early times. We're going to explore some of the main points that help us understand this long-standing question, you know, about why this book ended up on the outside looking in.

What is the Book of Enoch anyway?
Early Church Views - why was the book of enoch removed from the bible?
Why didn't all early Christians accept it?
Canon Formation - why was the book of enoch removed from the bible?
How did different groups view the book?
The Role of Councils - why was the book of enoch removed from the bible?
Is the Book of Enoch still used by anyone?
Modern Perspectives - why was the book of enoch removed from the bible?
A Quick Look Back at Why the Book of Enoch Was Not Included

What is the Book of Enoch anyway?

The Book of Enoch is a very old religious text, or rather, a collection of writings, that people believe was put together by different hands over a long stretch of time. It's not just one piece of writing, you know, but a few parts that seem to have come together. This collection is named after Enoch, who is a person mentioned in the Bible's book of Genesis, someone who "walked with God" and was taken away without dying. The writings themselves are full of wild visions and stories, often about angels, both good ones and those who went astray, and the very beginnings of the world. It talks about things like the Watchers, who were a group of angels that, apparently, came down to earth and had children with human women, leading to a race of giants. This book, as a matter of fact, offers a different sort of backstory to some of the events found in the more familiar parts of the Bible. It also contains prophecies about the future and descriptions of heavenly trips that Enoch supposedly took. It’s a pretty imaginative piece of writing, to say the least, and it gives us a peek into some of the ideas that were floating around in ancient times about spiritual matters and the unseen world.

Early Church Views - why was the book of enoch removed from the bible?

When we look at the very early days of Christianity, we find that some people who followed the new faith actually paid a lot of attention to the Book of Enoch. There are writings from some of the earliest Christian thinkers and leaders who clearly knew about this book and, in some cases, even quoted from it. For example, the Epistle of Jude, which is a part of the New Testament that many people read, directly mentions a prophecy from Enoch. This shows us that at least some early followers of Jesus saw value in what the Book of Enoch had to say, and perhaps even considered it to be a source of wisdom or divine insight. However, it's also true that not everyone in those early communities felt the same way. While some found it helpful for understanding certain spiritual concepts or prophecies, others were a bit more hesitant about it. The reasons for this mixed reception are part of the bigger picture of why this book eventually found itself outside the main collection of sacred writings. So, the picture of its early reception is not entirely simple, but rather, a bit varied.

Why didn't all early Christians accept it?

The main reason why the Book of Enoch didn't get a place in the broader Christian Bible has a lot to do with who was thought to have written it and what it said. For a book to be considered truly sacred and part of the official collection, it usually needed to be connected to someone who was seen as a prophet or an apostle, someone who had a direct connection to God's message. The Book of Enoch, while old, was generally not believed to have been written by the Enoch of Genesis himself, but rather by someone much later, just putting his name on it. This idea of "pseudepigrapha," or writing under a false name, was a big red flag for many religious leaders. They wanted to make sure that the books they included were truly from God, given through His chosen messengers. Also, some of the stories and ideas in the Book of Enoch, like the very detailed accounts of fallen angels and strange creatures, were seen by some as a bit too fantastical or just not quite fitting with the main messages and stories found in other, more widely accepted scriptures. So, for some, its contents felt a little off, not quite in line with the rest of what they considered to be God's clear word, you know.

Canon Formation - why was the book of enoch removed from the bible?

The process of putting together the Bible, what we call "canon formation," was a long and drawn-out one, not something that happened overnight. It involved different communities of believers deciding which writings they felt truly carried God's voice and which ones should be used for teaching and worship. This wasn't a quick decision made by one person, but rather a slow agreement that developed over centuries. For a book to be included, it usually needed to be widely used and accepted by many different Christian groups across different places. It also needed to agree with the main teachings that were being passed down from the apostles. The Book of Enoch, while popular in some areas, just didn't get that widespread, consistent approval from enough communities. While it was read and even valued by some, it never quite achieved the kind of universal acceptance that other books did. This lack of broad agreement meant that when the time came to settle on a fixed list of books, the Book of Enoch was, more or less, left out. It simply didn't make the cut for the majority of Christian traditions, which is pretty much why it's not in most Bibles today.

How did different groups view the book?

It's interesting to see that not everyone had the same opinion about the Book of Enoch. Some groups, particularly in certain parts of the early Christian world, really held it in high regard. For instance, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, a very old Christian tradition, actually kept the Book of Enoch as part of their official collection of sacred writings. For them, it was and still is a truly important book, used for teaching and understanding their faith. This shows that the decision to include or exclude a book was not always the same everywhere. However, in the Western Christian world, and for most other Eastern churches, the book gradually fell out of common use and was not seen as part of the inspired collection. The reasons for this difference in opinion often came down to what each group believed about its origins, its message, and whether it fit with their overall understanding of God's plan. So, while it was a big deal for some, for many others, it was just another ancient text, not quite on the same level as the Psalms or the Gospels, you know, not really considered scripture.

The Role of Councils - why was the book of enoch removed from the bible?

Over time, as Christianity grew and spread, leaders from different churches would come together in meetings, often called councils, to talk about important matters of faith and practice. One of the things they discussed was which books should truly be considered part of the Bible. These councils didn't necessarily "remove" the Book of Enoch in the sense of taking it out of a Bible it was already in, but rather, they confirmed lists of books that were generally accepted by the majority of Christian communities. When these lists were put together, the Book of Enoch just wasn't on them for most groups. For example, councils like the Council of Laodicea in the fourth century and later ones, helped to solidify the lists of books that were seen as authoritative. These gatherings were a way for the broader church to come to a common agreement about what was truly God's word. The Book of Enoch, lacking widespread and consistent use, simply didn't make it onto these agreed-upon lists. So, it wasn't so much a forceful taking out, but rather a decision not to include it in the first place, which is pretty much why it's not in the main Bibles today.

Is the Book of Enoch still used by anyone?

Yes, as a matter of fact, the Book of Enoch is still very much in use by some religious groups. The most notable example, as we talked about a little bit earlier, is the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. For them, the Book of Enoch is a truly important part of their Old Testament. It's read in their churches, studied by their scholars, and considered to be a genuine source of divine revelation. This makes their Bible a bit different from the Bibles used by most other Christian traditions around the world. Beyond that, some smaller groups and individual believers from various backgrounds also find value in reading the Book of Enoch. They might not see it as part of their official Bible, but they might read it for historical interest, for spiritual insight, or because they feel it sheds more light on certain biblical passages. So, while it might not be in the Bibles you usually see, it certainly hasn't been forgotten by everyone, and continues to be a meaningful text for a good number of people, which is quite interesting.

Modern Perspectives - why was the book of enoch removed from the bible?

In our current time, there's a lot of renewed interest in the Book of Enoch, even among people who aren't part of the traditions that officially include it. Scholars, historians, and even just curious readers are looking at it again, trying to understand its place in ancient religious thought. We have more access to old texts now, and people are more open to exploring different parts of history. People are really interested in how it might connect to other parts of the Bible, especially the New Testament, since, as we mentioned, it's quoted in Jude. Some people believe that understanding the Book of Enoch can help us get a better sense of the ideas and beliefs that were common during the time of Jesus and the early Christians. While it still isn't part of the official Bible for most Christian groups, its historical importance and the light it sheds on ancient beliefs are becoming more widely recognized. So, even though it was left out a long time ago, it's definitely not a forgotten book, and it continues to spark conversations and study for many, which is pretty neat.

A Quick Look Back at Why the Book of Enoch Was Not Included

We've talked about a few key reasons why the Book of Enoch, an old and very interesting collection of writings, didn't find a place in the main Christian Bibles. First off, there was the question of who really wrote it. It was generally not believed to be from the Enoch of Genesis, but rather from a later hand, which made many early church leaders hesitant to accept it as truly inspired. Then, there were some of the ideas and stories within the book itself. Some of its descriptions of angels and spiritual events were seen as a bit too unusual or just not quite fitting with the overall message that was developing in the early Christian faith. Also, and this is a big one, it simply didn't gain widespread acceptance across all Christian communities. While some groups, like the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, kept it as part of their sacred writings, the majority of other traditions didn't use it consistently or consider it to be on the same level as other scriptural books. Finally, when church councils came together to formalize the lists of accepted books, the Book of Enoch was, for the most part, not included in those agreed-upon collections. So, it was a mix of questions about its origin, its content, and its general acceptance that led to it being left out of what most people today call the Bible.

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