Monday, February 17, 2025

*** This is a rough transcript of today’s show ***

It is the 17th of February 2025. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

A very happy Monday to you and a happy birthday to me. 46.

My present to you is a mailbag question from our pal in Alaska, Ron. He was wondering if we might give the book of Enoch- 1st Enoch (the only one worth anything) the CHA treatment. Ron, who just wrote this, did not know that I have been reading that book and playing with it for a little while- especially for last week's mailbag question about how “the devil” and other ideas developed in the time between the testaments. My first thought if someone asks about the book of 1 Enoch comes from the movie “The Neverending Story”- if you haven’t seen it- don’t- but there’s a scene in the bookstore early on when our hero, Bastian- fleeing from bullies comes across a mysterious book and man- when he asks about the book the man says “this book is not for you… your books are safe”. And that’s what I think about when I think about this curious apocalyptic book written around the 200s BC. It was fan fiction- taking this mysterious character Enoch from Genesis 5 and 6 and telling the story of- well, it’s long- but it fleshes out Jewish apocalyptic thought and the spiritual world. What makes it interesting is that Enoch gets a shoutout in Hebrews 11 and then in Jude- that little speed bump between Peter and Revelation. And it was really popular in the ancient world- when we found the Dead Sea Scrolls- this book was all over them.  And, as I’ve mentioned before, these are important texts in the development of ideas about “ha satan”- the “accuser” and the judgement and afterlife (it’s got a bit of “Dante’s Inferno” in it as Enoch gets to traverse the earthy and spiritual realms). It is most important to us because it was popular to them- not because it necessarily says something TO US.

Let me give a parallel- let's say in 2000 years after a catastrophic event our libraries are reduced to rubble but later scholars come across this “Lion, witch, Wardrobe” thing which seems to have been very popular with Christians- quoted a bunch- dissertations were written... imagine the excitement! We have discovered this very popular theological text from a long time ago- it must be what “they” don’t want us to have.

No one thought it should be canon- well, the Ethiopians- the Ge’ez have it in their canon because they were separated geographically and culturally and they didn’t have a tight canon like the rest of us- “if in doubt, just add it” seems to be the Ethiopian way.

Our oldest copy doesn’t come until the 1500s- and the book was virtually unknown in the West until the 18th century. Ron asked about George Whitefield liking the book- he was caught up in the hubbub over what seemed like a “lost” book. Add to this the general apocalypticism of the time; this was the era of revolutions- the end of empires, etc. Old Georgie wanted to have fun with the esoterica- something even he wasn’t immune from.  

You can set your watch to the church finding older discarded texts, claiming they are “secret,” and then running an end-times matrix through them.

The author of the book of Hebrews and Jude (who I believe to be the same person… just kidding) was not “validating” or ‘verifying” this peculiar work but- as one might quote “the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” or “the NeverEnding Story”- its a point of reference.

Of course, Enoch gets wrapped up in the demonology of the 3rd century BC- and takes us into the world of the Nephilim... but when that stuff comes up, I happily point you to my friend and co-scholar-in-residence Chad Bird who can walk you through the Hebrew (and Christology) behind them…. Thanks for the question, Ron- I love getting them when they parallel what I’m already reading. Be well and warm up there in the Last Frontier.

The last word for today is from the daily lectionary and 1st Corinthians 15, where I have cleverly clipped off the last part because it’s about baptizing for the dead.

20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.”Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 17th of February 2025 brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by the Artax to my Atreu… he is Christopher Gillespie

The show is written and read by a man whose wifi router at home is named after a character in the NeverEnding Story. I’m Dan van Voorhis 

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.