1 Enoch 22

XXII. Sheol or the Underworld.

1And thence I went to another place, and he showed me in the west ┌another┐ great and high mountain [and] of hard rock.*This chapter contains a very detailed account of Sheol or Hades. The writer places it in the far west, as the Babylonians, Greeks, and Egyptians did, and not in the underworld, as the Hebrews. In all other sections of Enoch the Hebrew view prevails. This is the earliest statement of the Pharisaic or Chasid doctrine of Sheol, but here it is already fullgrown. The departed have conscious existence, and moral, not social distinctions are observed in Sheol. See lxiii. 10, for the history of this doctrine. Cf. Dan. xii. 2(And there was in it †four† hollow places, deep and wide and very smooth. †How† smooth are the hollow places and deep and dark to look at.)E (And there were †four† hollow places in it, deep and very smooth: †three† of them were dark and one bright and there was a fountain of water in its midst. And I said: ‘†How† smooth are these hollow places, and deep and dark to view.’)Gg*This seems to suit only the places of punishment. Contrast 'one bright' and v. 9. 3Then Raphael answered, one of the holy angels who was with me, and said unto me: ‘These hollow places have been created for this very purpose, that the spirits of the souls of the dead should assemble therein, yea that all the souls of the children of men should assemble here.*Raphael has the same role in Tobit. 4And these places have been made to receive them till the day of their judgement and till their appointed period [till the period appointed], till the great judgement (comes) upon them.’ 5(I saw the spirits of the children of men who were dead, and their voice went forth to heaven and made suit.)E (I saw 〈the spirit of〉 a dead man making suit, and his voice went forth to heaven and made suit.)Gg*5-7. Formerly thought to describe the first division of Sheol, which contains the souls of the righteous, who in their life were persecuted, and suffered a violent and undeserved death. The idea of the righteous or of the angels crying for vengeance on the wicked occurs in all the sections of Enoch. Cf. ix. 1-3, 10, 11, xxii. 5-8, xlvii. 1, 2, lxxxix. 76, xcvii. 3, 5, xcix. 3, 16, civ. 3. Cf. also Rev. vi. 10; 4 Ezra iv. 35. But really these verses describe not a division of Sheol, but the sight of a soul demanding vengeance. 6(Then I asked Raphael the angel who was with me, and I said unto him: ‘This spirit—whose is it, whose voice goeth forth and maketh suit?’)E (And I asked Raphael the angel who was with me, and I said unto him: ‘This spirit which maketh suit, whose is it, whose voice goeth forth and maketh suit to heaven?’)Gg*6. 7. Abel’s soul cries for "vengeance". Gen. iv. 10. 7And he answered me saying: ‘This is the spirit which went forth from Abel, whom his brother Cain slew, and he makes his suit against him till his seed is destroyed from the face of the earth, and his seed is annihilated from amongst the seed of men.’ 8(Then I asked regarding it, and regarding all the hollow places: ‘Why is one separated from the other?’)E (Then I asked regarding all the hollow places: ‘Why is one separated from the other?’)Gᵍ*The three divisions of Sheol are now given. 9(And he answered me and said unto me: ‘These three have been made that the spirits of the dead might be separated. And such a division has been made 〈for〉 the spirits of the righteous, in which there is the bright spring of water.)E (And he answered me saying: ‘These three have been made that the spirits of the dead might be separated. And this division has been made for the spirits of the righteous, in which there is the bright spring of water.)Gᵍ*The first division is for the souls of the righteous, whether martyred or not. Thus good and ill fortune in life do not continue even after death, despite 5-7. 'The bright spring' seems to refer to an existing tradition. For the phrase ' water of life ' in Babylonian literature see K.A.T.³ 523 seqq. 10(And such has been made for sinners when they die and are buried in the earth and judgement has not been executed on them in their lifetime.)E (And this has been made for sinners when they die and are buried in the earth and judgement has not been executed upon them in their lifetime.)Gᵍ*The second division is for those sinners who lived prosperously and attained to honourable burial, having escaped punishment in life. 11(Here their spirits shall be set apart in this great pain till the great day of judgement and punishment and torment of those who curse for ever and retribution for their spirits. There He shall bind them for ever.)E (Here their spirits shall be set apart in this great pain, till the great day of judgement, scourgings, and torments of the accursed for ever, so that (there may be) retribution for their spirits. There He shall bind them for ever.)Gᵍ*in Greek, ' till the age', i.e. till the final judgement. 12(And such a division has been made for the spirits of those who make their suit, who make disclosures concerning their destruction, when they were slain in the days of the sinners.)E (And this division has been made for the spirits of those who make their suit, who make disclosures concerning their destruction, when they were slain in the days of the sinners.)Gᵍ*The third division is for the sinners who suffered in their life and therefore incur less penalty in Sheol. The suffering unrighteous cry to God for vengeance. 13(Such has been made for the spirits of men who were not righteous but sinners, who were complete in transgression, and of the transgressors they shall be companions: but their spirits shall not be slain in the day of judgement nor shall they be raised from thence.’)E (And this has been made for the spirits of men who shall not be righteous but sinners, who are godless, and of the lawless they shall be companions: but their spirits shall not be punished in the day of judgement nor shall they be raised from thence.’)Gᵍ*Their spirits shall not be slain. There are degrees of suffering in Sheol. The worst penalty seems to be 'the slaying of the spirit', but even this did not imply annihilation. See cviii. 3 (note), also xcix. 11.*their spirits: + 'because those who suffer affliction here are punished less' Gᵍ, a gloss.*nor shall they be raised: The sinners in the second division will rise, but only for a severer condemnation. Is the Resurrection here general, or only for Israel? If general, this declaration is unique in pre-Christian Jewish Apocrypha. 14(Then I blessed the Lord of glory and said: ‘Blessed be my Lord, the Lord of righteousness, who ruleth for ever.’)E (Then I blessed the Lord of glory and said: ‘Blessed art Thou, Lord of righteousness, who ruleth over the world.’)Gᵍ*After each fresh revelation Enoch generally bursts forth into a doxology. Cf. xxv. 7, xxvii. 5, xxxvi. 4, xxxix. 9-13, xlviii. 10, lxxxi. 3, lxxxiii. 11, lxxxiv, xc. 40.