the son of Cain (Gen. iv. 17.), in honour of whom the first city taken notice of in Scripture was called Enoch by his father Cain, who built it. It was situated to the east of the province of Eden.

the son of Jared and father of Methuselah, was born in the year of the world 622. At the age of 65 he begat Methuselah, and lived 300 years after, and had several sons and daughters. Enoch walked with God; and after that he had lived in all 365 years, "he was not, for God took him." Some confine these last words, as if they intimated that Enoch died a natural death, because in reality he lived not near so long as the other patriarchs of those times; as if God, to secure him from corruption, had been pleased to take him early out of this world. But the generality of the fathers and commentators assert that he died not, but was translated out of the sight of men, in like manner as Elijah was. The apostle Paul (Heb. xi. 5.) shows very clearly that Enoch was translated, and did not die death.

The apostle Jude (ver. 14, 15.) cites a passage from the book of Enoch, which has very much exercised interpreters. The question is, whether the apostle took this passage out of any particular book written by Enoch; which might be extant in the first ages of the church; whether he received it by tradition; or lastly, by some particular revelation. It is thought probable, that he read it in the book we have been speaking of, which, though apocryphal, might contain several truths that St Jude, who was favoured with a supernatural degree of understanding, might make use of to the edification of the faithful.

The ancients greatly esteemed the prophecy of Enoch. Tertullian expresses his concern that it was not generally received in the world. That father, on the authority of this book, deduces the original of idolatry, astrology, and unlawful arts, from the revolted angels, who married with the daughters of men. St Augustine allows indeed that Enoch wrote something divine, because he is cited by St Jude; but he says it was not without reason that this book was not inserted in the canon which was preserved in the temple at Jerusalem. This father sufficiently intimates, that the authority of this book is doubtful, and that it cannot be proved that it was really written by Enoch. Indeed the account it gives of giants engendered by angels, and not by men, has manifestly the air of a fable, and the most judicious critics believe it ought not to be ascribed to Enoch.

This apocryphal book lay a long time buried in darkness, till the learned Joseph Scaliger recovered a part of it. Scaliger, Vossius, and other learned men, attribute this work to one of those Jews who lived between the time of the Babylonish captivity and that of Jesus Christ. Others are of opinion, that it was written after the rise and establishment of Christianity, by one of those fanatics with whom the primitive church was filled, who made a ridiculous mixture of the Platonic philosophy and the Christian divinity.

The eastern people, who call Enoch by the name of Edris, believe that he received from God the gift of wisdom and knowledge; and that God sent him 30 volumes from heaven, filled with all the secrets of the most mysterious sciences. The Rabbins maintain, that when Enoch was translated to heaven, he was admitted into the number of the angels, and is the person generally known by the name of Michael.