2 Enoch

2 Enoch / Book of the Secrets of Enoch — Morfill & Charles — Section 23

not only as a history of the past, but as a forecast of the future history of the world so created. Thus as the world was created in six days, so its history was to be accomplished in 6,000 years ; for 1,000 years are with God as one day (ef. Ps. xe. 4; Jub. iv. 30; 2 Pet. 1. ὃ; Barnabas, Hp. xiv. 4; Iren. contra Haer. v. 28.2; Justin M., Dial. c. Tryph. 80), and as God rested on the seventh day, so at the close of the 6,000 years there would be a rest of 1,000 years, 1. 6. the millennium. 3. On the creation of man with freewill and the knowledge of good and evil, see xxx. 15 (notes). 4. The Seraphim. In the Chalkidri}, xii. 1, we have in all probability the serpents who are mentioned in the Ethiopic Enoch xx. 7 along with the Cherubim. They are a class of heavenly creatures, and like the Cherubim are formed by a combination of the members of different animals, The serpent-like form, however, predominated, and hence they were δρακόντες in Greek (Eth. En. xx. 7), and Seraphim (0°57) in Hebrew. How the peculiar name Chalkidri (= Χαλκύδραι brazen serpents?) arose I cannot say, as it is by no means appropriate. The main objection to identifying the Chalkidri with the Seraphim of the Old Testament is the fact that our author only mentions them here in connexion with the sun, ΧΙ]. I; xv. 1; and speaks directly of Seraphim elsewhere, xx. I. However this may be, the passage in the Eth. Enoch XX. 7 is conclusive as to the serpent-like forms of the Seraphim. By this interpretation the word receives the meaning which it naturally has in the Hebrew. 5. On the intercession of Saints, see lili. I (note). 6. Lhe seven Heavens—an early Jewish and Christian belief. Various conceptions of the seven heavens prevailed largely in the ancient world, alike in the far east and in the west. With these we shall deal only in so far as they influenced or were in any degree akin to the views that prevailed on this subject among the Jews and early Christians. 1 Variously spelt in the MSS. as Chalkadri, Chalkidri, Chalkedry. Introduction. χχχὶ