St Luke's Church Eccleshill - Articles from "The Link"

Our "Questions to the clergy" slot took a break because the flow of queries dried up. Maybe it's starting to flow again? All questions are welcome!

Did Enoch really exist?

Q. In the Philip Pullman novel I'm reading I notice a character based on Enoch, who "lived 65 years and then disappeared without dying." Did this person really exist?

A. Actually it was 365 years - you can read it in Genesis 5:21-24. The Philip Pullman novels ("Northern Lights" etc.), which made it to the top 30 on the BBC's "Big Read" programme, are a strange mixture of fact and fiction, and they give a very wonky picture of Christianity. In fact, the whole "daemon" business in these books is very peculiar - but that's not what you were asking about!

Genesis is the first book in the bible, and the events it describes took place long ago and far away. Some of them read a bit like mythology instead of history, and it's very hard to know how to check the stories with modern archaeology. (This is not like the New Testament, where we can check a lot of the facts, and we can be a lot more certain of the history of the times.)

There are basically three views:

a) Some Christians think Genesis is all "mythology". That means the point of the stories is to give us the meaning of life, and not really to tell us history. For instance, the point of Genesis 2:21-24 is to tell us about why men and women fall in love with each other, and it's not really about whether Adam and Eve actually existed. Likewise, the point of mentioning Enoch is that it's possible for people to walk with God and share God's quality of life - it's not really about whether Enoch existed or how old he was.
b) Some Christians think that all of Genesis is historically true, even if some of it needs interpreting. For instance, a "day" before the sun and moon were created may not have been 24 hours - so the first chapter may not mean 6 days = 144 hours. And the people's long lives may be something to do with fewer cosmic rays in the early universe. On this view Enoch would be a real person.
c) Some Christians think that Genesis divides into two parts: the bits about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph (chapters 12-50) are historical, but the earlier bits about Adam, Noah, and the tower of Babel are mainly mythological. The linguistic experts say there are good reasons for thinking that the style and contents of the book divide.

For the record, I'm one of the people who think option (c) is the right one. I think the question of whether Jesus really existed is a vital one, but I don't really think it matters very much whether Enoch existed or not.

John Hartley

	*St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link* magazine** The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period. December 2003, Page 4.
Home Page. Index of articles. Questions: index, Yoga, Deny Santa? Study Islam? Children & HC? Did Enoch exist? In this issue: (December 2003) Vicarage Christmas, Advent Crafts, Arrests in Egypt, Question.	Our "Questions to the clergy" slot took a break because the flow of queries dried up. Maybe it's starting to flow again? All questions are welcome! Did Enoch really exist? Q. In the Philip Pullman novel I'm reading I notice a character based on Enoch, who "lived 65 years and then disappeared without dying." Did this person really exist? A. Actually it was 365 years - you can read it in Genesis 5:21-24. The Philip Pullman novels ("Northern Lights" etc.), which made it to the top 30 on the BBC's "Big Read" programme, are a strange mixture of fact and fiction, and they give a very wonky picture of Christianity. In fact, the whole "daemon" business in these books is very peculiar - but that's not what you were asking about! Genesis is the first book in the bible, and the events it describes took place long ago and far away. Some of them read a bit like mythology instead of history, and it's very hard to know how to check the stories with modern archaeology. (This is not like the New Testament, where we can check a lot of the facts, and we can be a lot more certain of the history of the times.) There are basically three views: a) Some Christians think Genesis is all "mythology". That means the point of the stories is to give us the meaning of life, and not really to tell us history. For instance, the point of Genesis 2:21-24 is to tell us about why men and women fall in love with each other, and it's not really about whether Adam and Eve actually existed. Likewise, the point of mentioning Enoch is that it's possible for people to walk with God and share God's quality of life - it's not really about whether Enoch existed or how old he was. b) Some Christians think that all of Genesis is historically true, even if some of it needs interpreting. For instance, a "day" before the sun and moon were created may not have been 24 hours - so the first chapter may not mean 6 days = 144 hours. And the people's long lives may be something to do with fewer cosmic rays in the early universe. On this view Enoch would be a real person. c) Some Christians think that Genesis divides into two parts: the bits about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph (chapters 12-50) are historical, but the earlier bits about Adam, Noah, and the tower of Babel are mainly mythological. The linguistic experts say there are good reasons for thinking that the style and contents of the book divide. For the record, I'm one of the people who think option (c) is the right one. I think the question of whether Jesus really existed is a vital one, but I don't really think it matters very much whether Enoch existed or not. John Hartley
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