Enoch and the Birth of Melchizedek – 2 Enoch 64-73

In Chapter 64, Enoch is again about to go into heaven, as 2000 people watch. In this chapter, Enoch is described as “glorified before the face of the Lord for all eternity” and the one the Lord chose in preference to all the people of the earth. OTP (page 190 note c) comments that this is such high praise it would not have pleased either Jew or Christian. The manuscript evidence shows a high degree of “embarrassment” over this glowing endorsement of Enoch! This section also includes the miraculous birth of Melchizedek, the priest-king of Salem mentioned in Genesis 14.

As with the previous moments when Enoch was about to go into heaven, he instructs the gathered people rather than ascend into heaven (chapters 65-67). Like the previous sections, Enoch exhorts his audience to good works based on the creation of the universe. In 2 Enoch 66:6, there is an “affliction list” – walk before the Lord in longsuffering, meekness, affliction, distress, faithfulness, truth, hope, weakness, derision, assaults, temptations, deprivations, and nakedness. This list is not unlike Romans 8:35 and Paul’s own list of afflictions in 2 Corinthians 4:8 and 11:16-29. In 2 Enoch, the righteous should not expect an easy life even when they seek the Lord.

Chapters 69-73 contain a version of the flood narrative beginning with Enoch’s translation into heaven (68:1-4) and the response by his son, Methusalem. This section reads quite differently than the rest of the book; Enoch is no longer the subject, and Methusalem and later Melchizedek, Nir, and Noah are the main characters. There is less ethical exhortation and more prose narrative than anywhere else in the book. This section is, therefore, probably from another source.

Enoch and his brothers construct an altar on the spot where Enoch ascended and sacrificed “in front of the face of the Lord.” (68:5-7). Chapter 69 describes Methusalem’s sacrifices. After the people bring the animals to sacrifice, Methusalem’s face glows radiantly, and he prays aloud to the Lord, asking him to accept the sacrifice.

The altar is shaken as he prays, and the knife leaps into his hand. From that time on he is honored as a prophet. Methusalem remained at the altar of the Lord for ten years, during which time not a single person “turned away from vanity” (chapter 71). Methusalem’s son Lamekh has two sons, Nir and Noe. After Methusalem is given a disturbing vision of the coming flood, Nir becomes a priest. Methusalem dies, and people continue to turn away from the Lord. The devil, we are told, came to rule a third time (70:24-25).

Nir’s wife Sopanim becomes pregnant in her old age, having been sterile (chapter 71). This is described as a “virgin” birth. While this story has elements similar to Matthew 2 and Luke 2, the differences are fantastic and legendary. She is embarrassed by this pregnancy and hides herself until the child is due. When Nir discovers she is pregnant, he rebukes her and intends to send her away because she has disgraced him, but instead, she falls dead at his feet.  Noe discovers this and tells Nir that the Lord has “covered up our scandal.” They bury Sopanim in a black shroud in a secret grave.

The child, however, was not dead and came out of the dead mother as a fully developed child. This terrifies Nir and Noe, but since the child is “glorious in appearance,” they realize the Lord is renewing the priesthood in their bloodline. They name the child Melkisedek. We are told that Melchizedek will be the head of “thirteen priests who existed before,” later, there will be another Melkisedek who will be the head of twelve priests as an archpriest. Melkisedek is only with Nir for forty days, then the Lord instructs Michael to go and take the boy up to heaven. The Lord calls him “my child Melkisedek” (72:1-2). The child is to be placed in Paradise forever. Nir is so grieved by the loss of his son. He also dies, leaving no more priests in the world, allowing the world to become even more evil. Noe is, therefore, instructed to build the ark in chapter 73.

This strange, miraculous birth story for Melkisedek is part of an interest in the King of Salem first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 14:18. Psalm 110:4 describes the king/messiah as a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. This text is cited twice in Hebrews 5:6-10 and 7:1-17 and applied to Jesus. The writer of Hebrews is likely tapping into a common image of a true priesthood that runs outside of the line of the Levites and Aaron. In the case of 2 Enoch, the “legendary” elements of Melchizedek’s story pre-date the flood. This could be used to argue for an early date for this section as well since the Melchizedek legend was popular in the first century. It is possible a medieval writer created a pre-flood Melchizedek birth story, but it is more likely 2 Enoch is reflecting a first century or earlier tradition.

Melchizedek was an important figure for the Qumran community. 11QMelch is a poorly preserved but important fragment in which the character Melchizedek is tied to Old Testament texts on the Jubilee and describes him as returning to proclaim liberty, probably based on Isaiah 61:1. There are no real parallels between this Melchizedek legend and anything in the first century, implying this section is to be dated rather late.