What Languages Was The Complete Book Of Enoch Originally Written In?

The complete Book of Enoch is found in Ge’ez, the ancient language of Ethiopia. Other parts of the Book of Enoch have been found in Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek. The Ge’ez version is the complete copy of the Book of Enoch that exists today, preserved by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s canon. The Aramaic fragments include several from the Dead Sea Scrolls, offering a glimpse into the book’s early Jewish roots. The Greek fragments provide insight into its use by early Christians. The book’s history is multilingual and reflects its deep religious meaning to many cultures.

If you are interested in learning more about the ‘Book of Enoch’, the language could be a great starting point to delve into this ancient mystery. The full Book of Enoch has been handed down to us in Ge’ez, the ancient language of Ethiopia, preserved by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Yet fragments in Aramaic from the caves of the Dead Sea Scrolls suggest that the Book was originally written in this language or in Hebrew. Also Greek fragments found in Egypt prove that the Book of Enoch was even read by the early Christian communities. The complete Ethiopian version of the Book of Enoch is one of the few complete ancient writings and for that reason especially of great interest.

The linguistic roots of The Book of Enoch are fascinating. The complete text of The Book of Enoch was originally written in Ge’ez, the ancient Ethiopian Semitic language and therefore The Book of Enoch is known as ‘1 Enoch’ or the ‘Ethiopic Enoch’. The only complete surviving manuscript of The Book of Enoch is in Ge’ez but many fragments of the book have been discovered written in Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek. The many Aramaic fragments found amongst the Dead Sea Scrolls demonstrate that this was a highly esteemed book in Jewish circles of great antiquity. It was, however, a book that was largely rejected by mainstream Judaism and Christianity. The influence of The Book of Enoch on the early Christian church is seen in the many Greek fragments found in the land of Akhmim in Egypt.

So we can thank the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church for preserving Enoch in Ge’ez, the canonical ‘Book of Enoch’. As opposed to, for example, the Roman Catholic Church, which does not consider Enoch to be canonical. It is interesting to consider the significance that ‘The Book of Enoch’ must have held for the communities and languages of the past, when they translated and adapted it. The interplay between Ge’ez for complete Enoch texts, between very old Aramaic fragments and between dispersed Greek fragments of Enoch is of immense historical and religious value to us today.