1 Enoch 72

This is the book of the courses of the lights of the sky: what each one is like, sorted by class, how far each one rules and in what seasons, by their names and the places they come from, and by their months. Uriel, the holy angel who was with me and who guides them, showed me all this. He showed me all their laws exactly as they are, and how things stand for all the years of the world and on without end, until the new creation is made, which lasts forever.

1The book of the courses of the luminaries of the heaven, the relations of each, according to their classes, their dominion and their seasons, according to their names and places of origin, and according to their months, which Uriel, the holy angel, who was with me, who is their guide, showed me; and he showed me all their laws exactly as they are, and how it is with regard to all the years of the world and unto eternity, till the new creation is accomplished which dureth till eternity.

NoteThis verse opens the section scholars call the Astronomical Book, chapters 72 to 82 of 1 Enoch, a self-contained treatise on the sun, moon, stars, winds and calendar, presented as knowledge shown to Enoch by an angel. "Luminaries" is the older English word for the lights of the sky: sun, moon and stars. Uriel, a name meaning something like "God is my light," appears in this book as the angel put in charge of those lights and of the calendar; he is not named in the Hebrew Bible. "Dominion" here is not political rule but the stretch of time each light governs, as the sun governs the day and the moon the night.

2And this is the first law of the lights: the light called the Sun rises in the eastern gates of the sky, and sets in the western gates of the sky.

2And this is the first law of the luminaries: the luminary the Sun has its rising in the eastern portals of the heaven, and its setting in the western portals of the heaven.

3I saw six gates where the sun rises and six gates where the sun sets. The moon also rises and sets in these gates, and so do the leaders of the stars and the stars they lead: six in the east and six in the west, all of them following one another in exact order. There are also many windows to the right and to the left of these gates.

3And I saw six portals in which the sun rises, and six portals in which the sun sets: and the moon rises and sets in these portals, and the leaders of the stars and those whom they lead: six in the east and six in the west, and all following each other in accurately corresponding order: also many windows to the right and left of these portals.

NoteThe six gates are the picture this book uses for the fact that the sun does not rise at the same point on the horizon every day. Through the year the sunrise point slides north, then back south, and the eastern horizon is divided into six sectors to track it. Gate one is the southernmost, where the sun rises at midwinter; gate six is the northernmost, where it rises at midsummer; gates three and four straddle the middle. The six western gates match them at sunset. "The leaders of the stars and those whom they lead" reflects this book's arrangement of the stars into ranks under chief stars, set out more fully in chapters 75 and 82.

4First the great light goes out, the one named the Sun. The circle he makes is the same size as the circle of the sky, and he is full of fire that gives light and heat.

4And first there goes forth the great luminary, named the Sun, and his circumference is like the circumference of the heaven, and he is quite filled with illuminating and heating fire.

NoteThe comparison is compressed in the Ethiopic and has been read two ways: that the sun's disc is round like the vault of the sky, or that the circuit the sun travels is as wide as the circle of heaven itself. The wording does not settle which is meant.

5The wind drives the chariot he rides up in. The sun goes down out of the sky and comes back around by way of the north to reach the east, and he is guided so that he comes to the right gate and shines on the face of the sky.

5The chariot on which he ascends, the wind drives, and the sun goes down from the heaven and returns through the north in order to reach the east, and is so guided that he comes to the appropriate (lit. ‘that’) portal and shines in the face of the heaven.

NoteTwo old pictures sit side by side here. The sun rides a chariot, as it does in much ancient Near Eastern and Greek description of the sky, and the wind is what drives it. And at night, having set in the west, the sun does not pass under the earth but travels back around by way of the north, out of sight, until it reaches the east again.

6This is how he rises in the first month: in the great gate, which is the fourth of those six gates in the east.

6In this way he rises in the first month in the great portal, which is the fourth those six portals in the east.

NoteThe months in this system are numbered, not named, and the year begins at the spring equinox, so the first month falls at roughly our late March into April. That is why the sun starts the year in gate four, one of the two middle gates, where day and night are equal.

7In that fourth gate, the one the sun rises from in the first month, there are twelve window-openings, and a flame comes out of them when they are opened at their proper time.

7And in that fourth portal from which the sun rises in the first month are twelve window-openings, from which proceed a flame when they are opened in their season.

NoteIn this book the windows are the openings through which the sun's heat and light reach the earth, distinct from the gates through which the sun itself passes. Chapter 75 returns to them. Twelve windows for the twelve months.

8When the sun rises in the sky, he comes out through that fourth gate for thirty mornings in a row, and he sets exactly in the fourth gate in the west of the sky.

8When the sun rises in the heaven, he comes forth through that fourth portal thirty mornings in succession, and sets accurately in the fourth portal in the west of the heaven.

9During this time the day gets longer day by day and the night gets shorter night by night, up to the thirtieth morning.

9And during this period the day becomes daily longer and the night nightly shorter to the thirtieth morning.

10On that day the day is longer than the night by a ninth part: the day comes to exactly ten parts and the night to eight parts.

10On that day the day is longer than the night by a ninth part, and the day amounts exactly to ten parts and the night to eight parts.

Note"Parts" are the fixed units this book uses to divide a full day and night, eighteen of them in all. One part is therefore about one hour and twenty minutes by our reckoning. Ten parts of day against eight of night leaves a gap of two parts, which is one ninth of the eighteen; that is what "longer by a ninth part" means.

11Then the sun rises from that fourth gate and sets in the fourth, and it comes back to the fifth gate of the east for thirty mornings, rising from it and setting in the fifth gate.

11And the sun rises from that fourth portal, and sets in the fourth and returns to the fifth portal of the east thirty mornings, and rises from it and sets in the fifth portal.

12Then the day gets longer by two parts and comes to eleven parts, and the night gets shorter and comes to seven parts.

12And then the day becomes longer by †two† parts and amounts to eleven parts, and the night becomes shorter and amounts to seven parts.

NoteThe translator printed "two" between daggers to flag a reading he judged corrupt or at least doubtful in the Ethiopic manuscripts. The arithmetic works if the two parts are counted as the total swing: the day gains one part and the night loses one, so the difference between them widens by two.

13Then it comes back to the east and goes into the sixth gate, and it rises and sets in the sixth gate for thirty-one mornings, because of its sign.

13And it returns to the east and enters into the sixth portal, and rises and sets in the sixth portal one-and-thirty mornings on account of its sign.

NoteThe extra day, thirty-one rather than thirty, comes at the turning points of the year. This calendar runs in four quarters of ninety-one days each, and each quarter is made of months of thirty, thirty and thirty-one days. "Its sign" is the marker of that turning point, the solstice or equinox that closes the quarter. Here it is midsummer.

14On that day the day becomes longer than the night, and the day becomes twice the night: the day becomes twelve parts, and the night is cut down to six parts.

14On that day the day becomes longer than the night, and the day becomes double the night, and the day becomes twelve parts, and the night is shortened and becomes six parts.

NoteTwelve parts of day to six of night is a ratio of two to one, about sixteen hours of daylight to eight of darkness. That ratio holds at midsummer far to the north of Palestine, where the longest day runs closer to fourteen hours. The scheme is inherited from older Mesopotamian astronomy rather than measured locally.

15Then the sun goes up so as to make the day shorter and the night longer, and the sun comes back to the east and goes into the sixth gate, rising from it and setting for thirty mornings.

15And the sun mounts up to make the day shorter and the night longer, and the sun returns to the east and enters into the sixth portal, and rises from it and sets thirty mornings.

16And when the thirty mornings are finished, the day gets shorter by exactly one part and becomes eleven parts, and the night seven.

16And when thirty mornings are accomplished, the day decreases by exactly one part, and becomes eleven parts, and the night seven.

17The sun goes out from that sixth gate in the west and goes to the east and rises in the fifth gate for thirty mornings, and sets in the west again, in the fifth western gate.

17And the sun goes forth from that sixth portal in the west, and goes to the east and rises in the fifth portal for thirty mornings, and sets in the west again in the fifth western portal.

18On that day the day gets shorter by two parts, and comes to ten parts, and the night to eight parts.

18On that day the day decreases by †two† parts, and amounts to ten parts and the night to eight parts.

19The sun goes out from that fifth gate and sets in the fifth gate of the west, and it rises in the fourth gate for thirty-one mornings, because of its sign, and sets in the west.

19And the sun goes forth from that fifth portal and sets in the fifth portal of the west, and rises in the fourth portal for one-and-thirty mornings on account of its sign, and sets in the west.

20On that day the day is made even with the night, and they become the same length: the night comes to nine parts and the day to nine parts.

20On that day the day is equalized with the night, and becomes of equal length, and the night amounts to nine parts and the day to nine parts.

NoteThis is the autumn equinox, the day of equal light and darkness, matching the spring equinox at which the year began in gate four.

21The sun rises from that gate and sets in the west, and comes back to the east and rises for thirty mornings in the third gate, and sets in the west in the third gate.

21And the sun rises from that portal and sets in the west, and returns to the east and rises thirty mornings in the third portal and sets in the west in the third portal.

22And on that day the night becomes longer than the day, and night becomes longer than night, and day shorter than day, up to the thirtieth morning; and the night comes to exactly ten parts and the day to eight parts.

22And on that day the night becomes longer than the day, and night becomes longer than night, and day shorter than day till the thirtieth morning, and the night amounts exactly to ten parts and the day to eight parts.

Note"Night becomes longer than night, and day shorter than day" is not a slip of the pen. It means each successive night is longer than the one before it, and each day shorter than the one before it, all the way to the thirtieth morning.

23The sun rises from that third gate and sets in the third gate in the west, and comes back to the east, and for thirty mornings it rises in the second gate in the east, and in the same way sets in the second gate in the west of the sky.

23And the sun rises from that third portal and sets in the third portal in the west and returns to the east, and for thirty mornings rises in the second portal in the east, and in like manner sets in the second portal in the west of the heaven.

24And on that day the night comes to eleven parts and the day to seven parts.

24And on that day the night amounts to eleven parts and the day to seven parts.

25On that day the sun rises from that second gate and sets in the west in the second gate, and it comes back to the east into the first gate for thirty-one mornings, and sets in the first gate in the west of the sky.

25And the sun rises on that day from that second portal and sets in the west in the second portal, and returns to the east into the first portal for one-and-thirty mornings, and sets in the first portal in the west of the heaven.

26And on that day the night gets longer and comes to twice the day: the night comes to exactly twelve parts and the day to six.

26And on that day the night becomes longer and amounts to the double of the day: and the night amounts exactly to twelve parts and the day to six.

NoteThis is midwinter, the mirror image of verse 14: twelve parts of darkness to six of light, the shortest day of the year.

27With this the sun has crossed the sections of his path, and he turns back along those sections of his path, and goes into that gate for thirty mornings, and sets in the west opposite it.

27And the sun has (therewith) traversed the divisions of his orbit and turns again on those divisions of his orbit, and enters that portal thirty mornings and sets also in the west opposite to it.

NoteThe turning point of the whole circuit. Having reached the southernmost gate, the sun starts back through the same six gates in reverse order, which is why the rest of the chapter retraces gates one through three.

28And on that night the night has gotten shorter by a ninth part, and the night has become eleven parts and the day seven parts.

28And on that night has the night decreased in length by a †ninth† part, and the night has become eleven parts and the day seven parts.

Note"Ninth" is printed between daggers because the translator doubted the reading. It matches the measure used in verse 10: a swing of two parts out of eighteen is one ninth of a full day and night. Note also that this verse says "on that night" where the surrounding verses say "on that day," another sign of rough transmission in the text.

29The sun has come back and gone into the second gate in the east, and he comes back along those sections of his path for thirty mornings, rising and setting.

29And the sun has returned and entered into the second portal in the east, and returns on those his divisions of his orbit for thirty mornings, rising and setting.

30And on that day the night gets shorter, and the night comes to ten parts and the day to eight.

30And on that day the night decreases in length, and the night amounts to ten parts and the day to eight.

31And on that day the sun rises from that gate and sets in the west, and comes back to the east and rises in the third gate for thirty-one mornings, and sets in the west of the sky.

31And on that day the sun rises from that portal, and sets in the west, and returns to the east, and rises in the third portal for one-and-thirty mornings, and sets in the west of the heaven.

32On that day the night gets shorter and comes to nine parts, and the day to nine parts, and the night is equal to the day; and the year, counted in its days, is exactly three hundred and sixty-four.

32On that day the night decreases and amounts to nine parts, and the day to nine parts, and the night is equal to the day and the year is exactly as to its days three hundred and sixty-four.

NoteThree hundred and sixty-four days is the distinctive claim of this book's calendar, and it is deliberate: it is exactly fifty-two weeks, so every date falls on the same day of the week every year and no festival can drift onto a sabbath. It is roughly a day and a quarter short of the true solar year, and ten days longer than a twelve-month lunar year of about three hundred and fifty-four days. The same three hundred and sixty-four day calendar turns up in the Book of Jubilees and in calendar texts from Qumran.

33The long day and the long night, and the short day and the short night, come about in this way: it is through the course of the sun that these differences are made, that is, separated from one another.

33And the length of the day and of the night, and the shortness of the day and of the night arise—through the course of the sun these distinctions are made (lit. ‘they are separated’).

34So it happens that his course grows longer day by day, and his course grows shorter night by night.

34So it comes that its course becomes daily longer, and its course nightly shorter.

NoteThe sentence is awkward in the Ethiopic and looks damaged. The sense intended is that as the stretch of the sun's course above the horizon grows longer, the stretch below it grows shorter by the same amount, and the other way around.

35And this is the law and the course of the sun, and his return, as often as he returns sixty times and rises; that is, the great light that is named the sun, forever and ever.

35And this is the law and the course of the sun, and his return as often as he returns sixty times and rises, i.e. the great luminary which is named the sun, for ever and ever.

Note"Sixty times" is obscure, and the manuscripts give no help. It does not fit any obvious count of the sun's movements through the gates, and translators have treated it as a corruption of some other number or phrase.

36And the one that rises in this way is the great light, and it is named that way because of how it looks, just as the Lord commanded.

36And that which (thus) rises is the great luminary, and is so named according to its appearance, according as the Lord commanded.

NoteThe point is that the name matches the thing seen: it is called the great light because that is exactly how it appears. Later in this book, at chapter 78, the sun is given two further names.

37As he rises, so he sets, and he does not grow less and does not rest, but runs day and night; and his light is seven times brighter than the light of the moon, but in size the two of them are equal.

37As he rises, so he sets and decreases not, and rests not, but runs day and night, and his light is sevenfold brighter than that of the moon; but as regards size they are both equal.