Christianity

Chapter8— The forbidden arts

◆ About this chapter

Chapter eight of the Book of the Watchers within 1 Enoch details the catastrophic descent of humanity following the rebellion of the angels, focusing specifically on the transmission of forbidden arts. Azazael instructs mankind in metallurgy and weaponry, while other fallen angels impart knowledge of astrology, enchantments, and cloud-reading, directly precipitating widespread corruption and divine lament. This narrative serves as a crucial etiological text for understanding the origins of evil technology and occult practices within Second Temple Jewish apocalyptic literature.

Translation:

About this translation

King James Version (1611)

1611 · Public domain

The most influential English translation ever made. Sometimes archaic, but the standard PD English text.

Translators commissioned by King James I of England, 1604–1611

And Azâzêl taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all colouring tinctures.The Fall of Man ²And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. ³Semjâzâ taught enchantments, and root-cuttings, Armârôs the resolving of enchantments, Barâqîjâl taught astrology, Kôkabêl the constellations, Êzêqêêl the knowledge of the clouds, Araqiêl the signs of the earth, Shamsiêl the signs of the sun, and Sariêl the course of the moon. ⁴And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to heaven.

This chapter appears in 1 cross-tradition parallel

Comparative studies that quote one or more verses from this chapter alongside passages from other traditions.

The Fall of Manv1

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