homosexuality quote pg 85

The Pseudepigrapha

2 Enoch

Reference to sodomy in the Pseudepigrapha are even clearer than those in the Apocrypha. More books are in the Pseudepigrapha than in the Apocrypha, and in general they were written later. No one has ever considred any of themt to have authority on a par with Scripture. However the New Testament cites or uses a few portions of them (most clearly, Jude uses the Assumption of Moses in v. 9 and 1 Enoch in vv. 14-15).
in the longer recension of 2 enoch, also knowan as Slavonic Enoch, there is an amplification of Genesis 5:21-32, covering events from the life of Enoch to the Flood. The book is basically midrash ( expositional commentary) in an apocylyptic format. Enoch visits paradise as well as the place of torment in the heavens and returns to report to his family what he has learned.
the book, in the words of F.I. Andersen believes it to be early, perhaps dated to the turn of the era, and to have origninated within a Jewish (pre-christian) community. It is probably a Semitic work that passed through Greek into Slavonic. Various scholars date it as arising as early as 100 B.C. or as late as A.D 800.
In 2 Enoch, the refernces to homosexuality begin at 10:1 IN the longer recensions (known as P and J), Enoch has visited the third heaven. Before taking him to the fourth heaven, men show him "the frightful place and various tortures" in the northern region. A black fire blazes perpetually, and a river of fire comes out with freezing ice. When Enoch expresses woe and shock at the awfulness of the place, the men answer(10:4-5a):

This place, Enoch, has been prepared fo those who do not glorify God, who practice on the earth ths sin [which is against nature, which is child corruption in the anus in the manner of Sodom], of witchcraft, enchantments, divinations, trafficking with demons, who boast about their evil deeds -- stealing, lying, insulting, coveting, resentment, fornication, murder -- ] and who steal the souls of men secretly, seizing the poor by the throat, taking away their possessions.

in the shorter recension (A) of this passage, the text reads as follows: "this place, youth, has been prepared for those who practice godless uncleanness on the earth, who perform witchcraft and [enchantments], and who boast about their deeds. They steal souls secretly; who untie the yoke that has been secured; who enrich themselves by fraud from the possession of others."
Clearly, the words of the longer recesnion, which so explicitly refer to Sodom and sodomy, find their counterpart in the words of the shorter recension " who practice godless uncleannes on the earth." these words are clearly parallel to those of Jubilees 16:5-9 (see below), which refers specifically to the men of sodom as those who, among other things, "work uncleannes on the earth" the phrase is bacially equivalent to that of the longer recension: "who practice on the earth the sin... " This observation goes far in helping to identify what these obscure words mean.

in addition, the various vices of the longer recension remind one of the Ten Commandments, Leviticus 18 and 20, revelation 21:8 and 22:15, The Apocalypse of Peter and other passages. About these vices, Andersen comments that "there is nothing here that any god-fearer, jew or christian, would not affirm."
Scholars dispute the genuineness of either recension, and are divided over which is the more authentic. Andersen appears to favor the longer recension.

in 2 Enoch 34, the auther explicitly denounces sodomy at two points. The longer recension (J) reads (1-3, including the introduction):

God convicts the person who are idol worshippers and sodomite fornicators and for this reason he brings down the flood upon them.

1 For i know the wickedness of mankind, how they have rejected my commandments and they will not carry the yoke which i have placed on them.
But they will cast off my yoke, and they will accept a different yoke. And they will sow worthless seed, not fearing God and not worshipping me, but they began to worship vain gods, and they renounced my uniqueness.

2 And all the world will be reduced to confusion by iniquities and wickednesses and abominable fornications that is, freind with freind in the anus, and every other kind of wicked uncleanness which it is disgusting to report, and the worship of the evil (one).

3 And that is why I shall bring down the flood onto the earth, and I shall destroy everyting, and the earth itself will collapse in great darkness.


the comparable section in the shorter recension (A) again lacks the references to sodomy.

1 I know the wickedness of mankind, how they will not carry the yoke which I have placed on them. Nor do they sow the seed which I have given them; but they have renounced my yoke, and they will take on another yoke; and they will sow worthless seed, and do obeisance to vain gods. And they will reject my sole rule. And all the world will sin by injustices and
2 crimes and adulteries and idolatries
3 Then I shall bring down the flood onto the earth, and the earth itself will be overwhelmed by a great quantity of mud.

Second Enoch 34:1-3 refers broadly to adult sodomy, whereas 10:4-5 primarily refer to pederasty. The Speaker in 2 Enoch adds his evaluation of sodomy: In 10:4, it is "the sin which is against nature" (words reminiscent of Romans 1). in 34:2 he calls it "abominable fornications" and associates it with every other kind of wicked uncleannes which it is disgusting to report." The reference to sodomy in recension J is equivalent to adulteries in recension A. the Familiar connection between idolatry and sodomy is covered by " and idolatries," an atttitude similar to that in Romans 1, The Wisdom of Solomon 14:12 , and the title of 2 Enoch 34(j).

a book about homosexuality by James B. DeYoung and ancient literature pg 85-87


my personal comment on this: i believe that the longer recension is probably the first one. and later the edited portions were taken out. but to date a book of enoch from the turn of the era is absolutely not a true date, if it is the book of enoch, these are not doubt copies of copies that survived only despite the wickedness of men to destroy them.