Legends of Old Testament characters, from the Talmud and other sourcesBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Religion
Legends of Old Testament characters, from the Talmud and other sources
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Bible. Old Testament -- Legends; Jewish legends
“_And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: and Seth
lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons
and daughters: and all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve
years: and he died. And Enos lived ninety years, and begat
Cainan._”[152]
Alexander wrote many epistles to Aristotle, his preceptor, in which he
narrated what had befallen him in India. Amongst other things he wrote:
“After I had entered the Persian region, which is a province of India, I
arrived at some islands of the sea, and there I found men, like women,
who fed on raw fish, and spake a language very like Greek; they said to
me that there was in the island the sepulchre of a most ancient king,
who was called Cainan, son of Enos, and who ruled the whole world, and
taught men all kinds of knowledge, and had demons and all kinds of evil
spirits under his control. He, by his wisdom, understood that the
ever-blessed God would bring in a flood in the times of Noah; wherefore
he engraved all that was to take place on stone tables, which exist
there to this day, and are written in Hebrew characters. He wrote
therein that the ocean would, in that age, overflow a third part of the
world, which took place in the lifetime of Enos, the son of Seth, who
was the son of Adam, our first parent.
“In the same island, Cainan built a most extensive city, surrounded with
walls; and a great marble citadel, in which he treasured jewels and
pearls, and gold and silver in great abundance.
“Moreover, he erected a tower, very lofty, over a sepulchre for himself,
to serve as his monument. This tower can be approached by no man; for it
was built by astronomical art under the seven planets, and with magical
skill, so that every one who draws near the wall is struck down with
sudden death.”[153]
Footnote 152:
Gen. v. 6-9.
Footnote 153:
Pseudo Josephus Gorionides; ed. Clariss. Breithauptius, lib. ii. c.
18, p. 131.
X.
ENOCH.
1. THE TRANSLATION OF ENOCH.
Enoch, or Edris,[154] as he is called by the Arabs, was born in
Hindostan, but he lived in Yemen. He was a prophet. In his days men
worshipped fire, being deceived by Eblis. When God sent Enoch to his
brethren to turn them from their false worship, they would not believe
him.
Idolatry began in the times of Jared, son of Mahalaleel, and it spread
to such an extent that, when Noah was born, there were not eighty
persons who worshipped the true, and living, and only God. Jared fought
Satan, the prince of demons, and captured him, and led him about in
chains wherever he went.
Enoch knew how to sew, and was an accomplished tailor. He was the first
to put pen to paper; he wrote many books. He had in his possession the
books of Adam, and for ten years, instead of sleeping, he spent the
night in reading them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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