Legends of the Patriarchs and Prophets: And Other Old Testament Characters from Various SourcesBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Religion
Legends of the Patriarchs and Prophets: And Other Old Testament Characters from Various Sources
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Bible. Old Testament -- Legends
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 feed 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]
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.
He instructed men in the art of making garments; Enoch showed them how
to cut out the skins to the proper shape, and to sew them together; and
how to make shoes to protect their feet.
And then, when the people had derived this great blessing from him,
they were ready to listen to his books; and he read to them the books
of Adam, and endeavored thereby to bring them back to the knowledge of
the true God.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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