One of the oldest known complete manuscript copies of the Book of Enoch - "perhaps the most important of all the apocryphal or pseudapocryphal Biblical writings for the history of religious thought" - is on loan to the Remnant Trust in Jeffersonville, Indiana, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports. The manuscript, written in Ge'ez (an ancient Ethiopian language), is believed to date from the 15th-16th centuries.
"Enoch is considered a prime example of apocalyptic literature - Jewish and Christian books that purport to reveal the hidden secrets of a future in which the evil are punished and the righteous rewarded." The text, considered scriptural by Ethiopian Christians, is believed by scholars to have been composed "in Greco-Roman times and attributed ... to Enoch to boost its credibility."
This copy "came on the market in the past couple of years from an American owner, and the trust has been able to establish a chain of ownership dating only to 1924." It was purchased by private collectors who agreed to loan the codex to the Remnant Trust for at least two years.
Anyone interested in viewing the Book of Enoch should make an appointment by calling (812) 280-2222.
