Does the Book of 1 Enoch Belong in the Bible? (part 1)

This episode is part 1 of 2 addressing a video from Dan McClellan called "Was 1 Enoch considered inspired scripture?"

Dan McClellan claims to be a Latter-day Saint, although his views don't reflect those of typical Mormons. He has impressive credentials and he uses them to make Tiktok and YouTube videos that promote a deconstructionist view of Scripture under the guise of "Data > dogma." He also promotes leftist political ideas that are uniformly Marxist and identity politics.

This episode looks at McClellan's argument that the canon was not certain in the first century A.D. and that Josephus didn't clarify which books were in the 22 books he regarded as Scripture. He argues that 1 Enoch may have been considered Scripture during this time before that idea faded out later because of how many copies of it were found in the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran.

We see what the Essenes believed in the Qumran community and why they may have liked 1 Enoch. We also test Josephus' threefold division of the Tanakh to see if 1 Enoch could fit.

Sources Cited:

Dan McClellan, "Was 1 Enoch considered inspired scripture?"

Dan McClellan, YHWH’s Divine Images: A Cognitive Approach, (SBL Press, Atlanta, 2022).

Ether's Elephant, "Dan McClellan being Woke for 8 Minutes"

Dan McClellan, "Does the Social Justice of the Bible Differ from the Social Justice of Today?"

Eva Mroczek, "How Many Books are in the Bible? Qualitative Numbers, or Math for Biblical Scholars," (University of California, Davis, July 2016).

"The Scroll of the War of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness I-II – The Thirty-Five Years War"

Flavius Josephus, Against Apion (Translated by William Whiston)

2 Esdras 14 (RSV), Bible Society UK.

First Enoch (Christian Classics Ethereal Library)

We value your feedback!

Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!