[Chapter 72]

The book of the courses of the luminaries of the heaven, the relations of each, according to their classes, their dominion and their seasons, according to their names and places of origin, and according to their months, which Uriel, the holy angel, who was with me, who is their guide, showed me; and he showed me all their laws exactly as they are, and how it is with regard to all the years of the world  and unto eternity, till the new creation is accomplished which dureth till eternity.

And this is the first law of the luminaries: the luminary the Sun has its rising in the eastern portals of the heaven,  and its setting in the western portals of the heaven.

And I saw six portals in which the sun rises, and six portals in which the sun sets and the moon rises and sets in these portals, and the leaders of the stars and those whom they lead: six in the east and six in the west, and all following each other  in accurately corresponding order: also many windows to the right and left of these portals.

Imagine you are standing in the center of a place like Stonehenge. There are markers on the horizon east and west.

             
 |                  |                  |                  |     O            |                  |                  |

At sunrise, looking east at the markers on the horizon.
Enoch called the space between markers a portal.

And first there goes forth the great luminary, named the Sun, and his circumference is like the circumference of the heaven, and he is quite filled with illuminating and heating fire.

The chariot on which he ascends, the wind drives, and the sun goes down from the heaven and returns through the north in order to reach the east, and is so guided that he comes to the appropriate (lit. ' that ') portal and shines in the face of the heaven.

In this way he rises in the first month in the great portal, which is the fourth [those six portals in the cast].

And in that fourth portal from which the sun rises in the first month are twelve window-openings, from which proceed a flame when they are opened in their season.

When the sun rises in the heaven, he comes forth through that fourth portal thirty, mornings in succession, and sets accurately in the fourth portal in the west of the heaven.

 |                  |                  |                  |4th 30 days|                  |                  |

Looking east observing the rising sun.

Beginning with the Spring Equinox the sun rises in the fourth portal 30 days.

 |                  |                  |                  |4th 30 days|                  |                  |

Looking west observing the setting sun.

And during this period the day becomes daily longer and the night nightly shorter to the thirtieth morning. On that day the day is longer than the night by a ninth part, and the day amounts exactly to ten parts and the night to eight parts.

Enoch goes on to describe a year with eight 30 day months and four 31 day months for a total of 364 days in a year. Enoch describes how the days grow longer and the nights shorter until the Summer Solstice. Return again to the Fall Equinox when day again equals night. And the likewise second half of the year.

In Enoch day the year was 364 days divided into four seasons. Each season had 91 days. (Two 30 day months and one 31 day month.)

Enoch's 91st days were the first days of Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring. These are not really days, rather they are points on the Earth's obit as it traveled about the sun. Ancient astronomers observed these points by watching the rising and setting of the sun. (Remember the word 'observe'.)

And the sun rises from that fourth portal, and sets in the fourth and returns to the fifth portal of the east thirty mornings, and rises from it and sets in the fifth portal. And then the day becomes longer by two parts and amounts to eleven parts, and the night becomes shorter and amounts to seven parts.

And it returns to the east and enters into the sixth portal, and rises and sets in the sixth portal one-and-thirty mornings on account of its sign.

You really don't need to read more from The Book of Enoch about this. It is difficult reading anyway. The point made is that Enoch's year was 364 days divided into four 91 day seasons.

Things have changed since Enoch's time. Apparently the cause of Noah's flood altered the orbit of the earth about the sun. In Enoch day the orbit had to be a true circle to get equal day seasons. In the right margin of this page you will find a list of books that might explain what happened to change the Earth's orbit between then and now.

Today the Earth has an elliptical orbit making Spring and Summer longer than Fall and Winter.

This is Solar Calendar reckoning rather that Gregorian Calendar. It is 93 days from the Summer Solstice to the Fall Equinox.

The Book of Enoch continued

Why not just skip to the end and read about 'observing' he month Abib?

On that day the day becomes longer than the night, and the day becomes double the night, and the day  becomes twelve parts, and the night is shortened and becomes six parts. And the sun mounts up to make the day shorter and the night longer, and the sun returns to the east and enters into the sixth portal, and rises from it and sets thirty mornings.

And when thirty mornings are accomplished, the day decreases by exactly one part, and becomes eleven parts, and the night seven.

And the sun goes forth from that sixth portal in the west, and goes to the east and rises in the fifth portal for thirty mornings, and sets in the west again in the fifth western portal. On that day the day decreases by two parts, and amounts to ten parts and the night to eight parts.

And the sun goes forth from that fifth portal and sets in the fifth portal of the west, and rises in the fourth portal for one-and-thirty mornings on account of its sign, and sets in the west.

On that day the day is equalized with the night, [and becomes of equal length], and the night amounts to nine parts and the day to nine parts.

And the sun rises from that portal and sets in the west, and returns to the east and rises thirty mornings in the third portal and sets in the west in the third portal.

And on that day the night becomes longer than the day, and night becomes longer than night, and day shorter than day till the thirtieth morning, and the night amounts exactly to ten parts and the day to eight parts.

And the sun rises from that third portal and sets in the third portal in the west and returns to the east, and for thirty mornings rises in the second portal in the east, and in like manner sets in the second portal in the west of the heaven. And on that day the night amounts to eleven parts and the day to seven parts.

And the sun rises on that day from that second portal and sets in the west in the second portal, and returns to the east into the first portal for one-and-thirty mornings, and sets in the first portal in the west of the heaven.

And on that day the night becomes longer and amounts to the double of the day: and the night amounts exactly to twelve parts and the day to six.

And the sun has (therewith) traversed the divisions of his orbit and turns again on those divisions of his orbit, and enters that portal thirty mornings and sets also in the west opposite to it.

And on that night has the night decreased in length by a ninth part, and the night has become eleven parts and the day seven parts.

And the sun has returned and entered into the second portal in the east, and returns on those his divisions of his orbit for thirty mornings, rising and setting.

And on that day the night decreases in length, and the night amounts to ten parts and the day to eight.

And on that day the sun rises from that portal, and sets in the west, and returns to the east, and rises in the third portal for one-and-thirty mornings, and sets in the west of the heaven.

On that day the night decreases and amounts to nine parts, and the day to nine parts, and the night is equal to the day and the year is exactly as to its days three hundred and sixty-four.

And the length of the day and of the night, and the shortness of the day and of the night arise-through the course of the sun these distinctions are made (lit. ' they are separated ').

So it comes that its course becomes daily longer, and its course nightly shorter. And this is the law and the course of the sun, and his return as often as he returns sixty times and rises, i.e. the great luminary which is named the sun, for ever and ever.

And that which (thus) rises is the great luminary, and is so named according to its appearance, according as the Lord commanded.

As he rises, so he sets and decreases not, and rests not, but runs day and night, and his light is sevenfold brighter than that of the moon; but as regards size they are both equal.

Deuteronomy 16

Jubilees 6

1. And at the new moon of the third month he (Noah) came out of the ark and built an altar on that hill.

2. And he appeared on the earth, and he took a young goat and atoned by its blood for all the guilt of the earth, because every thing that had been on it was destroyed except those that were in the ark with Noah; and he placed the fat on the altar, and he took an ox and a goat and a sheep and young goats and salt and a turtle dove and the young of a dove and brought a burnt sacrifice upon the altar and scattered over them fruit offerings baked in oil and sprinkled the blood and wine, and placed upon it frankiricense, and a sweet savor arose which was acceptable before the Lord.

3. And the Lord smelt the sweet savor, and he made with him a covenant that there should no more be a flood upon the earth which would destroy the earth: all the days of the earth, seed and harvest shall not cease, frost and heat and summer and winter and day and night shall not change their order and shall not cease forever.

4. "And ye, grow and increase on the earth and increase over it, and be for a blessing in its midst: your fear and your terror I will put upon every thing that is on the earth and in the sea.

5. And, behold, I have given you all the animals and all the beasts and every thing that flies and every thing that moves on the earth and the fish in the waters and all things for food; like the herbs of grass, I have given them all to you to eat.

6. Only flesh which is in its life with blood ye shall not eat: for the blood is the soul of all flesh, so that your blood in your souls be not demanded of you.

7. From the hands of each one I will demand the blood of a man; every one that sheddeth the blood of a man, by the hand of a man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God did he create Adam.

8. But ye, grow and increase upon the earth."

9. And Noah and his sons swore that they would not eat any blood that is in any flesh, and they made a covenant before the Lord God for ever, in all the generations of the world, in this month,

l0. On this account he spoke to thee that thou shouldst make a covenant with the children of Israel in this month upon the mountain, with an oath, and shouldst sprinkle blood over them on account of all the words of the covenant which the Lord has made with them for all days.* (The footnote  here reads, "The covenant at Sinai is regarded as the renewal of the Noahic covenant.)

11. And this testimony is written concerning you, that you observe it in all days, that ye do not in all days eat any blood of animals and birds and beasts in all the days of the earth; and the man who eats the blood of an animal or of beasts or of birds in all the days of the earth, he and his seed shall be rooted out of the land.

12. And thou command the children of Israel that they shall not eat any blood, so that their names and their seed may be before the Lord our God all the days.

13. And for this law there is no limit of days, for it is for eternity; and they shall observe it to generation and generation, so that they may continue supplicating in their behalf with blood before the Lord on the altar on each day and day; mornings and evenings they shall supplicate in their behalf perpetually before the Lord, that they may observe this and not be rooted out.

 14. And he gave to Noah and his sons a sign that there should not again be a deluge over the earth; he placed his bow in the clouds as a sign of the eternal covenant that no water of the deluge should again come over the earth to destroy it all the days of the earth.

15. On this account it is ordained and written on the tablets of heaven that the celebration of the festival of weeks should be in this month, once a year, for a renewed covenant in each year*
 

16. And during the time this festival was being celebrated in heaven, from the days of creation to the days of Noah, it was twenty-six jubilees and five weeks of years; and Noah and his sons observed it seven jubilees and one week of years until the time when Noah died.

17. But his children violated it until the days of Abraham, and they ate blood. But Abraham alone observed it, and Isaac and Jacob observed it, for these are his children, up to thy day; and in thy day the children of Israel forgot it until I renewed it for them on this mountain.**
 

18. And thou (Moses) command the children of Israel that they should observe this festival in all their generations as a commandment for them: one day in the year, in this month, they shall celebrate this festival.

19. For it is the festival of weeks and is a festival of first fruits; for this festival is of a double nature and double kind, as is written and engraved concerning its celebration.

20. For I have written it in the book of the first law in which I write to thee that thou shouldst observe it in its time one day a year; and I have explained to thee the offerings on that day, that they should be remembered and that the children of Israel should celebrate it one day in each year.

21. And at the new moon of the first month, and in the new moon of the fourth month, and in the new moon of the seventh month, and in the new moon of the tenth month are the days of remembrance and the days of the festivals in the four divisions of the years: written and ordained they are for a testimony until eternity.
 

22. And Noah ordained them for himself as festivals for future generations, for on them there was to him a remembrance.

23. At the new moon of the first month it was said to him that he should make for himself an ark, and on it the earth became dry, and he opened (the ark) and saw the earth. And at the new moon of the fourth month the mouth of the flood-gates of the earth were opened and the waters began to descend into the depth beneath.

25. And at the new moon of the tenth month the tops of the mountains appeared, and Noah became glad.

26. And on this account he ordained them as festivals of remembrance unto himself unto eternity, and thus they are ordained.
 

27. And they were raised into the tablets of heaven: thirteen sabbaths to each, from one to another their remembrance, from the first to the second, from the second to the third, from the third to the fourth.

28. And all the days of this commandment are fifty-two sabbaths of days, and the whole year is completed.

29. Thus it is engraved and ordained in the tablets of heaven, and there is no transgression from one year to another.

32. And all the children of Israel will forget and will not find the paths of the years, and will forget the new moon and the sabbaths and the festivals, and in all the order of the years they will err.

33. For I know, and from now on I shall make it known to thee, and not from my heart, but thus is written in a book before me and is ordained in the tablets of heaven, the division of days, that they forget not the festivals of my covenant and walk according to the festivals of the Gentiles, after their errors and after their ignorance.

The Lunar Calendar

34. And there will be those who will make observations of the moon, for this one (the moon) corrupts the stated times and comes out earlier each year by ten days.

35. And in this way they will corrupt the years and will observe a wrong day as the day of testimony and a corrupted festival day, and every one will mix holy days with unclean ones and unclean with holy; for they will err as to months and sabbaths and festivals and jubilees.

36. And on this account I command thee and testify to thee that thou shouldst testify to them, for after thy death thy children will corrupt, so that they make a year only three hundred and sixty-four days,* and on this account they will err as to new moons (first days of the month) and sabbaths and fixed times and festivals and will ever eat blood with all kinds of flesh.