The Forbidden Knowledge of the Book of Enoch

“Lore of the Watcher angels is an important and often overlooked part of Jewish and Christian traditions that exerts a strong influence on Western magic and occultism. Harold Roth tackles complicated texts like the books of Enoch and Jubilees alongside traditions like Merkavah mysticism and Christian demonology and, in plain language, gives the clearest and best examination of the Watchers and the Nephilim that I have come across yet.”
—Jason Miller, author of Consorting with Spirits and other books

The Book of Enoch has captured and commanded interest for the past two thousand years. Sometimes part of religious canon and doctrine, and sometimes outright banned, the Book of Enoch is more popular today than ever. Still many questions remain. Who was Enoch? Who—or what—were the Watchers, and what knowledge did they bring? What became of their wives and their children, the rapacious half-man, half-angel giants, the Nephilim?

From Renaissance magic of Dr. John Dee and early Christian apocalyptic texts, to contemporary conspiracy theories and modern magical angelology, the Book of Enoch has been influential in many spiritual and religious traditions. What has been missing from the various approaches to the Book of Enoch are any real attempts to find not only what is at the center of these stories but also their connections to magic. The Forbidden Knowledge of the Book of Enoch identifies and elucidates those connections.