In the book of Moses, we find what Joseph Smith entitled "extracts from the prophecy of Enoch." Dr. Hugh Nibley says of these verses: "The excerpts. . . in the Pearl of Great Price supply us with the most valuable control yet on the bona fides of the Prophet. . . We are to test. . . 'How does it compare with records known to be authentic?' The excerpts offer the nearest thing to a perfectly foolproof test — neat, clear-cut, and decisive — of Joseph Smith's claim to inspiration."
In Enoch the Prophet, Dr. Nibley examines and solidly defends that claim by examining Joseph Smith's translations in the context of recently discovered apocryphal sources. This second volume in The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley includes four chapters: "Enoch the Prophet," "The Enoch Figure," "The Book of Enoch as Theodicy," and "A Strange Thing in The Land: The Return of the Book of Enoch."
Dr. Nibley writes: "We have been told that if we stop seeking, we shall not only find no more but lose the treasures we already have. That is why it is not only advisable but urgent that we begin to pay attention to that last astonishing outpouring of ancient writings that is the peculiar blessing of our generation. Among these writings, the first and most important is the book of Enoch."
