Speak His Word Only

Sariel is an especially interesting name because the Enochic tradition contains some complexity around him. His name appears in variant forms such as Sariel, Saraqael, Saraqiel, and Sarakiel , and different manuscripts and translations do not always present these names in exactly the same way. In the Watcher-teaching list of 1 Enoch 8:3 , a figure commonly rendered Sariel is associated with teaching humanity “the course of the moon.” Some translations phrase this slightly differently, but the central idea concerns knowledge of the moon's movements. The text does not say that Sariel created or controlled the moon. Rather, he possessed knowledge concerning its appointed movement within God's creation. What does “the course of the moon” mean? 1 Enoch 8 does not provide a detailed explanation of what Sariel taught. We therefore should not automatically turn the phrase into astrology, magic, or moon worship. In the wider astronomical sections of 1 Enoch, however, considerable att...