Latter Day Saint (module)
LDS Module — Moses 6–7 (Pearl of Great Price): Enoch's Preaching and Vision
Moses 6–7 (Pearl of Great Price)
The most extensive Enoch material in the LDS canon. Received by Joseph Smith Jr. in December 1830 as part of his work on the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) of Genesis. Now published in the Pearl of Great Price.
Outline
Moses 6
- Genealogies from Adam through Enoch (parallel to Gen 5 but expanded).
- Enoch's call (Moses 6:26–36): "Anoint thine eyes with clay, and wash them, and thou shalt see." Enoch sees the Spirit.
- Enoch as preacher of righteousness — preaches and teaches against the wickedness of his generation.
- The doctrine of the Plan of Salvation rehearsed (6:48–68).
- Adam's baptism (6:64–68).
Moses 7
- Enoch's vision of the heavens and the divine sorrow (7:28–40) — God weeps over the wickedness of His creation.
- The City of Enoch / Zion built; the city is translated ("the Lord came and dwelt with his people... and they were not, for God received them up into his own bosom; and from thence went forth the saying, Zion is fled," 7:18–21, 69).
- Enoch sees the future down through the Flood, the coming of the Messiah, the Last Days.
- Enoch and his city are taken into heaven.
Relationship to 1 Enoch
Moses 6–7 was dictated in 1830 — after Richard Laurence's 1821 English translation of 1 Enoch was already published in London. Whether Joseph Smith had read Laurence is contested:
- LDS confessional posture (Nibley, Bradshaw, Skinner): Moses 6–7 is an independent prophetic revelation that happens to recover material genuinely ancient; the parallels with 1 Enoch confirm rather than expose.
- Critical / non-LDS posture: parallels suggest knowledge of (or cultural diffusion from) Laurence's text, plus reworking of Genesis 5.
- Both can agree: Moses 6–7 is not coextensive with 1 Enoch. The Watchers narrative, the Astronomical Book, the Parables, etc., are not in Moses 6–7. The LDS Enoch is centered on preaching, vision of the divine sorrow, and the translation of Zion — themes either absent from or minor in 1 Enoch.
Notable parallels worth comparing
| Theme | 1 Enoch | Moses 6–7 |
|---|---|---|
| Enoch as righteous preacher | 1 En 1:1; 12; 13 | Moses 6:26–48 |
| Vision of judgment | 1 En 1; 10; 91–93 | Moses 7:21–36 |
| Cosmic tours | 1 En 17–36; 72–82 | (absent) |
| Watchers narrative | 1 En 6–11 | (absent — partial echoes in Moses 5 re Cain) |
| Translation of Enoch | 1 En 70–71 | Moses 7:69 |
| Translation of a city | (absent) | Moses 7:18–21 — distinctive |
| God weeps | (absent) | Moses 7:28–40 — distinctive |
Read it (LDS Gospel Library)
We link directly to the LDS Gospel Library rather than transcribing copyrighted scripture text here:
Scholarship pointers
- Hugh Nibley, Enoch the Prophet (FARMS, 1986).
- Jeffrey Bradshaw, In God's Image and Likeness (2010, vol 1).
- Andrew Skinner, Pearl of Great Price commentaries.
- Bradshaw & Larsen, In God's Image and Likeness (2014, vol 2) — Enoch sections.
See also
Entertainment / individual-study posture: this module summarizes LDS Restoration scriptures' Enoch material and points at the official LDS sources. It is not LDS catechesis and does not represent the views of the Church.