You send chills up and down my spine with your reverance and understanding.
Love the comments on this thread-from everyone, and even understand fChristain's commentary on the Ten Commandments :^)
Jam137-Thanks for the comment on the authors who presented King James with their dedicated work to translating the Bible. Oh if only words could cross languages with the exact meaning intact for all to understand.
Loved Alamo-girl's response to you about the WORD OF GOD being there since forever, that became so meaningful to me as I read this thread....isn't it amazing how certain parts of scripture suddenly leap out at you....bringing understanding and that certain magnification and satisfaction Alamo-girl spoke of..
I have much to learn, so much and am so GLAD to learn of Enoch in this manner.
As for the Enoch's astronomy and visions relating to his grandson many times removed (Noah), perhaps word of mouth was the way the stories were carried forward from the flood on....does Noah refer to Enoch?
Representative Benjamin Huntington then expressed the view that the Committee's language might "be taken in such latitude as to be extremely hurtful to the cause of religion. He understood the amendment to mean what had been expressed by the gentleman from Virginia; but others might find it convenient to put another construction upon it." Huntington, from Connecticut, was concerned that in the New England States, where state-established religions were the rule rather than the exception, the federal courts might not be able to entertain claims based upon an obligation under the bylaws of a religious organization to contribute to the support of a minister or the building of a place of worship. He hoped that "the amendment would be made in such a way as to secure the rights of conscience, and a free exercise of the rights of religion, but not to * patronize * those who professed no religion at all." Id., at 730-731.
Madison responded that the insertion of the word "national" before the word "religion" in the Committee version should satisfy the minds of those who had criticized the language. "He believed that the people feared one sect might obtain a pre-eminence, or two combine together, and establish a religion to which they would compel others to conform. He thought that if the word 'national' was introduced, it would point the amendment directly to the object it was intended to prevent." Id., at 731. Representative Samuel Livermore expressed himself as dissatisfied with Madison's proposed amendment, and thought it would be better if the Committee language were altered to read that "Congress shall make no laws touching religion, or infringing the rights of conscience." Ibid.
Representative Gerry spoke in opposition to the use of the word "national" because of strong feelings expressed during the ratification debates that a federal government, not a national government, was created by the Constitution. Madison thereby withdrew his proposal but insisted that his reference to a "national religion" only referred to a national establishment and did not mean that the Government was a national one. The question was taken on Representative Livermore's motion, which passed by a vote of 31 for and 20 against. Ibid.
The following week, without any apparent debate, the House voted to alter the language of the Religion Clauses to read "Congress shall make no law establishing religion, or to prevent the free exercise thereof, or to infringe the rights of conscience." Id., at 766. The floor debates in the Senate were secret, and therefore not reported in the Annals. The Senate on September 3, 1789, considered several different forms of the Religion Amendment, and reported this language back to the House:
"Congress shall make no law establishing articles of faith or a mode of worship, or prohibiting the free exercise of religion." C. Antieau, A. Downey, & E. Roberts, Freedom From Federal Establishment 130 (1964).
The House refused to accept the Senate's changes in the Bill of Rights and asked for a conference; the version which emerged from the conference was that which ultimately found its way into the Constitution as a part of the First Amendment.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or ... prohibiting (( link )) --- the free exercise thereof."
The House and the Senate both accepted this language on successive days, and the Amendment was proposed in this form.
Truly, there is no greater joy than the epiphany when we discover more about Him! Knowing Jesus is more deeply satisfying than anything; He is truly the bread of life (John 6:35).
I do not recall any Scripture or ancient manuscript wherein Noah speaks of his great grandfather Enoch. BTW, I kept saying Noah was Enoch's grandson, but he was his great grandson.
The full text of Enoch would have been a great deal to pass down to generations by memory and word of mouth, but I imagine it would be possible. It appears that the language of the day was largely pictures, like in Egypt - so it is possible that the text was a collection of pictures which had lengthy understood, word-of-mouth, meaning.