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The Ethiopic Book of Enoch (also called the First Book of Enoch) is the oldest and most important of the books attributed to Enoch, though not necessarily written by him. Other Books of Enoch exist (Second, Third, and Fourth Enoch) and were written by different authors.

• The Old Testament, or Hebrew Bible (for Judaism), is composed of multiple books written at different times and places.
• Many ancient, "Bible-like" texts written in Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek were not included in the Bible.
• The Hebrew Canon, for rabbinic Judaism after the destruction of the Second Temple, was decided by rabbis who grouped writings into the Tanakh: Torah (Law), Nevi'im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings).
• The Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew texts, was created in the 3rd Century BC in Alexandria, Egypt. It was considered inspired by Greek-speaking Jews and Christians.
• The Septuagint contains more books and groups them differently than the Hebrew Bible. It includes books like Tobit, Judith, Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, and Sirach, and expanded versions of Daniel and Esther.
• The last book of the Hebrew Bible to be written was Daniel, during the Maccabee Revolt. It made it into the Canon by pretending to be written much earlier.
• The Christian New Testament was written in Greek, even though Jesus and his immediate disciples were Jewish and spoke Aramaic.
• Gospel writers often quoted from the Septuagint when referencing the Hebrew Bible, not a new translation.
• Translation inherently changes meaning; some traditions, like Islam with the Quran, discourage translation to preserve original meaning.
• Early Christians, particularly those spread through the Greek-speaking Roman Empire, used the Septuagint as their scripture.
• The Vulgate, Saint Jerome's Latin translation of the Bible in the 4th century, used the same books and order as the Septuagint, though Jerome went back to the Hebrew for his translation.
• The Christian Canon became fixed in the 5th century, with Augustine and other councils adopting a fixed list.
• Simultaneously, rabbinic schools began rejecting the Septuagint, partly because Christians adopted it and due to an emphasis on returning to Hebrew texts.
• During the Reformation (500 years ago), Protestants, with renewed interest in ancient texts and literary criticism, removed books from their Bible that were not in the Jewish Canon. These are known as the Apocrypha by Protestants and Deuterocanonical books by Orthodox Christians and Catholics.
• The Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical books include Tobit, Judith, extra parts of Esther and Daniel, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, and Maccabees.
• Many 1st-century Hellenistic Jews, especially those in the diaspora who didn't know Hebrew, considered the Septuagint, including the Deuterocanonical books, as their scripture.
• Fragments of Tobit, Sirach, and the Epistle of Jeremiah (parts of the Apocrypha) were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, indicating their use by the Essenes.
• The Book of Enoch was widely used by early Christians; the New Testament author of the Epistle of Jude quotes from it.
• Early Church Fathers like Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian also frequently quoted from The Book of Enoch.
• By the 4th century, when Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire, The Book of Enoch began to fall out of favor. Augustine and Jerome, despite their disagreements, both rejected it from the Canon, arguing that Enoch was not the true author.
• The Ethiopian Kingdom of Aksum converted to Christianity in the 4th century under King Ezana II.
• The Ethiopian Orthodox Church developed its own traditions, including unique monolithic churches carved from single rocks.
• From the 13th century onward, Ethiopian kings claimed descent from Menelik I, said to be the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
• The Ethiopian Orthodox Church claims to possess the Ark of the Covenant.
• The Ethiopian Bible includes all the books of the Septuagint plus five additional books: The Book of Enoch, The Book of Jubilees, and three Ethiopian books of Maccabees.
• Enoch is a legendary figure from Genesis, listed as the seventh from Adam and great-grandfather of Noah. The Genesis account notes that "Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him."
• The Book of Enoch, as we have it, is divided into five sections: The Book of Watchers, The Book of Similitudes (or Parables), The Book of Astronomical Writings, The Book of Dream Visions, and The Book of the Epistle of Enoch.
• The oldest parts of The Book of Enoch may date back to the 4th or 3rd Century BC, while more recent parts are from the 1st Century BC or later Maccabean period.
• The Book of Watchers expands on the Genesis flood story, introducing angels (the Watchers) who lusted after human women, descended to Earth, and begat giants (Nephilim). These fallen angels also revealed forbidden knowledge to humanity, such as warfare, writing, and ink.
• Archangels Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel are depicted in The Book of Enoch, which became an important source for angelology. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael are in the Hebrew Bible (Daniel and Tobit), and Uriel is primarily found in Enoch.
• The Book of Enoch is also a source for demonology, listing many names of fallen angels.
• The book contains messianic prophecies, including a figure called "the Son of Man" who possesses righteousness and is chosen by the Lord of Spirits. This resonated with early Christians and their understanding of Jesus as the Messiah.
• The Book of Enoch, despite not being in the Western Christian Canon, has significantly influenced ideas about angels and demons and was characteristic of Second Temple Jewish thought, particularly among apocalyptic groups from which Christianity emerged.