Recently, I’ve been reading up on the book of Enoch. There are a few parts in this book that have reminded me of this topic. First, let me tell those of you who don’t know what/who Enoch is, a bit about this man and the “book” which bears his title.

The Book of Enoch was written during the second century BC. It is believed by many to be one of the most important non-canonical apocryphal works, and likely had a large influence on early Christian, particularly Gnostic, beliefs. This book is full of hallucinatory visions of heaven and hell, angels and devils. Enoch himself introduced concepts such as: fallen angels, the appearance of a Messiah, Resurrection, a Final Judgement, and a Heavenly Kingdom on Earth.

Who was Enoch? We can see who he was in this passage of the Old Testament:

Genesis 5:18-24 [18] Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch.
[19] After he begot Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters.
[20] So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years; and he died.
[21] Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah.
[22] After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters.
[23] So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.
[24] And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

(For more information on Enoch in other relgious texts, see The Reluctant Messenger.)

Anyway, what brings me from Enoch to this topic are the following chapters out of the book. Could this be where we first see where the idea of vampires emerged?



Chapter VI
[1] And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters.
[2] And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: 'Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children.'
[3] And Semjâzâ, who was their leader, said unto them: 'I fear ye will not indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.'
[4] And they all answered
him and said: 'Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.'
[5] Then sware they all together and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it.
[6] And they were in all two hundred; who descended ⌈in the days⌉ of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it.
[7] And these are the names of their leaders: Sêmîazâz, their leader, Arâkîba, Râmêêl, Kôkabîêl, Tâmîêl, Râmîêl, Dânêl, Êzêqêêl, Barâqîjâl, Asâêl, Armârôs, Batârêl, Anânêl, Zaqîêl, Samsâpêêl, Satarêl, Tûrêl, Jômjâêl, Sariêl.
[8] These are their chiefs of tens.

Chapter VII

[1] And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants.
[2] And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells:
[3] Who consumed all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them,
[4] the giants turned against them and devoured mankind.
[5] And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish, and to devour one another's flesh, and drink the blood.
[6] Then the earth laid accusation against the lawless ones.

Sources:
Fallen Angels and the Origins of Evil by Elizabeth Clare Prophet ©2000 Summit University Press.
Book of Enoch
The Reluctant Messenger