Hi John and Doves interested in "extra-Canonical" books that are still available.  I have "The Lost Books of The Bible and The Forgotten Books of Eden."

In the introduction written by Dr. Frank Crane, he says (in part):

"As a believer in the authenticity of our accepted Scriptures I have no hesitancy in saying that I am perfectly satisfied to let the common sense of the world decide upon the superiority of the accepted text.
   The publication of this book will do good because it takes away the veil of secrecy that has hidden for many years the act of the church in accepting certain Scriptures and rejecting others.  All ! of the grounds are rendered perfectly intelligible to the common man."

[First known copyright to this book was given by Alpha House, Inc. in 1927 and was printed in the U.S. and Newfoundland]

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And my own "educated" opinion on these books is exactly what ! is said by Dr. Crane....use your own "common sense" to discern the contents of these books by yourself.  Read them and discover if they add to your knowledge of the information that is in Scripture.  I, myself, find that much is added to the picture I have received of Adam and Eve as human beings once they were expelled from the Garden of Eden.

What is curious to me is why there are so many critics of the Book of Enoch....or any other books that are not in the "canon" of Scripture....when those who criticize them have not taken the time to read them.  I get much more from reading them than I do from watching television.  I looked up "The First Book of Adam and Eve" on the internet and found it.  For an example, I copied part of it to show you.  You read it, and then you decide if it makes Adam and Eve more real to you...or not.



xlix 1 Six days after, Adam died; and Eve perceived that she would die, (so) she assembled all her sons

2 and daughters, Seth with thirty brothers and thirty sisters, and Eve said to all, 'Hear me, my children, and I will tell you what the archangel Michael said to us when I and your father transgressed the command of God

3 On account of your transgression, Our Lord will bring upon your race the anger of his judgement, first by water, the second time by fire; by these two, will the Lord judge the whole human race

l 1 But hearken unto me, my children. Make ye then tables of stone and others of clay, and write

2 on them, all my life and your father's (all) that ye have heard and seen from us. If by water the Lord judge our race, the tables of clay will be dissolved and the tables of stone will remain; but if by fire, the tables of stone will be broken up and the tables of clay will be baked (hard).'

3 When Eve had said all this to her children, she spread out her hands to heaven in prayer, and bent her knees to the earth, and while she worshipped the Lord and gave him thanks, she gave up the ghost. Thereafter, all her children buried her with loud lamentation.

li 1 When they had been mourning four days, (then) Michael the archangel appeared and said

2 to Seth: 'Man of God, mourn not for thy dead more than six days, for on the seventh day is the sign of the resurrection and the rest of the age to come; on the seventh day the Lord rested from all His works.'

3 Thereupon Seth made the tables.


This shows me that during the time of Adam and Eve, many things happened to them after they were expelled from the Garden.....and they wrote about these things to try to preserve the story.  No, they were not "inspired by God"....but they were written by our first descendants to tell us their tale.  And by telling these things to their coming generations, many mysteries are made more clear...and we can all use lessons from our "Grandparents."


YsiC,


Arlene