Giants in the Book of Moses

The following is an excerpt from my book Giants: Men of Renown, published by Adventures Unlimited Press in which I discuss the giants in the Book of Moses:

The Pearl of Great Price is part of the canon the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The church founder, Joseph Smith, compiled the Pearl of Great Price which takes its name from the “Parable of the Pearl” as told by Jesus in Matthew 13:45–46:

45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. (King James Version)

For the purposes of this book, I will look at the Book of Moses which is a part in the Pearl of Great Price. Other contents include the controversial Book of Abraham, Joseph Smith’s translation of the book of Matthew, the Joseph Smith History, and the church’s Articles of Faith. According to the introductory notes in the Pearl of Great Price, the Book of Moses is: 

“An extract from the book of Genesis of Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible, which he began in June 1830.”

Like the works examined earlier in this chapter, the Book of Moses gives the reader a glimpse into life prior to the biblical flood. According to the Book of Moses, God chose Enoch to preach repentance to a wicked people who had forsaken his commandments. Enoch, at the behest of the creator, also foretold of a savior who would come—Jesus Christ—and preached baptism in water in the name of Jesus. 

According to the Book of Moses, Enoch became a great leader; he was like Moses who would be born many generations later. Enoch was a powerful figure in the antediluvian world; the enemies of the children of God were fearful and even the giants in the land proved to be no match:

14 There also came a up a land out of the depth of the sea, and so great was the fear of the enemies of the people of God, that they fled and stood afar off and went upon the land which came up out of the depth of the sea. 15 And the giants of the land, also, stood afar off; and there went forth a curse upon all people that fought against God;16 And from that time forth there were wars and bloodshed among them; but the Lord came and a dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness.

Moses 7:14–16

Enoch continued preaching righteousness and faith in Christ, and he established a holy city named Zion where God’s people dwelled. Eventually, the city, along with Enoch, was “taken up” into heaven. With the prophet and the inhabitants of Zion gone, wickedness spread like a cancer throughout the earth. The prophet Enoch foresaw the cataclysm that would envelop the planet; and so, he pleaded with God that his descendant Noah—and Noah’s seed—would be spared. 

After God took Enoch, his son Methuselah preached righteousness and repentance in his stead. The baton would later be passed to Noah, who, like his forefathers, extolled the people to turn from sin and obey the commandments of their creator. The wicked people did not receive Noah’s message well; the giants were especially offended. Moses 8:18 says: “And in those days there were giants on the earth, and they sought Noah to take away his life; but the Lord was with Noah, and the power of the Lord was upon him.”

Of course, we know that the giants did not kill Noah, nor did the Deluge that cleansed the land. God spared Noah and his seed, and he wiped out the giants. Life began anew after the flood, but the giants did not stay down for long. The Bible tells us that Noah’s distant descendants would have to deal with giants before taking possession of the Promised Land.

What is so interesting about the Book of Moses, specifically the sixth and seventh chapters, is that Smith’s translation is eerily similar to the Book of Giants fragments found in the Qumran caves in 1948. Though an English translation of the Ethiopian Church’s Book of Enoch became available in 1821, the details in Smith’s account—such as the character Mahijah, similar to Mahway in the Book of Giants—made it unlikely that Smith’s source was the Book of Enoch. Some believe Enochian esoteric knowledge survived the centuries through secret societies and that Smith came into contact with these teachings and drew from them in his translation. Of course, adherents to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints faith believe Smith’s writings are inspired and that Smith was a prophet of God. Regardless of one’s view of Smith or the Book of Moses, the insight that it provides into the antediluvian world—especially when joined with the Book of Enoch and the Book of Giants—is astounding.

My book Giants: Men of Renown covers a multitude of religious texts, ancient myths, legends of historic encounters and more in search of the truth behind the tales of giants. Pick up your copy today!

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