The Book of Akbar 71: Enoch (Text, Ikhnūkh.)

71

Enoch is generally known as Idris, and was the distinguished son of Jared and born after Adam’s death. Though the last-born of Jared’s sons, he was, in wisdom and intelligence, older than all of them, and was before them all in felicity and understanding. He is the first lawgiver since the time of Seth. Some say that Idris was 100 years old at the time of Adam’s death and some that he was 360 years. He was unrivalled in his knowledge of the science of government and the refinements of contrivance. Though some assign all sciences and arts to Adam, yet, according to most, astronomy, writing, spinning, weaving and sewing were introduced by Enoch. He learned wisdom from Agathodæmon of Egypt whom they call Uria the Second.
Among his lofty titles is that of Harmasu-l-haramasa (Hermes of Hermeses or Trismegistus) and he is also called the third Uria. He attained high rank in theology and summoned mankind to worship in seventy-two languages. He founded 100 cities, of which Madīna-i-roha was the least. It was a city of Mesopotamia (Jaza'ir) though some place it in the Hijaz (Petroea Arabia). It was inhabited up to the time of Hulaku Khan who, it is said, destroyed it for the sake of the honour of the country and the well-being of the people.
He (Idris) instructed every tribe and every rank of mankind by a special procedure in accordance with their capacities. They say that he guided men to the reverence of the Great Light (the Sun) for most of them, before his time, were without his abounding wisdom and did not give thanks for that light of lights. He regarded it as the stock of visible and invisible fortune, and prescribed a great festival at the time of its passing from one Sign to another which is a special time of glory, and above all when it enters Aries.
And whenever the planets, who are fed from the bounteous table of its rays, entered their own Houses or attained their exaltation, he regarded them as of special dignity, and gave thanks for the wonders of creation. Such seasons he looked upon as stations and manifestations of the favour of God, and he spent all his days in the service of holy spirits and pure forms.
He also built the pyramids of Egypt which are known as the Domes of Haraman (Gumbaz-i-haraman). And in those lofty buildings, all the arts and their tools have been depicted, so that if the knowledge of them be lost, it may be recovered. It is recorded that he deputed one of his nobles to lay the foundations of these pyramids whilst he himself traversed the entire world, eventually returning to Egypt.
Abu Ma'shar of Balkh relates that there have been many Hermes but that three were preeminent;—(1). Harmasi-haramasa (Hermes of Hermeses) or Idris whom the Persians call the grandson of Kayumars. (2). Hermes of Babylon who built Babylon after the Deluge. Pythagoras was one of his disciples. By the exertions of this Hermes of Babylon, the sciences which had been lost in Noah's Flood were resuscitated. His home was in the city of the Chaldeans (Kaldanin) which is called the city of the philosophers (wise men) of the East (Madina-i-filasafa-i-mashriq). (3) The Hermes of Egypt who was the teacher of Esculapius (Asqlinus). He too excelled in all sciences, especially in medicine and chemistry and spent much time in travel.
The birth-place of Harmasu-l-haramasa (Idris) was Manif (Memphis) now known by the name of Manuf, in the land of Egypt. Before the founding of Alexandria, it was called the city of philosophers, but when Alexander built that city, he brought the philosophers of Memphis and other places to Alexandria.
Among the sayings of Enoch is this, “The three most excellent things are truth when angry, bounty when poor and mercy when strong.” Wonderful stories are told in histories about his departure from this world, which wise men hesitate about accepting. One tradition is that he was then 865, another that he was 405 and a third that he was 365.