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Self-contained sections of text can be distinguished: the Book of the Angels/Watchers (chs. 1–36), the Book of the Similitudes (chs. 37–71), the Astronomical Book (chs. 72–82), the Book of Dream Visions (chs. 83–90), and the Book of Admonitions (chs. 91–105).

The first part of the book explains everything on earth by means of a continuation of Gen 6:1–4, as well as cosmographic revelations on the topography of the (current) world beyond. The Book of the Similitudes describes the reign of God and the coming judgment upon all sinners. In the second and third similitudes we encounter a redeemer figure repeatedly referred to as a »son of man« (cf. Dan 7:13), whose identity, however, cannot be unambiguously defined. In the Astronomical Book, Enoch is initiated into the orders of the heavenly world, which determine the orderings of the world here and now. The Book of Dream Visions presents a review of world history from primordial times up to the establishment of the reign of God. Primordial and end-times correspond with each other, while contrasting with world history. This part of the book contains priestly calendar and cult information, referring to the crisis under Antiochus IV (cf. ch. 90). The book is divided into ten consecutive time periods (the »Apocalypse of Weeks«). Enoch comforts the righteous by pointing to their post-mortem reward by the God of Israel; and depicts the punishment of sinners (ch. 103). This conception of a resuscitation of the dead as a precondition for eschatological judgment is one of the oldest witnesses to the idea of resurrection in Judaism.

The linking of ethical and eschatological statements in 1 Enoch stresses the testing of the righteous, motivating them to perseverance and right behavior as the end of the world approaches. Although there is currently no way for the righteous to achieve salvation, he can prepare for a saving outcome from the final judgment by living in accordance with the commandments of the God of Israel. In this way, 1 Enoch served as theological orientation for its readers, especially regarding theodicy. The Enoch tradition gave a religious justification for priestly faith convictions, especially in contrast to dominant Hellenistic culture.

Independent of Ethiopic Enoch (1 Enoch) is Slavonic Enoch (= 2 Enoch) , originally written in Greek, possibly already before 70 CE (there are frequent references to a functioning sacrificial practice and no reflection on the destruction of the temple). It was certainly completed in the course of the second century CE.⁶⁷ The work describes a heavenly journey through the heavenly spheres as far as the divine throne and gives insights into the secrets of the world on the other side. The universalistic perspective of its author on the cult, wisdom, and ethics points to the final composition of this Jewish writing (handed down and repeatedly revised in Christianity) within a majority non-Jewish environment in the western Diaspora.

The twelve books of the Sibylline Oracles⁶⁸ are a collection, written in Greek, of Jewish and Christian fictional oracles from the lips of a mythical female figure as a bearer of revelation. In style the Sibyllines correspond to ancient epic poetry. The Sibylline Oracles were revised and expanded many times. A concluding redaction of the collected material probably took place in the early Middle Ages. The Sibyllines are preserved only in manuscripts by Christian scribes. Originally a religio-historical phenomenon from Greco-Roman culture,⁶⁹ the oracles found distribution in the entire ancient Mediterranean world in orally transmitted sayings collections.

The popular genre was also adopted by Jewish authors and subsequently fixed in the biblical tradition when the Sibyl was identified with Noah’s daughter-in-law (3:826f.). The antiquity of the oracles underscored their special reliability. This interpretatio Iudaica of a pagan mythical figure makes sense in that the propaganda of the Sibyllines aimed to demonstrate to a non-Jewish audience, from a Jewish perspective, the inescapable consequences of their attachment to pagan polytheism and—in Books 4 and 5—of their support for the hated world power, Rome.

The Jewish origin of the bulk of Books 3 to 5 is generally regarded as certain. In their present form the Jewish Sibyllines contain reworked older, non-Jewish traditions and numerous pronouncements from a Jewish source. These Jewish sub-collections come from different periods. It is considered likely that the third book of the Sibyllines dates to the third century BCE at the latest, while the fourth and fifth books relate to contemporary events from late-first and the beginning of the second century BCE. The place of origin of Books 3 to 5 is generally thought to be Egypt.

The Jewish Sibyllines contain cryptic prophecies against non-Jewish peoples, in particular against the Ptolemaic and the Roman Empires. They express the hope of a future action by God in favor of his oppressed people and of the world-wide implementation of the commandments of the Torah. A periodization of the historical world age draws a wide arc from the Flood to the coming world conflagration.