It is likely that the Book of Enoch was written in Aramaic, and later translated into Greek, Latin and Ge'ez (an Ethiopian language). Unfortunately it became lost in Europe and it was only known about from the Letter of Jude and scattered references in the writings of the early Church Fathers. It was not until 1773 that a translation in Ge'ez was discovered by a Scottish traveller called James Bruce. For a long time it was thought that it had been written in the second century BC. Then fragments were discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls, and scholars realised it was an earlier document, dating from the third century BC or possibly earlier than that.
There were actually two people named Enoch in the Book of Genesis. One was from the line of Cain (4:17-18) and the other from the line of Seth (5:18-24). Which Enoch was Jude referring to? The seventh in line from Adam (Jude verse 14), which would be the descendant from Seth. This Enoch was the great-grandfather of Noah, his own father was Jared, and he was 65 years old when he became the father of Methuselah, after which he lived for another 300 years (Genesis 5:23). Other patriarchs lived much longer, and Methuselah lived longer than anyone else, and died at the age of 969. The numerical patterns in the ages of the patriarchs has been studied and related to astronomical phenomena, showing their greatness by this link to the cosmos.
I wonder why Enoch had such a comparatively short life? Certainly not because he was a sinner, for Enoch 'walked with God' (Genesis 5:24). And he certainly did not write the Book of Enoch, nor the other two Enochian books among the pseudepigrapha.
Why such interest in the Book of Enoch? It began to impact biblical studies because it shed light on many passages in scripture, both Hebrew and Greek, Old and New Testaments. And yet it is not considered to have been written under divine inspiration.
What does Jude write about Enoch?
'Yes, the seventh one [in line] from Adam, Enoch, prophesied also regarding them, when he said: 'Look! Jehovah came with his holy myriads, to execute judgement against all, and to convict all their ungodly deeds that they did in an ungodly way, and concerning all the shocking things that ungodly sinners spoke against him' (Jude 14-15).
Jude was reading and quoting from the Book of Enoch, where we read in verse 9 that 'Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied'. Does this not indicate divine inspiration? Is this reference to prophecy not proof of divine inspiration, and does it not suggest the Book of Enoch is the product of divine revelation? Should it not have the status as Scripture? The Ethiopian Orthodox Church counts the Book of Enoch as Scripture. An interesting question.