I wrote about the Essenes in this post, and every time I think about Enoch, I can't help but think about the Essenes, who are described as "Enochian" by some scholars. I see the existence of the Essenes as partial validation of the existence of the Nephites. I believe both groups exiled themselves from Jerusalem within a few hundred years of each other, and maintained a relatively similar theology, informed by the High Priestly tradition of the first temple.
One of the big questions debated by scholars is this: who was the Teacher of Righteousness?
Many theories have been put forth -- an unnamed high priest at the Temple in Jerusalem between 159 and 152 BC, the entire lineage of Zadokite High Priests, and Jesus all make the list of potential candidates, among many others. One comment I read about this question put it this way:
...some of the other Qumran scrolls treat [the Teacher of Righteousness] as a figure from their past, and others treat as a figure in their present, and others still as a figure of the future. (source)
I enjoyed the past/present/future theme here.
The Jewish Virtual Library has an article about the Teacher of Righteousness (Heb. מוֹרֶה צֶדֶק moreh ẓedek). Some scholars suggest this name derives as a wordplay from a similar phrase in Hosea 10:12, "it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and cause righteousness to rain [yoreh ẓedek] upon you." In Joel 2:23, there is another wordplay using the Hebrew root מוֹרֶה "mowreh" which can mean both "rain" or "teacher." Thus, the verse is typically translated like this:
Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. (Joel 2)
The phrase "former rain moderately" comes from the Hebrew "ham-mō-w-reh liṣ-ḏā-qāh" which is very similar to "teacher of righteousness" (moreh zedek).
Rain = Righteous Teaching?
This connection between an Enochian group, the Teacher of Righteousness, and the symbol of rain takes on deeper meaning in light of this verse from the Book of Moses:
28 And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying: How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains? (Moses 7)
(What a "lucky guess" for Joseph Smith to connect Enoch with the concept of "preaching righteousness" in verse 19 and being "high and lifted up" in the "bosom of the father," and less than 10 verses later have Enoch see a vision of the tears of the God of heaven falling as rain!)
God's response to Enoch's question comes a few verses later:
32 The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency;
33 And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood; (Moses 7)
The symbolism and double-meaning here is poignant: As the wicked people reject the "teacher of righteousness" they bring about a flood caused by overwhelming rain. There is also an added layer of depth (pun intended) when you consider the notion that Noah's Ark is a symbol of the temple. (See this page for more details.) The covenant is the means of salvation from otherwise certain spiritual destruction.
What does this have to do with being "carried away by the Spirit"?
If you recall, I started this journey of learning with the goal of connecting the concept of Zion with the concept of being "carried away by the spirit." We're almost there. Let's take a look at what we've learned so far, and then I'll close this post with an intriguing detail that ties everything together nicely (I hope).
1) We began with the idea that the "exceedingly high mountain" to which Nephi was "caught away in the spirit of the Lord" is the same "high and lifted up" place to which the followers of Enoch were "caught up by the powers of heaven," also known as Zion. The central purpose of mortality is to learn how to reverse the effects of the fall of Adam by ascending to the mountain of the Lord's house.
2) The name Enoch means "initiated one." The verb used to describe the dedication of Solomon's temple is the same root in Enoch's name.
3) Enoch, the righteous leader of this group of people, "preach[ed] righteousness" and led a people who were unified in charity and obedience to God's commandments. There they were "blessed upon the mountains and upon the high places, and did flourish."
4) There is a direct connection between making covenants and teaching others about the importance of these covenants. This is a pattern we see throughout the scriptures. Divine messengers descend to fallen man and publish glad tidings of good, teach repentance, and perform ordinances to create covenants. See an angel, be an angel. We looked at Alma-2 as an archetypal example of one who was "snatched" from the depths of hell (one type of water portrayed in Lehi's dream) and brought to feel the love of God (the other type of water in Lehi's dream). In this sense, every missionary can be a Teacher of Righteousness.
5) There is a connection between receiving hidden knowledge and zealously engaging in the work of salvation. We looked at the Three Nephites as an example of this.
6) The righteous look to a "Teacher of Righteousness" to lead them along the right path. There can be many correct answers to the question "Who is the Teacher of Righteousness?"
The Essenes and others considered the Holy Spirit to be the Teacher of Righteousness
From Wikipedia:
The Essenes, the Gnostics and early Christians taught that the Teacher of Righteousness was the indwelling Holy Spirit who teaches all things to those who have been anointed from above. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth and Righteousness. Salvation comes only to those who have been anointed from above then they become Teachers of Righteousness.
We'll explore this further in the next post.