View source for Metatron

{{Short description|Angel in Jewish and Islamic mythology}}
{{Distinguish|Megatron|Magnetron|Mettaton}}
{{Other uses}}
[[File:MetatronInIslamicArts.jpg|thumb|Islamic portrayal of the angel Metatron ({{langx|ar|ميططرون}}) depicted in the {{transliteration|ar|Daqa'iq al-Haqa'iq}} ({{lang|ar|دقائق الحقائق}}
 'Degrees of Truths') by Nasir ad-Din Rammal in the 14th century CE.]]

'''Metatron''' ([[Mishnaic Hebrew]]: {{Script/Hebrew|מֶטָטְרוֹן}} ''Meṭāṭrōn''),<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Sanhedrin 38b:19 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.38b.19?lang=bi&with=all |access-date=10 June 2023 |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref>{{efn|Also written as {{langx|hbo|{{Script/Hebrew|מְטַטְרוֹן}}|Məṭaṭrōn|label=none}},<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bereshit Rabbah 5:4 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Bereishit_Rabbah.5.4?vhe=Midrash_Rabbah_--_TE&lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}</ref> {{langx|hbo|{{Script/Hebrew|מֵיטַטְרוֹן}}|Mēṭaṭrōn|label=none}}, {{langx|hbo|{{Script/Hebrew|מִיטַטְרוֹן}}|Mīṭaṭrōn|label=none}},<ref>{{Cite web |title=Incantation bowl, late-post Sasanian, 6th C.-8th C. |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1974-1209-2 |website=The British Museum}}</ref> {{langx|hbo|{{Script/Hebrew|מֶיטַטְרוֹן}}|Meṭaṭrōn|label=none}},<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chagigah 15a:6 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Chagigah.15a.6?vhe=William_Davidson_Edition_-_Vocalized_Aramaic&with=all&lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}</ref> {{langx|hbo|{{Script/Hebrew|מִטַּטְרוֹן}}|Mīṭṭaṭrōn|label=none}}}}{{efn|There are two spelling variations of the name Metatron that can be found in the Talmud. Firstly there is the more full spelling of {{lang|hbo|מיטטרון}}, as can be seen in Chagigah 15a:6. The consonant yod ({{lang|hbo|י}}) acts as a mater lectionis (mother of reading), usually indicating the vowel hiriq (ī). Secondly there is the slightly shorter and more common spelling of {{lang|hbo|מטטרון}} without the yod, as can be seen in Sanhedrin 38b:19 for example. With the absence of the yod representing the vowel hiriq, this vowel would be pronounced shorter. This short hiriq (ī) would also cause the teth ({{lang|hbo|ט}}) following the mem ({{lang|hbo|מ}}) to geminate, giving the pronunciation of {{transliteration|hbo|Mīṭṭaṭrōn}} ({{lang|hbo|{{Script/Hebrew|מִטַּטְרוֹן}}}}). The full spelling with yod representing hiriq may also indicate that the name has its origins in the word {{transliteration|hbo|Mīṭāṭōr}} ({{lang|hbo|מִיטָטוֹר}}), referring to a measurer of boundaries; an officer sent in advance of persons of high rank, or of troops, to lay out the camp or to arrange quarters; a quartermaster.}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jastrow |first=Marcus |date=1903 |title=Jastrow, מִיטָטוֹר |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Jastrow%2C_%D7%9E%D6%B4%D7%99%D7%98%D6%B8%D7%98%D7%95%D6%B9%D7%A8.1?with=all&lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Jastrow |first=Marcus |year=2004 |orig-year=1903 |title=A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature |url={{GBurl|S4UYAQAAIAAJ}} |page=767 |publisher=Judaica Treasury |isbn=978-1-932-44320-2}}</ref> or '''Matatron''' ({{langx|hbo|{{Script/Hebrew|מַטַּטְרוֹן}}|Maṭṭaṭrōn|label=none}}),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jastrow |first=Marcus |date=1903 |title=Jastrow, מַטַּטְרוֹן |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Jastrow%2C_%D7%9E%D6%B7%D7%98%D6%B7%D6%BC%D7%98%D6%B0%D7%A8%D7%95%D6%B9%D7%9F.1?ven=London,_Luzac,_1903&with=all&lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last1=Schechter |first1=Solomon |last2=Levias |first2=Caspar |title=GEMAṬRIA: Metatron |url=https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/6571-gematria |encyclopedia=Jewish Encyclopedia}}</ref> is an [[angel]] in [[Judaism]], [[Gnosticism]], and [[Islam]]. Metatron is mentioned three times in the [[Talmud]],<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Avodah Zarah 3b:12 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Avodah_Zarah.3b.12?lang=bi&with=all |access-date=10 June 2023 |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref> in a few brief passages in the [[Aggadah]], the [[Targum]],<ref name=":0" /> and in mystical [[kabbalah|Kabbalistic]] texts within [[Rabbinic literature]]. The figure forms one of the traces for the presence of [[Dualism in cosmology|dualist proclivities]] in [[Gnosticism]] and the otherwise monotheistic vision of the [[Tanakh]].<ref name=Stroumsa>{{Cite book |last=Stroumsa |first=Guy G. |author-link=Guy Stroumsa |year=2015 |title=The Making of the Abrahamic Religions in Late Antiquity |url={{GBurl|VZjxCQAAQBAJ|pg=PA15}} |page=15 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-198-73886-2}}</ref> In Rabbinic literature, he is sometimes portrayed as serving as the celestial scribe.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Targum Jonathan on Genesis 5:24 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Targum_Jonathan_on_Genesis.5.24 |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref> The name Metatron is not mentioned in the [[Torah]] or the [[Bible]], and how the name originated is a matter of debate. In [[Islam]]ic tradition, he is also known as '''Mīṭaṭrūn''' ({{langx|ar|ميططرون}}), the angel of the veil.<ref name=Burge>{{Cite book |last=Burge |first=Stephen R. |year=2015 |title=Angels in Islam - Jalal Al-Din Al-Suyuti's Al-Haba'ik Fi Akhbar Al-mala'ik |url={{GBurl|ZzVACwAAQBAJ|pg=PA48}} |page=48 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-136-50474-7}}</ref><ref name=Wasserstrom />{{rp|192}} 

In [[Jewish apocrypha]], early Kabbalah, and rabbinic literature,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Targum Jonathan on Genesis 5:24 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Targum_Jonathan_on_Genesis.5.24 |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref> ''Metatron'' is the name that [[Enoch]] received after his transformation into an angel.

== Etymology ==
Numerous etymologies have been proposed to account for the name Metatron, but there is no consensus, and its precise origin is unknown.<ref>{{cite web |last=Orlov |first=Andrei A. |title=The Name "Metatron" |url=https://images.shulcloud.com/609/uploads/class_files/Pardes/MetatronEtymology.pdf |pages=92–96 |work=The Enoch-Metatron Tradition |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030232238/https://images.shulcloud.com/609/uploads/class_files/Pardes/MetatronEtymology.pdf |archive-date=30 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Orlov />{{rp|92–97}} Some scholars, such as [[Philip S. Alexander|Philip Alexander]], believe that if the name Metatron originated in [[Hekhalot literature]] and [[Merkabah mysticism|Merkabah texts]] such as [[3 Enoch]], then it may have been a [[magical formula|magical word]] like {{transliteration|hbo|Adiriron}} and {{transliteration|hbo|Dapdapiron}}.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Alexander |first=Philip S. |year=1977 |title=The Historical Settings of the Hebrew Book of Enoch |url={{GBurl|NvJUNwAACAAJ}} |page=162 |publisher=Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies}}</ref>

[[Hugo Odeberg]]<ref name=Odeberg>{{Cite book |editor-last=Odeberg |editor-first=Hugo |year=2012 |orig-year=1928 |chapter=Origin of the Word 'Metatron' |title=3 Enoch or The Hebrew Book of Enoch |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/ksigaxiienochorthehebrewbookofenoch_202012/page/n137 |pages=125–142 |publisher=[[CreateSpace]] |isbn=978-1-479-37227-0}}</ref> [[Adolf Jellinek]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jellinek |first=Adolf |year=1852 |title=Contributions to the History of Kabbalah - Parts I & II |url={{GBurl|pMxDAQAAMAAJ|pg=PA4}} |page=4 |location=Leipzig |publisher=C.L. Fritzsche}} {{free access}}</ref> and [[Marcus Jastrow]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jastrow |first=Marcus |year=1903 |orig-year=1887 |title=A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature |url=https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:1-123506 |page=767 |location=London |publisher=Luzac |volume=II |isbn=978-1-565-63860-0}}</ref> suggest the name may have originated from either {{transliteration|hbo|mattara}} ({{lang|hbo|מטרא}}, {{lit.|keeper of the watch}}) or the verb {{transliteration|hbo|memater}} ({{lang|hbo|ממטר}}, 'to guard' or 'to protect'). An early derivation of this can be seen in {{transliteration|hbo|Shimmusha Rabbah}}, where Enoch is clothed in light and is the guardian of the souls ascending to heaven. Odeberg also suggested that the name Metatron might have been adopted from the [[Old Persian]] name [[Mithra]].<ref name=Odeberg /> Citing Wiesner,<ref>in Ben Chananja, 1862, p. 384; 1866, pp. 600–625</ref> he drew up several parallels that appeared to link Mithra and Metatron based on their positions in heaven and duties.

Another hypothesis would derive Metatron from a combination of two Greek words, {{lang|grc|μετά}} (''meta'', meaning 'after') and {{lang|grc|θρóνος}} (''thronos'', meaning 'throne'), which, taken together, would suggest the idea of 'one who serves behind the throne' or 'one who occupies the throne next to the throne of glory'.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Schäfer |first=Peter |year=2012 |orig-year=1992 |title=The Hidden and Manifest God - Some Major Themes in Early Jewish Mysticism |url={{GBurl|-0Ok4MOpJGMC|pg=PA29}} |page=29 |series=SUNY Series in Judaica |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=978-1-438-41882-7 |quote=most probable is the etymology of Lieberman: Metatron = Greek ''metatronos'' = ''metathronos'' = ''synthronos''; i.e. the small "minor god" whose throne is beside that of the great "God"}}</ref> The primary arguments against this etymology are that Metatron's function as a servant of the celestial throne emerges only later in the traditions regarding him, and {{lang|grc|θρóνος}} itself is not attested as a word in Talmudic literature.<ref>[[Gershom Scholem]], 'Metatron,' in ''[[Encyclopedia Judaica]]'', 2nd edition 2007, vol. 14 pp. 132–134. Also his ''Major Trends,'' p. 69, and his ''Jewish Gnosticism'', pp.43, 91. Scholem dismissed this hypothesis as 'without merit'.</ref>

A connection with the word {{lang|grc|σύνθρονος}} ({{transliteration|grc|synthronos}}) used as 'co-occupant of the divine throne', has been advanced by some scholars;{{efn|{{transliteration|grc|synthronos}}, the Greek term {{transliteration|grc|metatyrannos}}, which can be translated as "the one next to the ruler".<ref>Philip Alexander, "3 Enoch"</ref>}} This, like the above etymology, is not found in any source materials.<ref name=Odeberg /> It is supported by Saul Lieberman and [[Peter Schäfer]], who give further reasons why this might be a viable etymology.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gruenwald |first=Ithamar |year=2018 |orig-year=1980 |chapter=Metatron, the Meaning of His Name and His Functions |title=Apocalyptic and Merkavah Mysticism |chapter-url={{GBurl|_92mDwAAQBAJ|pg=PA235}} |pages=235–241 |location=Leiden/Cologne |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|E. J. Brill]] |isbn=978-9-004-33267-6}}</ref> The Latin word {{lang|la|metator}} ('messenger, guide, leader, measurer') had been suggested by [[Eleazar of Worms]] ({{c.|1165}} – {{c.|1230}}), [[Nachmanides]], and brought to light again by Hugo Odeberg.<ref name=Odeberg /> When transliterated into the Hebrew language, it is given as {{lang|hbo|מטיטור}} ({{transliteration|hbo|mṭyṭwr}}) or {{lang|hbo|מיטטור}} ({{transliteration|hbo|myṭṭwr}}). [[Gershom Scholem]] argues that there is no data to justify the conversion of {{lang|la|metator}} to Metatron.<ref>Gershom Scholem, ''Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and Talmudic Tradition'', [[Jewish Theological Seminary of America]] 2nd. ed. 1965 pp41,93.</ref> [[Philip S. Alexander|Philip Alexander]] also suggests this as a possible origin of Metatron, stating that the word {{lang|la|metator}} also occurs in Greek as {{transliteration|grc|mitator}} – a word for an officer in the [[Roman army]] who acted as a forerunner. Using this etymology, Alexander suggests the name may have come about as a description of 'the angel of the Lord who led the Israelites through the wilderness: acting like a Roman army metator guiding the Israelites on their way'.<ref>Alexander, P. "From Son of Adam to a Second God" and Alexander, P. "3 Enoch"</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Urbach |first=Ephraïm Elimelech |author-link=Ephraïm Urbach |year=1987 |orig-year=1979 |title=The Sages - Their Concepts and Beliefs |url={{GBurl|siAUuwEACAAJ}} |location=Cambridge, Mass. |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-78523-6 |oclc=15489564}}</ref>

Other ideas include {{lang|grc|μέτρον}} ({{transliteration|grc|metron}}, 'a measure').<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Black |first=Matthew |year=1951 |title=The Origin of the Name of Metatron |url=https://doi.org/10.2307/1515863 |pages=217–219 |journal=[[Vetus Testamentum]] |volume=1 |issue=3 |publisher=E.J. Brill |jstor=1515863 |doi=10.2307/1515863 |quote=Can be linked back to the title praemetitor in Philos QG which can be connected to the Greek word for Metator "measurer"|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Charles Mopsik believes that the name Metatron may be related to the sentence from [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.5.24 Genesis 5:24], "Enoch walked with God, then he was no more, because God took him".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mopsik |first=Charles |year=1989 |title=Le Livre hébreu d'Hénoch ou Livre des palais |url={{GBurl|POEQAQAAIAAJ}} |location=Paris |publisher=Verdier |isbn=978-2-864-32088-3}}</ref> The [[LXX]] version of the Hebrew word לָקַ֥ח ("took") is {{lang|grc|μετέθηκεν}}.

In the entry entitled "Paradigmata" in his study {{"'}}The Written' as the Vocation of Conceiving Jewishly", John W. McGinley gives an accounting of how this name functions in the [[Talmud|Bavli]]'s version of "four entered pardes".<ref>{{Cite book |last=McGinley |first=John W. |year=2006 |title='The Written' as the Vocation of Conceiving Jewishly |url={{GBurl|ytRaRaGvU4UC|pg=PA432}} |page=432 |publisher=[[iUniverse]] |isbn=978-0-595-40488-9 |quote=The entry 'Paradigmata' gives an accounting of the meaning of 'Metatron' as it is used in the Bavli's version of 'four entered pardes'.}}</ref>

== Origins ==
In the [[Hellenistic period]], mention of a second divine figure, either beside [[Yahweh]] or beneath him, occurs in several Jewish texts, mostly [[apocryphal]]. These Jewish traditions implying a divine dualism were most frequently associated with Enoch. In the rabbinic period, they center on 'Metatron', often in the context of debates over the heretical doctrine of 'two powers in heaven' ({{transliteration|hbo|shtei rashuyot ba-shamayim}}).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Segal |first=Alan F. |year=2002 |chapter=Chapter Three. Aher, Metatron, Merkabah and the Angel of YHWH |title=Two Powers in Heaven - Early Rabbinic Reports about Christianity and Gnosticism |chapter-url={{GBurl|LRzCB9xSRFsC|pg=PA60}} |page=60 |publisher=E.J. Brill |isbn=978-0-391-04172-1}}</ref><ref name=Stroumsa /> Ultimately, these ideas appear to go back to differing interpretations of the heavenly enthronement passages at [https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.24.10 Exodus 24:10], [https://www.sefaria.org/Daniel.7.9 Daniel 7:9]. and perhaps even [https://www.sefaria.org/Ezekiel.1.26 Ezekiel 1:26].<ref>Segal ibid. p.60</ref> These different interpretations later came to distinguish what was orthodox from what was heretical in Judaism.

Among the [[List of Old Testament pseudepigrapha|pseudepigrapha]] [[Book of Enoch#Book of Parables|1 Enoch: Book of Parables]] presents two figures: the [[son of man]] and Enoch. At first, these two characters seem to be separate entities. Enoch views the son of man enthroned in Heaven. Later, however, they prove to be the same. Many scholars believe that the final chapters in the Book of Parables are a later addition. Others think they are not and that the son of man is Enoch's heavenly double, similar to the ''[[Prayer of Joseph]]'', where [[Jacob]] is depicted as an angel.<ref name=Orlov>{{Cite book |last=Orlov |first=Andrei A. |year=2005 |title=The Enoch-Metatron Tradition |chapter=Evolution of the Roles and Titles in Early Enochic Booklets |series=Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism |chapter-url={{GBurl|foqSvRbR3vIC|pg=PA44}} |pages=83–86, 140–142 |publisher=[[Mohr Siebeck]] |volume=107 |isbn=978-3-161-48544-2 |doi=10.1628/978-3-16-158687-3| s2cid=198676033|url=https://www.mohrsiebeck.com/10.1628/978-3-16-158687-3 }}</ref> The [[Book of Daniel]] displays two similar characters: the [[Ancient of Days]] and the [[son of man (Judaism)#Daniel|one like a man]]. Parts of the text in Daniel are [[Aramaic]] and may have been changed in translation. The [[Septuagint]] reads that the son of man came as the Ancient of Days. All other translations say the son of man gained access to the Ancient of Days and was brought before that one.<ref name=Deutsch>{{Cite book |last=Deutsch |first=Nathaniel |year=1999 |title=Guardians of the Gate - Angelic Vice Regency in Late Antiquity |url={{GBurl|yhfMea8gTu4C|pg=PA45}} |pages=45–47 |publisher=E.J. Brill |isbn=978-9-004-10909-4}}</ref>

The identification of Enoch with Metatron in 3 Enoch, where the name first appears, is not explicitly made in the [[Talmud]], although it does refer to a Prince of the World who was young but now is old. However, some of the earliest [[kabbalah|kabbalists]] assumed the connection. There also seem to be two Metatrons, one spelled with six letters ({{lang|hbo|מטטרון}}), and one spelled with seven ({{lang|hbo|מיטטרון}}). The former may be the transformed Enoch, Prince of the Countenance within the [[Hekhalot literature|divine palace]]; the latter, the Primordial Metatron, a [[sefiroth|sephira]] "persona" of the "Cause of Causes", specifically the tenth and last persona, identified with the earthly [[Shekhina]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=von Nettesheim |first=Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa |editor1-last=Tyson |editor1-first=Donald |editor2-last=Freake |editor2-first=James |year=1993 |title=Three Books of Occult Philosophy |url={{GBurl|5YjXnoAaYowC}} |page=473 |publisher=Llewellyn Worldwide |isbn=978-0-875-42832-1}}</ref> Furthermore, the [[Merkabah mysticism|Merkabah]] text {{transliteration|hbo|Re'uyot Yehezkel}} identifies the [[Ancient of Days]] from the [[Book of Daniel]] as Metatron.<ref name=Deutsch />

=== Scholem's scholastic analysis ===
Many scholars see a discontinuity between how Enoch is portrayed in the early Enoch literature and how Metatron is portrayed. Scholars commonly see the character of Metatron as being based on an amalgam of Jewish literature; in addition to Enoch, [[Michael (archangel)|Michael]], [[Melchizedek]], and [[Yahoel]] among others are seen as influences.<ref name=Orlov />

Scholem argues two streams of thought influenced Metatron's character: One linking Metatron with Enoch, and one fusing different obscure entities and mythic motifs.<ref name=Reeves>{{cite book |last=Reeves |first=John C. |year=2005 |title=Trajectories in Near Eastern Apocalyptic: A Postrabbinic Jewish Apocalypse Reader |url={{GBurl|TO6q6Je0r24C}} |pages=55, 180–185 |publisher=Society of Biblical Literature Atlanta |isbn=978-1-589-83102-5}}</ref> Scholem argues that this second tradition was originally separate but later fused with the Enoch tradition.<ref name=Orlov /> He points to texts where this second Metatron is a primordial angel and referred to as Metatron Rabbah.<ref name=Orlov /> Scholem theorizes that the two Hebrew spellings of Metatron's name represent these two separate traditions.<ref name=Orlov /> In his view, the second Metatron is linked to Yahoel. Scholem also links Yahoel with Michael.<ref name=Orlov /> In the [[Apocalypse of Abraham]], Yahoel is assigned duties normally reserved for Michael. Yahoel's name is commonly seen as a substitute for the Ineffable Name.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Ginzberg |first=Louis |year=1906 |title=Abraham, Apocalypse of |url=https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/361-abraham-apocalypse-of |encyclopedia=Jewish Encyclopedia}}</ref>

In [[2 Enoch]], Enoch is assigned titles commonly used by Metatron such as "the Youth, the Prince of the Presence and the Prince of the World."<ref name=Orlov /> Enoch is not called the Lesser Yahweh.<ref name=Orlov /> In 3 Enoch, Metatron is called the Lesser Yahweh. This raises a problem since the name Metatron does not seem to be directly related to the name of God, Yahweh.<ref name=Orlov /> Scholem proposes that this is because the Lesser Yahweh is a reference to Yahoel.<ref name=Orlov /> In [[Maaseh Merkabah]], the text reasons that Metatron is called the Lesser YHWH because in Hebrew gematria, Metatron is numerically equivalent to another name of God {{transliteration|hbo|[[El Shaddai|Shaddai]]}}.<ref name ="Speculum">{{Cite book |last=Wolfson |first=Elliot R. |year=1994 |title=Through a Speculum That Shines - Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism |url={{GBurl|FqKT7ML2re8C|pg=PA259}} |page=259 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-01722-8}}</ref> Scholem does not find this convincing.<ref name=Orlov /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Charlesworth |first=James H. |year=1983 |title=The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha |url={{GBurl|Z8cyt_SM7voC}} |page=227 |publisher=Hendrickson Publishers |isbn=978-1-598-56491-4}}</ref> Scholem points to the fact that both Yahoel and Metatron were known as the Lesser YHWH. In 3 Enoch 48D1, Metatron is called both Yahoel Yah and Yahoel.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Deutsch |first=Nathaniel |year=1999 |title=Guardians of the Gate - Angelic Vice Regency in Late Antiquity |url={{GBurl|yhfMea8gTu4C|pg=PA34}} |pages=36–37 |publisher=E.J. Brill |isbn=978-9-004-10909-4}}</ref> In addition to being one of the seventy names of Metatron from 3 Enoch 48D, Yahoel and Metatron are also linked in Aramaic [[incantation bowl]] inscriptions.<ref name=Orlov /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Charlesworth |first=James H. |year=2006 |title=The Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls: The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Qumran Community |url={{GBurl|rwod-AUjaWQC|pg=PA369}} |page=369 |publisher=Baylor University Press |isbn=978-1-932-79220-1}}</ref>

== Talmud ==
The [[Babylonian Talmud]] mentions Metatron by name in three places: [https://www.sefaria.org/Chagigah.15a?lang=bi Hagigah 15a], [https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.38b Sanhedrin 38b], and [https://www.sefaria.org/Avodah_Zarah.3b Avodah Zarah 3b].

[https://www.sefaria.org/Chagigah.15a Hagigah 15a] describes [[Elisha ben Abuyah]] in Paradise seeing Metatron sitting down (an action that is not done in the presence of God). Elishah ben Abuyah therefore looks to Metatron as a deity and says heretically: "Perhaps there are, God forbid, two powers in Heaven!"<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Chagigah 15a:5 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Chagigah.15a.5?lang=bi&with=all |website=www.sefaria.org |access-date=10 June 2023}}</ref> The rabbis explain that Metatron had permission to sit because of his function as the Heavenly Scribe, writing down the deeds of Israel.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Scholem |first=Gershom |year=1974 |title=Kabbalah |url={{GBurl|6NIRAQAAIAAJ}} |pages=378–380 |publisher=Quadrangle |isbn=978-0-812-90352-2}}</ref> The Talmud states that it was proved to Elisha that Metatron could not be a second deity by the fact that Metatron received 60 "[[Pulsa diNura|strokes with fiery rods]]" to demonstrate that Metatron was not a god, but an angel, and could be punished.<ref name=Journal>{{Cite journal |author=Society for Jewish Study |year=1983 |title=The Journal of Jewish Studies Volumes 34–35 |url={{GBurl|O4nXAAAAMAAJ}} |page=26 |journal=Journal of Jewish Studies |publisher=Oxford Centre for Postgraduate Hebrew Studies |access-date=5 March 2014}}</ref>

In [https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.38b Sanhedrin 38b], one of the {{transliteration|hbo|[[Heresy in Judaism|minim]]}} tells Rabbi Idith that Metatron should be worshiped because he has a name like his master. Rabbi Idith uses the same passage [https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.23.21 Exodus 23:21] to show that Metatron was an angel and not a deity and thus should not be worshiped. Furthermore, as an angel, Metatron has no power to pardon transgressions nor was he to be received even as a messenger of forgiveness.<ref name=Journal /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Herford |first=Robert Travers |year=1903 |title=Christianity in Talmud and Midrash |url=https://archive.org/details/christianityinta00herfuoft |pages=[https://archive.org/details/christianityinta00herfuoft/page/286 286–290] |publisher=Williams & Norgate |quote=Metatron christianity.}}</ref>

In [https://www.sefaria.org/Avodah_Zarah.3b Avodah Zarah 3b], the Talmud hypothesizes as to how God spends his day. It is suggested that in the fourth quarter of the day God sits and instructs the school children, but that before the [[destruction of the Temple]], Metatron may have taken God's place in this activity.

[https://www.sefaria.org/Yevamot.16b Yevamot 16b] records an utterance, "I have been young; also I have been old" found in [https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.37.25 Psalm 37:25]. The Talmud here attributes this utterance to the "chief angel" and "prince of the world", whom the rabbinic tradition identifies as Metatron.<ref>{{Cite book |editor-last=Matt |editor-first=Daniel Chanan |year=2005 |title=The Zohar, Volume 3; Volume 2006 |url={{GBurl|siZFGe74jWMC|pg=PA86}} |page=86 | publisher=Stanford University Press |isbn=978-0-804-75210-7}}</ref>

== Kirkisani ==
The tenth century [[Karaite Judaism|Karaite]] scholar [[Jacob Qirqisani]] believed that rabbinic Judaism was the heresy of [[Jeroboam]] of [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|the Kingdom of Israel]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Solomon |first=Norman |author-link=Norman Solomon |year=2009 |title=The A to Z of Judaism |url={{GBurl|KB1nSSvlz3sC|pg=PA217}} |page=217 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-810-87011-6}}</ref> He quoted a version of [https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.38b Sanhedrin 38b],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Scholem |first=Gershom |year=2011 |title=Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism |url={{GBurl|9mv10jdWKswC|pg=PA366}} |page=366 |publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-307-79148-1}}</ref> which he claimed contained a reference to the "lesser YHWH". Scholem suggests that the name was deliberately omitted from later copies of the Talmud.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cohon |first=Samuel S. |author-link=Samuel S. Cohon |year=1987 |title=Essays in Jewish Theology |url={{GBurl|C9nXAAAAMAAJ}} |publisher=Hebrew Union College Press |isbn=978-0-878-20117-4}}</ref> Extra-talmudic mystical texts such as Sefer Hekhalot do speak of a "lesser YHWH", apparently deriving the concept from [https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.23.21 Exodus 23:21], which mentions an angel of whom God says "my name [understood as YHWH, the usual divine Proper Name] is in him".

== Merkabah, Zohar and other mystical writings ==
Metatron also appears in the [[Pseudepigrapha]] including {{transliteration|hbo|[[Shi'ur Qomah]]}}, and most prominently in the [[Merkabah literature]] of the  [[3 Enoch]], also called the "Book of Enoch" or "Book of [the Heavenly] Palaces." The book describes the link between [[Enoch (ancestor of Noah)|Enoch]], son of [[Jared (biblical figure)|Jared]] (great-grandfather of [[Noah]]) and his transformation into the angel Metatron.

Metatron says, "He [the Holy One] called me, 'The lesser [[Yahweh|YHWH]]' in the presence of his whole household in the height, as it is written, 'my name is in him{{'"}} (12:5, Alexander's translation). The narrator of this book, supposedly [[Rabbi Ishmael]], tells how Metatron guided him through Heaven and explained its wonders. 3 Enoch presents Metatron in two ways: as a primordial angel (9:2–13:2) and as the transformation of Enoch after he was assumed into Heaven.<ref>{{cite journal |editor-last=Weimer |editor-first=Christopher M. |year=2002 |orig-year=1893 |title=Hebrew Visions of Hell and Paradise |url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/journals/jras/1893-15.htm |journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070102111156/http://www.sacred-texts.com/journals/jras/1893-15.htm |archive-date=2 January 2007}}</ref><ref name=Alexander>{{Cite book |last=Alexander |first=P.|editor-last=Charlesworth |editor-first=James H. |year=1983 |chapter=3 (Hebrew Apocalypse of) Enoch  |title=The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha |chapter-url={{GBurl|TNdeolWctsQC|pg=PA223}} |page=223 |location=New York |publisher=Doubleday |isbn=978-0-385-19491-4}}</ref>

{{blockquote|And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.|Genesis 5:24, [[King James Version]]<ref>{{bibleverse|Genesis|5:24|KJV}}</ref>}}

{{blockquote|This Enoch, whose flesh was turned to flame, his veins to fire, his eye-lashes to flashes of lightning, his eye-balls to flaming torches, and whom God placed on a throne next to the throne of glory, received after this heavenly transformation the name Metatron.<ref>{{cite book |last=Scholem |first=Gershom G. |year=2011 |orig-year=1941 |title=Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism |url={{GBurl|9mv10jdWKswC|pg=PA67}} |page=67 |publisher=Knopf Doubleday |isbn=978-0-307-79148-1}}</ref>}}

Metatron "the Youth", a title previously used in 3 Enoch, where it appears to mean "servant".<ref name=Alexander /> It identifies him as the angel that led the people of [[Israel]] through the wilderness after their exodus from [[Egypt]] (again referring to [https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.23.21 Exodus 23:21]), and describes him as a heavenly priest.

In the later Ecstatic Kabbalah, Metatron is a messianic figure.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Koslowski |editor-first=P. |year=2002 |title=Progress, Apocalypse, and Completion of History and Life after Death of the Human Person in the World Religions |url={{GBurl|veaWegpB22oC|pg=PA58}} |page=58 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-402-00647-0}}</ref>

The ''[[Zohar]]'' describes Metatron as the "King of the angels".<ref>{{Cite book|title=Zohar 3|page=293a}}</ref> and associates the concept of Metatron with that of the divine name {{transliteration|hbo|Shaddai}}.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Zohar Chadash|at=Sifra Tanina 11}}</ref> Zohar commentaries such as the {{transliteration|he|Ohr Yakar}} by [[Moses ben Jacob Cordovero]] explain the Zohar as meaning that Metatron as the head of [[Yetzirah|Yetzira]]<ref>{{Cite book|title=Matok Midvash on Zohar 2|page=149a}}</ref> This corresponds closely with [[Maimonides]]' description of the Talmudic "Prince of the World",<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Yevamot 16b:6 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Yevamot.16b.6 |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref> traditionally associated with Metatron,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Tosaphoth on Babylonian Talmud|page=16b}}</ref> as the core "[[Active intellect|Active Intellect]]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guide for the Perplexed, Part 2 6:4 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Guide_for_the_Perplexed,_Part_2.6.4 |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Guide for the Perplexed, Part 2 4:3 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Guide_for_the_Perplexed,_Part_2.4.3 |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref>

The ''Zohar'' describes several biblical figures as metaphors for Metatron. Examples are Enoch,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Zohar 3|page=189a}}</ref><ref name="Zohar 1">{{Cite book|title=Zohar 1|page=27a}}</ref> Joseph,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Zohar 1|page=47a}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Zohar 2|page=43a}}</ref> Eliezer,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Zohar 1|page=130b}}</ref> Joshua,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Zohar 2|page=65b}}</ref> and others. The ''Zohar'' uses "youth" to describe Joseph and Joshua, a hint that the figures are a metaphor to Metatron, and also the concept of ''servant'' by Eliezer as a reference to Metatron.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Zohar 2|page=94a}}</ref> The [[Staff of Moses]] is also described by the Zohar<ref name="Zohar 1" /> as a reference to Metatron. The Zohar also states that the two [[Tet (letter)|tets]] in the word ''totafot'' ({{langx|hbo|טוטפת||"[[tefillin]]"}}) are a reference to Metatron.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Zohar 3|page=226b}}</ref> The ''Zohar'' distinguishes Metatron and [[Michael (archangel)|Michael]].<ref name="Zohar 2">{{Cite book|title=Zohar 2|page=159a}}</ref> While Michael is described repeatedly in the ''Zohar'' as the figure represented by the [[High Priest of Israel|High Priest]], Metatron is represented by the structure of the [[tabernacle]] itself.<ref name="Zohar 2" />

== Apocalyptic texts ==
In the ''[[Apocalypse of Zerubbabel]]'', Metatron is not identified as Enoch. Instead, he is recognized as the archangel Michael.<ref name=Orlov /><ref name=Reeves /> The text also records that Metatron in [[gematria]] is the equivalent of [[El Shaddai|Shaddai]].<ref name=Reeves /> While he also appears in other apocalyptic writings, he is most prominent in the ''Apocalypse of Zerubbabel''.<ref name=Reeves /> In these writings, he plays the role of heavenly interlocutor delivering knowledge about the coming messianic age.<ref name=Reeves />

== Islam ==
{{Islam}}
The earliest account of Metatron within Islamic scriptures might derive directly from the [[Quran]] itself. [[Uzair]], according to [[Surah]] 9:30–31 venerated as a ''Son of God'' by Jews, commonly interpreted as an Arabic [[transliteration]] of the Hebrew name of the prophet [[Ezra]], who was also identified with Enoch and Metatron in Merkabah Mysticism.<ref name=Wasserstrom>{{Cite book |last=Wasserstrom |first=Steven M. |year=2014 |title=Between Muslim and Jew: The Problem of Symbiosis Under Early Islam |url={{GBurl|I0oABAAAQBAJ}} |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-1-400-86413-3}}</ref>{{rp|page=184}} In Islamic tradition, Metatron became a symbol for the idea that Jews [[Anthropomorphism and corporealism in Islam|worship "God-as-old-man" or an angelic being]] instead of God.<ref name=Wasserstrom>{{Cite book |last=Wasserstrom |first=Steven M. |year=2014 |title=Between Muslim and Jew: The Problem of Symbiosis Under Early Islam |url={{GBurl|I0oABAAAQBAJ}} |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-1-400-86413-3}}</ref>{{rp|page=184}} [[Heresiology|Muslim heresiologists]] repeatedly accused Jews for venerating an angel as a ''lesser god'' (or an ''Incarnation of God''), especially for celebrating [[Rosh Hashanah]].<ref name=Lazarus-Yafeh>{{Cite book |last=Lazarus-Yafeh |first=Hava |author-link=Hava Lazarus-Yafeh |year=2004 |title=Intertwined Worlds: Medieval Islam and Bible Criticism |url={{GBurl|mzQABAAAQBAJ|pg=PA32}} |page=32 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-1-400-86273-3 |jstor=j.ctt7ztthw}}</ref>

The name itself is attested early in Islam by [[al-Kindi]] and [[al-Masudi]].<ref name=Wasserstrom />{{rp|page=192}} [[Al-Suyuti]] identifies him as the angel of the veil and only he knows about that which lies beyond.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Knight |first=Michael Muhammad |year=2016 |title=Magic in Islam |url={{GBurl|ih13CgAAQBAJ|pg=PA120}} |page=120 |location=New York |publisher=TarcherPerigee |isbn=978-1-101-98349-2}}</ref><ref name=Burge /><ref name=Wasserstrom />{{rp|page=193}} He is also frequently mentioned in the [[Magic (supernatural)|magical works]] by [[Ahmad al-Buni]], who describes Metatron as wearing a crown and a lance, probably constituting the [[Staff of Moses]].<ref name=Wasserstrom />{{rp|page=198}} In other magical practises, he is invoked to ward off evil [[jinn]], [[shaitan|devils]], sorcerers and other magical threats.<ref name=Wasserstrom />{{rp|page=199}}

[[Ibn Hazm]] mentions that [[Jews]], although regarding Metatron as an angel, would celebrate Metatron as a lesser god ten days each year, perhaps a reference to [[Rosh Hashanah]] in connection with [[Merkabah mysticism]] that Metatron took part on the creation of the world.<ref name=Lazarus-Yafeh />

== In popular culture ==
[[File:Alan Rickman after Seminar (3).jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|[[Alan Rickman]] played Metatron in 1999]]
* Metatron is invoked in a love ritual by the witch Geli Tripping in [[Thomas Pynchon]]'s novel [[Gravity's Rainbow]] (1973).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lynd |first=Margaret |date=October 2004 |title=Science, Narrative, and Agency in Gravity's Rainbow |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3200/CRIT.46.1.63-80 |journal=Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction |language=en |volume=46 |issue=1 |pages=63–80 |doi=10.3200/CRIT.46.1.63-80 |issn=0011-1619|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
* Metatron appears as an angel and the spokesperson of God in the novel ''[[Good Omens]]'' (1990) and its [[Good Omens (TV series)|2019 TV adaptation]]. Metatron is played in the series by [[Derek Jacobi]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Clemons |first=Amy Lea |year=2017 |title=Adapting Revelation: Good Omens as Comic Corrective |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26390195 |pages=86–101 |journal=Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts |volume=28 |issue=1 (98) |jstor=26390195 |issn=0897-0521}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bryan |first=Anna |date=26 January 2022 |title=Good Omens: All-star cast confirmed for second season of Amazon show filming in Edinburgh and Bathgate |url=https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/film-and-tv/all-star-cast-confirmed-for-good-omens-2-which-has-been-filming-in-edinburgh-3543450 |work=[[Edinburgh Evening News]] |access-date=11 June 2023}}</ref>
* Metatron appears in [[Phillip Pullman]]'s novel series, ''[[His Dark Materials]]'' (1995–2000), as the main antagonist.<ref>{{cite web |last=Geddo |first=Benedetta |date=January 27, 2023 |title=A Look Into the Figure of The Authority in 'His Dark Materials' |url=https://www.themarysue.com/a-look-into-the-figure-of-the-authority-in-his-dark-materials/ |website=The Mary Sue |access-date=June 13, 2023}}</ref> He was originally a human named Enoch before becoming a high ranking angel and Regent of the Kingdom of Heaven. In the [[His Dark Materials (TV series)|2019 BBC/HBO TV adaptation]], he is portrayed by [[Alex Hassell]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Dean |first=Tyler |date=January 3, 2023 |title="Love Takes a Million Forms": His Dark Materials' Series Finale |url=https://www.tor.com/2023/01/03/love-takes-a-million-forms-his-dark-materials-series-finale/ |website=tor.com}}</ref>
* Metatron appears in the 1999 movie ''[[Dogma (film)|Dogma]]'' as an angel and the voice of God, played by [[Alan Rickman]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Fry |first=Carrol Lee |year=2008 |title=Cinema of the Occult: New Age, Satanism, Wicca, and Spiritualism in Film |url={{GBurl|LylaC3ZxSbAC|pg=PA39}} |pages=39–40 |publisher=Associated University Presse |isbn=978-0-934223-95-9}}</ref>
*Guitarist [[Carlos Santana]] said in 2000 that he has been in contact with Metatron since 1994, and that the angel gives him messages.<ref>{{cite web |last=Heath |first=Chris |author-link=Chris Heath |date=16 March 2000 |title=The Epic Life of Carlos Santana |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-epic-life-of-carlos-santana-89485/ |publisher=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=16 June 2023}}</ref>
* Metatron appears in the TV series ''[[Supernatural (American TV series)|Supernatural]]'' (2005) as the scribe of God, played by [[Curtis Armstrong]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Giannini |first=Erin |date=7 November 2017 |title=Joss Whedon Versus the Corporation: Big Business Critiqued in the Films and Television Programs |url={{GBurl|YKg7DwAAQBAJ|pg=PA184}} |page=184 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-476-66776-8}}</ref>
* Both the lyrics and title of the second track on [[The Mars Volta]]'s 2008 album, ''[[The Bedlam in Goliath]]'', refer to Metatron.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Mars Volta encounters demons and spirits during recording of Bedlam in Goliath |url=http://marqueemag.com/2008/01/mars-volta-encounters-demons-and-spirits-during-recording-of-bedlam-in-goliath/ |magazine=The Marquee Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=8 January 2015 |title=The Mars Volta |url=https://theweek.com/articles/516582/mars-volta |magazine=[[The Week]] |access-date=14 June 2023}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Adam Kadmon]]
* [[Abatur]] in Mandaeism
* [[Archangels]]
* [[Sandalphon]]
* [[Theophany]]
* [[Yufin-Yufafin]] in Mandaeism
* [[List of angels in theology]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}
{{clear}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==

* [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1509524 "Form(s) of God - Some Notes on Metatron and Christ"] by G. G. Stroumsa, ''Harvard Theological Review'', vol. 76 (1983), 269–288
* [https://rdtwot.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/abrams_the-boundaries-of-divine-ontology.pdf "The Boundaries of Divine Ontology - The Inclusion and Exclusion of Metatron in the Godhead"] by Daniel Abrams, ''Harvard Theological Review'', vol. 87 (1994)
* {{Cite book |last=Orlov |first=Andrei A. |title=The Enoch-Metatron tradition |date=2005 |publisher=Mohr Siebeck |isbn=978-3-16-148544-2 |series=Texte und Studien zum antiken Judentum |location=Tübingen}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commonscat}}

{{Angels in Abrahamic Religions}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Enoch (ancestor of Noah)]]
[[Category:Individual angels]]
[[Category:People celebrated in the Lutheran liturgical calendar]]
[[Category:Scribes]]
[[Category:Archangels]]
[[Category:Angels of the Presence]]
[[Category:Archangels in Judaism]]
[[Category:Archangels in Islam]]
[[Category:Supernatural beings identified with Christian saints]]