Metatron

Numerous etymologies have been proposed to account for the name Metatron, but there is no consensus, and its precise origin is unknown.{{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}}{{rp|92–97}} Some scholars, such as Philip Alexander, believe that if the name Metatron originated in Hekhalot literature and Merkabah texts such as 3 Enoch, then it may have been a magical word like {{transliteration|hbo|Adiriron}} and {{transliteration|hbo|Dapdapiron}}.{{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}}

Hugo 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}} Adolf Jellinek{{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}} and Marcus Jastrow{{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}} 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. Citing Wiesner,in Ben Chananja, 1862, p. 384; 1866, pp. 600–625 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'.{{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"}} 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.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'.

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".Philip Alexander, "3 Enoch"}} This, like the above etymology, is not found in any source materials. It is supported by Saul Lieberman and Peter Schäfer, who give further reasons why this might be a viable etymology.{{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=E. J. Brill |isbn=978-9-004-33267-6}} 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. 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.Gershom Scholem, Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and Talmudic Tradition, Jewish Theological Seminary of America 2nd. ed. 1965 pp41,93. 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'.Alexander, P. "From Son of Adam to a Second God" and Alexander, P. "3 Enoch"{{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}}

Other ideas include {{lang|grc|μέτρον}} ({{transliteration|grc|metron}}, 'a measure').{{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 }} 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".{{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}} 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 Bavli's version of "four entered pardes".{{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'.}}

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}}).{{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}} 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].Segal ibid. p.60 These different interpretations later came to distinguish what was orthodox from what was heretical in Judaism.

Among the pseudepigrapha 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.{{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 }} The Book of Daniel displays two similar characters: the Ancient of Days and the 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.{{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}}

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 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 divine palace; the latter, the Primordial Metatron, a sephira "persona" of the "Cause of Causes", specifically the tenth and last persona, identified with the earthly Shekhina.{{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}} Furthermore, the Merkabah text {{transliteration|hbo|Re'uyot Yehezkel}} identifies the Ancient of Days from the Book of Daniel as Metatron.

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, Melchizedek, and Yahoel among others are seen as influences.

Scholem argues two streams of thought influenced Metatron's character: One linking Metatron with Enoch, and one fusing different obscure entities and mythic motifs.{{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}} Scholem argues that this second tradition was originally separate but later fused with the Enoch tradition. He points to texts where this second Metatron is a primordial angel and referred to as Metatron Rabbah. Scholem theorizes that the two Hebrew spellings of Metatron's name represent these two separate traditions. In his view, the second Metatron is linked to Yahoel. Scholem also links Yahoel with Michael. 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.{{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}}

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." Enoch is not called the Lesser Yahweh. 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. Scholem proposes that this is because the Lesser Yahweh is a reference to Yahoel. 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|Shaddai}}.{{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}} Scholem does not find this convincing.{{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}} 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.{{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}} 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.{{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}}

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!"{{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}} The rabbis explain that Metatron had permission to sit because of his function as the Heavenly Scribe, writing down the deeds of Israel.{{Cite book |last=Scholem |first=Gershom |year=1974 |title=Kabbalah |url={{GBurl|6NIRAQAAIAAJ}} |pages=378–380 |publisher=Quadrangle |isbn=978-0-812-90352-2}} The Talmud states that it was proved to Elisha that Metatron could not be a second deity by the fact that Metatron received 60 "strokes with fiery rods" to demonstrate that Metatron was not a god, but an angel, and could be punished.{{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}}

In [https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.38b Sanhedrin 38b], one of the {{transliteration|hbo|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.{{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.}}

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.{{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}}

The tenth century Karaite scholar Jacob Qirqisani believed that rabbinic Judaism was the heresy of Jeroboam of the Kingdom of Israel.{{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}} He quoted a version of [https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.38b Sanhedrin 38b],{{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}} which he claimed contained a reference to the "lesser YHWH". Scholem suggests that the name was deliberately omitted from later copies of the Talmud.{{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}} 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".

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, son of Jared (great-grandfather of Noah) and his transformation into the angel Metatron.

Metatron says, "He [the Holy One] called me, 'The lesser 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.{{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}}{{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}}

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

{{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.{{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}}}}

Metatron "the Youth", a title previously used in 3 Enoch, where it appears to mean "servant". 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.{{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}}

The Zohar describes Metatron as the "King of the angels".{{Cite book|title=Zohar 3|page=293a}} and associates the concept of Metatron with that of the divine name {{transliteration|hbo|Shaddai}}.{{Cite book|title=Zohar Chadash|at=Sifra Tanina 11}} 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 Yetzira{{Cite book|title=Matok Midvash on Zohar 2|page=149a}} This corresponds closely with Maimonides' description of the Talmudic "Prince of the World",{{Cite web |title=Yevamot 16b:6 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Yevamot.16b.6 |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=www.sefaria.org}} traditionally associated with Metatron,{{Cite book|title=Tosaphoth on Babylonian Talmud|page=16b}} as the core "Active Intellect".{{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}}{{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}}

The Zohar describes several biblical figures as metaphors for Metatron. Examples are Enoch,{{Cite book|title=Zohar 3|page=189a}}{{Cite book|title=Zohar 1|page=27a}} Joseph,{{Cite book|title=Zohar 1|page=47a}}{{Cite book|title=Zohar 2|page=43a}} Eliezer,{{Cite book|title=Zohar 1|page=130b}} Joshua,{{Cite book|title=Zohar 2|page=65b}} 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.{{Cite book|title=Zohar 2|page=94a}} The Staff of Moses is also described by the Zohar as a reference to Metatron. The Zohar also states that the two tets in the word totafot ({{langx|hbo|טוטפת||"tefillin"}}) are a reference to Metatron.{{Cite book|title=Zohar 3|page=226b}} The Zohar distinguishes Metatron and Michael.{{Cite book|title=Zohar 2|page=159a}} While Michael is described repeatedly in the Zohar as the figure represented by the High Priest, Metatron is represented by the structure of the tabernacle itself.

In the Apocalypse of Zerubbabel, Metatron is not identified as Enoch. Instead, he is recognized as the archangel Michael. The text also records that Metatron in gematria is the equivalent of Shaddai. While he also appears in other apocalyptic writings, he is most prominent in the Apocalypse of Zerubbabel. In these writings, he plays the role of heavenly interlocutor delivering knowledge about the coming messianic age.

{{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.{{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}}{{rp|page=184}} In Islamic tradition, Metatron became a symbol for the idea that Jews worship "God-as-old-man" or an angelic being instead of God.{{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}}{{rp|page=184}} Muslim heresiologists repeatedly accused Jews for venerating an angel as a lesser god (or an Incarnation of God), especially for celebrating Rosh Hashanah.{{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}}

The name itself is attested early in Islam by al-Kindi and al-Masudi.{{rp|page=192}} Al-Suyuti identifies him as the angel of the veil and only he knows about that which lies beyond.{{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}}{{rp|page=193}} He is also frequently mentioned in the magical works by Ahmad al-Buni, who describes Metatron as wearing a crown and a lance, probably constituting the Staff of Moses.{{rp|page=198}} In other magical practises, he is invoked to ward off evil jinn, devils, sorcerers and other magical threats.{{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.

File:Alan Rickman after Seminar (3).jpg 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).{{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 }}
• Metatron appears as an angel and the spokesperson of God in the novel Good Omens (1990) and its 2019 TV adaptation. Metatron is played in the series by Derek Jacobi.{{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}}{{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}}
• Metatron appears in Phillip Pullman's novel series, His Dark Materials (1995–2000), as the main antagonist.{{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}} He was originally a human named Enoch before becoming a high ranking angel and Regent of the Kingdom of Heaven. In the 2019 BBC/HBO TV adaptation, he is portrayed by Alex Hassell.{{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}}
• Metatron appears in the 1999 movie Dogma as an angel and the voice of God, played by Alan Rickman.{{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}}
• Guitarist Carlos Santana said in 2000 that he has been in contact with Metatron since 1994, and that the angel gives him messages.{{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}}
• Metatron appears in the TV series Supernatural (2005) as the scribe of God, played by Curtis Armstrong.{{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}}
• Both the lyrics and title of the second track on The Mars Volta's 2008 album, The Bedlam in Goliath, refer to Metatron.{{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}}{{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}}

• Adam Kadmon
• Abatur in Mandaeism
• Archangels
• Sandalphon
• Theophany
• Yufin-Yufafin in Mandaeism
• List of angels in theology

{{Notelist}}

{{clear}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [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}}

{{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