3 Enoch 4 - Enoch Taken from the Generation of the Flood
3 Enoch 4
Section: Metatron Revealed (Enoch Transformed)
Translated by Hugo Odeberg (1928)
CHAPTER IV
Metatron ts identical with Enoch who was translated to heaven at the time of the Deluge
R. Ishmael said:
(1) I asked Metatron and said to him: ‘‘!Why art thou called! by the name of thy Creator, by seventy names? Thou art greater than all the princes, higher than all the angels, beloved more than all the servants, honoured above all the mighty ones in kingship, greatness and glory: why do they call thee ‘Youth’ in the high heavens?”
(2) He answered and said to me: ‘‘*Because I am? Enoch, the son of Jared. (3) For when the generation of the flood sinned and were
1-1 so CD. A: ‘callest thou’ (corr.) B: ‘is thy name (like the name of thy Creator)’ 2-2 so BCDEL. A: ‘for the reason that he (the Na‘ar) is also (Enoch etc.)’
this passage state that Enoch-Metatron and the Prince of the World are both called Naar, yet they must not, acc. to the Tosaphists, be identified: Ps. xxxvii. 25 refers to the Prince of the World only, not to Enoch-Metatron. This of course implies that the verse in question was acc. to one tradition referred to Metatron (in fact Metatron is, apparently with reference to Ps. xxxvii. 25, described both as ‘Naar, Youth’ and ‘Zägen, Old, Eldest’; cf. Yalqut Re’ubeni, i. 60a). See further the Introduction.
In Zohar, i. fol. 223 b et al. the appellation Na’ar as given to Enoch-Metatron is derived from Prov. xxii. 6, ‘Chdadndk la-nNa‘ar’, which is interpreted: ‘Enoch was made (the) Na‘ar’. The present verse is quoted in Zohar, i. 37 b, from ‘ Book of Enoch’.
Ch. iv. This chapter is framed as an explanation of the name ‘Na‘ar, Youth’ as applied to Metatron. It relates how Metatron is Enoch of Gen. v who was removed to heaven and there made into an angel-prince. The reason of his transla- tion was the sinfulness of the generation of the Flood to which he was to bear witness to future generations and in the world to come. His testimony was to justify the destruction of all living beings in that generation through the Flood. The high angels ‘Azza, ‘Uzza and ‘Azzael enter protest against Enoch’s translation, but God rebukes them and elevates Enoch into a ruler and prince over them.
(1) Why art thou called by the name of thy Creator etc. This part of the question is not answered in the chapter. It is to be considered merely as a repetition of the statement of the aforegoing chapter. The real question is: Why do they call thee ‘Youth’ in the high heavens?
(2) Because I am Enoch the son of Jared. The identity of Enoch and Meta- tron is proclaimed in Targ. Yer. in the well-known passage to Gen. v. 24. There the ground for identification seems to have been the function of Scribe assigned both to Enoch and Metatron. For Enoch as Scribe cf. e.g. Jub. iv. 23, 2 En. liii. 2; for Metatron, TB. Chag. 15 a. This function of Enoch-Metatron is not emphasized in the present book, although the office of ‘witness’ of the sins of the generation in its original conception is probably connected with that of ‘scribe’; see the next verse.
(3) when the generation of the flood sinned and were confounded in their deeds, saying unto God: Depart from us… (Job xxi. 14). The sins of the genera- tion of the Deluge are not defined as to their nature, except as a rebellion. Acc.
CH. IV] ENOCH-METATRON PIECE 9
confounded in their deeds, saying unto God: ‘Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways (Job xxi. 14)’, then the Holy One, blessed be He, removed me from their midst to be a witness against them in the high heavens to all the inhabitants of the world, that ®they may not say: ‘The Merciful One is cruel’.
(4) ADEL: BC: What sinned all those multitudes, What sins had they com- their wives, their sons and their mitted, all those multitudes? daughters, their horses, their mules Or, let it be they sinned, what and their cattle and their property, had their sons and their and all the birds of the world, all of daughters, their mules and which the Holy One, blessed be He, their cattle sinned? And like- destroyed from the world together ^ wise, all the animals, domestic with them in the waters of the flood? and wild, and the birds in the
3-3 so BCDEL. A: ‘the Merciful One is not cruel’
to chh. v, vi the sin of the generation that caused the removal of the Shekina and with the Shekina, of Enoch, was idolatry; cf. on ch. v.6. The expression ‘ Depart from us etc. (Job xxi. 14)’ is used already in Fub. xi. 6 in connection with the idolatry of the early times (the name ‘ Seroh= Suru: depart’ or saru). Cf. Gen. R. xxxi. 6: the ‘chamas (violence)’ of which the earth was filled in the time of the Flood acc. to Gen. vi. 13, comprised the three cardinal sins, adultery, idolatry and bloodshed. to be a witness against them. The idea of Enoch’s removal to heaven in order to be a witness against the sins of mankind is attested in Jub. iv. 21 seqq. His function of witness is there made the essential part of his office as Scribe: ‘‘(22) And he (Enoch) testified to the Watchers who had sinned with the daughters of men… And Enoch testified against them all. (23) And he was taken from amongst the children of men,…into the Garden of Eden…and behold there he writes down the condemnation and the judgement of the world, and all the wickedness of the children of men. (24) And on account of it God brought the waters of the flood upon all the land”. (Enoch’s testimony brings about the decree of destruction, contrast the present chapter.) The same idea of Enoch as witness in heaven against man’s sin persists in later traditions; cf. YR,1. 57 a (perhaps dependent upon the present fragment): ‘°° When the generation of the flood sinned God took him (Enoch) to be a witness against them’: (so that if anyone might say:) if man sinned that was because he was created from the four elements or because his generation were wicked men, God would answer: Behold, Enoch was also in a generation of wicked men, and he also was created of the four elements (scil. yet he did not sin)”.
that they may not say: ‘The Merciful One is cruel. (4) What sinned all those multitudes etc.’ Enoch-Metatron is to bear witness to the justice of God’s decree of destroying not only mankind, but all living beings, including the cattle and the wild beasts, in the waters of the Flood. How Enoch’s testimony was to refute the charge of cruelty that might otherwise be raised against God is not further explained. No answer is given to the question: ‘What did the cattle, beasts and birds sin?’ The answer is probably to be understood thus: even the animals were implicated in the wickedness of the generation. The question is noted in Rabbinic. Cf. Gen. R. xxviii. 8, where it is stated that in the generation of the Flood even the animals sinned: ‘‘as it is written (Gen. vi. 12): ‘all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth’. ‘All men’ is not written here, but ‘all flesh’
IO THE HEBREW BOOK OF ENOCH [CH. IV
ADL: E: BC:
Nor may say: What though what had they world * that God the generation of the flood sinned that they did destroy from did sin; the beasts and the should perish the world?’
birds, what had they sinned, with them?’
that they should perish with
them?’
(5) Hence the Holy One, blessed be He, lifted me up°in their life- time? before their eyes to be a witness against them to the future world. And the Holy One, blessed be He, ?assigned me for? a prince and a ruler among the ministering angels. |
(6) In that hour ’ *three of the ministering angels, *UZZA, ‘AZZA and ‘AZZAEL? came forth and brought charges against me in the high
4 C ins. ‘what did they sin, and those that were taken away with them’ 5-5 BC om. L: ‘in their lifetime from the world’ 6-6 (B) CL: ‘made me into’. Above acc. to DE, lit. ‘joined me to the ministering angels as a prince and a ruler’. A corr. (Ziggéwdni: me signavit?) 7 BCL ins. ‘when the Holy One, blessed be He, took me up to the high heavens’ 8-8 D: ‘three angels, ‘Azza, ‘Uzga and ‘Azzael’ B: ‘three angels: Mal’aki, ‘Azza and ‘Azzael’ CE: ‘three of the angels (of) ‘Azza and ‘Azzael’ L: ‘three angels, Mamlaketi, ‘Azza and ‘Azzael’ YR. i. 35 a: ‘three angels from among the angels of ‘Azza and ‘Azzael.’
(i.e. including the animals). Yea, even the earth fell to whoredom ”. Similarly TB. Sanh. 108 a (attr. to R. Yochanan): “‘all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth’; this means to say, that the cattle defiled themselves with the beasts and the beasts with the cattle and all of them with men and men with all of them”. Parallel is Pirge de R. ‘Eliezer, ch. xiv: “(with reference to the curse put upon the earth on account of Adam’s sin) If Adam sinned, what was the sin of the earth? Only this, that the earth did -not denounce the evil doings of man”. In other connections we find the very question repudiated as an undue criticism of God’s ways; so with reference to the narrative of 1 Sam. xv. 3 and Deut. xxi. 4 in TB. Yoma, 22 b and Eccl. R. vii. 33: “ (in the former case) If the men had sinned, what were the sins of the women, what the sins of the infants, the cattle, oxen and asses? (and in the latter case) If man sinned, what was the sin of the cattle?” No answer is given but a quotation by Bath Qol of Eccl. vii. 16, *’ Be not righteous over much”, explained thus: ‘‘Do not think that thou canst judge about what is just and unjust better than thy Creator!” Cf.also TB. Shabb. 54.6, 55 a.
(6) three of the ministering angels, ‘Uzza, ‘Azza and ‘Azzael. The three angels, ‘Azza, ‘Uzza and ‘Azzael are in the present chapter represented as belonging to the order of ministering angels, inhabitants of the high heavens, whereas acc. to ch. v they are evil agencies, inspirers of idolatry. They are usually mentioned as two only (‘Azza and ‘Azzael, ‘Uzza and ‘Azziel, etc.), not as three. (The readings of CE and YR, in fact, have ‘Azza and ‘Azzael only.) Cf. however 2 En. xviii. 4 and note on v. 9 (important parallel).
The names are in all probability of an early origin: they can be traced to 1 En., to gnostic works (see Introduction) and in Talmud. The meaning of the words is pellucid: Strength, Might-God, Divine Power. Most of the preserved traditions represent them as fallen angels. They are attached to the speculations centring round the mystical piece Gen. vi. 1-4. In xr En. vi. 7 ‘Asael’ is one of the leaders of the angels who fell and led mankind astray into fornication and idolatry. The
CH. Iv] ENOCH-METATRON PIECE II
heavens, saying before the Holy One, blessed be He: “° Said not the Ancient Ones (First Ones) rightly before Thee: ‘Do not create man ! 19? 11 ‘The Holy One, blessed be He, answered and said unto
9 BCDEL ins. ‘Lord of the Universe!’ 10-10 C: ‘Let not man be created!’ rr C ins. ‘for he will sin’ A ins. ‘again’
conception of ‘Azza and ‘Azzael as fallen angels evidently underlies the dictum, attributed to the school of R. Ishmael, recorded in TB. Yoma, 67 a, acc. to which ‘Azazel of Lev. xvi. is to be considered as a composition of ‘Azza and ‘Azzael, ‘for Azazel atoned for the sins of these’. Rashi, ad locum, connects ‘Azza and ‘Azzael with ‘the sons of God’ in Gen. vi. 2 (cf. 1 En. vi and Charles’ note on ı En. vi. 6).
In Zohar the same view is repeatedly set forth. See vol. i. 19 b, 23a, 25a b, 37 a with Tosefta, 55 a, 58 a, 1264, vol. iii. 194. a, 208 a and ’Jdra Rabba. ‘Azza and ‘Azzael (in this form they are always referred to in Zohar) are the angels who had been thrown down from heaven ‘from their state of holiness’, and after that went astray with the daughters of men (Nd’amah, Gen.‘iv: 22) and also taught mankind sorceries (cf. ch. v. 9)—being now definitely unable to leave the lower regions (ctr. the present verse). A slightly modified version of the idea is found in “Jdra Rabba: ‘‘‘Azza and ‘Azzael are the ‘giants’ (Gen. vi. 6), not the sons of God (ib. 2)”—this is perhaps a reminiscence of the distinction emphasized in the Book of Fubilees between the sons of Elohim and the demons, the sons of the sons of the Elohim— “for the sons of God were not on earth but Azza and Azzael were on earth’. The same is quoted from Midrash Ruth by Siuni, in YR, i. 61 b.
BH. iv. 127-8, instead of ‘‘Azgza and ‘Azzael’, has ‘ Shamchazat and ‘Azzael’. Shamchazai is of course identical with the Semiazaz or Semjaza of 1 En. vi. 7, viii. 3 (cf. Charles, ad loca).
In the present chapter ‘Azza, ‘Uzza and ‘Azzael are represented as high angels, accusing man before God on account of his sin: ‘Said not the first ones rightly before Thee, Create thou not man?’ One of the traditional statements about ‘Azza and ‘Azzael in the adduced references, in fact, reveals the view that the fall of these angels was caused by their accusing man before God. Thus e.g. in a citation in Yalqut Re’ubeni, i. 61 a, with reference to Gen. vi. 2: “the ‘sons of God’ are ‘Azza and ‘Azza’el who laid accusations (against man) before their Master and he threw them down from the holy place on high. ..and they defiled themselves with the daughters of men”, and :b. (from Kanfe Yona), also with reference to Gen. vi. 2: “ ‘Azza and * Azzael are the angels that laid accusations against man and said: ‘Why didst Thou create him? For he is going to sin and to provoke Thee’. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: ‘Behold! If ye go down to the lower world, ye will sin as he’, and He cast them down. And they are the ‘sons of God’ who took themselves wives from among the daughters of men…and after they had fallen into sin…they were no longer angels” and when they desired to return to their former place, they were unable to do so. Essentially the same is found in Zohar, i. 23 a, 37 a Tosefta. In Zohar they are even identified with ‘the first ones’ who opposed man’s creation in the beginning.
This tradition harmonizes the two views represented in chh. iv and v respectively : the one regarding these angels as belonging to the celestial household, the other as evil agencies, demons inspiring idolatry. In their present setting the two views cannot, however, be harmonized: acc. to ch. v ‘Azza, ‘Uzsa and ‘Azzael are evil agencies (that is, acc. to the harmonizing view, fallen angels) before Enoch’s transla- tion to the heavens, acc. to ch. iv, on the other hand, they are still high angels in the presence of the Holy One, at the time when Enoch is taken up to heaven. Furthermore, the writer of ch. iv evidently does not think of the angels in question as fallen angels at all, to judge from the following expression: “‘ he (Enoch-Metatron)
I2 THE HEBREW BOOK OF ENOCH [CH. IV
them: “I have made and I will bear, yea, I will carry and will deliver”. (Is. xlvi. 4.)
(7) As soon as they saw me, they said before Him: “Lord of the Universe! What is this one that he should ascend to the height of heights? Is not he one from among the sons of [the sons of] those who perished in the days of the Flood? 13° What doeth he in the Raqia‘? 38
(8) Again, the Holy One, blessed be He, answered and said to them: “‘What are ye, that ye enter and speak in my presence? I de- light in this one more than in all of you, and hence he shall be a
12 so AL, BCD: ‘waters’ 13-13 DLE om.
shall be a prince and a ruler over you in the high heavens’’, and from the representa- tion in vs. 9: the angels yield and pay Enoch-Metatron due homage.
There are instances of traditions according with the view of the present chapter, . representing ‘Azza, ‘Uzza or ‘Azzael (‘Azziel) as high angels and princes, with.’ permanent membership in the Celestial Court. They are then often connected with the proceedings of Judgement. Thus acc. to Stib. Or. ii. 217, ‘Azziel is one of five angels who lead the souls of men to judgement. Acc. to S. ha-Chesheg (Adu. 27120), fol. 12 b, *Azzael is one of the ’ xo heads of the Great Sanhedrin in heaven”. Acc. to a quotation from ‘‘a commentary on Ma‘areketh ha-’Elohuth”’ in Yalqut Re’ubeni, i. 55 a, f Azza 1s the head of the angels of Justice, ‘Uzziel the head of the angels of Mercy (cf. ch. xxxiii), but both under the authority of Metatron. S. Raziel, 40 a represents ‘Azzael as one of the seven angels near God’s Throne, cf. ib. 40 b, and Hek. R. BH. iii. 96, 99, introduces ‘Uzziel as one of the guardians of the fifth Hall. Cf. S. Raziel, 27 b.
Said not the First Ones rightly before Thee: Do not create man! For the angels as opposing man’s creation cf. e.g. Gen. R. viii. 5. Striking is here the parallel TB. Sanhedrin, 38 a: when God was about to create man, he first created . a company of angels whom he asked whether they consented to man’s creation or not. Upon being told of man’s future deeds, they said ’* Let not man be created ”— and were consequently consumed by the Divine Fire. The same happened with another company that God called into being immediately after. But the third acquiesced and remained in life. However, as soon as they ’ came to the men of the generation of the flood and of the generation of the dispersion whose deeds were confounded (cf. vs. 3) they said before him: ‘Master of the World! Said not the first ones rightly before Thee: Create thou not man?’ whereupon God answered with the first part of the scriptural verse laid in God’s mouth also here: Is. xlvi. 4”. ‘The same narrative is echoed in Ma‘yan Chokma, BH. i. 60 seq. in God’s rebuke of Hadarniel. In the quoted Talmud-passage the expression ‘first ones’ naturally refers to the first created company of angels, here it simply means the angels present at man’s Creation and opposing it. For the expression ‘first ones’ used of certain angels cf. also T’B. Ber. 5 a (of Mikael).
(7) Is not he one from among the sons of those who perished in the days of the Flood? This seems to imply, not only that Enoch was counted as one of the men of the generation of the Flood, but even as living after the Flood or in the days of the Flood, a view which of course entirely disagrees with the chrono- logical system of Gen. v, vii. 11, acc. to which Enoch disappeared from earth more than 600 years (669) before the Flood.
(8) What are ye etc. God’s answer in the same expressions as those of the angels. that ye enter and speak. Even the highest angels are not allowed to enter before God’s presence, with some distinguished exceptions (cf. the conception
CHH, IV, V] ENOCH-METATRON PIECE 13
prince and a ruler over you in the high heavens.” (9) Forthwith all stood up and went out to meet me, prostrated themselves before me and said: ‘‘ Happy art thou and happy is thy father “ for thy Creator doth favour thee”’.
(10) And because I am small and a youth among them 15 in days, months and years®, therefore they call me ‘‘ Youth” (Na‘ar).