3 Enoch 14
3 Enoch 14
Section: Metatron Revealed (Enoch Transformed)
Translated by Hugo Odeberg (1928)
CHAPTER XIV
All the highest princes, the elementary angels and the planetary and sideric angels fear and tremble at the sight of Metatron crowned
R. Ishmael said: Metatron, the Angel, the Prince of the Presence, said to me:
(1) When the Holy One, blessed be He, put this crown on my-head, (then) trembled before me all the Princes of Kingdoms who are in the height tof “Araboth Raqia‘ and all the hosts of every heaven!; and even “the princes (of) the Elim, the princes (of) the ’Er’ellim and the princes (of) the Tafsarim?, who are greater than all the
1-1 Lom. 2-2 so with BL. A: ‘the princes of the ‘Er’eltin and the princes of the “Elim Tafsarim and the princes of the ’Er’ellim’ DE: ‘the princes ’Elim and the princes ’Tafsarim’
Ch. xiv. In the form of a narrative of how different princes and angels trembled before Metatron, when they saw him crowned by the Most High, the PRESENT CHAPTER GIVES AN EXPOSITION OF THE VARIOUS ANGELIC POWERS UNDER METATRON’S AUTHORITY. These comprise mainly: (x) the princes of kingdoms, including Sam- mael (‘who is greater than all of them’); (2) the princes (of) the ’Elim, ’Er’ellim and Tafsarim; (3) the so-called ‘rulers of the world’, i.e. (a) the angels appointed over the elementary powers of the world, fire, ice, wind, lightning, thunder, snow, rain, (b) the angels appointed over the heavenly bodies, including the angels of ‘the day’ and ‘the night’. It will be noticed that these angels and angelic functions fall within the traditional dominion of the ‘Prince of the World’: METATRON IS HERE (cf. on chh. ix. 5, x. 3) DENOTED AS VIRTUAL PRINCE OF THE WORLD, HAVING AUTHORITY OVER THE 72 PRINCES OF KINGDOMS (cf. ch. xxx) AND OVER THE ‘RULERS OF THE WORLD’,
(1) all the Princes of Kingdoms. Metatron is particularly depicted as the ruler over the princes of kingdoms; cf. chh. x. 3, xvi. I, 2, xlviii C 9, and on iii. 2. For the conception of the princes of kingdoms—the representatives of the nations of the world—see on ch. xvii. 8 and cf. chh. xviii. 2, xxx. 2. | who are in the height of ‘Araboth Ragia‘, the highest of the heavens. The princes of kingdoms are usually represented as having their place in the highest of the heavens, near the Throne of God. They form the Celestial Beth Din, the Divine Council (ch. xxx). See on ch. xvii. 8 (in Raqia‘) and xviii. 2 (in the ‘Araboth Ragia‘, but in rank under the guardians of the Halls of Araboth).
’Elim, the princes of the ‘Elim. A class of angels mentioned also chh. xv B 1 and xix. 6 (in the reading of B). The name is derived from Ex. xv. 11 and Ezek. xxxii. 21. Mekilta on the former passage explains ‘’Elim’ as ‘‘those who minister before the Holy One in the high heavens”, thus denoting them as angels. The ’ Er’ellim and ‘Tafsarim, also in ch. xxxiii. 7. The ’Er’ellim, denoting angels (in general?) in Ket. 104 a and Yer. Kil. 32 a, are derived from Is. xxxiii. 7. ‘l’hey are one of the ‘ten classes of angels’ (under the rulership of Mikael, Mass. ’Asiluth, Zohar, Ex. xliii; Maimon, Y. Ch. Y. T), also mentioned as one of the first classes of angels in YR. i. 13 a (from Midrash Könēn) and i. 31 a (from ‘Or ha-Chayyim). ’ The Tafsarim (Jer. li. 27, Nah. iii. 17) occur here and in ch. xxxix. 2 only. For the hosts of every heaven (om. by L) cf. xvii. 2.
CH. XIV] ENOCH-METATRON PIECE 27
ministering angels who minister before the Throne of Glory, shook, feared and trembled before me when they beheld me.
(2) Even Sammael °, the Prince of the Accusers, who is greater than all the princes of kingdoms on high, feared and trembled before me.
(3) And even the angel® of fire, and the angel® of hail, and the angel? of the wind, “and the angel of the lightning,’ and the angel of anger, Sand the angel of the thunder’, and the angel of the snow, and the angel of ? the rain; and the angel of the day, and the angel of the night, and the angel of the sun and the angel of the moon” and the angel of the planets and the angel of the constellations rule the world under their hands, feared and trembled and were affrighted before me, when they beheld me”.
(4) These are the names of the rulers of the world: Gabriel, the
3-3 E om. 4-4 L om. 5 DE ins. ‘the Evil One’ 6 BL: ‘angels’
7-7 Bon. 8-8 D: ‘the angel of the storm-wind, the angel of the earthquake’ B: ‘the angel of the earthquake and the angel of commotion and the angel of hail’ L: ‘and the angels of the earthquake and the thunder’ 9 L ins. ‘the lightning and’ (cf. 7-7) 10-10 L om. ı1-ıı L om. from ‘whorule…’ vs. 3 to vs. 5. 12-12 B om. 13-13 B om. vs. 4.
(2) Sammael, the Prince of the Accusers, who is greater than all the princes of kingdoms. For Sammael cf. on ch. xxvi. 21. He is here put in relation to the princes of kingdoms, probably regarded as the chief of these princes. As ‘the prince of Rome’—ch. xxvi. 12—he is naturally included in this category, and as a representative of Rome, Israel’s greatest oppressor, he also becomes the repre- sentative of all the Gentile nations and the leader of the princes who accuse Israel (represented by Mikael) on high. From this point of view one trend of traditions regards the princes of kingdoms, under Sammael, as evil, demoniacal powers. In the present book the tendency is contrary: in ch. xxx the princes of kingdoms, under the Prince of the world, together plead the cause of the world before God in a universal sense, and here they are all subjected under the rulership of Metatron whose authority supersedes that of Sammael.
(3) The angels of the elementary forces of fire, hail, wind, lightnings, etc., are comprised with those of the heavenly bodies under the category of ‘rulers of the world’ (‘who rule the world under their hands’). Cf. 2 En. iv-vi where the first heaven is said to contain “the rulers of the orders of the stars together with the angels guarding “the treasuries of snow, ice, clouds and dew”. The names and characteristics of the angels of 1 En. vi. 7 and viii show a combination of elementary and sideric-planetary powers: Kokabiel, evidently = Kokbiel of vs. 4 (planets or stars), Shamsiel (= Shimshiel of vs. 4: the sun), Sariel (the moon) and Ezeqeel (= Ziqiel of vs. 4: the sparks or lightnings); cf. Zaqiel, Baraqijal (= Baragiel: lightnings), Jomjael (= Yomiel?, prince of the day, here Shimshiel). For the close connection of the gods, angels or rulers of elementary and planetary phenomena attested in Persian religion, Mithraism and Gnosticism cf. Bousset, Hauptprobleme der Gnosis, pp. 223-237. Cf. Diels, Elementum, pp. 41 seqq., pointing out that the oroxeta, ‘elements’, of N.T.-time comprise elementary powers and planets (Gal. iv. 3, 9, Col. ii. 8, 20 etc.) For planetary angels, spirits or demons cf. 1 En. lx 15-22, 2 En. xv, xvi. 7, Jub. ii. 2, 4 Ez. vi. 41, 2 Bar. vi. 1, item 1 En. lxi. 10 (“ prin- cipalities. ..and the powers of earth and water”), zb. Ixvi. 2 (“angels…over the
38 THE HEBREW BOOK OF ENOCH [cH. XIV
angel of the fire, Baradiel, the angel of the hail, Ruchiel who is ap- pointed over the wind, Baraqiel who is appointed over the lightnings, Zaamiel who is appointed over the vehemence, Zigiel who is ap- pointed over the sparks, Zz’?el who is appointed over the commotion, Za aphiel who is appointed over the storm-wind, Ra‘amiel who is appointed over the thunders, Ra‘ashiel who is appointed over the earthquake, Shalgiel who is appointed over the snow, Matariel who is appointed over the rain, Shimshiel who is appointed over the day, Lailiel who is appointed over the night, Galgalliel who is appointed over the globe of the sun, ‘Ophanniel who is appointed over the globe of the moon, Kokbiel who is appointed over the planets, Rahatiel who is appointed over the constellations, |
(5) And they all fell prostrate, when they saw me. And they were not able to behold me because of the majestic glory and beauty of “the appearance of the shining light of the crown of glory upon my head. 1?
14-14 L om. 15 here follows in B a recension of ch. vii, in L a version of ch. xv B.
powers of the waters ”), 2b. Ixix. 2 (Kokabel, Baraqel, cf. vi, viii referred to above), ib. vs. 22 (“the spirits of the water and of the winds”). (4) Gabriel the angel of the fire. ‘l’his seems to be a remnant of a tradition, connecting the archangels or the four ‘Presences’ with the elements and planets. Such a tradition is preserved in Tigquné Zohar, no. 70 (“‘ Mikael is appointed over the water or seas, Gabriel over the fire, Uriel over the wind, Raphael over the ‘dust of the ground’, the earth’). For Uriel as the angel of the fire, see Box, Ezra-Ap. pp.20,21. Shimshiel, the angel over the day. The name is derived from Shemesh (sun). Shemesh and Yom are often equivalent (cf. TB. Ab. Zar. 4 b, 5s a, Rashi). The name Yomiel which would have been more strictly in accordance with the scheme of the preceding angelic names (each derived from the name of their function or of the element over which they are appointed) occurs already in x En. vi. 7 ( Jomjael’ cf. above). In Hek. Zot. Bodl. Mick. 9, fol. 68 a, ‘ Yomael’ is one of seven angels connected with the seven heavens. Cf. note on ch. xvii. 3. Cf. also Shamsiel, 1 Ez. viii. 3 (who taught men “the signs of the sun”). For Galgalliel, ’Ophanniel, Kokbiel, Rahatiel, as angels over sun, moon, planets and constellations, see the identical representation — in a fuller form—in ch. xvii. 4-7. Cf. ch. xlvi. 3 (Rahatiel). ’Ophanni’el as the prince of the Ophannim, see ch. xxv (which preserves traces of the connection of this angel with “the globe of the moon’). Vide the consummate expasition of the angelic names in the parallel passage of 1 En. vi (with variant readings) given by CHARLES, in The Book of Enoch, Oxford, 1912, pp. 16, 17!
(5) crown of glory… Metatron’s crown is here called ‘crown of glory’, in contrast to the preceding where it is atways referred to as ‘crown of kingship’.
CH. xv] ENOCH-METATRON PIECE 39