3 Enoch 16 - Aher Sees Metatron and Errs
3 Enoch 16
Section: Metatron Revealed (Enoch Transformed)
Translated by Hugo Odeberg (1928)
CHAPTER XVI! Probably additional
Metatron divested of his privilege of presiding on a Throne of his own on account of Acher’s misapprehen- sion in taking him for a second Divine Power
R. Ishmael said: Metatron, the Angel, the Prince of the Presence, the Glory of all heaven, said to me:
(1) At first I was sitting upon a? great Throne at the door of the Seventh Hall; and I was judging ? the children of heaven, the house- hold on high by authority of the Holy One, blessed be He. And I divided Greatness, Kingship, Dignity, Rulership, Honour and Praise, and Diadem and Crown of Glory unto all the princes of kingdoms,
I5 the additions following upon this are in B definitely stated not to belong to ‘the Baraita’
Ch. xvi. 1 Chh. xvi-xxii om. by E. Ch. xvi is not included in the Part of Baraitas From the Ma‘ase Merkaba in L, but a recension of it follows immediately after the version of ch. xii, without reference to source. 2 so BDL. A: ‘the 3 L ins. ‘all’ 4-4 BDL om.
Glory. For ‘the oath’ cf. x En. lxix. 14-25. The oath contains Divine letters, i.e. letters of the Divine names. Cf. Introduction, section 14 (1).
Ch. xvi. The present chapter is a different version of the well-known narrative in Chag. 15 a (cf. Tos. Chag. 2,3, Yer. Chag. ii. 1, fol. 77 b). The main DIFFERENCES between the two versions are: (1) in Chag. 15 a Metatron’s privilege of ‘sitting’ in the heavens is explained from his being the scribe, recording the merits of Israel, here the view of the preceding chapters is accepted (ch. x. 2 seqq.) acc. to which Metatron was seated on a Throne of his own as judge and ruler over the angels, in particular the princes of kingdoms, (2) in Chag. the reason for or justification of the punishment administered on Metatron is that he did not rise when he saw Acher beholding him (so as to prevent the misapprehension as to the Unity of the Godhead; this is omitted here, (3) the execution of punishment is in Chag. attributed to a plurality of angels, not further defined, here the angel ‘ Anaphiel, known from ch. vi. x and allied traditions (see on ch. x. 3) as having occupied a position above Metatron, is used for this purpose. (A: ‘‘Aniyyel’.)
(1) At first I was sitting upon a great Throne at the door of the Seventh Hall. Cf. ch. x. 1-3. THE OPENING GIVES THE IMPRESSION THAT THE CH. IS AN INDEPENDENT FRAGMENT. INDEED VS. I REPEATS THE DETAILS OF CHH. X, XLVIII C 8, 9, WITH THE EXPLICIT ADDITION THAT THE DISTINCTIONS IN QUESTION, CONFERRED UPON META- TRON, WERE ONLY TEMPORARY (‘AT FIRST’, ‘IN THE BEGINNING’). The réle here assigned to Metatron is markedly primarily the rulership over the princes of king- doms. Over these he presides in the Celestial Court, passing judgement upon ` the heavenly household but also as conferring upon them their authority and
44 THE HEBREW BOOK OF ENOCH [CH. XVI
while I was presiding (lit. sitting) in the Celestial Court (Yeshiba), and the princes of kingdoms were standing before me, on my right and on my left—by authority of the Holy One, blessed be He.
(2) But when Acher? came to behold the vision of the Merkaba and fixed his eyes on me, he feared and trembled before me and his soul was affrighted even unto departing from him, because of fear, horror and dread of me, when he beheld me sitting upon a throne © like a king with all the ministering angels standing by me as my servants and all the princes of kingdoms ‘adorned with crowns® surrounding me: (3) in that moment he opened his mouth and said: “Indeed, there are two Divine Powers in heaven!” (4) Forthwith Bath Qol (the Divine Voice) went forth “from heaven’ from before the Shekina and said: “Return, ye backsliding children (Jer. iii. 22), except Acher!”
5 DL: ‘Elisha ben Abuya who is (also called) Acher’ B: (instead of ‘Acher came’) ‘came Elisha ben Abuya and he was standing behind (corr. reading for ‘ Acher’)
YHWH’ 6-6 so DL (cf. on vs. 3 of ch. xii, chh. xvii. 8, xviii. 3 beg.). AB: ‘wreathing crowns’ (cf. also vs. 1 here: ‘divided…crown…until etc.’) 7-7 BDL om.
emblems of rulership : again a trait of the Prince of the World conception. presiding in the Celestial Court or council. Metatron is depicted in a position similar to that of God presiding in the Celestial Beth Din in chh. xxviii c 7-9, xxx. The conception is implied in ch. x and ch. xlviii c 8, 9. Metatron’s presidency in his yeshiba is apparently pictured after the pattern of God’s presidency in the highest Beth Din, and naturally so, Metatron being God’s representative and vice-regent. by authority of the Holy One, blessed be He. It is emphasized that Metatron’s presidency in the yeshiba and his rulership are derived from ‘his King’.
(2) when Acher came to behold the vision of the Merkaba. Acher, as Elisha ben Abuya was called after his ‘fall’, is a well-known figure of Rabbinic (in modern time characterized as ‘the Faust of the Talmud’): see, besides Chag. 15 a and Yer. Chag. 77 b, Rut. R. vi, Eccl. R. to vii. 8, 26 (P. Aboth, iv. 25), further Graetz, Gnostizismus u. Judentum, pp. 62-71, Chaluz, v. 66-72, Smolenskin in Hash- Shachar, v. 66-72, Steinschneider, Elisha ben Abuya, Bacher in Agada der Tannaiten (R. Meir, etc.) came to behold the vision of Merkaba: acc. to the Talmud-passages he was one of the four who ‘entered Paradise’ in their lifetime, an expression evidently denoting mystical experiences and speculations on the ‘ Ma‘ase Merkaba’, here he is simply denoted as one of those who beheld the vision of the Merkaba (as R. Ishmael, ch. i. 1 seq.).
(3) Indeed, there are two Divine Powers in heaven (cf. Chag. 15 a: “are there, God forbid, two Divine Powers?’’). Acher is described as giving vent to the most abominable heretic view, that denying the absolute Unity of the Godhead. The Talmudic tradition emphasizes Acher’s aberration into heresy, and also, as it seems, that his heresy was caused by his mystical speculations. Acher, after having entered Paradise ‘cut the plantations’, i.e., probably, seduced scholars from the right faith. (Cf. also the Tosaphists ad locum, Chag. 15 a).
(4) Bath Qol went forth…and said: “Return, ye backsliding children, except Acher!’ (identical with Chag. 15 a). Acher was to be excluded from the opportunity of forgiveness through repentance, offered to all other children of God.
CHH. XVI, XVII] | ANGELOLOGICAL SECTION (A2) 45
(5) Then came ‘Anzyel®, the Prince, the honoured, glorified, be- loved, wonderful, revered and fearful one, in commission from 10the Holy One, blessed be He!? and “gave me sixty strokes with lashes of fire!! and made me stand on my feet.