3 Enoch 19
3 Enoch 19
Section: Metatron’s Rank and Cosmic Form
Translated by Hugo Odeberg (1928)
CHAPTER XIX?
Rikbiel, the prince of the wheels of the Merkaba. The surroundings of the Merkaba. The commotion among the angelic hosts at the time of the Qédushsha
R. Ishmael said: Metatron, the Angel, the Prince of the Presence,
said to me: (1) Above ?these three angels, these great princes? there is one
34-34 D: ‘3000 parasangs’. This is perhaps a better reading. It is more natural, that the style should not have the same length as the whole scroll.
1 D includes this chapter in the aforegoing. 2-2 D: ‘them, the two angels, these high princes’ ( )
a wheel of a swift cherub. Cf. the expression ‘chariots of a swift cherub’, ch. xxiv. 17.
The scroll and style are of fire, the heavenly matter. ‘Graven with a flaming style’ is an uncommonly frequent expression, referring e.g. to the letters engraved on the ‘ Fearful Crown’, the Names on the T’hrone of Glory, etc. Cf. e.g. ch. xxxix. 1 and references in note, ad loc. Item, ch. xiii.
The scribes are represented as writing with a style of fire on a scroll of flames. Cf. Midrash ‘Aséreth Ma’dmaroth: “‘Tora was written down by the arm of the Holy One, blessed be He, with dark fire on white fire”.
The numbers used in describing the sizes of the scroll, the style and the letters are based on 3000 and 365. The number 365 is used very often in this book, see esp. ch. ix. 3. It was conceived of as a cosmic and celestial number, being the number of the days of the solar year. The 3000 is probably made up of 1000 times 3, the number 3 being, of old, a mystical number. Cf. the 300 thousand ‘gates’ of ch. viii.
Chh. xix-xxii, xxv, xxvi. (Angelological system A 1, see Introduction, section 13 (1 A).)
Chh. xix-xxii, xxv, xxvi, form an angelological description of a systematic structure. The centre, from which the system is evolved, is the conception of the Merkaba with the Throne of Glory. The objects of the exposition are the angel- princes, appointed over the ‘wheels of the Merkaba’ and over the four classes of superior angels who minister at the Merkaba and by the Throne, as well as these
angels themselves.
CH. XIX] ANGELOLOGICAL SECTION (A 1) 67
Prince, distinguished, honoured, noble, glorified, adorned, fearful, valiant, strong, great, magnified, glorious, crowned, wonderful, exalted, blameless, beloved, lordly, high and lofty, ancient and mighty, like unto whom there 18 none among the princes. His name
For the Merkaba speculations—derived from Ezek. i and x—and the different arrangements of the details of the Merkaba-picture, see the Introduction, sections 13 and 14.
The importance of these chapters consists primarily in the fact that they reveal a clear attempt at systematization. Beginning with ‘the wheels of the Merkaba’, the description proceeds from the lowest to the highest of the four classes of superior angels which, wanting a more adequate comprehensive appellation, may be called the Merkaba-angels. ‘They are arranged in an order, placing the Chayyoth as the lowest and the Seraphim as the highest, thus: Chayyoth, Kerubim, ’Ophannim, Seraphim. This order is by no means the one generally accepted. In most cases in the earlier cabbalistic literature it seems that the writers had no clear view of the mutual order of the Merkaba-angels, and the cases that suggest an intended classification, represent, when compared, nearly all possible permutations of the four classes in question. Furthermore, all of them are not mentioned, in such classifications, some omitting the Chayyoth, others the Kerubim and so on. It may suffice as an illustration, to refer to the arrangement presented in ch. xxii C 2, where the order is as follows: ‘the Galgallim, the Kerubim, the ‘Ophannim… the Holy Chayyoth, the ‘Throne of Glory’. Cf. further the Introduction, section 13 (1 A).
On the other hand, in P. R. ‘El. iv, we meet with an order of the four classes of superior angels which is identical with the order represented in this section. In contrast with the present system, however, P. R.’ El. puts the ‘wheels of the Merkaba’ together with the ’Ophannim and the ‘princes’ assigned as chieftains over the resp. classes of angels here, do not appear there.
(1) Above these three angels, these great princes. The beginning of the chapter points to a preceding description of angels. In the present context the opening words refer to ch. xviii. That it is highly improbable, however, that ch. xviii was the original antecedent of ch. xix, has been pointed out above, note on ch. Xvili. 24. Who are then, originally, the angels and princes referred to? No answer can be given to this question apart from mere conjectures. First of all, the words ‘these three angels’ or, as the reading of D runs, “them, the two angels” sound like a gloss. They might, in fact, easily have been an emendation made by the redactor who combined ch. xix with ch. xviii. By this gloss—if our assumption is correct—ch. xix is made to refer to the last named princes of ch. xviit. This is particularly so, if the reading of D be adopted (the two princes are then, of course, the two Sopheriel H, ch. xviii. 23-25). Assuming that the original beginning of the chapter had the form ‘above these great princes’, the subject of the preceding angelological fragment to which this expression refers, might have been, say, the ‘princes of kingdoms’. Now the princes of kingdoms are the subject of the last verse of ch. xvii. The style of ch. xvii. 8 is also similar to that of the present section. It opens with the phrase ‘above these’, which is the regular inceptive expression of all the chapters in this section. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT CH. XVII. 8 BELONGED TO THE SAME ANGELOLOGICAL EXPOSITION, POSSIBLE ALSO THAT IT IMMEDIATELY PRECEDED WHAT IS NOW CH. XIX. Further, on the connection of ch. xvii. 8 with the rest of that chapter, see note, ad loc.
distinguished, honoured, noble etc. On the epithets added to the name of an angel-prince cf. note on ch. xviii. 7 and chh. xx. I, xxii. 1, xxv. 1 and xxvi. 1. The attributes are in the present case over twenty in number. This manner of excelling in variations of terms resembles the fashion of Hek. R. ‘The words used here are
mostly adduced from the O.T.
68 THE HEBREW BOOK OF ENOCH [CH. XIX
is RIKBIEL E, the great and revered prince? who is standing by the Merkaba.
(2) And why is he called RIKBIEL? Because he is appointed over the wheels of the Merkaba, and they are given in his charge. (3) And how many are the wheels? Eight; two in each direction. And there are four winds compassing them round about. And these are their names: “the Storm-Wind”, “the Tempest”, “the Strong Wind”, and “the Wind of Earthquake”. (4) And under them four fiery
3 so D. A: ‘name’
Rikbiel. The names of the present section (with the exception of RADWERIEL, ch. xxvii) have a very simple derivation. RIKBIEL is derived from ‘ Rekeb’ (= ‘chariot’ = ‘ Merkaba’), CHAYYLIEL is made to correspond to ‘Chayyoth’, KERUBIEL to
- Kerubim’, ?OPHANNIEL to ‘ Ophannim’, SERAPHIEL to ‘ Seraphim’.
The name RIKBIEL is not given by Schwab, VA. It recurs, however, twice in Add. 27199. The first time it is in the quotation of vss. 2—7 of the present chapter, see below. The second time in Hilkoth ha Kuisse, fol. 138 a b, in a passage from an anonymous source, immediately following the quotation of ch. xxiii. 20 (cf. note, 2b.) and (SOTHER ASHIEL), ch. xviii. 19 (cf. note, ad loc.), preceding the quotation of ch. xxii (KERUBIEL). The passage runs: “‘RikBIEL H, the great and fearful prince by name, is standing by the Merkaba (cf. the last words of vs. 1 here) and he is appointed over the eight wheels of the Merkaba, two in each direction” Since this passage occurs in between quotations from this book it is probably directly dependent upon this chapter and might be regarded as a quotation. Notice, that the epithet ‘‘ great and fearful prince”’ are regarded as part of the name.
(2) In a midrashic commentary on Ezek. i. 16 in Add. 27199, fol. 81 a, there is a passage on RIKBIEL which appears as a literal, though unacknowledged quotation, of vss. 2—7 of the present chapter.
the wheels of the Merkaba. (Hebrew: galgille ham-merkaba), wheels: ‘galgallim’. The GALGALLIM are here, at least acc. to vss. 2 and 3, understood in their literal sense, although they, in vs. 7, are represented as speaking and apparently on a level with the four classes of Merkaba angels. Cf. for the present conception Mass. Hek. vii, e.g. “the wheels of the Merkaba upon which is the Throne of Glory”. In Alph. R. ‘Aqiba the four Chayyoth appear “from under the wheels of the chariot of His Throne (i.e. the Merkaba carrying the Throne of Glory)”. (Contrast vs. 5 here.) In other connections they are clearly represented as one of the angelic classes, e.g. Mass. Hek. v: “‘ In the seventh Hall are the Throne of Glory, the chariots of the Kerubim, the camps of the Seraphim, the ’Ophannim, the Chay- yoth and the Galgallim of consuming fire”. In this passage it is noteworthy that the ’Ophannim and the Galgallim appear as two distinct angelic classes. Originally the words ’Ophannim and Galgallim were, on the whole, identical notions, both meaning ‘wheels’. See note on ch. xxv. 5. A third significance of the Galgallim is ‘heavenly bodies’, mainly occurring in the later cabbalistic literature. And through further developments of the speculations on the Galgallim, they are again identified with the ’Ophannim, or, according to another trend of thoughts, the ^Ophannim are made the rulers of the Galgallim or celestial spheres. Cf. note on ch. xxv. 5.
(3) The number of the wheels is presumably derived from Ezek. i. (not x): a wheel in the middle of a wheel by the side of each of the four living creatures.
four winds etc. ‘Storm-wind’ and ‘tempest’ are well-established parts of any descriptions of the celestial wonders. Cf. chh. xxxiv and xviti. 25. ‘Storm-wind, East- Wind, Strong Wind and Wind of Earthquake’ are represented in ch. xxii.
15, 3, 2 and 6.
CH. XIX] ANGELOLOGICAL SECTION (AI) 69
rivers are continually running, one fiery river on each side. And round about them, between the rivers, four clouds are planted (placed), and these they are: “clouds of fire”, “clouds of lamps” “clouds of coal”, “clouds of brimstone” and they are standing over
against [their] wheels.
(5) * And the feet of the Chayyoth are resting upon the wheels. And between one wheel and the other earthquake is roaring and thunder is thundering.
(6) And when the time draws nigh for the recital of the Song, (then) the multitudes of wheels are moved, the multitude of clouds tremble, all the chieftains (shallishim) are made afraid, all the horse- men (parashim) do rage, all the mighty ones (gibborim) are excited, all the hosts (séba’im) are afrighted, all the troops (gédudim) “are in fear’, all the appointed ones (mémunnim) haste away, all the princes (sarim) and armies (chayyélim) ° are dismayed, all the servants (mésharétim) do faint and all’ the angels (mal’akim) and divisions (dégalim) travail with pain.
4 A ins. ‘and these’ 5-5 ins. in accordance with D. A om. 6 D ins. “and ’Elim’ 7 80 22. A om ‘all.’
(4) four fiery rivers. The number ‘four’ is to correspond with the four directions, the four Chayyoth etc. The four fiery rivers here should be compared with the mention in ch. xviii. xg of ‘the four heads of the fiery river’. Cf. note, ib. The fiery rivers here run under the feet of the Chayyoth. Cf. the usual expression: ‘the fiery river goes forth from the perspiration of the Chayyoth’. The present con- ception of four fiery rivers is related to that of the rivers flowing between the four camps of Shekina as presented in ch. xxxvii. r. Cf. ib. Clouds between the rivers, surrounding them. Cf. ch. xxxvii. 2. The object of the ‘clouds’ is acc. to ch. xxiv. 2 to protect from the heat of the fire. See also ch. xxxiii. 3.
(5) the feet of the Chayyoth are resting upon the wheels. In accordance with the system of the present section the Chayyoth have their place next above the wheels of the Merkaba. Angels standing on wheels, cf. ch. xviii. 25 and ch. xxii. 7.
The different names of angelic classes and positions enumerated in vs. 6 are most of them deduced from the O.T. where they represent various divisions and orders within an army. This is natural from the point of view of these writers who picture the ‘hosts of angels’ as armies, camps and troops. The words ‘appointed ’, ‘ princes’, ‘servants’, ‘angels’, are familiar from the other chapters of the book. Cf. chh. xiv; iv, xxxix; xxx, vl; see Index; the other terms are all found in the enumeration in Mass. Hek. v of the contents of the seventh Hall and the different angelic classes there (“‘armies, hosts, troops, ranks (ma‘arakoth), divisions and armies of chieftains, the men of war, mighty ones, powers (‘azuzoth) ta‘asumoth (Ps. Ixviii. 36) horsemen, the officers of armies, princes etc.”). Te presentation of all the different ‘hosts’ and ‘princes’ has the object of enhancing the impression of the SOLEMNITY OF THE MOMENT, WHEN ‘THE SONG’ IS TO BE SUNG. The commotion of all heavens and all angels at the sound of the Trisagion is described in ch. xxxviii. Cf. also ch. xviii. 7. For passages recalling the present vs. see 1 En. lxi. 10, 11, 2 Em. xx. 1 seqq., Ma’yan Chokma, BH. i. 59, Zohar, ii. 136a b. For dégalim applied to angelic troops cf. Num. R. par. ii with reference to Ps. Ixviii. 18, Shir. R. on ii. 4. In the quotation La, fol. 81 a, only eight classes are mentioned, viz. shallishim, parashim, sebaim, gibborim, memunnim, sarim, mal’akim, degalim.
70 THE HEBREW BOOK OF ENOCH [CHH. XIX, XX
(7) And one wheel makes a sound to be heard to the other and one Kerub to another, one C’hayya to another, one Seraph to another (saying) (Ps. Ixviii. 5) ” Extol to him that rideth in ‘Araboth, his
name Jah and rejoice before him!”