3 Enoch 21
3 Enoch 21
Section: Metatron’s Rank and Cosmic Form
Translated by Hugo Odeberg (1928)
CHAPTER XXI The Chayyoth
R. Ishmael said: Metatron, the angel, the Prince of the Presence, said to me:
(1) Four (are) the Chayyoth corresponding to the four winds. Each Chayya is as the space of the whole world. And each one has four faces; and each face is as the face of the East. (2) Each one has four wings and each wing is like the cover (roof) of the universe. (3) And each one has faces in the middle of faces and wings in the middle of wings. The size of the faces is (as the size of) 248 faces, and the size of the wings is (as the size of) 365 wings.
(4) And every one is crowned with 2000 crowns on his head. And each crown is like unto the bow in the cloud. And its splendour is like unto the splendour of the globe ‘of the sunt. And the sparks that go forth from every one are like the splendour of the morning star (planet Venus) in the East.
3 D ins. ‘after me (Metatron)’ 1-1 Inserted from D. A om.
it seems that the ‘smiting’ would best be explained as referring to the punishment executed upon the Chayyoth, if they do not say the ‘ Holy’ in the proper manner. Such an idea would better harmonize with a context, where ‘ministering angels’ had been substituted for ‘Chayyoth’. Cf. how acc. to YR. i. 15 a, ‘‘God smites the Chayyoth”.
Ch. xxi. The Chayyoth (singular form: Chayya) are the “four living creatures ” of Ezek. i. They are, acc. to the present section, placed next above the wheels of the Merkaba. Acc. to ch. xxii c and Hek. R. xiii, they have their place immediately under the Throne of Glory, above the ‘Ophannim and the Kerubim. For other representations see the introductory section.
(1) The number of the Chayyoth and the faces and wings of each one is in accord- ance with Ezek. i. 5 seq. Like the space of the whole world, cf. ch.ix. 1, and the immense measures ascribed to the Chayyoth in TB. Chag. 13 a (“the feet of the Chayyoth are of a size like that of the seven heavens, the ankles of corresponding measure, the knees of corresponding measure, and so forth”). (3) Faces in the middle of faces etc. Cf. ‘the heart in the middle of the heart of the lion (i.e. one of the four Chayyoth)’ in ch. xv B. The conceptions have probably been developed by force of analogy from Ezek. i. 16 )* 8 wheel in the middle ofa wheel’). The numbers ‘248’ and ‘365’ correspond to the nurnber of positive and negative laws resp. Cf. ch. xxxiii. 4. (4) crowned with 2000 crowns. Crowns are regular attributes of high angels, cf. note on chh. xii. 3, xviii. 1.
THE HEBREW BOOK OF ENOCH [CH. XXII
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