3 Enoch 38
3 Enoch 38
Section: Metatron’s Rank and Cosmic Form
Translated by Hugo Odeberg (1928)
CHAPTER XXXVIII
The fear that befalls all the heavens at the sound of the ‘Holy,’ esp. the heavenly bodies. These appeased by the Prince of the World
R. Ishmael said: Metatron, the Angel, the Prince of the Presence, said to me:
(1) At the time, when the ministering angels utter (the Thrice) Holy, then all the pillars of the heavens and their sockets do tremble, and ‘the gates of the Halls of ‘Araboth Ragia’* are shaken and the foundations of Shechaqim and the Universe (Tebel) are moved, and the orders? of Ma‘on and the chambers® of Makon quiver, and all the orders* of Ragia‘ and the constellations and the planets are dis- mayed, and the globes of the sun and the moon haste away and flee out of their courses? and run ê 12,000 parasangs and seek to throw themselves down from heaven, (2) by reason of the roaring voice of their chant, and the noise of their praise and the sparks and lightnings that. go forth from their faces; as it is written (Ps. Ixxvii. 18): “The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven (the lightnings lightened the world, the earth trembled and shook)”.
1-1 E: ‘the gates of the Halls and ‘Araboth Raqia‘’ 2 E: ‘chambers’ 3 E: ‘Halls’ 4. E: ’ secrets? 5 so E. A corr. 6 E ins.: * back(ward)’
Ch. xxxviii. The importance of the Celestial Qédushsha is illustrated by a de- scription of the commotion that seizes the whole Universe at the time appointed for its recital by the ministering angels.
(1) all the pillars of the heavens…tremble etc. This description is supple- mented by the description of the fear of all the angelic hosts and different classes of angels at the time of the ‘Song’ in ch. xix. 6. A parallel in similar terms as those of the present verse and of ch. xix. 6 and of the same import is found in Ma‘yan Chokma, BH. i. 59 seqq.: “all the heavenly hosts shake and tremble, and the Holy Chayyoth are struck dumb, the Holy Seraphim roar like lions. . .the Galgallim of the Throne. . .are moved, the thresholds of brilliancy quake and all the heavens are seized with terror”. A similar expression in Assumption of Moses, x. 5: ‘and the circuit of the stars shall be disordered’. Of the various heavens are here named: ‘Araboth, the 7th, Shechagim, the 3rd, Ma‘on, Makon, Ragia‘, the sth, 6th,2ndresp. foundations of Shechagim and…(Tebel), may be a hint of the connection of each of the seven earths with the corresponding heaven (elaborated in Midrash Kénén and often repeated in cosmological Qabbala), only that usually Shechaqim is represented as connected with the earth called ‘4rqa, whereas the earth called T’ebel is combined with the Raqia‘-heaven.
the orders of Raqia‘ and the constellations and planets…and…the sun and the moon. The heavenly bodies are situated in the Raqia‘, the second heaven (cf. Chag. 12 b).
CHH. XXXVIII,XXXIX] CELESTIAL QEDUSHSHA | 123
(3) Until the prince of the world calls them, saying: “Be ye quiet in your place! Fear not because of the ministering angels who sing the Song before the Holy One, blessed be He”. As it is written (Job xxxviii. 7): “When the morning stars sang together and all the children of heaven shouted for joy”.