3 Enoch 39
3 Enoch 39
Section: Metatron’s Rank and Cosmic Form
Translated by Hugo Odeberg (1928)
CHAPTER XXXIX
The explicit names fly off from the Throne and all the various angelic hosts prostrate themselves before tt at
the time of the Qédushsha
R. Ishmael said: Metatron, the Angel, the Prince of the Presence, said to me: |
(1) When the ministering angels utter the ‘‘ Holy” then all the explicit names that are graven with a flaming style on the Throne of
(3) until the Prince of the World calls them. The Prince of the World is here the ruler or prince of the heavenly bodies, the constellations, planets, sun and moon. Ch. xxx. 2, he is the leader of the 72 princes of kingdoms and pleads the cause of the world (i.e. all the inhabitants of the world) before the Most High when seated on the judgement-throne. These two functions, leader of the planets-constellations and of the princes of kingdoms are naturally combined, when, according to the development of the conception of the princes of kingdoms, they are represented as the rulers of the planets and constellations (so even in this book, ch. xvii. 8, in its present redaction).
The Prince of the World has been identified with Metatron by one party of cabbalistic traditionists. Within the present book functions are attributed to Metatron that are essential to the Prince of the World. Metatron is indicated as the ruler over the princes of kingdoms, chh. x. 3, xlviii c 9 et al., and he has authority over the planets (and constellations) acc. to ch. xlvi. 2, and over the princes of kingdoms and the rulers of the world, ch. xiv. 1, 3.
The Prince of the World was present at the Creation and in the days of Creation he uttered the words of Ps. civ. 31 (“‘ The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works’). TB. Ghullin, 6o a, hence to him refers the passage, Ps. xxxvii. 25, ‘“I have been young and now am old”: TB. Yebam. 13 a. Cf. further, note on ch. iii. 2.
Ch. xxxix. This chapter continues the picture of the preceding chapter (the com- motion of all the heavens with the inclusion of the constellations and the planets at the sound of the Thrice Holy): the Explicit Names on the very Throne of Glory and the highest classes of angels are all moved into expressions of glorification of the Most High at the time of the Qédushsha.
(1) all the explicit names that are graven with a flaming style on the Throne of Glory. The explicit names are represented as a plurality; hence we are here on the ground of mystical speculations concerning the different Divine Names consisting of various permutations of the T’etragrammaton and of the other names of God and expressions representing the Godhead occurring in the O.T. For the various meanings attached to the term ‘Shem Méphorash’ see FE (e.g. vol. i. 622); Gaster, The Sword of Moses, intr.; Bousset, R¥. pp. 344 et al. The
124 THE HEBREW BOOK OF ENOCH [CH XXXIX
Glory fly off like eagles, with sixteen wings. And they surround and Sass the Holy One, blessed be He, on the four sides of the place of His Shekina!.
(2) And the angels of the host, and the flaming Servants, and the mighty ‘Ophannim, and the Kerubim of the Shekina, and the Holy Chayyoth, and the Seraphim, and the ’E7’ellim, and the Taphsarim ?
1 so &. A: ‘(the place of the) Glory of His Shekina’ 2 A ins.: ‘the troops of flame’ |
meaning that suggests itself in the present connection is that of “names that are explicit, have an individual, fixed form or appearance”. Cf. ch. xlviii B 1, acc. to the reading of FGH: “The Holy One, blessed be He, has 7o names that are explicit, the rest that are not explicit are innumerable and unsearchable”. The Explicit Names are here distinguished as being graven on the Throne of Glory (with a flaming style; cf. chh. xiii. 1, xxix. 1, xli. 4). Cf. the enumeration of the different categories of Names in Alph. R. ‘Agiba, BH. iii. 26. The Explicit Names are there in a separate class from those on the Throne, if the reading is correct: ‘The Holy One, blessed be He, revealed to Moses all the Names: both the Explicit Names, the Names that are graven on the royal crown on his head, the names that are graven on the Throne of Glory, the names that are graven on the ring of his hand, the names that are standing as pillars of fire round his chariots, the names that surround the Shekina like eagles of the Merkaba, and the names by which heaven and earth are sealed…’’. The intent of the passage is probably to denote all these names as Explicit Names.
fly off like eagles. Cf. above, ‘the names that surround the Shekina like eagles’. For the names flying off, cf. TB. ‘Ab. Zar. 18 a (the letters fly off from a scroll of the Tora, when burning), Pesachim, 87 b (when the tables of the testimony were broken by Moses, acc. to Ex. xxxii. 19, the letters graven on them, flew off). Alph. R. ‘Agiba, BH. iii. 53: ‘‘ The letter Kaph went down from its place on the Fearful Crown and stood before the Throne of Glory”. Similarly, ch. xlviiiB 1, the Names of the Holy One are represented as going forth ‘from before the Throne of Glory’. The names are thus represented as self-existent and capable of taking on the form of living beings. The object of the names flying off as eagles (angels of the form of eagles) is their participation in the responses of the Qédushsha. This is explicitly stated with regard to the letters (the letters and the Names being vastly inter- changeable terms) in the quotation from “the book of Enoch” in Mishkan ha-‘Edut by Moses de Leon (BH. ii. p. xxxi): “the letters in the four different quarters round the Throne (cf. here: on the four sides of the place of His Shekina (fly off,..and when flying off say: ‘Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever”, .
(2) And the angels of the host, and the flaming Servants etc. The Explicit Names surrounding the Holy One are accompanied by great armies of princes of fire and mighty regiments of troops (gédudim) of fire, says Alph. R. ‘Agiba, BH. iii. 25. For the present enumeration of various angelic classes cf. chh. vi. 2, vil, xiv. 1. xix. 6. No doubt the present verse is to be regarded as presenting a tradition of the orders of the highest angel-classes. This is indicated by the mention of the four classes of ‘Merkaba-angels’ (Ophannim, Kerubim, Chayyoth and Seraphim).
angels of the host. Cf. the expression ‘prince of the host’ applied to the princes of the seven heavens, ch. xvii. 2 f. In each heaven there is one ‘host’. The term “host” need not necessarily refer to the whole multitude of angels, it might also mean one special class of angels. ‘The angels of the host’ would then, here, mean. ‘the angels of the host of the highest of the heavens’. Cf. ch. xiv. 1.
the flaming Servants. This expression occurs also ch. vii. Cf. note, zb.
the mighty ‘Ophannim and the Kerubim of the Shekina, the holy Chayyoth and the Seraphim. The mighty ’Ophannim or ‘the ’Ophannim of Gebura’: Gebura
CHH. XXXIX, XL] CELESTIAL QEDUSHSHA 125
and the troops ?of consuming fire?, and the fiery armies, and the flaming hosts, and the holy princes, adorned with crowns, clad in kingly majesty, wrapped in glory, girt with loftiness, *fall upon their faces three times‘, saying: “‘Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever”