Metatron, who is he?
Metatron, the Devil?!
by E.
It started with me reading on a web page, Angel Hierarcy [1], that "According to Enoch, there were only 4 Seraphim, which corresponded to the four winds or directions. Later commentators interpreted this as there were 4 major princes who ruled over the Seraphim. They include either Metatron or Satan, Kemuel, Nathanael, and Gabriel [--] Metatron is sometimes identified as Satan, Prince of Darkness, or 'old dragon.' He is said to possess 36 wings and countless eyes."
Having watched the movie Dogma by Kevin Smith were Metatron was described as the voice of God I had to wonder if Dogma really had the facts so mixed up, so I continued searching and found another text by Arbel [2] that suggested that was not at all the case, and the confusion of [1] became even worse when at Arbel says:
"The myths of Metatron are extremely complicated, and at least two separate versions exist. The first version states he came into being when God created the world, and immediately assumed his many responsibilities. The second claims that he was first a human named Enoch [--]"
So who is Enoch?
Crystalinks [3] supports [2]: "Metatron is an Archangel and a Seraphim who sits beside God." but also supports the theory that "He supposedly was the Prophet Enoch before God turned him into an archangel" as described in [2] above.
However TheFreeDictionary.com [7] states that "According to one school of thought, Enoch was taken by God and transformed into Metatron. However, this viewpoint is not shared by many Talmudic authorities."
This would support Arbel's [2] claim that "The myths of Metatron are extremely complicated."
What about Metatron, the name?
Considering Metatron's name we can in Normative Jewish Thought [5] read a quote from Talmud, Avodah Zarah 3b that says: "Metatron: Name of an angel, who is also called ohbpv ra Metatron is probably derived from Metator, meaning guide, precursor, he being regarded as the angel who went before the Israelites in the wilderness."
However Arbel [2] states about his name that "There are even two versions of the name Metatron, one spelled with seven letters, the other with six, lacking the Hebrew letter 'yod.' The Kabbalists explained that the six-letter name represents the Enoch-related Metatron, while the seven-letter name refers to the primordial Metatron. Despite the elaborate debate, the origin of Metatron's name is not clear."
And regarding the name Arbel further states that "Many attempts have been made to explain it, but none of them is satisfactory, since the word has no real meaning or root in any language. Some authors think it may be derived from private meditations and visions [--]"
Steliart [6c] has a whole page where 76 names of Metatron are listed.
Is Metatron God?
HEAVEN [4] claims that: "[--] Metatron is considered by some to be superior to most of the angels, including Michael, Gabriel, and Uriel."
Arbel [2] supports this and goes even further and says that there is a "[--] problem of Metatron's immense power, which may have caused some people to confuse him with God. In later literature he was even mentioned as the 'lesser Yahweh' [--]"
Arbel also tells about "Elisha ben Avuyah, who saw Metatron sitting by God's side, occupying the same type of throne. This made Elisha suspect that two equal powers operated in the universe -- God and Metatron." He continues to explain Metatron's unique status with that "God permitted Metatron to sit because, as God's scribe, he recorded the good deeds of the Nation of Israel."
Is Metatron the Devil?
Finally Steliart [6b] may be able to produce an explanation as to the misconception of Metatron being the devil in [1] above as it says: "He is the supreme angel of death to whom God gives daily orders as to the souls to be taken."
Sarah's Archangels [8] and AngelicArtistry.com [9] are two of several sources to support the statement that Metatron is the Angel of Death. Further at Steliart [6b] we can read that "To Eisenmenger the supreme angel of death is Metatron, whose subordinates are Gabriel and Sammael."
And with this last quote we can close the circle because according to [6b] "In Rabbinic writings there, are at least a dozen of [angels of] death [--] Sammael (Satan) [--]." The alternative spelling "Samael" is explained in [10] to be "A name for Satan. Samael appears in the Book of Enoch and is a prominent character in the Zohar and other kabalistic literature."
So, that makes Metatron the boss of Satan. I'm still not sure if that's a calming or upsetting fact though...
Links:
[1] "Angel Hierarchy," angel_hierarchy.htm
[2] Encyclopedia Mythica; "Metatron," Ilil Arbel, Ph.D., metatron.html
[3] "Crystalinks," metatron.html
[4] "HEAVEN," m.htm
[5] "Normative Jewish Thought," Metatron.html
[6] "Steliart" [6a] angel_names_M.html; [6b] angelic_properties_D.html; [6c] names_metatron.html
[7] "TheFreeDictionary.com," Metatron
[8] "Sarah's Archangels," metatron.html
[9] "AngelicArtistry.com," metatron.htm
[10] Encyclopedia Mythica; "Samael," Micha F. Lindemans, samael.html
by E.
It started with me reading on a web page, Angel Hierarcy [1], that "According to Enoch, there were only 4 Seraphim, which corresponded to the four winds or directions. Later commentators interpreted this as there were 4 major princes who ruled over the Seraphim. They include either Metatron or Satan, Kemuel, Nathanael, and Gabriel [--] Metatron is sometimes identified as Satan, Prince of Darkness, or 'old dragon.' He is said to possess 36 wings and countless eyes."
Having watched the movie Dogma by Kevin Smith were Metatron was described as the voice of God I had to wonder if Dogma really had the facts so mixed up, so I continued searching and found another text by Arbel [2] that suggested that was not at all the case, and the confusion of [1] became even worse when at Arbel says:
"The myths of Metatron are extremely complicated, and at least two separate versions exist. The first version states he came into being when God created the world, and immediately assumed his many responsibilities. The second claims that he was first a human named Enoch [--]"
So who is Enoch?
Crystalinks [3] supports [2]: "Metatron is an Archangel and a Seraphim who sits beside God." but also supports the theory that "He supposedly was the Prophet Enoch before God turned him into an archangel" as described in [2] above.
However TheFreeDictionary.com [7] states that "According to one school of thought, Enoch was taken by God and transformed into Metatron. However, this viewpoint is not shared by many Talmudic authorities."
This would support Arbel's [2] claim that "The myths of Metatron are extremely complicated."
What about Metatron, the name?
Considering Metatron's name we can in Normative Jewish Thought [5] read a quote from Talmud, Avodah Zarah 3b that says: "Metatron: Name of an angel, who is also called ohbpv ra Metatron is probably derived from Metator, meaning guide, precursor, he being regarded as the angel who went before the Israelites in the wilderness."
However Arbel [2] states about his name that "There are even two versions of the name Metatron, one spelled with seven letters, the other with six, lacking the Hebrew letter 'yod.' The Kabbalists explained that the six-letter name represents the Enoch-related Metatron, while the seven-letter name refers to the primordial Metatron. Despite the elaborate debate, the origin of Metatron's name is not clear."
And regarding the name Arbel further states that "Many attempts have been made to explain it, but none of them is satisfactory, since the word has no real meaning or root in any language. Some authors think it may be derived from private meditations and visions [--]"
Steliart [6c] has a whole page where 76 names of Metatron are listed.
Is Metatron God?
HEAVEN [4] claims that: "[--] Metatron is considered by some to be superior to most of the angels, including Michael, Gabriel, and Uriel."
Arbel [2] supports this and goes even further and says that there is a "[--] problem of Metatron's immense power, which may have caused some people to confuse him with God. In later literature he was even mentioned as the 'lesser Yahweh' [--]"
Arbel also tells about "Elisha ben Avuyah, who saw Metatron sitting by God's side, occupying the same type of throne. This made Elisha suspect that two equal powers operated in the universe -- God and Metatron." He continues to explain Metatron's unique status with that "God permitted Metatron to sit because, as God's scribe, he recorded the good deeds of the Nation of Israel."
Is Metatron the Devil?
Finally Steliart [6b] may be able to produce an explanation as to the misconception of Metatron being the devil in [1] above as it says: "He is the supreme angel of death to whom God gives daily orders as to the souls to be taken."
Sarah's Archangels [8] and AngelicArtistry.com [9] are two of several sources to support the statement that Metatron is the Angel of Death. Further at Steliart [6b] we can read that "To Eisenmenger the supreme angel of death is Metatron, whose subordinates are Gabriel and Sammael."
And with this last quote we can close the circle because according to [6b] "In Rabbinic writings there, are at least a dozen of [angels of] death [--] Sammael (Satan) [--]." The alternative spelling "Samael" is explained in [10] to be "A name for Satan. Samael appears in the Book of Enoch and is a prominent character in the Zohar and other kabalistic literature."
So, that makes Metatron the boss of Satan. I'm still not sure if that's a calming or upsetting fact though...
Links:
[1] "Angel Hierarchy," angel_hierarchy.htm
[2] Encyclopedia Mythica; "Metatron," Ilil Arbel, Ph.D., metatron.html
[3] "Crystalinks," metatron.html
[4] "HEAVEN," m.htm
[5] "Normative Jewish Thought," Metatron.html
[6] "Steliart" [6a] angel_names_M.html; [6b] angelic_properties_D.html; [6c] names_metatron.html
[7] "TheFreeDictionary.com," Metatron
[8] "Sarah's Archangels," metatron.html
[9] "AngelicArtistry.com," metatron.htm
[10] Encyclopedia Mythica; "Samael," Micha F. Lindemans, samael.html