Metatron
Metatron (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֶטָטְרוֹן Meṭāṭrōn), or Matatron (מַטַּטְרוֹן, Maṭṭaṭrōn), is an angel in Judaism. Metatron is mentioned three times in the Talmud, in a few brief passages in the Aggadah, the Targum, and in mystical Kabbalistic texts within Rabbinic literature. In Rabbinic literature, he is sometimes portrayed as serving as the celestial scribe. The name Metatron is not mentioned in the Torah or the Bible, and how the name originated is a matter of debate. In some branches of Sufism, particularly within esoteric or mystical contexts, he is recognized as an Angel and also known as Mīṭaṭrūn (Arabic: ميططرون), the angel of the veil.
In Jewish Apocrypha, early Kabbalah, and rabbinic literature, Metatron is the name that Enoch received after his transformation into an angel.
Etymology
Numerous etymologies have been proposed to account for the name Metatron, but there is no consensus, and its precise origin is unknown. Some scholars, such as Philip Alexander, believe that if the name Metatron originated in Hekhalot literature and Merkabah texts such as 3 Enoch, then it may have been a magical word like Adiriron and Dapdapiron.
Hugo Odeberg, Adolf Jellinek, and Marcus Jastrow suggest the name may have originated from either mattara (מטרא, lit. 'keeper of the watch') or the verb memater (ממטר, 'to guard' or 'to protect'). An early derivation of this can be seen in Shimmusha Rabbah, where Enoch is clothed in light and is the guardian of the souls ascending to heaven. Odeberg also suggested that the name Metatron might have been adopted from the Old Persian name Mithra. Citing Wiesner, he drew up several parallels that appeared to link Mithra and Metatron based on their positions in heaven and duties.
Another hypothesis would derive Metatron from a combination of two Greek words, μετά (meta, meaning 'after') and θρóνος (thronos, meaning 'throne'), which, taken together, would suggest the idea of 'one who serves behind the throne' or 'one who occupies the throne next to the throne of glory'. The primary arguments against this etymology are that Metatron's function as a servant of the celestial throne emerges only later in the traditions regarding him, and θρóνος itself is not attested as a word in Talmudic literature.
A connection with the word σύνθρονος (synthronos) used as 'co-occupant of the divine throne', has been advanced by some scholars; This, like the above etymology, is not found in any source materials.…
Artwork
Encounters mentioning Metatron
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