3 Enoch

Odeberg1928 source English page 216

8 THE HEBREW BOOK OF ENOCH [CH. IV CHAP TERED Metatron ts identical with Enoch who was translated to heaven at the time of the Deluge R. Ishmael said: )1( I asked Metatron and said to him: “Why art thou called! by the name of thy Creator, by seventy names? Thou art greater than all the princes, higher than all the angels, beloved more than all the servants, honoured above all the mighty ones in kingship, greatness and glory: why do they call thee ‘Youth’ in the high heavens?” (2) He answered and said to me: ‘“‘*Because I am? Enoch, the son of Jared. (3) For when the generation of the flood sinned and were 1-1 so CD. A: ‘callest thou’ (corr.) B: ‘is thy name (like the name of thy Creator)’ 2-2 so BCDEL. A: ‘for the reason that he (the Na‘ar) is also (Enoch etc.)’ this passage state that Enoch-Metatron and the Prince of the World are both called Na‘ar, yet they must not, acc. to the Tosaphists, be identified: Ps. xxxvii. 25 refers to the Prince of the World only, not to Enoch-Metatron. This of course implies that the verse in question was acc. to one tradition referred to Metatron (in fact Metatron is, apparently with reference to Ps. xxxvii. 25, described both as ‘ Na‘ar, Youth’ and ‘Zdgén, Old, Eldest’; cf. Yalqut Re’ubeni, i. 60a). See further the Introduction. In Zohar, i. fol. 223 b et al. the appellation Na‘ar as given to Enoch-Metatron is derived from Prov. xxi. 6, 0200068 la-nNa‘ar’, which is interpreted: ‘Enoch was made (the) Na‘ar’. The present verse is quoted in Zohar, i. 37 b, from ‘ Book of Enoch’. Ch. iv. This chapter is framed as an explanation of the name ‘ Na‘ar, Youth’ as applied to Metatron. It relates how Metatron is Enoch of Gen. v who was removed to heaven and there made into an angel-prince. The reason of his transla- tion was the sinfulness of the generation of the Flood to which he was to bear Witness to future generations and in the world to come. His testimony was to justify the destruction of all living beings in that generation through the Flood. The high angels ‘Azza, ‘Uzza and ‘Azzael enter protest against Enoch’s translation, but God rebukes them and elevates Enoch into a ruler and prince over them. (1) Why art thou called by the name of thy Creator etc. This part of the question is not answered in the chapter. It is to be considered merely as a repetition of the statement of the aforegoing chapter. The real question is: Why do they call thee ‘Youth’ in the high heavens? (2) Because I am Enoch the son of Jared. The identity of Enoch and Meta- tron is proclaimed in Targ. Yer. in the well-known passage to Gen. v. 24.1 here the ground for identification seems to have been the function of Scribe assigned both to Enoch and Metatron. For Enoch as Scribe cf. e.g. Jub. iv. 23, 2 00 for Metatron, TB. Chag. 15 a. This function of Enoch-Metatron is not emphasized in the present book, although the office of ‘witness’ of the sins of the generation in its original conception is probably connected with that of ‘ scribe’; see the next Verse, (3) when the generation of the flood sinned and were confounded in their deeds, saying unto God: Depart from us. . . (Job xxi. 14). The sins of the genera- tion of the Deluge are not defined as to their nature, except as a rebellion. Acc.