3 Enoch

Odeberg1928 source English page 252

44 THE HEBREW BOOK OF ENOCH [CH. XVI while I was presiding (lit. sitting) in the Celestial Court ) Yeshiba), and the princes of kingdoms were standing before me, on my right and on my left—by authority of the Holy One, blessed be He. (2) But when Acher® came to behold the vision of the Merkaba and fixed his eyes on me, he feared and trembled before me and his soul was affrighted even unto departing from him, because of fear, horror and dread of me, when he beheld me sitting upon a throne like a king with all the ministering angels standing by me as my servants and all the princes of kingdoms ®adorned with crowns® surrounding me: (3) in that moment he opened his mouth and said: “Indeed, there are two Divine Powers in heaven!” (4) Forthwith Bath Ool (the Divine Voice) went forth 7from heaven’ from before the Shekina and said: ‘‘ Return, ye backsliding children (Jer. 111. 22), except Acher!” 5 DL: ‘Elisha ben Abuya who is (also called) Acher’ B: (instead of “Acher came’) ‘came Elisha ben Abuya and he was standing behind (corr. reading for “Acher’) YHWH’ 6-6 so DL (cf. on vs. 3 01 ch. xii, chh. xvii! 8, 20110 3 6 AB: ‘wreathing crowns’ (cf. also vs. 1 here: ‘divided...crown...until etc.’) 7-7 BDL om. emblems of rulership : again a trait of the Prince of the World conception. presiding in the Celestial Court or council. Metatron is depicted in a position similar to that of God presiding in the Celestial Beth Din in chh. xxviii 6 7-9, xxx. The conception is implied in ch. x and ch. xlviii 0 8, 9. Metatron’s presidency in his yeshiba is apparently pictured after the pattern of God’s presidency in the highest Beth Din, and naturally so, Metatron being God’s representative and vice-regent. by authority of the Holy One, blessed be He. It is emphasized that Metatron’s presidency in the yeshiba and his rulership are derived from ‘his King’. (2) when Acher came to behold the vision of the Merkaba. Acher, as Elisha ben Abuya was called after his ‘fall’, is a well-known figure of Rabbinic (in modern time characterized as ‘the Faust of the Talmud’): see, besides Chag. 15 a and Yer. Chag. 77 b, Rut. R. vi, Eccl. R. to vii. 8, 26 (P. Aboth, iv. 25), further Graetz, Gnostizismus u. Fudentum, pp. 62-71, Chaluz, v. 66-72, Smolenskin in Hash- Shachar, v. 66-72, Steinschneider, Elisha ben Abuya, Bacher in Agada der Tannaiten (R. Meir, etc.) came to behold the vision of Merkaba: acc. to the Talmud-passages he was one of the four who ‘entered Paradise’ in their lifetime, an expression evidently denoting mystical experiences and speculations on the ‘Ma‘ase Merkaba’, here he is simply denoted as one of those who beheld the vision of the Merkaba (as R. Ishmael, ch. i. 1 seq.). (3) Indeed, there are two Divine Powers in heaven (cf. Chag. 15 a: “are there, God forbid, two Divine Powers?”’). Acher is described as giving vent to the most abominable heretic view, that denying the absolute Unity of the Godhead. Ihe Talmudic tradition emphasizes Acher’s aberration into heresy, and also, as it seems, that his heresy was caused by his mystical speculations. Acher, after having entered Paradise ‘cut the plantations’, i.e., probably, seduced scholars from the right faith. (Cf. also the Tosaphists ad locum, Chag. 15 a). (4) Bath Qol went forth...and said: ‘‘Return, ye backsliding children, except Acher!’ (identical with Chag. 15 a). Acher was to be excluded from the cpportunity of forgiveness through repentance, offered to all other children of Ose. | |