3 Enoch

Odeberg1928 source English page 384

176 THE HEBREW BOOK OF ENOCH [CH. XLVIII(D) the Haggadas and the Toseftas. And all of them were given® to Moses Mon high“ on Sina. a (5) These seventy names (are) a reflection of the Explicit Name(s) on the Merkaba which are™® graven upon the Throne of Glory. For the Holy One, blessed be He, took from His Explicit Name(s) and put upon the name of Metatron: Seventy Names of His by which the ministering angels call the King of the kings of kings, blessed be He, in the high heavens, and twenty-two letters! that are on the ring upon hus finger with which are sealed ™ the destinies of the princes of kingdoms on high סל‎ in greatness and power and with which are sealed the lots of the Angel of Death, and the destinies of every nation and tongue”. (6) Said® Metatron, the Angel, the Prince of the Presence; the Angel, the Prince of the Wisdom, the Angel, the Prince of the Understanding ; | 8 the Angel, the Prince of the Kings; the Angel, the Prince of the Rulers; 13 FG: ‘said’ or ‘read’ 14-14 FG om. 15 FG: “is” 16-16 so ins. with FG. A lacuna 17 FG ins.: ‘the Holy One’ 18 FG: ‘seals’ 19 FG ins.: ‘all the orders of the heaven of ‘Araboth’ 20 FG ins.: ‘in reign and dominion’ A lacuna 21 FG: ‘kingdom’ . 22 so ins. with G. A lacuna ia or 23 FG ins.: ‘the angel, the Prince of the Glory, the Angel, the Prince of the Hall(s)’ (5) These seventy names are 8 reflection.... Cf. on chh. xlviiic 9 and iil. 2. The seventy names are here referred to the Most High as King of the kings of kings, probably indicating the aspect of rulership over the world, the seventy nations. When ascribed to Metatron they signify, as may be assumed, Metatron’s character of representative ruler of the world, esp. over the princes of kingdoms; cf. the statement following: ‘(put upon Metatron’s name...the twenty-two letters ... With which are sealed the destinies of the princes of kingdoms. ..and the destinies of every nation and tongue. Cf. also on chh. 11. 2, x. 3, xvi. 2, xlviii 6 9 and vs. 6 here: Metatron...the Prince of the...princes, the exalted, great and honoured ones, in heaven and on earth. the Explicit Name(s)...which are graven on the Throne of Glory. Cf. Chill רו זו ו ,1 . הנררב‎ 1 Klis and twenty-two letters.... The twenty-two letters are presumably con- ceived of as contained in the Divine Names that were ‘put upon Metatron’. The holy letters constitute the Names, hence Names and letters are terms interchanged. with which are sealed. The creations and decrees of the Holy One are often re- presented as stablished by, sustained by or sealed with a Divine Name or a letter. Cf. Alph. R. ‘Agiba, BH. iii. 24: “ All the Explicit Names are written with He etc. And heaven and earth are sealed with it (them) and this world and the world to come and the days of Messiah. And how many are the letters by which heaven and earth are sealed? ‘They are 12..., namely the letters of the Name ‘’Ehye ’asher ‘Ehye (Aleph, He, Yod, He, etc.)”. on the ring upon his finger. Cf. ib. 25: they are sealed with the ring: "EH YE ’asher’EHYE”. the destinies of the... Angel of Death and the destinies of every nation and tongue. ‘The lots, ,פתקי‎ of the angel of death’ presumably means ‘the records of the ultimate fate of individuals and nations, kept with the angels of Death’; cf. Alph. R. ‘Aqiba, rec. B, BH. iii. 63: “the Pittage, the records of destinies of every nation are kept with thee (the angel of Gehenna, Negarsanael,) but the Pittage of thine do not include the people of Israel’’.