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Metatron (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֶטָטְרוֹן‎ Meṭāṭrōn), or Matatron (מַטַּטְרוֹן‎, Maṭṭaṭrōn), is an angel in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam mentioned three times in the Talmud, in a few brief passages in the Aggadah, and in mystical Kabbalistic texts within Rabbinic literature. The figure forms one of the traces for the presence of dualist proclivities in the otherwise monotheistic visions of both the Tanakh and later Christian doctrine. In the Jewish kabbalistic tradition, 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 Islamic tradition, he is also known as Mīṭaṭrūn (Arabic: ميططرون), the angel of the veil.: 192  In Jewish apocrypha and early Kabbalah, '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.: 92–97  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. It is supported by Saul Lieberman and Peter Schäfer, who give further reasons why this might be a viable etymology. The Latin word metator ('messenger, guide, leader, measurer') had been suggested by Eleazar of Worms (c. 1165–c. 1230), Nachmanides, and brought to light again by Hugo Odeberg. When transliterated into the Hebrew language, it is given as מטיטור (mṭyṭwr) or מיטטור (myṭṭwr). Gershom Scholem argues that there is no data to justify the conversion of metator to Metatron. Philip Alexander also suggests this as a possible origin of Metatron, stating that the word metator also occurs in Greek as mitator – a word for an officer in the Roman army who acted as a forerunner. Using this etymology, Alexander suggests the name may have come about as a description of 'the angel of the Lord who led the Israelites through the wilderness: acting like a Roman army metator guiding the Israelites on their way'. Other ideas include μέτρον (metron, 'a measure'). Charles Mopsik believes that the name Metatron may be related to the sentence from Genesis 5:24, "Enoch walked with God, then he was no more, because God took him". The LXX version of the Hebrew word לָקַ֥ח ("took") is μετέθηκεν. In the entry entitled "Paradigmata" in his study "'The Written' as the Vocation of Conceiving Jewishly", John W. McGinley gives an accounting of how this name functions in the Bavli's version of "four entered pardes". Origins From Hellenistic times, mention of a second divine figure, either beside YHWH or beneath him, occur in a number of Jewish texts, mostly apocryphal. These Jewish traditions implying a divine dualism were most frequently associated with Enoch. In the rabbinic period they center on 'Metatron', often in the context of debates over the heretical doctrine of 'two powers in heaven' (shtei rashuyot ba-shamayim). Ultimately, these ideas appear to go back to differing interpretations of the heavenly enthronement passages at Exodus 24:10f., Daniel 7:9f. and perhaps even Ezekiel 1:26f. These different interpretations later came to distinguish what was orthodox from what was heretical in Judaism. Among the pseudepigrapha 1 Enoch: Book of Parables presents two figures: the son of man and Enoch. At first, these two characters seem to be separate entities. Enoch views the son of man enthroned in Heaven. Later, however, they prove to be one and the same. Many scholars believe that the final chapters in the Book of Parables are a later addition. Others think they are not and that the son of man is Enoch's heavenly double similarly to the Prayer of Joseph where Jacob is depicted as an angel. The Book of Daniel displays two similar characters: the Ancient of Days and the one like a man. Parts of the text in Daniel are Aramaic and may have been changed in translation. The Septuagint reads that the son of man came as the Ancient of Days. All other translations say the son of man gained access to the Ancient of Days and was brought before that one. The identification of Enoch with Metatron in 3 Enoch, where the name first appears, is not explicitly made in the Talmud although it does refer to a Prince of the World who was young but now is old. However, some of the earliest kabbalists assumed the connection. There also seems to be two Metatrons, one spelled with six letters (מטטרון), and one spelled with seven (מיטטרון). The former may be the transformed Enoch, Prince of the Countenance within the divine palace; the latter, the Primordial Metatron, an emanation of the "Cause of Causes", specifically the tenth and last emanation, identified with the earthly Divine Presence. Furthermore, the Merkabah text Re'uyot Yehezkel identifies the Ancient of Days from the Book of Daniel as Metatron. Scholem's scholastic analysis Many scholars see a discontinuity between how Enoch is portrayed in the early Enoch literature and how Metatron is portrayed. Scholars commonly see the character of Metatron as being based on an amalgam of Jewish literature; in addition to Enoch, Michael, Melchizedek, and Yahoel among others are seen as influences. Scholem argues Metatron's character was influenced by two streams of thought: One linking Metatron with Enoch, and one fusing different obscure entities and mythic motifs. Scholem argues that this second tradition was originally separate but later fused with the Enoch tradition. He points to texts where this second Metatron is a primordial angel and referred to as Metatr.... Discover the Archangel Metatron popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Archangel Metatron books.