Metatron is one of the most important angels in the Western tradition.
According to Johann Eisenmenger, Metatron represents the supreme angel of death, to whom God daily gives orders as to which souls will be taken that day. Metatron transmits these orders to his subordinates Gabriel and Sammael. He is further believed to be in charge of the sustenance of the world. In the Talmud and Targum, Metatron is the link between God and humanity. Among various missions and deeds attributed to Metatron is the staying of Abraham’s hand at the point of sacrificing Isaac, although this mission has also been imputed to Michael, Zadkiel, Tadhiel, and, of course, to the angel of the Lord. Metatron is thought to reside in the seventh heaven, and, with the possible exception of Anafiel, is the tallest angel in heaven. The Zohar computes his size as “equal to the breadth of the whole world,”which in rabbinic lore was the size of Adam before he sinned.Metatron is generally recognized as the heavenly scribe who records everything that happens in the ethereal archives. In the tale ofthe marriage of God and Earth, told in the Alphabet of Ben Sira, God demands from Earth the “loan” of Adam for one thousand years. Upon agreement to the loan, God writes out a formal receipt, which is on deposit “to this day” in the archives of Metatron.
Metatron is the first—and also the last—of the ten archangels of the Briatic world. In terms of seniority, he is actually the youngest angel in the heavenly host. He has been variously given the role of king of angels, prince of the divine face or presence, chancellor of heaven, angel of the covenant, chief of the ministering angels, and the lesser YHWH (the tetragrammaton, or Yahweh).
The meaning of the name Metatron is unclear. Rabbi Eleazar of Worms (Germany), an influential Hasidic leader and writer in the late twelfth and early thirteen centuries, thought it derived from the Latin metator (a guide or measurer). Hugo Odeberg asserts that the name Metatron originated in Jewish circles and “should be regarded as a pure Jewish invention, viz., a metonym for the term “little YHWH.”” Odeberg also interprets the name as “one who occupies the throne next to the divine throne.” According to Jewish historian Gershom Scholem, on the basis of The Apocalypse of Abraham the name might be a “vox mystica” for Yahoel (God).
According to one legend, Metatron was once the patriarch Enoch, who, when chosen by God to be the writer of truth, was transformed into a fiery angel with thirty-six wings and countless eyes. Most Talmudic authorities, however, do not identify Enoch with Metatron. TheTanhuna Genesis claims he was originally the archangel Michael. Metatron has also been identified as Satan; as the dark angel who wrestled with Jacob at Peniel (Genesis 32); as the watchman (Isaiah21); as the Logos; as Uriel; as the evil Sammael; as an angel of liberation; and as the Shekinah (the female principle of God in the world).
According to the Cabala, Metatron is the angel who led the children of Israel through the wilderness after the Exodus, whereas in occult writings he is depicted as the twin brother or half-brother of the angel Sandalphon. Metatron has also been identified as Isaiah’s suffering servant, the Messiah of Christian theology, and has been credited with the authorship of Ps. 37:25, according to TalmudYebamoth 16b. The Zohar speaks of Metatron as Moses’ rod “from oneside of which comes life and from the other, death.” In Jewish lore Metatron is the angel who caused another angel to announce, before the Flood, that God would destroy the world, whereas, according to Talmud Abodah Zarah 3b, Metatron is the teacher of prematurely dead children in Paradise.
~ From Angels A-Z by Evelyn Dorothy Oliver and James R. Lewis
Sources:
Davidson, Gustav. A Dictionary of Angels Including the Fallen Angels. Reprint. 1967.
New York: The Free Press, 1971.
Liebes. Yehuda. Studies in the Zohar. Trans. from the Hebrew by Arnold Schwartz,
Stephanie Nakache, and Penina Peli. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New
York Press, 1993.
MacGregor, Geddes. Angels: Ministers of Grace. New York: Paragon House Publishers,
1988.
Prophet, Elizabeth Clare. Forbidden Mysteries of Enoch: Fallen Angels and the Origens
of Evil. Livingston, Mont.: Summit University Press, 1983.
Metratron
Metatron is said to reside in the 7th Heaven, which is the dwelling place of God. When metatron appears, his appearance is that of "a pillar of fire, his face more dazzling than the sun." Metatron is the angel who led the children of Israel through the wilderness after Moses took them out of Egypt. Metatron is said to be the tallest angel in Heaven, with the exception of Anafiel. It is said in the Zohar that Metatrons height is "equal to the breadth of the whole world." While Metatron was still Enoch and arrived in Heaven, it is said that he was transformed into a spirit of fire and given 36 pairs of wings along with innumerable eyes. It is said that Metatron sits upon the throne that sits next to the divine throne. Metatron is the supreme angel of death. After being given the list of souls to be taken that day, Metatron mites out that list to Gabriel and Sammael. Metatron is the angel that governs the Tree of Life, and the teachings of the Kabbalah. Metatron is the "Angel of the Presence, World-Prince, archangel associated with Kether. According to some, the Briatic manifestation of Chokmah and the active principle of the Shekinah." Godwin's Cabalistic Encyclopedia by David Godwin
Nicely done "Angel Lady!"
it must be said
in response to India's post, it is notable that any and all Param Sants (Ultimate Saints) are also realized of the level of the 7th heaven, but that is also where descriptios of what is to be found there differ widely….as stated above, it is the dwelling place of God, however, in the Sant Mat tradition, beginning with Param Sant Kabir, he states that it is at this level that Soul becomes aware that It is merely an atom of the Divine Sound, making the 7th plane the level of Spiritual Realization, occuring after Self Realization and before God Realization…it can also be understood that if Kabir's statement is true, that it might also make the statement of the 7th plane being the residing place of the Godhead seem true as stated, the Divine Soundbeing not only the literal Voice of God, but also the Divine Mauj or Will in action…..i dont mean to confuse things, only to add another level of interpretation to this subject. In Sant Mat a cosmology of 8 planes are recognized, with the Godhead being on the 8th, but Param Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras further illuminated the subject by clarifying that there are no less than 14 planes, the Godhead being realized at the 12th, and Mastership being attained at the 12th, but developed to an even greater degree at the 14th plane, and it is this cosmology that i myself use.
Good stuff
I enjoyed this post and the responses to it. Everything written here is well done and I enjoyed the various views particularly that of Shabda.