In this post I will be quoting from another Jewish source in regards to the heavenly mythical being known as Metatron, a figure which various Jewish traditions identify as the second God or “Lesser YHVH,” as well as the transformed and metamorphosed Enoch. Some of these traditions even go as far as to describe Metatron as the son of the Shekhinah, and therefore by extension God’s very own son whom God employed to create the heavens and the earth.
209. A VISION OF METATRON
There were four who entered Paradise. Elisha ben Abuyah was one of them. He ascended on high to gaze at the Merkavah, the Divine Chariot. When he reached the door of the seventh place, he came into the presence of the angel Metatron ruled over all the other heavenly beings. Seeing this, Elisha began to quake, and his soul was confused and filled with fright. For Metatron was seated upon that throne like a king, with all the ministering angels standing by him as he presided over the Celestial Court and all the angels. In that instant Elisha opened his mouth and cried, “God forbid, there must be two powers in heaven!” Thereupon a heavenly voice went forth to say, “Return, you backsliding children, all except Aher!”
After that God commanded the angel Anafiel to punish Metatron with sixty fiery lashes for not rising when he saw Elisha, thus giving Elisha the false impression that there were two heavenly powers. As for Elisha, thereafter he became known as Aher, the Other, for at the instant he saw Metatron seated there, he lost his faith.
The two primary versions of this myth about Aher (Elisha ben Abuyah) becoming an apostate are found in the Talmud in B. Hagigah 15a and in 3 Enoch. Elisha’s shock on seeing Metatron in heaven derives primarily from the fact that he is seated, since he had believed that no sitting was allowed in heaven except for God, seated on His Throne of Glory. Thus Elisha identifies Metatron as a “Lesser Yahweh,” a demiurgic figure. And for the Enoch sect, in particular, Enoch/Metatron does play a remarkably extensive role, for he serves as chief of the angels who carries out all of God’s commands.
The rabbinic explanation for Metatron’s being seated is that he is the heavenly scribe, whose job it is to record the merits of Israel. The version in 3 Enoch elaborates on the godlike role Metatron plays, surrounded by ministering angels. Metatron’s punishment of sixty fiery lashes demonstrates his subservience to God. It seems likely that Elisha’s apostasy led him to become a Gnostic, whose primary belief was that there are two powers in heaven.
This myth is directly modeled after Daniel 7, where Daniel has a vision of the Ancient of Days, one of the names of God. Daniel’s vision itself is directly based on Isaiah’s vision in Isaiah 6:1-8. Here, however, Metatron has taken the place of God in Elisha’s vision. This shows the extreme nature of the Metatron mythology, in which Metatron’s role sometimes seems TO ECLIPSE THAT OF GOD. Here, ironically, this is done by drawing on a biblical model. The talmudic version of this myth was likely intended as a warning against Gnosticism in general and speculations about Enoch/Metatron in particular. This accusation finds its answer in 3 Enoch, dating from around the eighth century. It is fascinating to observe how this talmudic warning myth is incorporated in 3 Enoch into the overall myth of Metatron, and slanted in a way to demonstrate that Elisha ben Abuyah failed to recognize Metatron’s true role as God’s second in command. But at the same time the myth is certainly intended to elevate the primary role of Metatron in the heavenly pantheon to one who is second only to God. See “The Four Who Entered Paradise,” p. 173
Anafiel, the angel punishes Metatron, is the same angel who brought Enoch into heaven, where the metamorphosis into Metatron took place. Anafiel YHVH is one of the eight princes of heaven whose names include the Tetragrammaton, suggesting that they are an extension of God. Metatron’s power is over all the angels except these eight princes.
Sources:
Tosefta Hagigah 2:4; B. Hagigah 15a; 3 Enoch 16:1-5; Testament of Abraham 11:1-13:7; Schafer #671-674 from Ms. Oxford 1531.
Studies:
Two Powers by Alan Segal.
“Form(s) of God: Some Notes on Metatron and Christ” by Gedaliahu G. Stroumsa.
Four Powers in Heaven: The Interpretation of Daniel 7 in the Testament of Abraham by Philip B. Munoa, III.
“3 Enoch and the Talmud” by P. S. Alexander.
The Faces of the Chariot by David J. Halperin. (Howard Schwartz, Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism [Oxford University Press, 2004], pp. 174-175; emphasis mine)
233. THE PRIMORDIAL METATRON
The Primordial Metatron was the first of creation, THE SON OF THE SHEKHINAH. The first words of the Torah, In the beginning God created, REFER TO METATRON. The Primordial Metatron assisted God in the creation of the world, and has assisted God ever since in ruling the worlds above and below. When God said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord,” he meant come up TO METATRON.
This description of a Primordial Metatron closely resembles the myths about the Heavenly Man and Adam Kadmon. What is unusual is that the primordial Metatron is described as the Son of the Shekhinah. Since this myth is found in the Zohar, the Shekhinah refers to God’s Bride, making the Primordial Metatron the child of God and the Shekhinah. The Christian echoes of the “son of God” are apparent, as well as the structure of a divine family as is found in other mythic traditions, such as the Greek or Canaanite. See “The Heavenly Man,” p. 124 and “Adam Kadmon,” p. 15
The identification of “the Lord” AS METATRON is, surprisingly, found in the Talmud. For a further discussion of this, see the Introduction, p. 1.
The notion of a Primordial Metatron CONTRADICTS the standard explanation of Metatron’s origin as Enoch, who was transformed into Metatron after being carried into heaven in a fiery chariot. It demonstrates an alternate Metatron tradition apart from that linked to Enoch. Of course, the original Enoch tradition dates from around the second century BCE, the Zohar from the thirteenth century. Thus it is possible that this is one of many new mythic traditions found in the Zohar.
Sources:
B. Sanhedrin 38b; Zohar 1:94b.
234. THE ANGEL METATRON
God made a throne for Metatron similar to the Throne of Glory, and spread a curtain of splendor over him, and on it were fixed all kinds of lights in the universe. Metatron sits on that throne at the entrance to the seventh heavenly palace, where he judges all the upper beings, the family on high, with permission of God. So too does he offer the souls of the righteous in the heavenly Temple as an atonement for the Jewish people. The hand of God rests on the head of His servant, whose height is that of the entire universe, and the attending angels stand before him.
Before God appointed Metatron to serve the Throne of Glory, God opened up three hundred thousand gates of discernment to him, and as many gates of cunning, compassion, and love, as well as gates of humility, sustenance, mercy, and the fear of heaven. And God revealed the mysteries of the Torah to him and all the secrets of wisdom, and all the secrets of Creation.
Then God gave Metatron a royal crown that included 49 precious stones, each as bright as the light of the sun. The light of these stones penetrates to the far corners of all seven heavens. God Himself engraved on Metatron’s crown the letters with which the heavens and the earth and all their hosts were created. So too did God give him His cloak, His crown, and His name. And God made Metatron a garment with all types of light in it, and He dressed him in it. So too did God give Metatron the highest splendor, which is the light of the soul that Adam forfeited by his sin.
And God sent forth a herald, who announced that Metatron was ruler over all the princes of heaven and over the children of heaven. And every angel who had to speak in God’s presence should speak to him instead. Indeed, there are those who say that Metatron is the Lord God of Israel, God of the heavens and God of the earth, God of Gods, God of the sea and God of the land.
This is Metatron, Prince of the Presence. The angels who are with him encircle the Throne of Glory on one side and the celestial beasts are on the other side, and the Shekhinah is in the center of the Throne of Glory. And God called Metatron the little god before His entire heavenly family, as it is said, for “My Name is within him” (Exod. 23:23).
Then Metatron brings the fire of deafness and puts it in their ears, so that they do not hear the sound of God’s speech and the explicit Name that Metatron utters at that time in seven voices, or, some say, seventy voices in all.
In the Hekhalot texts, describing heavenly journeys, the angel Metatron is described in terms that are virtually equal, AND SOMETIMES SUPERIOR, to those used to describe God. When Hekhalot Rabbati describes Metatron as “Lord God of Israel, God of heavens and God of the earth, God of Gods, God of the sea and God of the land,” there is little doubt that the author regards Metatron at least as the “Lesser Yahweh,” if not God’s equal. Just the fact that both God and Metatron are served by Surya, the Prince of the Presence is clear indication of their divine status, and he is described as treating them equally, prostrating himself a thousand times before each one.
According to Gershom Schoem, Metatron was a secret name for Michael. Michael is not only one of the archangels, but he is also the High Priest in the heavenly Temple, so that his role is already elevated, although not to the heights of Metatron. Metatron is more commonly linked to Enoch and the belief that Enoch had been transformed into Metatron. See “The Metamorphosis and Enthronement of Metatron,” p. 156.
Sources:
Numbers Rabbah 3b; Shi’ur Komah, Oxford Ms. 1791, ff. 58-70, 3 Enoch 10:1-13:2; Hekhalot Rabbati 11, 27; Zohar Hadash 42d, 68a.
Studies:
3 Enoch or the Hebrew Book of Enoch by Hugo Odeberg. Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and Talmudic Tradition by Gershom Schoem. (Ibid., pp. 195-196; emphasis mine)
FURTHER READING
Answering Islam Blog 
3 thoughts on “METATRON: ISRAEL’S SECOND GOD REVISITED”