|
Metatron (alternate spelling: Metraton) is the name of an angel in Judaism and some branches of Christianity. However, there is no consensus as to his genesis or the role that he plays in the hierarchy of Heaven and Hell. According to one school of thought, Enoch was taken by God and transformed into Metatron. However, this viewpoint is not shared by many Talmudic authorities.
The Zohar identifies Metatron as the angel that led the people of Israel through the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt, and both the Talmud and Targum identify Metatron as the link between God and humanity. Metatron is also mentioned in the Pseudepigrapha, most notably in the Book of Enoch. According to Johann Eisenmenger, Metatron transmits the daily orders of God to the angels Gabriel and Sammael.
Metatron in culture
Metatron appears as a major character in the film Dogma, where he is played by Alan Rickman. Here he is the voice of God, who cannot speak directly to a human, because the voice of God is so powerful it would kill the person. "We went through five Adams before we figured that one out," he drolly comments.
Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow also features Metatron.
In Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's novel Good Omens, the Metatron works like the voice of God, similar to the film Dogma, but it is unsure if people will blow up if they hear His own voice or not. In an explanatory foot note, "The Voice Of God" is likened to a Presidential Press Secretary.
In Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, Metatron is an angel and Regent of the Kingdom of Heaven, hence in league with The Authority (God). It is mentioned that Metatron had been known as Enoch before, but then was somehow made angelic upon death, though Pullman's metaphysics are never made entirely explicitly clear. Metatron in his own words, "was known as Enoch, son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Kenan, the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam. [He] lived on earth for sixty-five years, and then the Authority took [him] to his kingdom."
Metatron appears in the third volume of the trilogy, The Amber Spyglass, and is somewhat of an antagonist figure: he is the 'bad-guy' who works against the protagonists of the novel. In Pullman's rendition, Metatron has effectively taken the place of, and become, God, the Authority. He is described as having a spear, "a being made of light," and being huge and powerful, and frightening to both angels and humans.
(Sources of quotes: The Amber Spyglass, Philip Pullman, 2001 publication, first publication 2000).
In the computer game series Silent Hill, a recurring symbol is eventually revealed to be a talisman of Metatron, with the power to dispel evil.
Jack Kirby's sprawling New Gods epic comic book saga features a studious deity called Metron, who appears where needed, to offer the protagonists cryptic words of wisdom - a relative of Metatron, perhaps?
In the anime series Akihabara Dennou Gumi (also known as Cyberteam in Akihabara), a Rosicrucian-based mythological plot involves a boy genius who flees the Earth in a spaceship after World War I. He establishes himself in a hidden orbital castle while back on Earth his former tutor awaits his return, worshipping him as Metatron.
Musician Carlos Santana claims that the revitalization of his career in the 21st century is due to Metatron. Santana claims that Metatron visits him while he meditates and describes it as a white, bearded angel.
See also
|
