Metatron; Scribe Of

Heaven

By James Donahue

Metatron is among the mysterious band of angels that exists mostly in Hebrew lore. There is no mention of him in the Jewish Tanakh or the Bible, and the name appears in only a few brief passages in the Talmud, yet the mythological story establishes a complex and powerful angelic figure that some say makes him the highest of the angels.

Metatron is known as the angel of life. He is said to guard the Tree of Life and keeps a record of the good deeds people do   on Earth. He maintains the Book of Life, also known as the akashic record. Thus his main duty is that of the celestial scribe.

There is an interesting story concerning Metatron’s origins. It is said that he once lived as the prophet Enoch on Earth, the brother of the prophet Elijah. Both ascended to heaven as angels. Enoch is known as Metatron and Elijah is today the angel Sandalphon. Thus legend has it that they both are busy at work, helping humanity as only the angels can.

The story of Enoch is unraveled in both Biblical text and the Torah. In Genesis we are told that “all of Enoch’s days were 365 years. Enoch walked with God and was no more because God had taken him.” The Zohar explains that God decided to allow Enoch to continue his Earthly ministry forever in heaven, thus he became a heavenly angel. The Kabbalah describes Metatron as “the king of angels.”

Legend also identifies Metatron as the patron angel of children. Some believe he was the angel that led the Hebrew people through the wilderness after they fled Egypt for the Promised Land.