Third Enoch, or 3 Enoch, is a Hebrew mystical work also known as the Hebrew Book of Enoch. It belongs to the literature of heavenly palaces and angelic hierarchies. Its narrative presents Rabbi Ishmael's encounter with Metatron, who identifies himself with the transformed Enoch.[1]

Enoch and Metatron#

Metatron recounts his elevation from human life to an exalted angelic position. The account gives him exceptional names, knowledge, and authority within heaven. Enoch's transformation becomes a way to describe the relation between a human visionary and the divine court.

The work includes heavenly rulers, angelic orders, and the ceremonies of the celestial world. Its setting is quite different from the long catalogue of earthly corruption and judgment in First Enoch. The shared patriarch connects the traditions, while the literary world and surviving language distinguish them.

A Hebrew mystical text#

Hugo Odeberg's 1928 edition brought together Hebrew text, translation, and critical discussion. It remains an identifiable historical edition, although later research has continued to examine the work's manuscripts and development.[1][2]

The name Metatron also appears in later Jewish and occult literature. Those appearances do not all depend on one passage in Third Enoch, and a modern diagram bearing his name is not necessarily an ancient feature of this text. When comparing traditions, the chapter, edition, and religious setting give a clearer account than a general claim about “the books of Enoch.”

See also#

References

  1. Hugo Odeberg, 3 Enoch or the Hebrew Book of Enoch (1928) · Historical critical edition, Hebrew text, and English translation. (accessed 2026-10-01) ↩
  2. Open Library, catalogue record for Odeberg’s 3 Enoch · Bibliographic identification of the 1928 edition. (accessed 2026-10-01) ↩
3 enochmetatronhebrew mysticismtexts

This encyclopedia covers traditions beyond the High Satanic Church. Church doctrine is identified as such when it appears.