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3 Enoch

Hebrew Book of Enoch

About this book
Chapter 15

1 R. Ishmael said: Metatron, the angel, the Prince of the Presence, the Glory of all heavens, said to me: As soon as the Holy One, blessed be He, took me in (His) service to attend the Throne of Glory⁠ and the Wheels (Galgallim) of the Merkaba and the needs of Shekina, at once my flesh was changed into flames, my sinews into flaming fire, my bones into coals of burning juniper, the light of my eye-lids into splendour of lightnings, my eye-balls into fire-brands, the hair of my head into hot flames, all my limbs into wings of burning fire and the whole of my body into glowing fire.⁠ 2 And on my right were divisions of fiery flames, on my left fire-brands were burning, round about me stormwind and tempest were blowing and in front of me and behind me was roaring of thunder with earthquake.

Texts in conversation

Compare 2 Enoch 22:10 and 3 Enoch 15:1

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

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Summary

In 2 Enoch, the angel Michael clothes Enoch in God's glory as he becomes like an angel. In 3 Enoch, Enoch's body turns to fire, making his change even more physical and dramatic.

Passages

2 Enoch 22:10

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Secrets of Enoch
6 And the chief commander Michael lifted me up, and led me before the Lord's face. And the Lord said to his servants testing them: 'Let Enoch stand before my face forever,' 7 and the glorious ones bowed down to the Lord, and said: 'Let Enoch go according to Your word.' 8 And the Lord said to Michael: 'Go and take Enoch out of his earthly garments, and anoint him with my sweet ointment, and put him into the garments of My glory.' 9 And Michael did so, as the Lord told him. He anointed me, and dressed me, and the appearance of that ointment is more than the great light, and his ointment is like sweet dew, and its smell mild, shining like the sun's ray, 10 and I looked at myself, and was like one of his glorious ones.
1–100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 2 Enoch

3 Enoch 15:1

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Hebrew Book of Enoch
1 R. Ishmael said: Metatron, the angel, the Prince of the Presence, the Glory of all heavens, said to me: As soon as the Holy One, blessed be He, took me in (His) service to attend the Throne of Glory and the Wheels (Galgallim) of the Merkaba and the needs of Shekina, at once my flesh was changed into flames, my sinews into flaming fire, my bones into coals of burning juniper, the light of my eye-lids into splendour of lightnings, my eye-balls into fire-brands, the hair of my head into hot flames, all my limbs into wings of burning fire and the whole of my body into glowing fire.
400–600 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 3 Enoch

References

“... 2 Enoch asserts with a boldness and clarity nowhere matched in 1 Enoch that Enoch ascended bodily to heaven and was trans- formed into an angel. It is true that the story of his ascent begins when he is asleep, but it is expressly stated that his guardian angels woke him up, and that he rose and went out from his house, closing the door behind him. Such an ascent cannot be achieved without a physical transformation, so when he reaches God’s presence, God tells Michael, “Go, and extract Enoch from his earthly clothing. And anoint him with my delightful oil, and put him into the clothes of my glory. And so Michael did, just as the Lord had said to him. And the appearance of that oil is greater than the greatest light, and its ointment is like sweet dew, and its fragrance myrrh, and it is like the rays of the glitter- ing sun.” Transformed Enoch, looking at himself, observes that he has “become like one of the Lord’s glorious ones and there was no observable difference” (2 Enoch 22:8-10). Since Enoch has become an angel, his reverse journey back to earth now be- comes a problem. How could mortals endure the advent of such a glorious one? This problem is addressed in 2 Enoch 37, where Enoch’s face is said to have been “chilled,” because otherwise no human being would have been able to look at it. Back on earth, Methusalam offers to prepare Enoch a meal, but Enoch replies: “Since the time the Lord anointed me with the ointment of his glory, food has not come into me, and earthly pleasure my soul does not remember; nor do I desire anything earthly” (2 Enoch 56:2). And when Enoch finally returns to heaven it is to stand forever before the Lord as one of the angels of the presence (2 Enoch 67:2). ...”
Philip S. Alexander, “From Son of Adam to Second God: Transformations of the Biblical Enoch,” in Biblical Figures Outside the Bible, ed. Michael E. Stone and Theodore A. Bergren (Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 1998), 104.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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