Читать книгу An Angel in Your Pocket - Rosemary Guiley Ellen - Страница 11

Zoroastrianism was popular during the Hebrews’ captivity in Persia and made its mark on their biblical writings. While their religion did not allow for any gods other than Yahweh, the idea of angelic intermediaries to the Divinity was acceptable and adoptable.

Angels appear as guides to heaven in the Jewish Kabbalah, secret writings containing mystical knowledge that is passed on to those advanced enough to comprehend it. There are also beings called sefirot, which are composed of the energy of God and are known as Grace, Wisdom, Splendour, Understanding, Knowledge, Foundation, Eternity, Power, Beauty, and Crown. They stand together to form a tree – the Tree of Life.

At the top of the tree is the Angel of the Lord, Metatron. He is considered in some accounts to be the greatest of the angels – there is scarcely an angelic duty or function that is not related to him. Metatron also is the representative of God who led the tribes of Israel through the wilderness, and probably is the dark angel who wrestled with Jacob. He is sometimes identified with Satan. In Judaic literature, the principal name of Satan is Samael, which means ‘poison angel.’

The etymology of Metatron is unclear. Possibly, the name itself was intended to be a secret, and may have been produced through a glossolalia-type of altered state of consciousness. Glossolalia is speaking in tongues, and is perhaps best-known for its part in charismatic religions. Metatron is sometimes called the Prince of the Countenance, meaning he is the chief angel of those angels who are privileged to look upon the countenance of God.

Descriptions of him tell of a spirit or pillar of fire with thirty-six pairs of wings and myriad eyes. His face is more dazzling than the sun. He serves as God’s Angel of Death, instructing Gabriel and Samael which human souls to take at any given moment.