3 Enoch (Sefer Hekhalot)

The Third Book of Enoch (Sefer Hekhalot, Book of Palaces) is the longest and most complex of the Hekhalot writings. It describes the ascent of Rabbi Ishmael to heaven and his encounters with the angel Metatron, the transformed Enoch.|||Hebrew manuscripts, including Oxford, Neubauer 1531 and Vatican 228. Odeberg's 1928 edition remains foundational. Compiled in post-Talmudic times, probably not before the 6th century CE.|||Compiled in post-Talmudic times, probably not before the 6th century CE. Any dating remains speculative, but it represents a rather late stage in the creation of the Hekhalot literature.|||Not canonical in any tradition. Part of the Hekhalot mystical literature.|||The best-known Hekhalot text. Describes Enoch's transformation into the angel Metatron, the " Lesser YHWH," and Rabbi Ishmael's heavenly ascent. A treasure house of information about esoteric traditions.|||Odeberg, H. 3 Enoch, or the Hebrew Book of Enoch. Cambridge, 1928.|||Alexander, P. "3 (Hebrew Apocalypse of) Enoch." In The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, vol. 1. Doubleday, 1983.|||Schäfer, P. Synopse zur Hekhalot-Literatur. Mohr Siebeck, 1981.|||3 Enoch — Internet Archive|https://archive.org/details/3enochorhebrewb00odeb|Odeberg's 1928 edition and translation.;; 3 Enoch — Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_Enoch|Background and scholarly discussion.;; Sacred Texts — 3 Enoch|https://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/3en/index.htm|Selections from Odeberg's translation.|||" And Enoch was transformed into the angel Metatron, the prince of the presence." — 3 Enoch 3:1