Meet Archangel Metatron, Angel of Life

Profile Overview of the Archangel

Angel statue
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Metatron means either "one who guards" or "one serves behind [God’s] throne." Other spellings include Meetatron, Megatron, Merraton, and Metratton. Archangel Metatron is known as the angel of life. He guards the Tree of Life and writes down the good deeds people do on Earth, as well as what happens in heaven, in the Book of Life (also known as the Akashic Records). Metatron is traditionally considered to be the spiritual brother of Archangel Sandalphon, and both were humans on Earth before ascending to heaven as angels (Metatron is said to have lived as the prophet Enoch, and Sandalphon as the prophet Elijah). People sometimes ask for Metatron's help to discover their personal spiritual power and learn how to use it to bring glory to God and make the world a better place.

Symbols

In art, Metatron is often depicted guarding the Tree of life.

Energy Colors

Green and pink stripes or blue.

Role in Religious Texts

The Zohar, the holy book of the mystical branch of Judaism called Kabbalah, describes Metatron as "the king of angels" and says that he "rules over the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil" (Zohar 49, Ki Tetze: 28:138). The Zohar also mentions that the prophet Enoch has turned into the archangel Metatron in heaven (Zohar 43, Balak 6:86).

In the Torah and the Bible, the prophet Enoch lives an extraordinarily long life, and then is taken up into heaven without dying, as most humans do: "All of Enoch’s days were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and was no more, because God had taken him" (Genesis 5:23-24). The Zohar reveals that God decided to allow Enoch to continue his earthly ministry forever in heaven, describing in Zohar Bereshit 51:474 that, on Earth, Enoch was working on a book that contained "the inner secrets of wisdom" and then "was taken from this Earth to become a heavenly angel." Zohar Bereshit 51:475 reveals: "All the supernal secrets were delivered into his hands and he, in turn, delivered them to those who merited them. Thus, he performed the mission that the Holy One, blessed be he, assigned to him. One thousand keys were delivered into his hands and he takes one hundred blessings every day and creates unifications for his Master. The Holy One, blessed be He, took him from this world so that he would serve him above. The text [from Genesis 5] refers to this when it reads: 'And he was not; for Elohim [God] took him.'"

The Talmud mentions in Hagiga 15a that God allowed Metatron to sit down in his presence (which is unusual because others stood up in God’s presence to express their reverence for him) because Metatron is constantly writing: " ... Metatron, to whom was given permission to sit down and write the merits of Israel."

Other Religious Roles

Metatron serves as the patron angel of children because the Zohar identifies him as the angel who led the Hebrew people through the wilderness during the 40 years they spent traveling to the Promised Land.

Sometimes Jewish believers mention Metatron as an angel of death who helps escort people’s souls from Earth to the afterlife.

In sacred geometry, Metatron's cube is the shape that represents all the shapes in God's creation and Metatron's work directing the flow of creative energy in orderly ways.

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Hopler, Whitney. "Meet Archangel Metatron, Angel of Life." Learn Religions, Sep. 7, 2021, learnreligions.com/meet-archangel-metatron-124083. Hopler, Whitney. (2021, September 7). Meet Archangel Metatron, Angel of Life. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/meet-archangel-metatron-124083 Hopler, Whitney. "Meet Archangel Metatron, Angel of Life." Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/meet-archangel-metatron-124083 (accessed March 19, 2024).