Yahoel and Metatron

Aural Apocalypticism and the Origins of Early Jewish Mysticism

By (author) Andrei A. Orlov

Book cover: Yahoel and Metatron

Extent: 250 pages

Publisher: Mohr Siebeck

Subjects: Jewish Studies, Religious Studies

Series: Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(August 2017)

ISBN: 9783161554476

6.38 x 9.49 inches

Price: $201.00

In stock

In this work, Andrei A. Orlov examines the apocalyptic profile of the angel Yahoel as the mediator of the divine Name, demonstrating its formative influence not only on rabbinic and Hekhalot beliefs concerning the supreme angel Metatron, but also on the unique aural ideology of early Jewish mystical accounts.


In this work, Andrei A. Orlov examines Jewish apocalyptic traditions about the angel Yahoel, tracing their conceptual impact on the development of later rabbinic and Hekhalot beliefs concerning the supreme angel Metatron. The author argues that the figure Yahoel, who became associated in Jewish apocalypticism with the distinctive aural ideology of the divine Name, provides an important conceptual key not only for elucidating the evolution of the Metatron tradition, but also for understanding the origins of the distinctive aural ideology prominent in early Jewish mystical accounts. Andrei A. Orlov suggests that the aural mould of Jewish apocalypticism exercised a decisive and formative influence on the development of early Jewish mysticism.

  • By (author) Andrei A. Orlov

"...The study breaks new ground and makes a significant contribution to the study of Jewish mysticism." --John J. Collins, Yale Divinity School, Reading Religion, July 9, 2018
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