Enoch / Idris
Translated Human and Revealer of Mysteries
The biblical patriarch Enoch, who walked with God and was taken without dying, is identified with Hermes Trismegistus in Hermetic texts, with Idris (a prophet of wisdom) in hadith, with Metatron in Kabbalah, and appears in Gnostic cosmologies as a revealer of divine secrets.
Across Traditions
Hermeticism
Name
Enoch
Role
Translated human and revealer of divine wisdom
Summary
In Hermetic tradition, Enoch is identified with Hermes Trismegistus himself. His translation to heaven without death represents the ascent of the soul through the seven planetary spheres to union with the divine. The Books of Enoch describe his visionary journeys through the heavens.
Source Text
And Enoch walked with God, and was no more, for God took him.
Genesis 5:24
Gnosticism
Name
Enoch
Role
Revealer of divine secrets and heavenly knowledge
Summary
In Gnostic texts, Enoch is a figure who ascends through the heavens and receives revelation of the pleroma and the true God. His translation becomes a model of gnosis — the soul's escape from the material prison through divine knowledge.
Source Text
Enoch ascended through the heavens and beheld the throne of glory and the hidden nature of all existence.
Apocalypse of Enoch (Gnostic)
Islam: Hadith
Name
Idris
Role
Prophet of wisdom and keeper of knowledge
Summary
In Islamic hadith, Idris is one of the greatest prophets, identified with Enoch. He was given the Psalms (Zabur), taught humanity writing and astrology, and is mentioned as dwelling in paradise. He represents the human who attains such piety that God elevates him beyond death.
Source Text
And mention Idris in the Book. Indeed, he was a man of truth and a prophet.
Quran 19:56
Kabbalah
Name
Metatron / Enoch
Role
Angelic scribe and guide of souls
Summary
In Kabbalistic mysticism, Enoch is transformed into Metatron, the greatest of angels and scribe of God. He sits on the throne of glory and mediates between God and humanity. His ascent represents the perfected human becoming divine through mystical union.
Source Text
And the name of his greatness is Metatron, who was once the man Enoch, and was taken up to heaven.
3 Enoch (Sefer Hekhalot)
Connected Figures
Theme
Ascent and Transformation
Description
All traditions describe Enoch/Idris as a human who is transformed and exalted, taken alive into heaven or becoming one with divine wisdom. He represents the possibility of human transformation through piety and knowledge.
Theme
Keeper of Hidden Wisdom
Description
Enoch appears consistently as a revealer of secrets: heavenly knowledge, writing, astrology, and divine mysteries. He is the bridge between human and divine realms.