[The Incantation of the] Prince of the Presence

This early medieval incantation text has similarities with the Hekhalot (“palaces”) corpus, mystical literature that likely emerged in late talmudic and early geonic Babylonia. The incantation, ascribed to Rabbi Akiva, seeks assistance in attaining wisdom and divine secrets. The petitioner requests that the angel Metatron (referred to in the text as sar ha-panim, “The Prince of the Presence”) come to earth, a request that may endanger the world. Before reciting the incantation, there is a ritual of fasting and purification to be observed. The text includes many divine or angelic names that cannot be deciphered.