The famous vision of the celestial chariot and the fantastic creatures described in Ezekiel 1 served as the basis for mystical speculation and theosophy in later Jewish writings. The exposition of this chapter (often greatly expanded) in rabbinic literature is generally called "the account of the chariot" (ma'aseh merkavah). The merkavah texts served as the basis for the mystics of Europe. In addition, echoes of the fanciful merkavah traditions are present in the liturgical poetry (piyyutim) of both Spanish and Ashkenazi authors. Ezekiel Chapter 1 1 In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, when I was in the community of exiles by the Chebar Canal, the heavens opened and I saw visions of God. 2On the fifth day of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin— 3the word of the Lord came to the priest Ezekiel son of Buzi, by the Chebar Canal, in the land of the Chaldeans. And the hand of the Lord came upon him there. 4I looked, and lo, a stormy wind came sweeping out of the north— a huge cloud and flashing fire, surrounded by a radiance; and in the center of it, in the center of the fire, a gleam as of amber. 5In the center of it were also the figures of four creatures. And this was their appearance: They had the figures of human beings. 6However, each had four faces, and each of them had four wings; 7the legs of each were [fused into] a single rigid leg, and the feet of each were like a single calf's hoof; and their sparkle was like the luster of burnished bronze. 8They had human hands below their wings. The four of them had their faces and their wings on their four sides. 9Each one's wings touched those of the other. They did not turn when they moved; each could move in the direction of any of its faces. 10Each of them had a human face the front]; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right; each of the four had the face of an ox on the left; and each of the four had the face of an eagle the back]. 11Such were their faces. As for their wings, they were separated: above, each had two touching those of the others, while the other two covered its body. 12And each could move in the direction of any of its faces; they went wherever the spirit impelled them to go, without turning when they moved. 13Such then was the appearance of the creatures. With them was something that looked like burning coals of fire. This fire, suggestive of torches, kept moving about among the creatures; the fire had a radiance, and lightning issued from the fire. 14Dashing to and fro [among] the creatures was something that looked like flares. 15As I gazed on the creatures, I saw one wheel on the ground next to each of the four-faced creatures. 16As for the appearance and structure of the wheels, they gleamed like beryl. All four had the same form; the appearance and structure of each was as of two wheels cutting through each other. 17And when they moved, each could move in the direction of any of its four quarters; they did not veer when they moved. 18Their rims were tall and frightening, for the rims of all four were covered all over with eyes. 19And when the creatures moved forward, the wheels moved at their sides; and when the creatures were borne above the earth, the wheels were borne too. 20Wherever the spirit impelled them to go, they went— wherever the spirit impelled them— and the wheels were borne alongside them; for the spirit of the creatures was in the wheels. 21When those moved, these moved; and when those stood still, these stood still; and when those were borne above the earth, the wheels were borne alongside them— for the spirit of the creatures was in the wheels. 22Above the heads of the creatures was a form: an expanse, with an awe-inspiring gleam as of crystal, was spread out above their heads. 23Under the expanse, each had one pair of wings extended toward those of the others; and each had another pair covering its body. 24When they moved, I could hear the sound of their wings like the sound of mighty waters, like the sound of Shaddai, a tumult like the din of an army. When they stood still, they would let their wings droop. 25From above the expanse over their heads came a sound. When they stood still, they would let their wings droop. 26Above the expanse over their heads was the semblance of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and on top, upon this semblance of a throne, there was the semblance of a human form. 27From what appeared as his loins up, I saw a gleam as of amber— what looked like a fire encased in a frame; and from what appeared as his loins down, I saw what looked like fire. There was a radiance all about him. 28Like the appearance of the bow which shines in the clouds on a day of rain, such was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. That was the appearance of the semblance of the Presence of the Lord. When I beheld it, I flung myself down on my face. And I heard the voice of someone speaking. Translation: Tanakh, The Holy Scriptures (Jewish Publication Society, 1985) According to the superscription to the first chapter of the biblical book of Ezekiel, the prophet saw his vision of the Throne in Babylon, where he was in exile, during the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, which corresponds with July 28th in the year 593 B.C.E. Visions of the Throne of God are found in other parts of the Bible [1] but that of Ezekiel is the most detailed and comprehensive.[2] A noteworthy feature of the vision is the frequent use of the word "likeness" (demut). The prophet seems bent on qualifying his experience. He makes no claim to have seen things as they are but as they appear to be. All through the account, there is the suggestion of mystery, of elusiveness, of attempting to describe the indescribable. When describing the One who sits on the Throne the suggestion of ineffability becomes even more pronounced: And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above (verse 26). Ezekiel sees in his vision a great cloud with brightness all around it. In the midst of this cloud there is something resembling the flash of hashmal (of doubtful meaning, perhaps "electrum" or "amber"). From this there emerges the appearance of four living creatures. The Hebrew word used is hayyot, a word that may also be translated "beasts" (in Ezekiel, chapter 10, these four are called "cherubim"). These resembled men in form but each had four faces—of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle, representative of the four most majestic creatures. Each of these four creatures also had four wings. "And they went every one straight forward whither the spirit was to go...." When they wished to change direction, they had no need to turn around since each had a face in all four directions. The spirit, ru'ah in Hebrew, may also be translated "wind"; in either case the meaning seems to be the vital force which propelled the living creatures. The verse, "and the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning" is interpreted by the later Jewish mystics to mean that whenever the living creatures approached too near to the Throne, they recoiled immediately in dread. In the appearance of these creatures there were also wheels (ofanim) full of eyes, and there were "wheels within wheels." The wheels were not attached to the living creatures but were under the indirect control of the living creatures, so that when the latter moved the wheels moved. The wheels were later identified as superior angels, hence the reference in the Jewish liturgy to the ofanim: "And the ofanim and the holy hayyot with a noise of great rushing, upraising themselves towards the Seraphim, those over against them offer praise and say: ‘Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place.'" Over above the living creatures was a firmament (raki'a), a kind of platform upon which the throne rested. On this platform was set the great throne and on the throne there rested "the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord." When the prophet saw this, he fell on his face in awe and dread and he heard a voice proclaiming a message to him. There has been a good deal of speculation on the psychological background of Ezekiel's vision. Images such as that of the thick cloud, the storm and the bright light are found elsewhere in the Bible. The theophany at Sinai (Exodus 19:16-20) is described in not dissimilar terms. Jewish tradition has it, in fact, that on Shavuot, the festival on which the revelation at Sinai is celebrated, the prophetic reading (the haftarah) is this very chapter of Ezekiel, as if to draw the analogy between the revelation to the people as a whole and that vouchsafed to the individual prophet. Other features of the vision such as the four-headed creatures and the wheels are peculiar to Ezekiel. It has been conjectured that the prophet's subconscious mind had absorbed the images of the bull-like figures guarding the entrance to the Babylonian temples. This certainly cannot be discounted but it remains no more than theory. Even though the term "chariot" is not used in the account of the vision, the term is not inappropriate. It is possible that the significance of the vision of a throne carried on wheels is that the prophet sees his vision outside the holy land so that he sees God as transporting His throne in order to speak to His servant. [1] 1 Kings 22:19; Isaiah 6:s-8; Daniel 7:9-10 [back] [2] Whether the first chapter of Ezekiel was composed by the prophet himself depends on the more general question of the authorship of the book as a whole. The verdict of modern scholarship is that while a good deal of the book may well go back to the prophet himself there is much evidence of a later editing of the book. It is consequently precarious to conclude that this chapter contains the ipsissima verba of the prophet. However, even if the detailed account is not from the prophet himself, there is no reason for doubting that the account is based on his actual experience. There is a further account of the chariot in chapter to of the book of Ezekiel. [back] From The Schocken Book of Jewish Mystical Testimonies by Louis Jacobs (Schocken Books, 1996, 1997) Louis Jacobs, C.B.E., one of the world's most knowledgeable scholars of Jewish mysticism, is the author of The Oxford Companion to the Jewish Religion, as well as many other books on Judaism and Jewish mysticism.   FANTASTIC CREATURES Table of Contents