~ The Merkabah ~

(( ~ Namaste ~ ))

History

The earliest merkabah speculations were exegetical expositions of the prophetic visions of God in the heavens, and the divine retinue of angels, hosts, and heavenly creatures surrounding God. The earliest evidence suggests that merkabah homiletics did not give rise to ascent experiences – as one rabbinic sage states: “Many have expounded upon the merkabah without ever seeing it” (Tosefta’ Megillah 3[4]:28).

The Talmudic interdictions concerning merkabah speculation are numerous and widely held. Discussions concerning the merkabah were limited to only the most worthy sages, and admonitory legends are preserved about the dangers of overzealous speculation concerning the merkabah. The sages Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai (d. ca. 80 CE) and later, Rabbi Akiva (d. 135) were deeply involved in merkabah speculation. Rabbi Akiva and his contemporary Rabbi Ishmael ben Elisha are most often the protagonists of later merkabah ascent literature.

Beyond the rabbinic community, Jewish apocalyptists also engaged in visionary speculations concerning the divine realm and the divine creatures which are remarkably similar to the rabbinic material. A small number of texts unearthed at Qumran indicate that the Dead Sea community also engaged in merkabah speculation. Recently uncovered Jewish mystical texts also evidence a deep affinity with the rabbinic merkabah homilies. Recently, considerable scholarly attention has been paid to the use of merkabah themes in early Jewish-Christian circles.

The merkabah homilies eventually consisted of detailed descriptions of multiple layered heavens (usually seven in number), often guarded over by angels, and encircled by flames and lightning. The highest heaven contains seven palaces (hekhalot), and in the innermost palace resides a supreme divine image (God’s Glory or an angelic image) seated on a throne, surrounded by awesome hosts who sing God’s praise.

When these images were combined with an actual mystical experiential motif of individual ascent (paradoxically called “descent” in most texts) and union is not precisely known. By inference, contemporary historians of Jewish mysticism usually date this development to the third century CE. Again, there is a significant dispute amongst historians over whether these ascent and unitive themes were the result of some “foreign,” usually Gnostic, influence, or a natural progression of religious dynamics within rabbinic Judaism.

The Biblical Merkaba in Depth

According to the verses in Ezekiel and its attendant commentaries, the analogy of the Mekaba image consists of a chariot made of many angels being driven by the “Likeness of a Man.” Four angels form the basic structure of the chariot. These angels are called the “Chayot”.

The bodies of the “Chayot” are like that of a human being, but each of them had four faces, corresponding to the four directions the chariot can go (north, east south and west). The faces are that of a man, a lion, an ox (later changed to a child or cherub) and an eagle. Since there are four angels and each has four faces, there are a total of 16 faces. Each Chayot angel also has four wings.

Two of these wings spread across the length of the chariot and connected with the wings of the angel on the other side.

This created a sort of ‘box’ of wings that formed the perimeter of the chariot. With the remaining two wings, each angel covered its own body.

Below, but not attached to the feet of the “Chayot” angels are other angels that are shaped like wheels. These wheel angels, which are described as “a wheel inside of a wheel”, are called “Ophannim” – wheels, cycles or ways).

These wheels are not directly under the chariot, but are nearby and along its perimeter much like the wheels of a car. The angel with the face of the man is always on the east side and looks up at the “Likeness of a Man” that drives the chariot. The “Likeness of a Man” sits on a throne made of saphire.

The Bible later makes mention of a third type of angel found in the Merkaba called “Seraphim” (lit. burning) angels. These angels appear like flashes of fire continuously ascending and decending.

These “Seraphim” angels functioned somewhat like pistons in that they powered the movement of the chariot. In the hierarchy of these angels, “Seraphim” are the highest, that is, closest to God, followed by the “Chayot”, which are followed by the “Ophannim”.

The chariot is in a constant state of motion, and the energy behind this movement runs according to this heirarchy. The movement of the “Ofanim” is controlled by the “Chayot” while the movement of the “Chayot” is controlled by the “Serafim”. The movement of all the angels of the chariot are controlled by the “Likeness of a Man” on the Throne.

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