Ezekies's Vision

Book of Ezekiel 30.13–18 in an English manuscript from the early 13th century, MS. Bodl.

Ezekiel 1 is the first chapter of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies spoken by the prophet Ezekiel, and is a part of the Book of the Prophets. In the New King James Version, this chapter is sub-titled "Ezekiel’s Vision of God".

Verse 1

Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

Verse 2

In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity

Verse 3

The word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi,

in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar;

and the hand of the Lord was there upon him.

"Came expressly" (Hebrew: היה היה): literally "is being", formed by the same word "hayah" twice [hayoth]; the word hayah means to "be", "become", "came to pass", "exist."

Verse 5

Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures.

And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

"Living creatures": New Oxford Annotated Bible identified these as "Cherubim" (Ezekiel 10:15,20), although "uncharacteristically...have four faces" (Ezekiel 1:10; Revelation 4:7).

A tetramorph cherub, in Eastern Orthodox iconography [the seraphim in Isaiah's vision who have an extra set of wings for their ability to fly.]

In the Book of Ezekiel and (at least some) Christian icons, the cherub is depicted as having two pairs of wings, and four faces: that of a lion (representative of all wild animals), an ox (domestic animals), a human (humanity), and an eagle (birds). Their legs were straight, the soles of their feet like the hooves of a bull, gleaming like polished brass. 


The living creatures, living beings, or hayyoth (Hebrew חַיּוֹת chayot, from חַיּ chai, "live") are a class of heavenly beings described in the prophet Ezekiel's vision of the heavenly chariot in the first and tenth chapters of the Book of Ezekiel. References to the creatures recur in texts of Second Temple Judaism, in rabbinical merkabah ("chariot") literature, and in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament. In their ability to move, Ezekiel's cherubim do not need to turn, as they front all directional points of the compass.

In Judaism, the living beings are considered angels of fire, who hold up the throne of God and the earth itself. They are ranked first in Maimonides' Jewish angelic hierarchy.

In Christianity, the four living creatures are Cherubim. A prominent early interpretation, variously modified by different interpreters, has been to equate the four creatures as a tetramorph of the Four Evangelists. Throughout church history, the most common interpretation (first laid out by Victorinus), but not the original or the only, is that the lion represents Mark, the calf Luke, the man Matthew, and the eagle John.

Ezekiel's Wheels

Merkabah/Merkavah (Hebrew: מרכבה) mysticism (or Chariot mysticism) is a school of early Jewish mysticism, c. 100 BCE – 1000 CE, centered on visions such as those found in the Book of Ezekielchapter 1, or in the heikhalot ("palaces") literature, concerning stories of ascents to the heavenly palaces and the Throne of God. 

The Hekhalot literature (sometimes transliterated Heichalot) from the Hebrew word for "Palaces", relating to visions of ascents into heavenly palaces. The genre overlaps with Merkabah or "Chariot" literature, concerning Ezekiel's chariot, so the two are sometimes referred to together as "Books of the Palaces and the Chariot" (ספרות ההיכלות והמרכבה). Many motifs of later Kabbalah are based on the Hekhalot texts, and the Hekhalot literature itself is based upon earlier sources, including traditions about heavenly ascents of Enoch found among the "Dead Sea scrolls" and the Hebrew Bible pseudepigrapha.

Ezekiel's vision is depicted in this 1860 woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld

The Throne of God is the reigning centre of God in the Abrahamic religions: primarily Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The throne is said by various holy books to reside beyond the Seventh Heaven and is called Araboth in Judaism.

According to the Talmud, the universe is made of seven heavens (Shamayim)

1. Vilon (וילון), Also see (Isa 40:22)
2. Raki'a (רקיע), Also see (Gen 1:17)
3. Shehaqim (שחקים), See (Ps 78:23, Midr. Teh. to Ps. xix. 7)
4. Zebul (זבול), See (Isa 63:15, KJV)
5. Ma'on (מעון), See (Deut 26:15, Ps 42:9)
6. Machon (מכון), See (1 Kings 8:39, Deut 28:12)
7. Araboth (ערבות), The seventh Heaven where ofanim, the seraphim, and the hayyoth and the throne of the Lord are located.
8. 
   

...when left untranslated, in English the Hebrew term merkabah/merkavah (Hebrew: מֶרְכַּב, מרכבה, and מִרְכֶּבֶת) relates to the throne-chariot of God in prophetic visions. It is most closely associated with the vision in Ezekiel chapter 1 of the four-wheeled vehicle driven by four hayyot ("living creatures"), each of which has four wings and the four faces of a man, lion, ox, and eagle (or vulture).

According to the verses in Ezekiel and its attendant commentaries, his vision consists of a chariot made of many heavenly beings driven by the "Likeness of a Man". The base structure of the chariot is composed of four beings. These beings are called the "living creatures" (Hebrew: חיות hayyot or khayyot). The bodies of the creatures are "like that of a human being", but each of them has four faces, corresponding to the four directions the chariot can go (East, South, North and West). The faces are that of a man, a lion, an ox (later changed to a cherub in Ezekiel 10:14) and an eagle. Since there are four angels and each has four faces, there are a total of sixteen faces. Each of the hayyot angels also has four wings. Two of these wings spread across the length of the chariot and connect with the wings of the angel on the other side. This creates a sort of 'box' of wings that forms the perimeter of the chariot. With the remaining two wings, each angel covers its own body. Below, but not attached to, the feet of the hayyot angels are other angels that are shaped like wheels. These wheel angels, which are described as "a wheel inside of a wheel", are called "ophanim" אופנים (lit. wheels, cycles or ways). These wheels are not directly under the chariot but are nearby and along its perimeter. 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 sapphire.

The Bible later makes mention of a third type of angel found in the Merkabah called "seraphim" (lit. "burning") angels. These angels appear like flashes of fire continuously ascending and descending. These seraphim angels power the movement of the chariot. In the hierarchy of these angels, seraphim are the highest, that is, closest to God, followed by the hayyot, which are followed by the ophanim. The chariot is in a constant state of motion, and the energy behind this movement runs according to this hierarchy. The movement of the ophanim is controlled by the "Living creatures", or Hayyot, while the movement of the hayyot is controlled by the seraphim. The movement of all the angels of the chariot is controlled by the "Likeness of a Man" on the Throne.

The title page of The Guide for the Perplexed

Maimonides' philosophical 12th-century work Guide for the Perplexed is in part intended as an explanation of the passages Ma'aseh Bereshitand Ma'aseh Merkabah. In the third volume, Maimonides commences the exposition of the mystical passage of the mystic doctrines [Kabbalah] found in the merkabah passages, while justifying this "crossing of the line" from hints to direct instruction. Maimonides explains basic mystical concepts via the Biblical terms referring to Spheres, elements and Intelligences. In these chapters, however, there is still very little in terms of direct explanation.

Verse 10

As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

Verse 26

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 the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. (KJV)

Verse 28

As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain,

so was the appearance of the brightness round about.

This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.

And when I saw it, I fell upon my face,

and I heard a voice of one that spake.