Beyond the role of witness to the grim realities of war and exile, what the prophet Ezekiel is most memorable for is the meta-vision -- the metaphysical insight into the inner being and the outer dimensions of reality. Ezekiel sees spectacular and specific visions of the celestial and it’s these psychedelic details that set the foundations for the mystical imaginations of the Kabbalists of all generations to come, exploring the secret of the Merkava- the Divine Chariot.
And not just Kabbalists - even modern day proponents for UFO’s cite his visions as proof for alien life and flying saucers. One of the most famous is Erich von Däniken’s Chariots of the Gods, published in 1968, setting the stage for global interest in the links between the biblical visions and the future of inter-stellar communications.
So what was it that Ezekiel saw? Even in his own book there are variations on the theme. The book opened in the first chapter with a grand vision of the chariot and the deity who rides upon it, surrounded by mysterious creatures and spinning spirals.
In today’s chapter he once again describes in details the chariot, as it transports God’s presence out of the Jerusalem temple to begin its journey among the exiles in Babylon. But if we look closely at how he describes the chariot in this chapter, we can notice a subtle shift of how he describes the entourage. In chapter 1, Ezekiel refers to the entities surrounding the chariot as ḥayyôt, creatures. But in this second encounter, he begins to call them cherubim. What’s the difference here? Is he seeing different things or perceiving the visions in important new ways?
וָאֶרְאֶה וְהִנֵּה אֶל הָרָקִיעַ אֲשֶׁר עַל רֹאשׁ הַכְּרֻבִים כְּאֶבֶן סַפִּיר כְּמַרְאֵה דְּמוּת כִּסֵּא נִרְאָה עֲלֵיהֶם.
I looked, and on the expanse over the heads of the cherubim, there was something like a sapphire stone; an appearance resembling a throne could be seen over them.
Ezekiel 10:1
And to make sure we understand what he is seeing, Ezekiel explains to his listeners and readers, a few verses later, that the visions are similar: “The cherubs ascended; those were the creatures that I had seen by the Chebar Canal.
Why does Ezekiel switch their names at this point?
Prof.Carl S. Ehrlich explores this chapter in detail and offers a helpful explanation:
“ The key to the change is the setting. Ezekiel’s first revelation takes place on the Chebar Canal, but whereas the second one also begins there, Ezekiel is quickly transported (in his vision) to the Jerusalem Temple, where he had only a few years before served as a priest.
One of the features of the Jerusalem Temple with which any priest would have been familiar was the two giant statues of cherubim that stood in the inner sanctum of the Temple (1 Kgs 6:23–28). It would seem that once Ezekiel sees the creatures in the courtyard of the Jerusalem Temple, he finally comes to the realization of what they are: these are the cherubs from the Temple come to life. The inanimate statues that stood motionless in the Temple have now revealed their meaning to him: they are the divine throne as well as chariot.
The reason Ezekiel was unable to comprehend that fact the first time he saw them was because the images that he was familiar with (as a Temple priest until his exile to Babylon) were but a pale imitation of the divine reality. Just as a two-dimensional painting is a flat representation of three-dimensional reality, so too were the manmade temple cherubs simply pale three-dimensional representations of a multi-dimensional divine reality.
Ezekiel’s difficulty lay in trying to describe the indescribably superhuman.”
There are other notable differences in how Ezekiel describes the divine creatures in the different chapters. They are literally multi-faceted: “Each one had four faces: One was a cherub’s face, the second a human face, the third a lion’s face, and the fourth an eagle’s face.”
Robert Alter explores these details and differences:
“The description here diverges from the description in chapter 1. There, each of the creatures had four different faces. Here each appears to have four similar faces with the differences showing from one creature to the next. The face of the bull, moreover, in chapter 1 is replaced here by the face of a cherub (unless, as some have claimed, cherubs had bull faces.) These discrepancies may derive from the fact the Ezekiel had two parallel but not entirely identical visions of the same celestial apparatus, or they may reflect struggles in the process of transmitting this difficult vision.”
And while the Divine energy is prepared to depart from its home in Jerusalem, surrounded by these micro-mysteries, the prophet’s astral trip continues with one more powerful vision of the temple, before he is transported back to the other reality of his home, sitting among the exiles elders in Tel Aviv.
The prophetic visions are perhaps there to give them hope inside the horrors of reality - and also a glimpse into the great beyond, the internal ticking of the great clock that defines and defies their purpose and meaning - even when suffering and sorrow demand so much attention.
For mystics and poets, artists and visionaries - holding on to these attempts to ‘describe the indescribably superhuman’, are one of the best tools to help us all, no matter what, still cope, and still hope.
Join me on November 15 2023, 5pm ET to explore Ezekiel’s prophecies and focus on the multiple meanings of his suggestion to Jerusalem’s refugees to pack ‘tools for exile’ - in order to survive.
Next Below the Bible Belt Zoom Live Conversation:
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Mid war, mid horror and confusion, as so many are displaced physically and so many are losing the sense of footing in a once seemingly safe world — we turn to these ancient words with curiosity, and ask some big questions.What do we learn from these chapters about the ways we face our own big questions, and keep cultivating hope?
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