Merkavah

Merkavah (Hebrew: מרכבה, "chariot") is a term used for a Jewish mystical tradition centered on visionary ascent to the divine throne and for visions of the heavenly chariot described in biblical and post-biblical texts. The root means "to ride," and the designation often refers to the divine throne-chariot encountered in prophetic visions such as Ezekiel.

Most merkavah literature dates to Late Antiquity (roughly 1st–6th centuries CE) in Palestine and Babylonia. Key texts include the Heichalot (Book of Palaces) and related works, which describe purification rites, ascent through successive heavenly halls and gates, and encounters with angelic beings, the divine throne, and the Divine Name. The tradition emphasizes ecstatic, visionary experience as a means of gaining knowledge, protection, and contact with the divine.

Central motifs of the tradition include the chariot-throne imagery, visions of wheels and living beings, and the ascent through concentric heavenly realms. Some texts feature the figure of the archangel Metatron as a leader of heavenly hosts or a scribe. Merkavah literature laid important groundwork for later Jewish mysticism and influenced the development of Kabbalah, though it remains distinct in its emphasis on concrete, experiential ascents and angelic cosmology.

In modern scholarship, merkavah is regarded as a major strand of early Jewish mysticism. Scholars such as Gershom Scholem have highlighted its role in bridging biblical prophecy and later mystic traditions. The term is sometimes encountered in discussions of contemporary usage, where transliteration variants exist, though the religious and historical focus remains on the ancient visionary literature.