Is Merkava / Merkaba in Church Fathers?

[Vic_Taltrees_UK]

There seems to be something called a (or the) Merkava or Merkaba loosely associated with Ezekiel, which features in various forms in some Jewish lines of tradition.

Has any version of this concept ever meant anything to Church Fathers and can I be pointed to web sites or easily bought / borrowed books detailing what they said about it?

I heard talk about this kind of thing but I’d like further opinions. Thank you.

 

[Hatikvah]

Has any version of this concept ever meant anything to Church Fathers and can I be pointed to web sites or easily bought / borrowed books detailing what they said about it?

I heard talk about this kind of thing but I’d like further opinions. Thank you.

We do not have the writings of Church Fathers that I could find. However, Saint Paul may have written about Merkabah mysticism in the New Testament. From a reliable source:

During the middle years of the first century, the Apostle Paul addressed a letter to the church at Colosse… [but] he felt it necessary to write a letter directly to the Christians at Colosse… to correct some deviations from orthodox thought. These deviations, grouped together, are referred to as the Colossian heresy. What was this heresy and who were the heretics? Many pages have been written in response to these questions… One writer says 44 opinions on the identity of these opponents have been held by 19th- and 20th-century scholars. Some say Paul’s opponents were pagans who were influenced by the mystery religions of the day. Others think [the Colossian heretics] were Judaistic in outlook, with such differing perspectives as Merkabah mysticism or apocalyptic Essenism. [The article goes on to describe a few other plausible theories.]

I found a treasure trove of information from the above quote’s source about Merkabah. I’ll quote more:

Along with most scholars, Bruce views the Colossian heresy as primarily Jewish in its origins. Certain mystic elements definitely existed in Judaism, as is evident from the letter to the Galatians. The source of these mystic elements, Bruce suggests, was Judaistic sects, not Greek or Iranian influences, though he is quick to recognize the syncretistic element of all the above mentioned sects as being pertinent to the heresy at hand in Colosse… A form of mystic thought that may have been influential in Colosse is "Merkabah mysticism," named for the vision Ezekiel had of God on the throne above the heavenly chariot (Ezek. 1:15-26). For a glimpse of this vision a radical obedience to the letter of the Law was crucial, coupled with a period of asceticism varying from 12 to 40 days. If all went well, ascent into heaven could be attempted if one also had the blessing and aid of the angels to counter the opposition of evil forces in the angelic realm. Merkabah mysticism, called Jewish Gnosticism by Scholern, a recognized authority on this subject, was present in its early form in 1 Enoch 14:8-23, dated in the early first century B.C. Enoch’s heavenly journey echoes Ezekiel’s account and Daniel’s description in Daniel 7.

So, if the scholarly consensus is correct, then this is a heresy opposed by Saint Paul in the church as Colossae. More quoting:

Bruce advocates that Merkabah mysticism and the idea of heavenly ascent relates well to Colossians 2:18… Bruce refers to the heavenly ascent, which involved seven planetary bodies guarded by their respective gatekeepers, seen as polytheistic deities. He also sees a close connection between [some concepts in] Colossians and Paul’s words in Galatians about the observance of days, months, seasons, and years (Gal. 4:9-10). Whereas Paul in no way believed in gods of the lights and stars, he realized the enslaving power that astrology had in pagan society, and that Christ frees people from this kind of bondage, a strong theme in Colossians. So this connection with Galatia has merit.

Therefore, Merkabah had developed some connection with Greek polytheism in the Apostolic era. By the way, there was a little bit of Greek text that I could not copy, so I included “…” and, in one spot, “[some concepts in]”. Further quoting:

 

[Hatikvah]

These last parts are from the same source and includes the idea that Merkabah mysticism in the early Church diminished the role of Christ as Mediator, and a conclusion.

A second view on “worship of angels” [in reference to Colossians 2:8] is that it means man’s attempt to worship God as the angels do, namely, in His presence and glory. In the Merkabah school, to complete one’s ascent and to even take part in the worship of God with the angels was seen as a deep honor. This latter view takes [Greek phrase denoting “of angels”] as a subjective genitive. Francis holds to this interpretation. However, the errors Paul cited in Colossians 2:23 seem to refer not to some form of worship, but rather to a strict asceticism that is a form of human wisdom. The first view, the exalting of the angels, seems to be what Paul was addressing. This erroneous angelology diminishes the role of Christ, reducing Him to less than divine and making Him simply another go-between in man’s quest for the “true light.” In truth, however, Christ is not merely one of many mediators with God; He is the only One (1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 9:15). He is the only “Link” that connects man and God, for He alone is both at once.

As the Colossian heretics turned their attention from Christ, the Head, they vainly attempted to attain righteousness through asceticism, dualism, and self-abuse. The freedom presented by Christ was being exchanged for slavery to the elements of this world. It is truly ironic that if the Colossian errorists had the Merkabah “ascent” in mind along with physical self-abuse, this belief was exactly what was enslaving them to this “temporal” plane. They were forsaking true freedom from the only One who could give an individual a heavenly “audience.”

And concluding:

Conclusion – Many have set forth arguments regarding the identification of the errorists at Colosse. Some believe the heretics were primarily Jewish, while others say they were Gentiles. Those arguing for a Jewish contingent usually view them as members of the Essenes or a group like the Merkabah mystics rather than the type of Judaistic legalism found at Galatia. Those who believe the opponents were Gentiles, or at least Hellenistic, think Neopythogorean or mystery religion roots were present. Along with this group of scholars are those who believe the Colossian church was influenced by Gnostic elements. Those who reject pre-Christian Gnosticism, however, do think there were embryonic or incipient forms of thought (perhaps proto-Gnostic), which eventually solidified in the Gnosticism of the second century A.D.

 

[Vic_Taltrees_UK]

Thank you for the info. The explanation of Colossians is terrific, that always puzzled me a little.

Due to a technical hitch I can’t read the rest of that file, does it say anything about Church Fathers?

What do you think about the idea that the eyes represent Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (as in for example Ek 1:10 and 10:14) and that the ensemble of whatever it is represents God’s gracious Gospel going forth to the north, south, east and west?

I haven’t yet found in the book of Ezekiel things connected with what is described above, but then I often lose my track in it somehow.

 

[Hatikvah]

Thank you for the info. The explanation of Colossians is terrific, that always puzzled me a little.

Due to a technical hitch I can’t read the rest of that file, does it say anything about Church Fathers?

What do you think about the idea that the eyes represent Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (as in for example Ek 1:10 and 10:14) and that the ensemble of whatever it is represents God’s gracious Gospel going forth to the north, south, east and west?

I haven’t yet found in the book of Ezekiel things connected with what is described above, but then I often lose my track in it somehow.

I found some. I don’t really connect the Four Evangelists to Gnostic Merkaba, because Gnosticism developed later on, and Paul dealt with it.

It may seem irrelevant, but Merkaba mysticism was not the primary issue at hand, but Gnosticism (which seemed to be intertwined in the church at Colossae, and some Merkaba-related writings were found at the Gnostic site of Nag Hammadi):

As a religious system, Gnosticism came of age in the second century. Since the authenticity of the Book of Colossians is not the primary issue at hand and the vast majority of scholars have ac cepted it as canonical, the issue here is to distinguish between mature Gnosticism of the second century A.D. and its incipient form, which existed in Judaistic sects for many years in the Lycus Valley. To ascertain the existence of a decidedly pre-Christian Gnosticism is difficult. The Nag Hammadi texts reflect an awareness of Gnostic ideas by the church fathers, but history remains fairly silent on things like a Gnostic “church,” rules of faith, canon, and any authoritative teaching for Gnostic initiates. No extant manuscripts support pre-Christian Gnosticism. So one can say that Gnosticism ex isted no earlier than Christianity and that it most likely grew from interaction with various sources along with Christianity.

Justin Martyr, refers in his Apology to Simon Magus, who is mentioned in Acts 8:9. In that document, written in Rome in A.D. 154, Simon is described as a magician from Samaria, who became famous because of supposed miracles he performed on the Island of Tiber. He is also mentioned in the Acts of Peter, an apocryphal work. In the eyes of the Samaritans, Simon, according to Justin, was “above every principality and authority and power” (cf. Eph. 1:21). Simon is regarded by most early church fathers as the “Father of heresy” and was the first to be labeled a “Gnostic.”

The problem with giving credit to Simon for Gnosticism lies in the account in Acts, which refers to him as a magician. While some would argue that Luke was watering down Simon’s position as a full Gnostic, no such evidence exists. In fact Cervaux, who has done extensive studies on Simonianism, concludes that the Gnostic themes developed in the second century evolved from Simon’s followers and were credited to him by the church fathers.

Those were the only references to Gnosticism in the PDF.

 

[Vic_Taltrees_UK]

Thank you.

 

[Hatikvah]

*Church Fathers

I meant those were references to the Church Fathers, not the Gnostics!