Searching for the Self: Classic Stories, Christian Scripture, and the Quest for Personal Identity

by Adrian T. Smith

In Jewish Chariot Mysticism, meditation on the text of Ezekiel 1 became a springboard for a mystical experience, in which the mystic allegedly ascended to the throne of Yahweh, and saw visions of glory like Ezekiel’s! And those who saw the divine glory were transformed by it. This form of mysticism feeds into the New Testament in many places: • Revelation 4–5 is an obvious point of contact. John’s vision of the throne of God and the Lamb is clearly patterned after Ezekiel’s experience. • And then there is chapter 3 of John’s Gospel, where Jesus says: “No one has ever ascended into heaven, except the one who descended from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:13–14). Is Jesus contesting the claims of the Jewish Chariot Mystics? Is Jesus claiming that he, uniquely, has that kind of access to God? Is Jesus saying that, through the Cross, we too may enjoy that kind of access to God? • And then there’s the conversion and commission of the Apostle Paul, on the road to Damascus. Acts 9 describes his experience in terms that echo Ezekiel 1: the glorious light; the heavenly voice; Paul’s response of falling to the ground.