Merkavahn.
/məːˈkɑːvə/, U.S. /mərˈkɑvə/ Chiefly Judaism.
The throne or throne-chariot of God described in the vision of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:26). Hence used allusively to denote mystical beliefs or writings based on the vision of Ezekiel (in quot. 1708 used as the name of a part of a book.)
ΚΠ
1668 H. More Divine Dialogues: Two Last Dial. v. x. 289 The meaning of Ezekiel's Mercavah is not Physicall, but Moral, Spiritual, or Divino-political, if I may so speak.
1708 T. Taylor tr. J. Basnage Hist. Jews iii. x. 187/1 The Cabbala is commonly distinguish'd into Two Parts, One whereof treats of the Knowledge of the Divine Perfections, and Celestial Intelligences; and is call'd the Chariot, or Mercava.
1904 Jewish Encycl. VIII. 499/2 The Merkabah mysteries..have been preserved chiefly in the Enoch literature of the pre-Christian centuries, and in the ‘Hekalot’ of the geonic time, known also as the ‘Merkabah’ and ‘Enoch Books’.
1943 Amer. Hist. Rev. 49 85 The Merkabah mysticism and Jewish gnosticism, which developed up to the tenth century a.d.
1981 C. Potok Bk. Lights i. i. 9 He taught Merkavah texts, the mystical writings of the talmudic rabbis. These texts described arduous ascents through celestial palaces and visions of the Throne-Chariot, the Merkavah, of the Supreme Being, as well as the Supreme Being Himself.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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