3.11: Did Ezekiel See a Flying Saucer?
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This article is from the Scientific Skepticism FAQ, by Paul Johnson Paul@treetop.demon.co.uk with numerous contributions by others.
3.11: Did Ezekiel See a Flying Saucer?
The chapter in question is Ezekiel 1:4-28. This vision is an example
of apocalyptic writing common in the centuries before and after
Christ. (Good examples are chapters 2 and 7-12 of Daniel and the book
of Revelation.) Apocalyptic literature is difficult to interpret
because the language is symbolic and figurative. In some cases the
writer will reveal what is meant by the symbols. Verse 28 identifies
Ezekiel's wheels within wheels vision as, "the appearance of the
likeness of the glory of the LORD." This "glory" is the "Khabod", a
manifestation of brilliant light thought to be present in the temple.
The wheels are described as appearing in a *vision* which is more like
an hallucination than a physical event. The wheels are seen again in
Ezekiel chap 10 leaving the temple in Jerusalem, but Ezekiel sees this
while sitting inside his house which is in Babylon (see Eze. 1:1-2 and
Eze. 8:1). In other words this was a message from God (or a
hallucination) rather than a physical event.
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