ABSTRACT
Quispel states that this contemplation of the throne and God as 'a noble man' by Moses is in the tradition of Ezekiel the prophet, who in Babylon in 574 BCE did not see God himself, but the Glory of God in the appearance of a Man. According to Quispel, the word <j>oo~ (or more precisely the accusative <j>6na) used by Ezekiel the Tragedian has a double meaning, indicating not only 'man' (6 <Pili£) but also 'light' ('to <j>w£). Thus, Ezekiel the Tragedian is thought to provide the most ancient proof for the existence of Jewish mysticism, which would continue until the conception of Adam Qadmon of the medieval Kabbalah.
