 The mystical methods and doctrines of Hekhalot (Heavenly "Chambers") and Merkabah (Divine "Chariot") texts, named by modern scholars from these repeated motifs, lasted from the 1st century BCE through to the 10th century CE, before giving way to the documented manuscript emergence of Kabbalah.Initiates were said to "descend the chariot", possibly a reference to internal introspection on the Heavenly journey through the spiritual realms.The ultimate aim was to arrive before the transcendent awe, rather than nearness, of the Divine.