| Cherubim | |
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 A tetramorph cherub, in Eastern Orthodox iconography | |
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Other Names |
Cherub (Singular), Cherubim (Plural) |
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First Appearance |
Christian Theology |
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Created by |
Unknown |
Origin[]
A cherub is one type of supernatural being in the Abrahamic religions. The numerous depictions of cherubim assign to them many different roles, such as protecting the entrance of the Garden of Eden.
In Islam, al-karubiyyin "cherubim" or al-muqarrabin "the Close" refers to the highest angels near God, in contrast to the messenger angels. They include the Bearers of the Throne, the angels around the throne, and the archangels. The angels of mercy subordinate to Michael are also identified as cherubim. In Isma'ilism, there are Seven Archangels referred to as cherubim.
In Catholic angel hierarchy, they are part of the First Order below Seraphim, but above Thrones/Ophanim. They are ranked above the angels in the Second and Third Order such as Dominions/Lordships, Virtues, Principalities/Rulers, Powers/Authorities, Archangels, and Guardian Angels.
In Jewish angelic hierarchy, cherubim have the ninth (second-lowest) rank in Maimonides' Mishneh Torah (12th century), and the third rank in Kabbalistic works such as Berit Menuchah (14th century).
As described in Ezekiel 1, "[E]ach had four faces, and each of them had four wings; the legs of each were [fused into] a single rigid leg, and the feet of each were like a single calf's hoof; and their sparkle was like the luster of burnished bronze." In Ezekiel and some Christian icons, the cherub is depicted as having two pairs of wings and four faces, the hayyoth: that of a lion (representative of all wild animals), an ox (domestic animals), a human (humanity), and an eagle (birds).
The cherubim are the most frequently occurring heavenly creature in the Hebrew Bible, as the Hebrew word appears 91 times. The first occurrence is in the Book of Genesis 3:24. Despite these many references, the role of the cherubim is never explicitly elucidated. While Israelite tradition must have conceived of the cherubim as guardians of the Garden of Eden in which they guard the way to the Tree of life, they are often depicted as performing other roles; for example in the Book of Ezekiel, they transport Yahweh's throne. The cherub who appears in the "Song of David", a poem which occurs twice in the Hebrew Bible, in 2 Samuel 22 and Psalm 18, participates in Yahweh's theophany and is imagined as a vehicle upon which the deity descends to earth from heaven to rescue the speaker (see 2 Samuel 22:11, Psalm 18:10).
In Western Christian tradition, cherubim have become associated with the putto derived from Cupid in classical antiquity, resulting in depictions of cherubim as small, plump, winged boys.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Cherubim from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- De Coelesti Hierarchia
- Berit Menuchah
- The Bible
- Old Testament - Book of Genesis, Book of Ezekiel, Book of Samuel, Book of Psalms
- Paradise Lost