Cherubim, Heavenly Counselors

Cherubim, Heavenly Counselors

The most influential Christian angelic hierarchy was that put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (4th or 5th century) in his book De Coelesti Hierarchia (On the Celestial Hierarchy). He created a schema of three hierarchies (spheres or triads of angels), with each hierarchy containing three orders or choirs. Angels of the first sphere serve as the heavenly counselors. A cherub is a winged angelic being who is considered to attend on the Abrahamic God in biblical tradition. The concept is represented in ancient Middle Eastern art as a lion or bull with eagles' wings and a human face, and regarded in traditional Christian angelology as an angel of the second highest order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy. Tradition places seraphs in the ninth rank of ten in the Jewish angelic hierarchy. Cherubim are mentioned throughout the Hebrew Bible and once in the New Testament in reference to the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. Taken from "The Hierarchy of the Blessed Angels. Their names, orders and offices the fall of Lucifer with his angels" by Thomas Heywood. Copper-plate engravings by Adam Islip, 1635.

Album / Folger Shakespeare Library / Science Source

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