Cherub

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This page is about the supernatural entity. For the band, see Cherubs (band) and for the series of books by Robert Muchamore see CHERUB

A cherub (Hebrew כרוב, plural כרובים kherubim) is a supernatural entity mentioned several times in the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible), and in the Book of Revelation (a New Testament text), as well as often being depicted in western art. The correct plural can be written as cherubim or cherubs; the former has theological connotations, whilst the latter generally refers to the stereotypical depictions of cherubim in western art. Because most English speakers are unfamiliar with Hebrew plural formation, the word cherubims is sometimes incorrectly used as a plural.

Contents

[edit] Classical Sources

[edit] The Hebrew Bible

Descriptions in the Bible vary, but in general where a description is given cherubim are described as winged creatures combining human and animal features. In the Book of Genesis, cherubim are described as blocking the way to the Tree of Life, at the eastern side of the Garden of Eden, armed with flaming swords.[1]

The Books of Kings, and the corresponding parts of the Books of Chronicles, state that in Solomon's Temple were two olivewood sculptures of cherubim plated with gold, ten cubits high, standing wingtip-to-wingtip, with the Ark of the Covenant between them[2]; according to the Book of Exodus and Book of Numbers, the Parochet (a curtain in the Tabernacle) had been embroidered (on the Holy of Holies side) with a design that featured cherubim, and the ark itself had two small golden cherubim, facing one another, on the cover.[3] The text states that the outstretched wings of the cherubim, in Solomon's Temple, touched together. The Tanakh refers to "God who dwells between the cherubim". Exodus 25:20, describes the cherubim as having their faces bent downward towards the cover, but with their eyes still turned toward one another.[4] A traditional Jewish interpretation of these Biblical passages is that the cherubim create a metaphorical seat for the Shekhinah of God.[5]

[edit] Classical rabbinical literature

Though the Talmud makes mention of the heavens, and its occupants, such mention only refers to seraphim, ofanim, and chayot; likewise ancient Jewish liturgy only mentions these three classes[6]; in the Zohar, ten classes of angels are enumerated, but the cherubim are not mentioned as a special class.[7]. Maimonides refers to ten classes of angels which includes Cherubim. According to a passage from the midrash,[8] in which it is said that "when a man sleeps, the body tells to the neshamah[9] what it has done during the day; the neshamah then reports it to the nefesh,[10] the nefesh to the angel, the angel to the cherub, and the cherub to the seraph, who then brings it before God".[11] Another midrash argues that cherubim were non-corporeal, and though they would sometimes be sat on by God, in such situations God was supporting them rather than vice versa.[12] The cherubim statues in the temple were thought by Philo to represent two attributes he considered God to possess — goodness and authority — but admits that certain other authorities thought that the cherubim statues represented the two hemispheres of the planet.[13] Some midrashic writers proposed that they represented Tetragrammaton and Elohim — the names of God — which midrash elsewhere equate with the attributes of goodness and justice, respectively.[14] Other sources argue that the statues referred to heaven and earth, as representing the union of Israel ("earth") with God ("heaven"); such a view was taken into mystical theology by classical Kabbalah.[15]

According to Josephus, no-one knew what the cherubim statues in the Temple looked like, or was capable of estimating their appearance[16]; according to the Talmud,[17] one of the cherubim above the Ark of the Covenant was male and the other female, while a third century source states that they took the form of youths.[18] The latter also states that this was the form of the cherubim in Ezekiel's vision, arguing that originally a man, lion, bull, and eagle were at the corners of the throne, but Ezekiel had asked God to use cherubim instead, so that it would not be so reminiscent of the incident Golden Bull.[19] The Talmud, also noticed that Ezekiel's description of the cherubim differed from the traditional one and the Talmud reflects uncertainty as to whether the angels involved were cherubim or not;[20] Maimonides was to later take the position that they were not.

The biblical description of the faces of the cherubim statues was explained by Onkelos, an early second century rabbinic authority, as meaning that the cherubim statues had their heads bent backwards, "like a pupil going away from their master".[21] Though this view is additionally given in the Targum Onkelos, Targum Yerushalmi argues that the faces of both cherubim were turned downward toward the cover. According to Talmud Tractate Yoma, during moments of worship by the Israelites, the statues of the cherubim turned to face each other, and embraced as if they were a loving couple.[22] According to one view expressed in the Talmuud, the Parochet, separating the Hekhal (sanctuary) from the Kadosh Hakadashim (Holy of Holies)was raised on such occasions so that the people would be convinced that God loved them.[23]. This view was challenged grounds that the Ark was present only in Solomon's Temple and a curtain only in the Second Temple.[24] The Talmud states that when the Temple was destroyed, the attackers found the cherubim statues in this position, and, mistaking the cherubim for idols of deities, mocked the Jews for having a sexually obscene religion.[25]

According to Rashi, the cherubim placed at the garden of Eden were created on the third day. Rashi described them as having an indefinite shape, appearing variously as men, women, spirits, or angelic beings;[26] according to another authority,[specify] the cherubim were the first objects created in the universe.[27]

[edit] Classical apocalyptic literature

Classical apocalyptic literature frequently discusses more mystical aspects of the Bible. According to the Ethiopian Book of Enoch (1 Enoch), the cherubim are described as being among the three classes of angels that never sleep, always watching the throne of God. In another passage of this book, Gabriel is described as being the archangel who reigns over cherubim, along with serpents, and the garden of Eden. The Slavonic Book of Enoch claims that cherubim dwelt in the sixth and seventh heavens; the sixth heaven is described as containing a choir of archangels, seven phoenixes, seven cherubim, and seven "six-winged creatures" (possibly referring to seraphim), all of which sang "with one voice" at the "footstool" of God; the seventh heaven is described as containing other cherubim, seraphim, and "many eyes" (possibly referring to ophanim).[28]

[edit] The philosophy of Maimonides

Among other topics, Maimonides, a famed medieval Rabbinic scholar, explained the role of the Cherubim along rationalist lines in his Guide for the Perplexed. Maimonides argued that the figures of the cherubim were placed in the sanctuary only to preserve among the people the belief in angels, and that the belief in angels combined with belief in God would have brought about a belief in prophecy and nomianism.[29][30] Maimonides also argued that the reason for there being two statues was that, had there been only one, it would have led to the perception that the statue was an idol of a deity.[31] Maimonides also enumerated ten classes of angels, in which the cherubim counted as the ninth.

[edit] Religious perspectives

[edit] Judaism

Orthodox Judaism includes belief in the existence of angels, including Cherubim within the angelology, as does Conservative Judaism, although some factions in the latter interpret certain liturgical references to Cherubim more figuratively. In accordance with the Talmud,[32] when the Birkat HaMazon (Grace after Meals) is recited by at least ten thousand seated at one meal, the special blessing "Blessed is Ha-Shem our God, the God of Israel, who dwells between the Cherubim" is traditionally added to the regular liturgy.

Reform Judaism and Reconstructionist Judaism generally either drop references to angels or interpret them metaphorically. However, in Kabbalah and in the tenets of Hassidic Judaism and Jewish mysticism, there has long been a strong belief in Cherubim, with the Cherubim, and other angels, regarded as having mystical roles. The Zohar, a highly significant collection of books in Jewish mysticism, states that the Cherubim were led by one of their number, named Kerubiel.[33]

[edit] Islam

While not as frequently discussed in the Islamic tradition, the word کروبی (karūbī) does exist in the Islamic literature to describe either a category of angels or as a name for the angels in general.[34] Khwaja Mir Dard, the 18th Century Urdu Sufi poet illustrated the traditional Islamic view of angels as beings who worship God perfectly — but without the free will that makes humanity's worship so much greater:

درد دل کے واسطے پیدا کیا انسان کو
ورنہ طاعت کے لیے کچھ کم نہ تھے کروبیاں
"He created humanity to feel the pangs of the heart,
Otherwise, the cherubs were more than adequate for His worship."

To some extent the buraq — a species of flying creature with a mule's body and a woman's head which in Islam is considered to be the mount of the Prophets, may resemble the kirabu described below or other such composite creatures. The buraq is nowhere considered an angel, however. The angels in general are described in Islamic sources as capable of taking on numerous forms most of them more or less human-like and including many of the features known in the Jewish and Christian traditions.

[edit] Christianity

In Catholic theology, as per the ideas presented in the writings of Pseudo-Dionysius, the cherubim are second highest rank in the angelic hierarchy, below the Seraphim. In western art, Putti are sometimes mistaken for Cherubim, although they look nothing alike.

[edit] Contemporary Biblical criticism

A Shedu, which a proportion of scholars identify as the origin of Cherubim
A Shedu, which a proportion of scholars identify as the origin of Cherubim

Linguistic scholar Roland De Vaux wrote that the term cherubim is cognate with the Assyrian term karabu, Akkadian term kuribu, and Babylonian term karabu; the Assyrian term means 'great, mighty', but the Akkadian and Babylonian cognates mean 'propitious, blessed'.[35][36] In some regions the Assyro-Babylonian term came to refer in particular to spirits which served the gods, in particular to the shedu (human-headed winged bulls)[37]; According to the authors of the Jewish Encyclopedia, Assyrians sometimes referred to these as kirubu, a term grammatically related to karabu.[38]

According to Peak's Commentary on the Bible, number of scholars have proposed that cherubim were originally a version of the shedu, protective deities sometimes found as pairs of colossal statues either side of objects to be protected, such as doorways.[39][40] However, although the shedu were popular in Mesopotamia, archaeological remains from the Levant suggest that they were quite rare in the immediate vicinity of the Israelites.[41] The related Lammasu (human-headed winged lions — to which the sphinx is similar in appearance), on the other hand, were the most popular winged-creature in Phoenician art, and so most scholars suspect that Cherubim were originally a form of Lammasu.[42] In particular, in a scene reminiscent of Ezekiel's dream, the Megiddo Ivories — ivory carvings found at Megiddo (which became a major Israelite city) — depict an unknown king being carried on his throne by hybrid winged-creatures.[43] According to archaeologist Israel Finkelstein, the Israelites arose as a subculture in Canaanite society, and hence regarded it is as only natural for the Israelites to continue using Canaanite protective deities.[44]

A pair of shedu, protecting a doorway (the body of the creatures extending into the distance)
A pair of shedu, protecting a doorway (the body of the creatures extending into the distance)

According to the editors of the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, the Lammasu was originally depicted as having a king's head, a lion's body, and an eagle's wings, but due to the artistic beauty of the wings, these rapidly became the most prominent part in imagery [45]; wings later came to be bestowed on men, thus forming the stereotypical image of an angel.[46] The griffin — a similar creature but with an eagle's head rather than that of a king — has also been proposed as an origin, arising in Israelite culture as a result of Hittite usage of griffins (rather than being depicted as aggressive beasts, Hittite depictions show them seated calmly, as if guarding),[47] and a few scholars have proposed that griffin may be cognate to cherubim, but Lammasu were significantly more important in Levantine culture, and thus more likely to be the origin.[48]

According to the editors of the Jewish Encyclopedia, Early Israelite tradition conceived of the cherubim as guardians of the Garden of Eden, being devoid of human feelings, and holding a duty both to represent the gods and to guard sanctuaries from intruders, in a comparable way to an account found on Tablet 9 of the inscriptions found at Nimrud.[49] In this view, cherubim, like the shedu, were probably originally depictions of storm deities, especially the storm winds.[50] This view is offered as a hypothesis to explain the reason for cherubim being described as acting as the chariot of Yahweh in Ezekiel's dream, the Books of Samuel,[51] the parallel passages in the later Book of Chronicles,[52] and passages in the early Psalms[53]:

"and he rode upon a cherub and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind".[54][55]

[edit] Artistic depictions

There were no cherubim in the Herodian reconstruction of the Temple, but according to some authorities, its walls were painted with figures of cherubim[56]; paintings of cherubim continued into Christian art. In Christianity, they are often represented in iconography as faces of a lion, ox, eagle, and man peering out from the center of an array of four wings (Ezekial 1v6,8, 10v12,21 Revelation 4v8);Seraphim have six; the most frequently encountered descriptor applied to Cherubim in Christianity is many-eyed, and in depictions the wings are often shown covered with a multitude of eyes (showing them to be all seeing beings). Since the Renaissance, in Western Christianity cherubim have sometimes become confused with putti — innocent souls, looking liked winged children, that sing praises to God daily— that can be seen in innumerable church frescoes and in the work of painters such as Raphael.

[edit] Popular Culture

In the fictional series Digimon Frontier, there is a celestial digimon named Cherubimon, the second-important villain in the show.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Genesis 3:24
  2. ^ 1 Kings 6:23-28, 8:6-7; 2 Chronicles 3:10-13, 5:7-8
  3. ^ Exodus 25:18-22, 26:1, 26:31, 36:8, 36:35, 37:7-9; Numbers 7:89
  4. ^ ibid
  5. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
  6. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
  7. ^ ibid
  8. ^ ibid
  9. ^ neshamah was the "higher soul" — intellect, mind, and so forth, but not including ego or moral judgement
  10. ^ nefesh was the "lower soul" — instincts and cravings
  11. ^ Rashi, Leviticus 22; Rashi, Ecclesiastes 10:20
  12. ^ Midrash Tehillim 18:15; Rashi, Song of Solomon 1:9
  13. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
  14. ^ ibid
  15. ^ ibid
  16. ^ Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, volume 8, 3:3
  17. ^ Yoma 54
  18. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
  19. ^ ibid
  20. ^ ibid
  21. ^ ibid
  22. ^ ibid
  23. ^ Yoma 54a
  24. ^ ibid.
  25. ^ Yoma 54b
  26. ^ Rashi, Genesis 21
  27. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
  28. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
  29. ^ Maimonides, Moreh Nebukim 3:45
  30. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
  31. ^ ibid
  32. ^ Berakhot 49b
  33. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
  34. ^ [1]
  35. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
  36. ^ De Vaux, Roland (tr. John McHugh), Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions (NY, McGraw-Hill, 1961)
  37. ^ ibid
  38. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
  39. ^ ibid
  40. ^ Peake's commentary on the bible
  41. ^ ibid
  42. ^ ibid
  43. ^ Wright, G. Ernest, Biblical Archaeology (Philadelphia, Westminster Press, 1957)
  44. ^ Israel Finkelstein, The Bible Unearthed
  45. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
  46. ^ ibid
  47. ^ ibid
  48. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
  49. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
  50. ^ ibid
  51. ^ 1 Samuel 4:4, 2 Samuel 6:2, 2 Samuel 22:11
  52. ^ 1 Chronicles 13:6
  53. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
  54. ^ 2 Samuel 22:11
  55. ^ Psalms 18:10
  56. ^ Yoma 54a

[edit] Bibliography

  • De Vaux, Roland (tr. John McHugh), Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions (NY, McGraw-Hill, 1961)
  • Moses Maimonides, Guide for the Perplexed Book III, Chap XLV. Dover Pubications. Paperback edition. p 356.
  • Wright, G. Ernest, Biblical Archaeology (Philadelphia, Westminster Press, 1957)

[edit] External links

Hierarchy of Angels
v • d • e
First Hierarchy

Seraphim • Cherubim • Thrones or Ophanim
Second Hierarchy

Dominions • Virtues  • Powers
Third Hierarchy

Principalities • Archangels • Angels
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