Jewish angelic hierarchy
For other angelic hierarchies, see Hierarchy of angels.
Angels in Judaism (angel: Hebrew: מַלְאָךְ mal’āḵ, plural mal’āḵīm) appear throughout the Hebrew Bible, Talmud, Rabbinic literature, and traditional Jewish liturgy. They are categorized in different hierarchies.
Maimonides
Maimonides, in his Mishneh Torah or Yad ha-Chazakah: Yesodei ha-Torah, counts ten ranks of angels in the Jewish angelic hierarchy, beginning from the highest:
| Rank | Angelic Class | Notes |
| 1 | Chayot HaKodesh[1] | See Book of Ezekiel chs. 1 and 10 |
| 2 | Ophanim | See Ezekiel chs. 1 and 10 |
| 3 | Erelim | See Book of Isaiah 33:7 |
| 4 | Hashmallim | See Ezekiel 1:4 |
| 5 | Seraphim | See Isaiah 6 |
| 6 | Malakim | Messengers, angels |
| 7 | Elohim | "Godly beings" |
| 8 | Bene Elohim | "Sons of Godly beings" |
| 9 | Cherubim | See Talmud Hagigah |
| 10 | Ishim | "manlike beings", see Book of Genesis 18:2 Book of Daniel 10:5 |
Kabbalah
| The Sephirot in Jewish Kabbalah | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
 |
Category:Sephirot | |
According to the Golden Dawn's interpretation of the Kabbalah, there are ten archangels, each commanding one of the choirs of angels and corresponding to one of the Sephirot. It is similar to the Jewish angelic hierarchy.[2]
| Rank | Choir of Angels | Translation | Archangel | Sephirah |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hayot Ha Kodesh | Holy Living Ones | Metatron | Keter |
| 2 | Ophanim | Wheels | Raziel | Chokmah |
| 3 | Erelim | Brave ones[3] | Tzaphkiel | Binah |
| 4 | Hashmallim | Glowing ones, Amber ones[4] | Tzadkiel | Chesed |
| 5 | Seraphim | Burning Ones | Khamael | Gevurah |
| 6 | Malakim | Messengers, angels | Raphael | Tipheret |
| 7 | Elohim | Godly Beings | Haniel | Netzach |
| 8 | Bene Elohim | Sons of Elohim | Michael | Hod |
| 9 | Cherubim | [5] | Gabriel | Yesod |
| 10 | Ashim | Men (man-like beings, phonetically similar to "fires") | Sandalphon | Malkuth |
See also
References
- ↑ "Torah and Torts...". Retrieved Oct 8, 2014.
- ↑ "New Course Takes Revolutionary Approach to Bible Study". Retrieved Oct 4, 2014.
- ↑ "Strong's Hebrew: 691. אֶרְאֵל (erel) - perhaps a hero". Biblesuite.com. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
- ↑ "Strong's Hebrew: 2830. חַשְׁמַל (chashmal) - perhaps amber". Biblesuite.com. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
- ↑ "Strong's Hebrew: 3742. כְּרוּב (kerub) - probably an order of angelic beings". Biblesuite.com. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
External links
- Jewish Encyclopedia, "Angelology"
- Jewish POV: Angels and Demons (YouTube)
- Israel Regardie, The Golden Dawn, Llewellyn Publications, 1992, ISBN 0-87542-663-8
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