Thrones, Seraphim and Cherubim are the main angelic ranks. Their representatives occupy the leading places in the heavenly hierarchy. Find out what they are responsible for and what functions they perform.
Thrones, Seraphim and Cherubim in different sources
The angelic hierarchy is known to theologians from various sources. These are the Old and New Testaments, Holy Scripture, as well as the revelations of monks and priests who lived at different times. Thrones, Seraphim and Cherubim are also mentioned in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. Interestingly, in the immortal creation of Dante, the angelic hierarchy is described in the same way as in modern theological publications.
Dormition of the Virgin, Francesco Botticini
Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones occupy the first place in the Christian hierarchy of angelic entities. These are the names of ranks, the first order is the Seraphim, the second is the Cherubim, the third is the Thrones. All three ranks belong to the first sphere of the heavenly hierarchy, of which there are three. Each sphere contains three orders of angels.
Angels of the highest rank are rarely depicted as humanoid creatures. Their iconographic images are quite capable of seriously surprising the majority of believers. A clear hierarchy of angels exists only in the Christian tradition. The Qur'an practically does not touch upon this topic, therefore, in Islam, not much attention is paid to the types of Allah's helpers. In Judaism and Kabbalah, there are several versions of the hierarchy of divine essences, and all of them are seriously different from each other.
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Dionysius the Areopagite wrote that a person cannot know for sure what the hierarchy of heavenly forces is. In his opinion, only what God wished to reveal is known. Perhaps only a part of the structure of the heavenly divine power and the apparatus for governing our world is available to us.
Supreme Angel Metatron - place in the hierarchy
Metatron and the aura
According to legend, the angel Metatron occupies the main position among all other celestial entities. He judges other angels, and also sits on the same throne that God has. However, according to the legends, the throne became the cause of the quarrel between God and Metatron and the subsequent punishment of the angel.
Metatron does not belong to the ranks of the first sphere - Seraphim, Cherubim or Thrones. According to legend, he was once an ordinary righteous man. God lifted him to heaven alive and turned into a perfect being - the archangel Metatron. Archangels are ranked eighth out of nine among the angelic ranks. However, despite this, he is closer to God than the higher ranks.
However, according to some legends, God expelled Metatron. Other angels did not want to recognize an ordinary person as the main one. In addition, the situation with two thrones, which gave rise to rumors of dual power in heaven, became the reason for the expulsion of Metatron. However, not all legends describe his exile. According to some of them, he forever remained an archangel close to God, despite the punishment incurred. Accordingly, the angel of the highest rank is Metatron, one of a kind.
The highest angelic rank - Seraphim
Seraphim are the highest angelic order. These are the angels who are closer to the rest, apart from Metatron, are to God. According to the book of the prophet Isaiah, they appeared before people in the guise of six-winged creatures. They covered their faces with the first pair of wings, and the second - their body. The last two wings are necessary for them to fly.
According to Enoch, one of the Seraphim calls himself Seraphiel. He has the head of an eagle. Such a bright light emanates from this divine being that even other angels are unable to see its appearance. Perhaps the rest of the Seraphim covered their faces and bodies only in order not to blind people with their holiness.
Six-winged seraphim. Mosaic of the cathedral of the Nea Moni monastery on about. Chios
The icons depict representatives of the highest angelic order with open faces. Their two wings are raised up, two support the Seraphim in the air, and with two they hide their bodies from the eyes of people. According to the canon, these are angels who stand around God or support his throne. The predominant color on their icons is fiery, fiery, red.
Dionysius the Areopagite claims that the nature of the Seraphim is similar to fire, a fiery love of purity and holiness. They are in constant motion around the divine. Their vocation is to illuminate with their light and scorch with their heat, to raise and assimilate the lower beings.
Representatives of the highest rank in the angelic hierarchy praised God and told people about his holiness and the need for faith and observance of Christian commandments. They worship God and serve human needs. But the main function of the Seraphim is the fulfillment of God's purposes on earth. They contribute to their embodiment, giving orders to the lower ranks of angels, as well as influencing people directly.
Read the article seraphim - only God is stronger.
Cherubim - the second highest angelic order
Cherubim are second in the angelic hierarchy, after the Seraphim. According to the Book of Genesis, one of them guards the entrance to Eden with a fiery sword. He was appointed to the post of guardian after the expulsion of Adam and Eve. King David of Israel describes the cherubim as God's vehicle. It is not known whether they were harnessed to his chariot or carried God in some other way, since the surviving saying of David does not reveal this secret:
… sat on the cherubim and flew.
In the Old Testament, the epithet “seated on cherubim” is also often found describing God. According to legend, when Pharaoh was persecuting the Jews, God took a Cherubim from one of the wheels of his throne and flew on it to save the chosen people. In addition, there is another function of these representatives of one of the highest angelic ranks. Near the throne of God and in the world of people, they sing, glorifying him. According to the apocrypha, they are busy chanting along with the phoenixes and seraphim.
As one of the highest angels, Cherubim are carriers of divine wisdom. They spread knowledge about God among people, direct them on the right path and help develop the qualities necessary for a God-fearing person. Cherubim are also involved in enhancing the education of other divine beings when needed.
According to Jewish beliefs, Cherubim were created on the third day of Creation. However, according to Jewish legends, they became the first living creatures to inhabit a deserted world. According to the Talmud, the first creatures were man, bull, eagle and lion. They stayed for some time near the throne of God. Later, Ezekiel advised him to replace the bull with a cherub, so that the bull would not be a living reminder of the times when the Jews worshiped the Golden Calf.
Read the article who are now called cherubim.
There is no detailed textual description of the appearance of the cherubim. However, they have been repeatedly depicted on icons and in sculpture. Only their faces and wings are visible to people. Unlike the Seraphim, the Cherubim never hide their faces. According to the prophecies of Ezekiel, they have more than one face. And one of them is human, and the second is lion. Earlier texts describe the Cherubim as four-faced creatures, and sometimes even appear in the form of winged bulls. The structure of their faces is also different from the human. Medicine calls these defects in humans cherubism.
The Talmud mentions that the statues of the Cherubim stood only in the very first temple. When the pagans saw them during its destruction, they began to mock the believers, calling them worshiping statues. Therefore, in the future, Cherubim were not depicted in the form of sculptures. They could only be seen in the wall paintings of temples.
According to Jewish traditions, during sleep, the human body tells the soul about everything that was done during the day. The soul transmits information to the spirit, he - to the angel, the angel - to the archangel, the archangel - to the Cherubim, and the Cherubim tells about everything to Seraphim, and Seraphim reports to God. Accordingly, the Seraphim are the direct leaders of the Cherubim, their intermediaries in communion with God. Kabbalah says that the chief among the Cherubim is the angel who bears the name Cherubil.
Painting "Cherub" of the Church of Martin the Confessor in Alekseevskaya Novaya Sloboda (Moscow)
The Midrash says that it is not the Cherubim that wears God, but that God wears him. It does not contain anything material, God is sitting on the Cherubim, watching what is happening in the world. The same source names two names of the Cherubim - Tetragrammaton and Elohim. According to legend, these are parts of the true name of God.
In the Christian tradition, the cherubim are considered angels singing in honor of the Lord, as well as bearers of his mind and wisdom. According to biblical descriptions, they have twelve wings. Astrologers associate the number of wings of the Cherubim with the number of signs of the zodiac. In addition, there is a connection with the number of hours in half the earth's day.
Later, John Chrysostom wrote that Cherubim are completely composed of eyes - their entire body is covered with them. Perhaps that is why they hide it under their wings. John Chrysostom saw in such a structure a symbol of wisdom. According to him, through the Cherubim, God's mind looks at the world.
Some theologians, for example, Thomas Aquinas and Theodore the Studite, call the Cherubim representatives of the highest angelic authority. In their opinion, they occupy the first place in the divine hierarchy, and the Seraphim - the second. In Orthodox divine services there is a special prayer called the cherubic song.
What place do the Thrones occupy in the heavenly hierarchy
According to the Holy Scriptures, the Thrones have such a name for a reason. God sits on them from time to time, pronouncing his judgment. According to some legends, the Thrones also serve as a means of transportation for God, therefore they are sometimes called God-bearing.
Image of thrones on a fresco of the Church of St. John the Baptist in Kratovo, Macedonia
Representatives of this angelic order fulfill the role of the throne of the Lord. They rank third among the angelic ranks, obeying the Seraphim and Cherubim. All other angelic ranks are subject to the Thrones and higher angels.
Thrones perform not only the functions of transport and the divine throne. With their help, God carries out his judgment on angels and people. Thrones also deal with human courts, helping rulers, judges, leaders who carry out their duties at different levels, on different scales.
Thrones are depicted as fiery wheels with eyes on the rims. They have four wings. Initially, the Cherubim were depicted in this form, but later their appearance became closer to the Seraphim, and the fiery wheels were their attributes for some time. At the same time, the true appearance of the Thrones was revealed to people. In Jewish culture, the third order is called the Wheels, or Ofhanim.
In general, there are three orders of the first sphere of the divine hierarchy. These are the Seraphim closest to God and the Cherubim and Thrones subordinate to them. Each of these divine entities fulfills their roles in helping God rule the world.
