A seraph (Heb. שׂרף, pl. שׂרפים Seraphim, lat. seraph[us], pl. seraphi[m]) is one of a class of celestial beings mentioned once in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh or Old Testament), in Isaiah. Later Jewish imagery perceived them as having human form, and in that way they passed into the ranks of Christian angels. In the Christian angelic hierarchy, seraphim represent the highest known rank of angels. There are only two angels in the canonized Greek and Hebrew Bible mentioned by name: Michael (who is described as the archangel) and Gabriel. Seraphim, in Jewish and Christian mythology, are a class of celestial beings. ... “Hebrew” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... 11th century manuscript of the Hebrew Bible with Targum Hebrew Bible is a term that refers to the common portions of the Jewish canon and the Christian canons. ... For the musical collective, see Tanakh (band). ... Note: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh to refer to its canon, which corresponds to the Protestant Old Testament. ... This article is about the Book of Isaiah. ... This article is about the supernatural being. ... According to medieval Christian theologians, the Angels are organized into several orders, or Angelic Choirs. ...

Seraphim in Isaiah

Isaiah (6:1–3) records the prophet's vision of the Seraphim: This article is about the Book of Isaiah. ...

"... I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and His train filled the Hekhal (sanctuary). Above Him stood the Seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew."

In the vision the seraphim cry continually to each other, '"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory"' (vi.3). The "foundations of the thresholds" of the Temple were moved by the sound of their voices. The Hekhal, also known as the Sanctuary or Holy, was the part of Tabernacle and Temple in Jerusalem between the outer alter, where most sacrifices were performed, and the Holy of Holies originally containing the Ark of the Covenant. ...

This is the sole occurrence of the word "seraphim" in the canonic Hebrew Bible as heavenly beings. 11th century manuscript of the Hebrew Bible with Targum Hebrew Bible is a term that refers to the common portions of the Jewish canon and the Christian canons. ...

Seraph is translated "fiery flying serpent" from the Hebrew and is the word used for the serpents that bit the Israelites in the wilderness. Num. 21:6 "So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died."

Seraphim in Judaism

Seraphim are part of the angelarchy of Orthodox Judaism, and Isaiah's vision is repeated several times in daily Jewish services, including at Kedushah prayer added as part of the repetition of the Amidah and in several other prayers as well. Orthodox Judaism is the formulation of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonised in the Talmudic texts (Oral Torah) and as subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and Acharonim. ... Jewish services (Hebrew: תפלה, tefillah ; plural תפלות, tefillot ; Yinglish: davening) are the prayer recitations which form part of the observance of Judaism. ... The Kedusha is traditionally the third section of all Amidah recitations. ... The Amidah (Standing), also called the Shemoneh Esrei (The Eighteen), is the central prayer in the Jewish liturgy that observant Jews recite each morning, afternoon, and evening. ...

Seraphim occupy the fifth rank of ten ranks of angels in Maimonides' exposition of the Jewish angelic hierarchy. Commonly used image indicating one artists conception of Maimonidess appearance Maimonides (March 30, 1135 or 1138–December 13, 1204) was a Jewish rabbi, physician, and philosopher in Spain, Morocco and Egypt during the Middle Ages. ... Maimonides, in his Yad ha-Chazakah: Yesodei ha-Torah, counts ten ranks of angels in the Jewish angelic hierarchy, beginning from the highest: Jewish Encyclopedia, Angelology Categories: | | | ...

Conservative Judaism retains the traditional belief in angels, including references in the liturgy, although a literal belief in angels is by no means universal among Conservative Jews. This article is about Conservative (Masorti) Judaism in the United States. ...

Reform Judaism and Reconstructionist Judaism generally do not believe in angels, although they may retain references for metaphorical purposes. Reform Judaism can refer to (1) the largest denomination of American Jews and its sibling movements in other countries, (2) a branch of Judaism in the United Kingdom, and (3) the historical predecessor of the American movement that originated in 19th-century Germany. ... Reconstructionist Judaism is a modern American-based Jewish movement, based on the ideas of the late Mordecai Kaplan, that views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization. ...

Seraphim in Christianity

The Seraphim and the Cherubim are, in Christian theology, two separate types of angels. The descriptions of the Seraphim, Cherubim and Ophanim are often similar, but still distinguishable. A cherub (Hebrew כרוב; plural cherubim, כרובים) is an angelic creature mentioned several times in the Tanakh, or Old Testament, and in the Book of Revelation. ... Christian doctrine redirects here. ...

Seraphim in Christian theology

Seraphim surround the divine throne in this illustration from the Petites Heures de Jean de Berry, a 14th-century illuminated manuscript.

Six winged Seraphim (after Pushkin's poem "Prophet"), 1905. By Mikhail Vrubel.

In medieval Christian neo-Platonic theology, the Seraphim belong to the highest order, or angelic choir, of the hierarchy of angels. They are said to be the caretakers of God's throne, continuously singing Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, i. e. "holy, holy, holy"—cf. "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His Glory" (Isaiah 6:3). This chanting is referred to as the Trisagion. Image File history File links God surrounded by seraphim. ... Image File history File links God surrounded by seraphim. ... In the strictest definition of illuminated manuscript, only manuscripts decorated with gold or silver, like this miniature of Christ in Majesty from the Aberdeen Bestiary (folio 4v), would be considered illuminated. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2115x1911, 1491 KB) Mikhail Vrubel. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2115x1911, 1491 KB) Mikhail Vrubel. ... Pushkin may refer to: People Aleksandr Pushkin - a famous Russian poet Apollo Mussin-Pushkin - chemist and plant collector Aleksei Musin-Pushkin - statesman, historian, art collector Other Pushkin, a town in Russia Pushkin Square - square in Moscow Pushkin Museum - fine arts museum in Moscow This is a disambiguation page — a... For other senses of this word, see Prophet (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see 1905 (disambiguation). ... Self-portrait, 1885 Mikhail Aleksandrovich Vrubel (Russian: Михаил Александрович Врубель;March 17, 1856 - April 14, 1910, all n. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... Neoplatonism (also Neo-Platonism) is an ancient school of philosophy beginning in the 3rd century A.D. It was based on the teachings of Plato and Platonists; but it interpreted Plato in many new ways, such that Neoplatonism was quite different from what Plato taught, though not many Neoplatonists would... Theology finds its scholars pursuing the understanding of and providing reasoned discourse of religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ... According to medieval Christian theologians, the Angels are organized into several orders, or Angelic Choirs. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... The Trisagion (Thrice Holy) is a standard hymn of the Divine Liturgy in most of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches. ...

in his Celestial Hierarchy (vii), which helped fix the fiery nature of seraphim in the medieval imagination. It is here that the Seraphim are described as being concerned with keeping Divinity in perfect order, and not limited to chanting the trisagion. Taking his cue from writings in the Rabbinic tradition, he gave an etymology for the Seraphim as "those who kindle or make hot":

"The name seraphim clearly indicates their ceaseless and eternal revolution about Divine Principles, their heat and keenness, the exuberance of their intense, perpetual, tireless activity, and their elevative and energetic assimilation of those below, kindling them and firing them to their own heat, and wholly purifying them by a burning and all-consuming flame; and by the unhidden, unquenchable, changeless, radiant and enlightening power, dispelling and destroying the shadows of darkness" (Celestial Hierarchy, vii)

Thomas Aquinas in the Summa Theologiae offers a description of the nature of the Seraphim: Saint Thomas Aquinas, O.P.(also Thomas of Aquin, or Aquino; c. ... Summa theologiae, Pars secunda, prima pars. ...

"The name 'Seraphim' does not come from charity only, but from the excess of charity, expressed by the word ardor or fire. Hence Dionysius (Coel. Hier. vii) expounds the name 'Seraphim' according to the properties of fire, containing an excess of heat. Now in fire we may consider three things.

"First, the movement which is upwards and continuous. This signifies that they are borne inflexibly towards God.

"Secondly, the active force which is 'heat,' which is not found in fire simply, but exists with a certain sharpness, as being of most penetrating action, and reaching even to the smallest things, and as it were, with superabundant fervor; whereby is signified the action of these angels, exercised powerfully upon those who are subject to them, rousing them to a like fervor, and cleansing them wholly by their heat.

"Thirdly we consider in fire the quality of clarity, or brightness; which signifies that these angels have in themselves an inextinguishable light, and that they also perfectly enlighten others."

With the revival of neo-Platonism in the academy formed around Lorenzo de' Medici, the seraphim took on a mystic role in Pico della Mirandola's Oration on the Dignity of Man (1487), the epitome of Renaissance humanism. Pico took the fiery Seraphim—"they burn with the fire of charity"—as the highest models of human aspiration: "impatient of any second place, let us emulate dignity and glory. And, if we will it, we shall be inferior to them in nothing", the young Pico announced, in the first flush of optimistic confidence in the human capacity that is the coinage of the Renaissance. "In the light of intelligence, meditating upon the Creator in His work, and the work in its Creator, we shall be resplendent with the light of the Cherubim. If we burn with love for the Creator only, his consuming fire will quickly transform us into the flaming likeness of the Seraphim." [1] For other uses, see Lorenzo de Medici (disambiguation). ... Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (February 24, 1463 – November 17, 1494) was an Italian Renaissance humanist philosopher and scholar. ... Renaissance humanism (often designated simply as humanism) was a European intellectual movement beginning in Florence in the last decades of the 14th century. ...

Bonaventure, a Franciscan theologian who was a contemporary of Thomas Aquinas, uses the six wings of the seraph as an important analogical construct in his mystical work The Journey of the Mind to God. Saint Bonaventure of Bagnoregio (Italian: San Bonaventura) (1221 – 15 July 1274), born John of Fidanza (Italian: Giovanni di Fidanza), was the eighth Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, commonly called the Franciscans. ... The Order of Friars Minor and other Franciscan movements are disciples of Saint Francis of Assisi. ...

Seraphim are also mentioned in the Book of Revelation to be forever in God's presence and praising Him constantly: "Day and night they never stop saying: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.'" Visions of John of Patmos, as depicted in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. ...

As they were developed in Christian theology, seraphim are beings of pure light and have direct communication with God. They resonate with the fire symbolically attached to both purification and love. The etymology of "seraphim" itself comes from the word saraph. Saraph in all its forms is used to connote a burning, fiery state. Seraphim, as classically depicted, can be identified by their having six wings radiating from the angel's face at the center.

Seraphim in popular culture

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• The "All Souls" episode of TV series The X-Files by Chris Carter has Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) confused about her own faith after being confronted by what appears to be a Seraph searching for suspected Nephilim beings represented by quadruplet girls.
• In the movie Dogma, one of the characters is a seraph called Metatron, the Voice of God.
• In Digimon, several creatures bear resemblance to higher angels, harboring six wings or more. A ten-winged angel Digimon is known as Seraphimon.
• In The Matrix films, there is a character named Seraph, who is the guardian of The Oracle.
• In the video game Baten Kaitos, the main character's Light-element Spirit Finisher is called "Shining Seraph".
• In the video game series Shin Megami Tensei, it seems the Seraphim are always causing some manner of mischief, whether as the focus of the story (Shin Megami Tensei II) or as ancillary threats (Nocturne).
• In the video game series Halo The Covenant's main attack fighter is called a "Seraph".
• In the video game Tales of Symphonia, the Four Seraphim are the four main leaders of the organization Cruxis.
• In the video game Final Fantasy VII, the main villain, Sephiroth transforms into a Seraph-like creature for the final battle.
• In the video game Final Fantasy VI, the main villain Kefka, upon receiving power from the three goddesses, becomes the image of a Seraph, gaining six golden wings.
• In the video game Sacred, one of the playable characters to choose from is a Seraphim.
• In the video game Mega Man X8, the final boss, Lumine, takes on a Seraph-like form when fought him.
• In the video game Mega Man Zero, Copy X turns into a Seraph after being infuriated by Zero.
• In the video game Heroes of Might and Magic V: Hammers of Fate, a Fallen Angel is a creature available for gameplay. In the actual data of the game, this creature is referred to as a Seraph, and is also referred to by this name by fans of the game.
• In the video game series Descent: FreeSpace Seraphim are the most formidable Shivan bomber.
• A popular song by Before The Dawn is called "Seraphim".
• In Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Seraph Lamington is the final boss of the game (other than any of the unlockable boss fights).
• In the videogame Rose Online, your avatar can purchase Seraph Wings through the item mall.
• Dead Can Dance perform "The Host of Seraphim" on the album The Serpents Egg. It is also featured in the movie Baraka.
• In the video game Supreme Commander, the Seraphim are a powerful alien race.
• In the video game Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, the character Gill has a super art called Seraphic Wing in which he floats to the middle of the screen, spreads six wings, and a rainbow of colors attack the opponent. Bright light fills the background.
• In the video game Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, there is an amulet named the Seraph Hymn that benefits the Holy Paladin.
• In Shadow Hearts: Covenant Dark Seraphim is one of Yuri's final fusions.
• Seraph's Coal is the name of a band from Adelaide, Australia. The name is in reference to the Bible verse where the seraph burns the lips with coal.
• Madeline L'Engle's book Many Waters has references to Seraphim, and also Nephilim.
• In the forth coming comic book Lein Cha: The Ordained "Seraphim" is the code name of the lead character. (www.leincha.com)
• In the table-top game Warhammer 40,000 Seraphim are a unit in the Witch Hunters army that have "jump packs" that allow them to "fly."
• The Japanese band Malice Mizer did a song called "Seraph," which was sung by their first vocalist, Tetsu.
• The American darkwave band The Crüxshadows has a song called "The Seraphs" on their 2002 album Wishfire.
• The comic book Scud: The Disposable Assassin features three female seraphim named Fabal, Mith, and Lye, who overthrow God and hire Scud to kill the Earth.
• A card game Magic: the Gathering featuring two card named seraph, "Seraph" from 5th edition Ice Age as a rare card and "Silver Seraph" from judgment as a rare.
• In Armored Core: Master of Arena, the final boss the player faces is an AC named Nine Ball Seraph. Its name is probably due to the fact that the AC has wing-like back unit parts.
• In Final Fantasy XI there is a MMORG server called Seraph.
• Christian metal and metalcore bands Demon Hunter and UnderOath mention Seraph (Demon Hunter in The Flame That Guides Us Home)
• Seraph is a U.S. Progressive Industrial Rock band which takes it's name from the female lead of the band known as Seraph Of Treason.
• In Final Fantasy XII, the espers Ultima and Zalera are known as the "High Seraph" and the "Death Seraph."
• In Edgar Allan Poe's poem "Annabel Lee", seraphs were envious of Annabel Lee's love with the narrator and end up taking her away (metaphorically).
• In The Dune Universe, Serephim are highly trained female assassin/bodyguards of Serena Butler.
• In Digital Devil Saga 2 , Seraph is the name given to the character who was created from Serph and Sera.
• In Tomb Raider 2 the Seraph is an angel shaped pendant that is needed and hunted, because it opens the Door of Xian.

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... List of The X-Files episodes All Souls is the seventeenth episode of season 5 of the television series The X-Files. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... The X-Files is a Peabody- and Emmy Award-winning science fiction television series created by Chris Carter, which first aired on September 10, 1993, and ended on May 19, 2002. ... Chris Carter (born October 13, 1956) is an American Jewish screenwriter and producer, best known as the creator of The X-Files. ... Special Agent Dr. Dana Katherine Scully (born February 23, 1964) is a fictional character on the FOX television series The X-Files (1993-2002), played by Gillian Anderson. ... Gillian Leigh Anderson (born August 9, 1968) is an Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning American actress, best known for her roles as FBI Agent Dana Scully in the American TV series The X-Files and Lady Dedlock in the BBC TV series Bleak House. ... For other uses, see Nephilim (disambiguation). ... Dogma is a 1999 comedy film, written and directed by Kevin Smith, who stars in the film along with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Alan Rickman, Bud Cort, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, George Carlin, Janeane Garofalo, and Alanis Morissette. ... For the Darkwell album, see Metatron (album). ... Digimon , short for デジタルモンスター dejitaru monsutā, Digital Monster) is a popular Japanese series of media and merchandise, including anime, manga, toys, video games, trading card games and other media. ... Seraphimon is a fictional character from the Digimon franchise. ... This article is about the 1999 film. ... Seraph is the name of a fictional character (played by Collin Chou) in the science fiction film saga, The Matrix. ... The Oracle could refer to: The Oracle - a character in the Matrix trilogy. ... “Computer and video games” redirects here. ... Baten Kaitos (pronounced BAH-ten KAI-tos) is a series of role-playing games. ... Shin Megami Tensei II is a video game and sequel to Shin Megami Tensei for the Super Famicom released on March 18, 1994 in Japan. ... Halo is video game series created by Bungie Studios. ... Tales of Symphonia ) is a video game first released for the Nintendo GameCube and later for the PlayStation 2. ... Cruxis is a fictional organization in Tales of Symphonia, by Namco. ... Final Fantasy VII ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix), and the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy video game series. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Final Fantasy VI ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) in 1994 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. ... Artwork by Yoshitaka Amano Kefka Palazzo is a fictional character of the Square Co. ... Sacred is a PC Action-RPG, released in 2004, with characters of various races (dark elf, wood elf, vampiress, etc. ... Mega Man X8, released in Japan as Rockman X8 ), is the eighth and most recent game in the Mega Man X video game series, released in PlayStation 2 and PC. After fan complaints over Mega Man X7s foray into 3-D, Capcom went back to 2-D linear progression... Zero as he appears in Mega Man Zero, holding the series version of his signature weapon, the Z-Saber This article is about the Mega Man Zero Mega Man Zero (video game) Mega Man Zero is the fifth series of Capcoms Mega Man video games, and debuted in 2002... Descent: Freespace Screenshot Freespace 2 Screenshot Descent: FreeSpace is a space simulation computer game series developed by Volition Inc. ... Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (魔界戦記 ディスガイア; Makai Senki Disgaea, lit. ... ROSE Online, or Rush On Seven Episodes Online (Korean:로즈 온라인)is an MMORPG developed by Korean company Triggersoft and published by Gravity Corp. ... Dead Can Dance is a band comprising Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry. ... Baraka (1992) is an experimental documentary film directed by Ron Fricke, cinematographer for Koyaanisqatsi, the first of the Qatsi films by Godfrey Reggio. ... Supreme Commander - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... For other uses, see Adelaide (disambiguation). ... Madeleine LEngle (b. ... Many Waters is a 1986 novel by Madeleine LEngle, part of the authors Time Quartet. ... Warhammer 40,000 (informally known as Warhammer 40K, WH40K, W40K or just 40K) is a science fantasy game produced by Games Workshop. ... When the people forget their duty they are no longer human and become something less than beasts. ... Darkwave, also written as dark wave, is an umbrella term which refers to a movement that began in the late 1970s, coinciding with the popularity of new wave. ... The Crüxshadows (Pronounced as IPA: )[2] is an Independent music group from Florida. ... Wishfire (2002) is an album by The Crüxshadows. ... Magic: The Gathering (colloq. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... A judgment or judgement (see spelling note below), in a legal context, is synonymous with the formal decision made by a court following a lawsuit. ... Final Fantasy XI ), also known as Final Fantasy XI: Online, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) as a part of the Final Fantasy video game series. ... Final Fantasy XII ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console, and the twelfth installment in the Final Fantasy video game series. ... The term and concept Esper has existed in the field of parapsychology, and in the mainstream of science fiction, for some time, since at least 1950. ... The second game in the tomb raider series by Eidos and Core Design. ...

External links

• (AngelFocus.com) "Dionysius Hierarchy of Angels" Popularized scheme adapted from Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, Celestial Hierarchy
• Judaism FAQs: What about angels, demons, miracles, and the supernatural?
• JewishEncyclopedia: Seraphim

Christian angelic hierarchy v • d • e
First Sphere (liberated)	Seraphim • Cherubim • Ophanim (Thrones/Wheels) Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, also known as pseudo-Denys, refers to the anonymous theologian and philosopher of the 5th century whose Corpus Areopagiticum was falsely ascribed to Dionysius the Areopagite of Acts 17:34. ... According to medieval Christian theologians, the Angels are organized into several orders, or Angelic Choirs. ... CHERUB is a series of childrens books written by the author Robert Muchamore about a group of children who are trained to be agents working for the British Government in the top secret organisation known as CHERUB. It is similar to the British security service MI5, and is based... An Ophan (plural Ophanin) is one of a class of celestial beings described in the Book of Enoch along side the Cherubim and Seraphim as never sleeping, but watching the throne of God. ...
Second Sphere (active)	Thronesʥ Dominions ʥ Principalities Image File history File links Download high resolution version (858x952, 205 KB) Dante and Beatrice gaze upon the highest Heaven (The Empyrean); from Gustave Dor̩s illustrations to the Divine Comedy, Paradiso Canto 31. ... It has been suggested that Ophan be merged into this article or section. ... According to medieval Christian theologians, the Angels are organized into several orders, or Angelic Choirs. ... According to medieval Christian theologians, the Angels are organized into several orders, or Angelic Choirs. ...
Third Sphere (active)	Powers • Archangels • Angels According to medieval Christian theologians, the Angels are organized into several orders, or Angelic Choirs. ... Archangels are superior or higher-ranking angels. ... This article is about the supernatural being. ...