View source for Cherub

{{Short description|Heavenly beings who directly attend to God}}
{{About|a type of supernatural being in the Bible|the winged infant figure in art|putto|other uses|Cherub (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Tetramorph meteora.jpg|thumb|A [[tetramorph]] cherub, in [[Eastern Orthodox iconography]]]]
A '''cherub''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|tʃ|ɛr|ə|b}};<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cherub |title=cherub |dictionary=[[Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary]]}}</ref> {{plural form}}: '''cherubim'''; {{langx|he|כְּרוּב}} ''kərūḇ'', pl. {{lang|he|כְּרוּבִים}} ''kərūḇīm'')  are one of the unearthly beings in [[Abrahamic religions]]. The numerous depictions of cherubim assign to them many different roles, such as protecting the entrance of the [[Garden of Eden]].<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia2"/>
== Abrahamic religious traditions ==
In [[Angels in Judaism#Angelic hierarchy|Jewish angelic hierarchy]], cherubim have the ninth (second-lowest) rank in [[Maimonides]]' ''[[Mishneh Torah]]'' (12th century), and the third rank in Kabbalistic works such as ''[[Berit Menuchah]]'' (14th century). The Christian work ''[[De Coelesti Hierarchia]]'' places them in the highest rank alongside [[Seraphim]] and [[Throne (angel)|Thrones]].<ref name="Kosior">{{cite journal |last=Kosior |first=Wojciech |year=2013 |title=The angel in the Hebrew Bible from the statistic and hermeneutic perspectives: Some remarks on the interpolation theory |url=https://ruj.uj.edu.pl/xmlui/handle/item/4549 |journal=The Polish Journal of Biblical Research |volume=12 |issue=1–2 (23–24) |pages=55–70}}</ref>
In [[Islam]], ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|al-karubiyyin}}'' "cherubim" or ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|al-muqarrabin}}'' "the Close" refers to the highest angels near [[God in Islam|God]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Husain |first1=O. |title=The Complete Book of Muslim and Parsi Names |last2=Gandhi |first2=M. |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2004 |place=India |page=222}}</ref> in contrast to the messenger angels. They include the [[Bearers of the Throne]], the angels around the throne, and the [[archangel]]s.<ref>{{cite book |last=Freiherr von Hammer-Purgstall<!--technically a title rather than a name--> |first=Joseph |author-link=Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall |title=Rosenöl. Erstes und zweytes Fläschchen: Sagen und Kunden des Morgenlandes aus arabischen, persischen, und türkischen Quellen gesammelt |date=5 March 2016 |publisher=Books on Demand |isbn=978-386199486-2 |page=12 |trans-title=Rose Oil. First and second bottle: Legends and customs of the Orient collected from Arabic, Persian, and Turkish sources |orig-year=1813}}</ref> The angels of mercy subordinative to Michael are also identified as cherubim. In [[Isma'ilism]], there are [[Seven Archangels]] referred to as cherubim.<ref>{{cite book |last=Netton |first=Ian Richard |title=Allah Transcendent: Studies in the structure and semiotics of Islamic philosophy, theology, and cosmology |publisher=Psychology Press |year=1994 |isbn=9780700702879 |page=205}}</ref>
As described in [[Ezekiel 1]], "[E]ach had four faces, and each of them had four wings; the legs of each were [fused into] a single rigid leg, and the feet of each were like a single calf’s hoof; and their sparkle was like the luster of burnished bronze."<ref>{{cite web |title=Ezekiel 1:6-7 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Ezekiel.1.6-7?lang=en |website=Sefaria}}</ref> In Ezekiel and some Christian icons, the cherub is depicted as having two pairs of wings and four faces, the [[Living creatures (Bible)|hayyoth]]: that of a [[lion]] (representative of all [[wild animals]]), an [[ox]] ([[domestic animals]]), a [[human]] (humanity), and an [[eagle]] ([[bird]]s).<ref name="Wood-2008" />{{rp|style=ama|pages= 2–4}}<ref>{{cite web |title=What is a cherub? The cherubim in the Bible |website=Christianity.com |language=en |url=https://www.christianity.com/wiki/angels-and-demons/what-is-a-cherub-the-cherubim-in-the-bible.html |access-date=2021-03-04}}</ref>
Later tradition ascribes to them a variety of physical appearances.<ref name=Wood-2008>{{cite book |last=Wood |first=Alice |year= 2008 |title=Of Wing and Wheels: A synthetic study of the Biblical cherubim |isbn=978-3-11-020528-2 |series=Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft |volume=385}}</ref>{{rp|style=ama|pages= 2–4}} Some early [[midrash]] literature conceives of them as non-corporeal. In Western Christian tradition, cherubim have become associated with the [[putto]] derived from [[Cupid]] in [[classical antiquity]], resulting in depictions of cherubim as small, plump, winged boys.<ref name=Wood-2008/>{{rp|style=ama|page= 1}}
Cherubim are also mentioned in the [[Second Treatise of the Great Seth]], a 3rd-century [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]] writing.<ref>{{cite book |author1-link=Marvin Meyer |last1=Meyer |first1=M. |author2-link=Willis Barnstone |last2=Barnstone |first2=W. |date=June 30, 2009 |title=The Gnostic Bible |publisher=[[Shambhala Publications|Shambhala]] |chapter=The Second Treatise of the Great Seth |url=http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/2seth.html |access-date=2022-02-02}}</ref>
== Etymology ==
[[Friedrich Delitzsch|Delitzch]]'s ''Assyrisches Handwörterbuch'' (1896) connected the name ''keruv'' with Assyrian ''kirubu'' (a name of the ''shedu'' or ''[[lamassu]]'') and ''karabu'' ("great, mighty").
[[Salomon Karppe|Karppe]] (1897) glossed Babylonian ''karâbu'' as "propitious" rather than "mighty".<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia2">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Cherub |encyclopedia=Jewish Encyclopedia|year=2002–2011 |orig-year=1906 |url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/4311-cherub}}</ref><ref name="devaux2">De Vaux, Roland (tr. John McHugh), ''Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions'' (New York, McGraw-Hill, 1961).</ref>
[[Édouard Paul Dhorme|Dhorme]] (1926) connected the Hebrew name to [[Akkadian language|Assyrian]] ''kāribu'' (diminutive ''kurību''), a term used to refer to intercessory beings (and statues of such beings) that plead with the gods on behalf of humanity.<ref name=Wood-2008/>{{rp|style=ama|pages= 3–4}}
The [[folk etymology]] connecting ''cherub'' to a Hebrew word for "youthful" is due to [[Abbahu]] (3rd century).<ref name=Wood-2008/>{{rp|style=ama|page= 1}}
== Functions ==
[[File:Cherubim Bate.jpg|thumb|Depiction of the "cherubim of glory shadowing the [[mercy seat]]" ([[Julius Bate]], 1773)]]
The Israelite cherubim are described as fulfilling a variety of functions – most often, they are described as bolstering the throne of [[Yahweh]]. Ezekiel's vision of the cherubim also emulate this, as the conjoined wingspan of the four cherubim is described as forming the boundary of the divine chariot. Likewise, on the "[[mercy seat]]" of the [[Ark of the Covenant]], two cherubim are described as bounding the ark and forming a space through which Yahweh would appear – however, aside from the instruction that they be beaten out of the sides of the ark, there are no details about these cherubim specified in the text. The status of the ''cherubim'' as constituting a sort-of vehicle for Yahweh is present in Ezekiel's visions, the [[Books of Samuel]],<ref>1 Samuel 4:4, 2 Samuel 6:2, 2 Samuel 22:11</ref> the parallel passages in the later [[Books of Chronicles]],<ref>1 Chronicles 13:6.</ref> and passages in the early<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia2"/> [[Psalms]]: for example, "and he rode upon a cherub and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind."<ref>2 Samuel 22:11.</ref><ref>Psalms 18:10.</ref>
The traditional Hebrew conception of cherubim as guardians of the [[Garden of Eden]] is backed by the belief of beings of superhuman power and devoid of human feelings, whose duty it was to represent the gods, and as guardians of their sanctuaries to repel intruders; these conceptions in turn are similar to an account found on Tablet&nbsp;9 of the inscriptions found at [[Nimrud]].<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia2"/>
== Appearance ==
[[File:Ivory plaque from Megiddo IAA 1938-780.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|An ivory from Tel Megiddo showing a king sitting on a throne which is supplicated by a sphinx-esque winged hybrid.]]
Aside from Ezekiel's vision, no detailed attestations of ''cherubim'' survive, and Ezekiel's description of the [[tetramorph]] being may not be the same as the ''cherubim'' of the historic Israelites.<ref name=Eichler2015>{{cite journal |last=Eichler |first=Raanan |year=2015 |title=Cherub: A History of Interpretation |journal=Biblica |volume=96 |issue=1 |pages=26–38 |jstor=43922717 }}</ref> All that can be gleaned about the ''cherubim'' of the Israelites come from potential equivalences in the cultures which surrounded them.
The appearance of the ''cherubim'' continue to be a subject of debate. [[Mythological hybrid]]s are common in the art of the [[Ancient Near East]]. One example is the Babylonian ''[[lamassu]]'' or ''shedu'', a protective spirit with a [[sphinx]]-like form, possessing the wings of an eagle, the body of a lion or bull, and the head of a king. This was adopted largely in [[Phoenicia]]. The wings, because of their artistic beauty and symbolic use as a mark of creatures of the [[heaven]]s, soon became the most prominent part, and animals of various kinds were adorned with wings; consequently, wings were bestowed also upon human forms,<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia2"/> thus leading to the stereotypical image of an [[angel]].<ref name=wright2/>
[[William F. Albright]] (1938) argued that "the winged lion with human head" found in Phoenicia and [[Canaan]] from the [[Late Bronze Age]] is "much more common than any other winged creature, so much so that its identification with the cherub is certain".<ref name=Wood-2008/>{{rp|style=ama|pages= 2–4}} A possibly related source is the human-bodied [[Hittites|Hittite]] [[griffin]], which, unlike other griffins, appear almost always not as a fierce bird of prey, but seated in calm dignity, like an irresistible guardian of holy things;<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia2"/><ref name=wright2/> some have proposed that the word ''griffin'' ({{math|γρύψ}}) may be cognate with ''cherubim'' (''kruv'' > ''grups'').<ref name="propp2">{{cite book |last=Propp |first=William H. |title=The Anchor Bible |publisher=Doubleday |year=2006 |isbn=0-385-24693-5 |volume=2A, Exodus&nbsp;19–40 |location=New York, New York |at=Exodus&nbsp;15:18, p.&nbsp;386, ''Notes''}} which references {{cite book |last=Wellhausen |first=Julius |title=[[Prolegomena zur Geschichte Israels]] |publisher=Black |year=1885 |location=Edinburgh, Scotland |page=304 |language=de |trans-title=Prolegomena to the History of Israel |author-link=Julius Wellhausen}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Beekes |first=Robert S. P. |title=Etymological Dictionary of Greek |publisher=Brill |year=2010 |isbn=978-90-04-17420-7 |volume=1 |location=Leiden, DE / Boston, Massachusetts |page=289 |article={{math|γρυπος}} |quote=From the archaeological perspective, origin in Asia Minor (and the Near East: [[Elam]]) is very probable. |author-link=Robert S. P. Beekes}}</ref> While Ezekiel initially describes the tetramorph ''cherubim'' as having
<blockquote>the face of a man ... the face of a lion ... the face of an ox ... and ... the face of an eagle</blockquote>
in the {{bibleverse|Ezekiel|10||tenth chapter}} this formula is repeated as
<blockquote>the face of the cherub ... the face of a man ... the face of a lion ... the face of an eagle</blockquote>
which (given that "ox" has apparently been substituted with "the cherub") some have taken to imply that ''cherubim'' were envisioned to have the head of a [[bovine]].
[[File:Astarte's throne.jpg|thumb|right|[[Thrones of Astarte|Throne of Astarte]] from the [[Temple of Eshmun]], the legs formed by two winged hybrid creatures.]]
In particular resonance with the idea of cherubim embodying the throne of God, numerous pieces of art from Phoenicia, [[Ancient Egypt]], and even [[Tel Megiddo#Megiddo ivories|Tel Megiddo]] in northern Israel depict kings or deities being carried on their thrones by hybrid winged creatures.<ref name="wright2">{{cite book |author=Wright |first=G. Ernest |title=Biblical Archaeology |publisher=Westminster Press |year=1957 |place=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}}</ref>
If this animalistic form is how the ancient [[Israelites]] envisioned cherubim, it raises more questions than it answers. For one, it is difficult to visualize the cherubim of the [[Ark of the Covenant]] as quadrupedal creatures with backward-facing wings, as these cherubim were meant to face each other and have their wings meet, while still remaining on the edges of the cover from which they were beaten. At the same time, these creatures have little to no resemblance to the ''cherubim'' in Ezekiel's vision.
On the other hand, even if ''cherubim'' had a more [[humanoid]] form, this still would not entirely match Ezekiel's vision and likewise seemingly clashes with the apparently equivalent [[archetype]]s of the cultures surrounding the Israelites, which almost uniformly depicted beings which served analogous purposes to Israel's ''cherubim'' as largely animalistic in shape. All of this may indicate that the Israelite conception of the ''cherub''{{'}}s appearance may not have been wholly consistent.<ref name=Eichler2015/>
==Hebrew Bible==
{{further|Tetramorph|Living creatures (Bible)|Mercy seat|Ezekiel's cherub in Eden|Uriel}}
The cherubim are the most frequently occurring heavenly creature in the [[Hebrew Bible]], as the Hebrew word appears 91 times.<ref name=Wood-2008/>{{rp|style=ama|pages= 2–4}} The first occurrence is in the [[Book of Genesis]] 3:24. Despite these many references, the role of the cherubim is never explicitly elucidated.<ref name=Wood-2008/>{{rp|style=ama|page= 1}} While Israelite tradition must have conceived of the cherubim as guardians of the [[Garden of Eden]]<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia2"/> in which they guard the way to the [[Tree of life]],<ref name="EDEN2">{{Cite web |title=Bible Gateway passage: Genesis 3:24 – King James Version |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%203%3A24&version=KJV |access-date=2023-11-09 |website=Bible Gateway |language=en}}</ref> they are often depicted as performing other roles; for example in the [[Book of Ezekiel]], they transport Yahweh's throne. The cherub who appears in the "Song of David", a poem which occurs twice in the Hebrew Bible, in [[books of Samuel|2 Samuel]] 22 and [[Psalm 18]], participates in Yahweh's [[theophany]] and is imagined as a vehicle upon which the deity descends to earth from heaven to rescue the speaker (see 2 Samuel 22:11, Psalm 18:10).<ref name=Wood-2008/>{{rp|style=ama|pages= 84–85}}
[[File:Cherub on a Neo-Assyrian seal.jpg|thumb|right|"Cherub" on a [[Neo-Assyrian]] seal, c. 1000–612 BC]]
In Exodus 25:18–22, God tells [[Moses]] to make multiple images of cherubim at specific points around the [[Ark of the Covenant]].<ref name=Wood-2008/>{{rp|style=ama|pages= 2–4}} Many appearances of the words ''cherub'' and ''cherubim'' in the Bible refer to the gold cherubim images on the [[mercy seat]] of the Ark, as well as images on the curtains of the [[Tabernacle]] and in [[Solomon's Temple]], including two measuring ten [[cubit]]s high.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+kings%206:23-6:35&version=KJV|title=1 Kings 6:23–6:35 KJV – And within the oracle he made two|publisher=Bible Gateway|access-date=2012-12-30}}</ref>
In {{bibleverse|Isaiah|37:16|ESV}}, [[Hezekiah]] prays, addressing God as {{langx|he|יֹשֵׁ֥ב כְּ֝רוּבִ֗ים||enthroned above the cherubim}}, referring to the [[mercy seat]]. In regards to this same phrase, which appears also in [[2 Kings 19]], Eichler renders it "who dwells among the cherubim". Eichler's interpretation is in contrast to common translations for many years that rendered it as “who sits upon the cherubim”. This has implications for the understanding of whether the ark of the covenant in [[Solomon's Temple]]  was Yahweh's throne or simply an indicator of Yahweh's immanence.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Eichler |first1=Raanan |title=The Meaning of יֹשֵׁב הַכְּרֻבִים |journal=Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft |date=1 January 2014 |volume=126 |issue=3 |pages=358–371 |doi=10.1515/zaw-2014-0022 |s2cid=170794397 }}</ref>
Cherubim feature at some length in Ezekiel. While they first appear in [[Ezekiel 1]], in which they are transporting the throne of God by the Kebar (or Chebar, which was near [[Tel Abib]] in [[Nippur]]), they are not called "cherubim" until [[Ezekiel 10]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Of Wings and Wheels: A Synthetic Study of the Biblical Cherubim|last=Wood|first=Alice|pages=94}}</ref> In Ezekiel 1:5–11 they are described as having the likeness of a man and having four faces: that of a man, a lion (on the right side), and ox (on the left side), and an eagle. The four faces represent the four domains of God's rule: the man represents humanity; the lion, wild animals; the ox, domestic animals; and the eagle, birds.<ref name=":13">{{Cite book|title=Of Wings and Wheels: A Synthetic Study of the Biblical Cherubim|last=Wood|first=Alice|pages=137}}</ref> These faces peer out from the center of an array of four wings; these wings are joined to each other, two of these are stretched upward, and the other two cover their bodies. Under their wings are human hands; their legs are described as straight, and their feet like those of a calf, shining like polished brass. Between the creatures glowing coals that moved between them could be seen, their fire "went up and down", and lightning burst forth from it. The cherubs also moved like flashes of lightning.
In Ezekiel 10, another full description of the cherubim appears with slight differences in details. Three of the four faces are the same – man, lion and eagle – but where chapter one has the face of an ox, Ezekiel 10:14 says "face of a cherub". Ezekiel equates the cherubim of chapter ten with the living creatures of chapter one in Ezekiel 10:15 "The cherubs ascended; those were the creatures ({{langx|he|הַחַיָּ֔ה|ḥayā}}) that I had seen by the Chebar Canal" and in 20:10, "They were the same creatures that I had seen below the [[Yahweh|God of Israel]] at the Chebar Canal; so now I knew that they were cherubs." In Ezekiel 41:18–20, they are portrayed as having two faces, although this is probably because they are depicted in profile.<ref name=Wood-2008/>{{rp|style=ama|pages= 2–4}}
==In Judaism==
[[File:Ezekiel's vision.jpg|thumb|left|Ezekiel's "chariot vision" with the [[tetramorph]] ([[Living creatures (Bible)|living creatures]]), engraving after an illustration by [[Matthäus Merian]], ''Icones Biblicae'' (c. 1625–1630)]]
In rabbinic literature, the two ''cherubim'' are described as being human-like figures with wings, one a boy and the other a girl, placed on the opposite ends of the [[Mercy seat]] in the inner-sanctum of God's house.<ref>[[Babylonian Talmud]] (''Sukkah'' 5b).</ref> [[Solomon's Temple]] was decorated with Cherubs according to {{nobr|1 Kings 6}}, and [[Aha bar Jacob|Aḥa bar Ya’akov]] claimed this was true of the [[Second Temple]] as well.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yoma 54a:17 |website=sefaria.org |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Yoma.54a.17 |access-date=2021-02-19}}</ref>
Many forms of [[Judaism]] include a belief in the existence of angels, including cherubim within the [[Jewish angelic hierarchy]]. The existence of angels is generally accepted within traditional [[rabbinic Judaism]]. There is, however, a wide range of beliefs within Judaism about what angels actually are and how literally one should interpret biblical passages associated with them.
In [[Kabbalah]] there has long been a strong belief in cherubim, 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.<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia2"/>
On the other end of the philosophical spectrum is [[Maimonides]], who had a neo-Aristotelian interpretation of the Bible. Maimonides writes that to the wise man, one sees that what the Bible and Talmud refer to as "angels" are actually allusions to the various laws of nature; they are the principles by which the physical universe operates.
{{Blockquote|
|text=For all forces are angels! How blind, how perniciously blind are the naive?! If you told someone who purports to be a sage of Israel that the Deity sends an angel who enters a woman's womb and there forms an embryo, he would think this a miracle and accept it as a mark of the majesty and power of the Deity, despite the fact that he believes an angel to be a body of fire one third the size of the entire world. All this, he thinks, is possible for God.
But if you tell him that God placed in the sperm the power of forming and demarcating these organs, and that ''this'' is the angel, or that all forms are produced by the Active Intellect; that here is the angel, the "vice-regent of the world" constantly mentioned by the sages, then he will recoil.|''[[The Guide for the Perplexed]]'' II:4}}
<blockquote>For he [the naive person] does not understand that the true majesty and power are in the bringing into being of forces which are active in a thing although they cannot be perceived by the senses ... Thus the Sages reveal to the aware that the imaginative faculty is also called an angel; and the mind is called a '''cherub'''. How beautiful this will appear to the sophisticated mind, and how disturbing to the primitive.
:— ''[[The Guide for the Perplexed]]'' II:6.</blockquote>
[[Maimonides]] says that the figures of the cherubim were placed in the sanctuary only to preserve among the people the belief in angels, there being two in order that the people might not be led to believe that they were the image of God.<ref>[[Maimonides]], ''[[The Guide for the Perplexed]]'' III:45.</ref>
Cherubim are discussed within the [[midrash]] literature. The two cherubim placed by [[God]] at the entrance of paradise<ref>Gen. iii. 24.</ref> were angels created on the third day, and therefore they had no definite shape; appearing either as men or women, or as spirits or angelic beings.<ref>Genesis Rabbah xxi., end.</ref> The cherubim were the first objects created in the universe.<ref>Tanna debe Eliyahu R., i. beginning.</ref> The following sentence of the Midrash is characteristic:
<blockquote>When a man sleeps, the body tells to the soul (''neshamah'') what it has done during the day; the soul then reports it to the spirit (''nefesh''), the spirit to the angel, the angel to the cherub, and the cherub to the seraph, who then brings it before God".<ref>Leviticus Rabbah xxii.</ref><ref>Eccl. Rabbah x. 20.</ref></blockquote>
[[File:Tissot Moses and Joshua in the Tabernacle.jpg|thumb|''Moses and Joshua bowing before the Ark'' by [[James Tissot]] (c. 1900)]]
In early Jewish tradition there existed the notion that cherubim had youthful, human features, due to the etymologization of the name by [[Abbahu]] (3rd century). Before this, some early midrashic literature conceived of the cherubim as non-corporeal. In the first century AD, [[Josephus]] claimed:
<blockquote>No one can tell, or even conjecture, what was the shape of these cherubim.<ref name=Josephus>{{cite book |author=[[Josephus]] |title=[[Antiquities of the Jews]] |at=8:73}}</ref><ref name=Wood-2008/>{{rp|style=ama|page= 1}}</blockquote>
A midrash states that when Pharaoh pursued Israel at the Red Sea, God took a cherub from the wheels of His throne and flew to the spot, for God inspects the heavenly worlds while sitting on a cherub. The cherub, however, is "something not material", and is carried by God, not vice versa.<ref name=Josephus/><ref>Midr. Teh. xviii. 15.</ref><ref>Canticles Rabbah i. 9.</ref>
In the passages of the [[Talmud]] that describe the heavens and their inhabitants, the seraphim, ofanim, and [[Living creatures (Bible)|living creatures]] are mentioned, but not the cherubim;<ref>Ḥag. 12b.</ref> and the ancient liturgy also mentions only these three classes.
In the [[Talmud]], [[Jose the Galilean]] holds<ref>[[Berakhot (Talmud)|Berakhot]] 49b.</ref> that when the [[Birkat Hamazon]] (grace after meals) is recited by at least ten thousand seated at one meal, a special blessing
<blockquote>Blessed is Ha-Shem our God, the God of Israel, [[Shekhinah|who dwells]] between the cherubim</blockquote>
is added to [[Jewish prayer|the regular liturgy]].
== In Christianity ==
[[File:Giovanni bellini, madonna dei cherubini rossi, da s. m. della carità, 1485 ca., 02.JPG|thumb|Cherubs around the [[Virgin and Child]], detail of ''Madonna of the Red Cherubim'', 1485 by [[Giovanni Bellini]]]]
In the [[Book of Genesis]], the Cherubim were introduced:
{{Blockquote|text=So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. <br><br>– {{Bibleverse|Genesis|3:24|KJV}}<br />}}
They were further described throughout the [[Old Testament]], especially in the [[Book of Chronicles]] and [[Book of Ezekiel|Ezekiel]] respectively:
{{Blockquote|text=And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto his place, to the oracle of the house, into the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims: <br> For the cherubims spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above. <br><br>– {{Bibleverse|2 Chronicles|5:7–8|KJV}}<br />}}
{{Blockquote|text=Each of the cherubim had four faces: One face was that of a cherub, the second the face of a human being, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. <br><br>– {{Bibleverse|Ezekiel|10:14|KJV}}<br />}}
In Medieval [[theology]], following the writings of [[Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite|Pseudo-Dionysius]], the cherubim are the second highest rank in the [[Christian angelic hierarchy|angelic hierarchy]], following the [[seraph]]im and preceding the [[Throne (angel)|Thrones]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dionysius the Areopagite: Celestial Hierarchy |url=http://esoteric.msu.edu/VolumeII/CelestialHierarchy.html |access-date=2023-11-09 |website=esoteric.msu.edu |at=Chapter VII}}</ref> Cherubim are regarded in traditional [[Christian angelology]] as angels of the second highest order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/cherub?q=cherub|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213231519/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/cherub?q=cherub|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 13, 2013|title=Oxford Dictionaries: cherub|year=2013|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> ''[[De Coelesti Hierarchia]]'' (c. 5th century) lists them alongside [[Seraphim]] and [[Throne (angel)|Throne]]s.<ref name="Kosior"/> According to [[Thomas Aquinas]], the cherubim are characterized by knowledge, in contrast to seraphim, who are characterized by their "burning love to God".<ref>Keck, D. (1998). Angels and Angelology in the Middle Ages. Ukraine: Oxford University Press. p. 25.</ref>
In Western art, cherubim became associated with the [[putto]] and the [[Greek mythology|Greco]]-[[Roman mythology|Roman]] [[Deity|god]] [[Cupid]]/[[Eros]], with depictions as small, plump, winged boys.<ref name=Wood-2008/>{{rp|style=ama|page= 1}} Artistic representations of cherubim in Early Christian and [[Byzantine art]] sometimes diverged from scriptural descriptions. The earliest known depiction of the [[tetramorph]] cherubim is the 5th–6th century apse mosaic found in the [[Thessaloniki|Thessalonian]] [[Church of Hosios David]]. This mosaic is an amalgamation of [[Book of Ezekiel|Ezekiel]]'s visions in {{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Ezekiel|chapter=1|verse=4|range=–28}}, {{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Ezekiel|chapter=10|verse=12}}, [[Book of Isaiah|Isaiah]]'s [[seraphim]] in {{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Isaiah|chapter=6|verse=1|range=3}} and the six-winged creatures of [[Book of Revelation|Revelation]] from {{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Revelation|chapter=4|verse=2|range=–10}}.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Peers |first=Glenn |title=Subtle bodies: representing angels in Byzantium |date=2001 |publisher=University of California press |isbn=978-0-520-22405-6 |location=Berkeley, California |language=en-us}}</ref>
== In Islam ==
[[File:The four supporters (angels) of the celestial throne Wellcome L0030654.jpg|thumb|The four supporters (angels) of the celestial throne in Islamic arts]]
Al-Karubiyyin,<ref>Moojan Momen. ''Studies in Honor of the Late Hasan M. Balyuzi,'' Kalimat Press 1988, {{ISBN|978-0-933-77072-0}}. p. 83.</ref> according to the Quran, are identified as a class of ''al-muqarrabin'',<ref>Gallorini, Louise. THE SYMBOLIC FUNCTION OF ANGELS IN THE QURʾĀN AND SUFI LITERATURE. Diss. 2021. p. 125.</ref> and are a class of angels near the presence of God. They are entrusted with praising God and interceding for humans.<ref name=Schöck1996>{{cite journal |last1=Schöck |first1=Cornelia |title=Die Träger des Gottesthrones in Koranauslegung und islamischer Überlieferung |journal=Die Welt des Orients |year=1996 |volume=27 |pages=104–132 |jstor=25683589 }}</ref> They are usually identified either with a class of angels separate or include various angels absorbed in the presence of God: the canonical four Islamic archangels [[Gabriel in Islam|Jibra'il]], [[Michael (archangel)|Mika'il]], [[Azrael|Azra'el]], and [[Israfil]], the actual cherubim and the [[Bearers of the Throne]].<ref>Wensinck, A. J. (2013). The Muslim Creed: Its Genesis and Historical Development. Vereinigtes Königreich: Taylor & Francis. p. 200.</ref>
Some scholars had a more precise approach: [[ibn Kathir]] distinguishes between the angels of the throne and the cherubim.<ref name=Schöck1996/> In a 13th–14th-century work called "Book of the Wonders of Creation and the peculiarities of Existing Things", the cherubim belong to an order below the Bearers of the Throne, who in turn are identified with [[seraph]]im instead.<ref>Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, New York, Komaroff, L.; Carboni, S. (2002). The Legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly Art and Culture in Western Asia, 1256–1353. Vereinigtes Königreich: Metropolitan Museum of Art.</ref> [[Abu Ishaq al-Tha'labi]] places the cherubim as the highest angels only next to the Bearers of the Throne.<ref name=Schöck1996/> Similarly, [[Fakhr al-Din al-Razi]] distinguishes between the angels carrying the throne (seraphim) and the angels around the throne (cherubim).<ref>Serdar, Murat. "Hıristiyanlık ve İslâm’da Meleklerin Varlık ve Kısımları." Bilimname 2009.2 (2009).
</ref>
The [[Quran]] mentions the ''Muqarrabin'' in [[An-Nisa]] verse 172, angels who worship God and are not proud. Further, cherubim appear in [[Isra and Miraj|Miraj literature]]<ref name="State University of New York Press">{{cite book|last1=Colby|first1=Frederick S|title=Narrating Muhammad's Night Journey: Tracing the Development of the Ibn 'Abbas Ascension Discourse|date=2008|publisher=State University of New York Press|isbn=978-0-7914-7518-8|page=33}}</ref> and the ''[[Qisas al-Anbiya]]''.<ref>Heribert Busse. ''Islamische Erzählungen von Propheten und Gottesmännern: Qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʼ oder ʻArāʼis al-maǧālis''. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2006 {{ISBN|9783447052665}} p. 34 (in German).</ref> The cherubim around the throne are continuously praising God with the ''[[tasbih]]'': "Glory to God!"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/cherub|title=Cherub &#124; Definition & Facts &#124; Britannica|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|date=13 October 2023 }}</ref> They are described as bright as no one of the lower angels can envision them.<ref>Jane Dammen McAuliffe. Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Volume 1. Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. p. 32.</ref> Cherubim as angels of mercy, created by the tears of Michael, are not identified with the angels in God's presence, but of lower rank. They too, request God to pardon humans.<ref>{{cite book | last=Qāḍī | first=ʻAbd al-Raḥīm ibn Aḥmad | title=Islamic book of the dead : a collection of Hadiths on the Fire & the Garden | publisher=Diwan Press | publication-place=Norwich, Norfolk | date=1977 | isbn=0-9504446-2-6 | oclc=13426566}}</ref>{{rp|pages=33–34}} In contrast to the messenger angels, the cherubim (and seraphim) always remain in the presence of God.<ref name=Schöck1996/> If they stop praising God, they fall.
The [[Twelver Shi'ism|Twelver Shi'a]] scholar [[Mohammad-Baqer Majlesi]] narrates about a [[fallen angel#Islam|fallen cherub]] encountered by [[Muhammad]] in the form of a snake. The snake tells him that he did not perform [[dhikr]] (remembrance of God) for a moment so God was angry with him and cast him down to earth in the form of a snake. Then Muhammad went to [[Hasan ibn Ali|Hasan]] and [[Husayn ibn Ali|Husayn]]. Together they interceded ([[tawassul]]) for the angel and God restored him to his angelic form.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ahlulbait.one – Ahlulbait.one |url=https://www.ahlulbait.one/ |access-date=2023-11-09 |language=de-DE}}</ref> A similar story appears in Tabari's ''Bishara''. An angel called ''Futrus'', described as an "angel-cherub" (''malak al-karubiyyin''), was sent by God, but since the angel failed to complete his task in time, God broke one of his wings. Muhammad interceded for the cherub, and God forgave the fallen angel, whereupon he became the guardian for [[Imam Husayn Shrine|Hussain's grave]].<ref>Kohlberg, E. (2020). In Praise of the Few. Studies in Shiʿi Thought and History. Niederlande: Brill. p. 390.</ref>
== See also ==
* [[Buraq]]
* [[Cherubism]] (medical condition)
* [[Gandharva]]
* [[List of angels in theology]]
* [[Kamadeva]]
* [[Lamassu]]
* [[Merkabah mysticism]]
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
==Further reading==
* {{cite journal |author=Gilboa, R. |year=1996 |title=Cherubim: An inquiry into an enigma |journal=Biblische Notizen |volume=82 |pages=59–75 |ref=none}} The article looks at the yet unknown nature of the Temple's Cherubim, through linguistic investigation, fauna probabilities and artistic presentations in the ancient Biblical period.
* {{cite book |author=Yaniv, Bracha |title=The Cherubim on Torah Ark valances |publisher=[[Bar-Ilan University]], Jewish Art Department |series=Assaph: Studies in Art History 4 |year=1999 |ref=none}}
== External links ==
{{Commons|Cherubs}}
* [http://www.oztorah.com/2009/09/the-cherubim-some-problems-and-pointers/ The Cherubim—some pointers and problems by Rabbi Dr Raymond Apple]
* [https://www.thetorah.com/article/what-kind-of-creatures-are-the-cherubim/ "What Kind of Creatures Are the Cherubim?"] ''TheTorah'' (2016)
{{Angels in Abrahamic Religions}}
{{Christian angelic hierarchy}}
[[Category:Cherubim| ]]
[[Category:Angels in Christianity]]
[[Category:Angels in Islam]]
[[Category:Angels in Judaism]]
[[Category:Book of Ezekiel]]
[[Category:Book of Genesis]]
[[Category:Book of Isaiah]]
[[Category:Psalms]]
[[Category:Classes of angels]]
[[Category:Hebrew words and phrases in the Hebrew Bible]]
[[Category:Heraldic charges]]
[[Category:Tabernacle and Temples in Jerusalem]]