|
A seraph (Hebrew שרף, SRF; in the plural seraphim, שרפים, SRFYM) is one of a class of angels mentioned in the Old Testament (Tanakh).
Seraphs in Christian theology
In medieval Christian theology, the Seraphim belong to the highest order 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). They are beings of pure light and thought and have direct communication with God. They resonate with the Fire of Love. Seraphim are often depicted as six wings radiating from a center, either concealing a body or without a body.
From the text of Dionysius the Areopagite:
- 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.
The Seraphim are primarily concerned with vibrational manifestations which keep Divinity in perfect order. They have been described as being the angels of love, light and fire.
They help to carry positive energy through the orders of the angels to us in the physical realms. Supposedly they are so bright and powerful that to look at them would instill one with pure fright. Because of this, the only beings known to interact with the Seraphim are the Lord and Lady, and the Archangel Michael. These angels work with consuming divine love and compassion.
The Seraphim without question are the closest in all of heaven to the very throne of God, and their primary function is to circle the incomprehensibly beautiful throne in perpetual adoration of the Lord. This is a task that is not nearly as monotonous as it may seem to mortals, given the nature of the angels (who have perfect powers of concentration) and the delight that such an honor actually brings to the spirits.
The Seraphim are almost always identified with fire — not the burning, painful flames and heat of hell, but the healing flame of Love. They are literally living flames. The intensity of their adoration and pure Love of God pure out of them as a flawless reflection of the Divine Love that emanates from the Lord. Like the rising sun, each angel radiates such light that even the other Holy Beings, the Cherubim and the Thrones, cannot look upon them.
According to Enoch, each Seraph has six wings. In the Old Testament Book of Isaiah (6:1-3) he writes "... I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. 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 Book of Revelation (4:8) is another possible reference: "And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to sing 'Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come!".
We also read that the Seraphim have six wings in Isaiah 6.
Members of this Angelic Order
Seraphim in fiction
See also
External link
|
