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The word Seraphim which originates from Hebrew, is the plural version of the word Seraph. So obviously when you say Seraphim, you are referring to more than one Seraph angel. The Seraphim are a high ranking class of celestial beings, which were first mentioned in the Old Testament of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh as it's properly called. Subsequent references to the Seraphim then appeared in further Hebrew religious scripture, where they became slightly more developed, and described as having a human like form. During this period the Seraphim also passed into Christian writings, where they would eventually be incorporated into the Christian angelic hierarchy, and listed as the highest order of angels.
The only reference to the Seraphim in the Old Testament, can be found in Isaiah Chapter 6, verses 1 through 3, which details a specific vision the prophet had of these angels. The scripture reads, "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were Seraphs, each with six wings, with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another, holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty, the whole earth is full of his glory".
In Orthodox Judaism, the Seraphim are part of a unique and complex angelic hierarchy, where they occupy the fifth rank out of ten ranks of angels, all of which are outlined within the exposition of Maimonides. To highlight the importance of these angels within the Jewish religious context, the prophet Isaiah's vision of the Seraphim is repeated in prayer several times throughout a typical Jewish religious service. Orthodox Judaism holds the traditional belief in angels, including frequent references to them in common literature, although it is thought that literal belief in angels is not universal among all practicing conservative Jews. Jewish reformists and reconstructionists generally do not believe in angels at all, although they do retain written references to them for strictly metaphorical purposes.
Within Christian theology, the Seraphim occupy the highest rank of angels, and are the direct caretakers of God's throne. Circling the heavenly seat, they are locked in an eternal song referred to as the Trisagion. The first mention of the Seraphim within the New Testament is in the Book of Revelation Chapter 4, verses 6 through 8, which read "And before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal, and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and were full of eyes inside and out. Without stopping day or night they were saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, who is, and who is coming."
Outside of the traditional Christian or Judaic religious context, one can find a seemingly unlimited number of references to the Seraphim, from New Age or Neopagan religious scripture, to music, art, comic books, commercial brands, and video games. Over the centuries the Seraphim have in very many ways transcended their historic religious origins, and risen to the elevation of a near universal human icon, open to unlimited cross cultural interpretation. One may even go so far as to say they often represent mankind's highest spiritual aspiration, as they directly surround God's presence and shower him with their praises for all of eternity.
Where the Seraphim will journey from here, is anyone's guess. They've quite literally become a part of human expression altogether, though references to their attributes are as old as written language itself, the Age of Information has taken them to many new shores, where they're now the name of things once unnamed. For example I've seen specific references to them firsthand in various contemporary Japanese art mediums. One quite notable example is in the extremely popular Japanese video game franchise Final Fantasy, where the main villain Kefka of Final Fantasy VI, attains the power of the Three Goddesses, and is transformed into a Seraph with six large golden wings.
I thought I would add a brief overview of the Cherubim here on the front page, as occasionally they're confused with the Seraphim. This will just be a crash course, as I do plan to write a more in depth essay on them later down the road, so for those of you interested in reading more on them please stay tuned.
The Cherubim, similar to the word Seraphim, is plural. Cherubim refers to more than one Cherub angel. A Cherub is a supernatural being referenced throughout both the Old and New Testament of the Bible. Like the Seraphim, the Cherubim were originally a Judaic rank of angel, and eventually were incorporated into Christian scripture, appearing in numerous books including the Book of Revelation. Other notable examples of them in literature are in John Milton's 17th century epic poem, Paradise Lost.
Though artistic interpretation can be fairly loose when it comes to the Seraphim, it is extremely varied in regard to the Cherubim. The original Jewish depictions of them, are thought to resemble a being similar to that of a griffin, possessing a lion's body, and an eagle's wings and head. In Christianity however, the Cherubim are often portrayed in artistic iconography as a four winged creature with more than one head, usually that of man, lion, eagle, and ox.
During the Renaissance a tremendous amount of confusion arose over the attributes of the Cherubim, when on numerous occasions they were confused with putti angels, winged children who are generally depicted holding trumpets. So to set the record straight, a Cherub is a mighty winged beast and guardian of Eden, not the quite contradictory innocent childlike being. The confusion is still widespread today, you can blame the Renaissance for that mix up.
Cherubim Overview
Like the Cherubim and Seraphim, the Ophanim are a class of celestial beings that surround God's throne, and because of that they are sometimes confused with one another. So for clarity's sake, I've written a brief overview of the Ophanim below. If you are interested in reading additional information about Ophanim angels, please stay tuned as I plan to write an in depth essay.
Ophanim, like Seraphim and Cherubim is a plural word, and when used refers to more than one Ophan angel. The Ophanim class of angels are first mentioned in the Book of Enoch, where they are described as a celestial being that eternally stand watch over God's throne. They are noted as having an unusual physical appearance, often described as great circular wheels upon God's holy seat, having bodies covered with eyes, and burning with a bright glowing light.
As the aforementioned physical description would imply, the translated Hebrew word Ophanim literally means "wheel". When describing them in Ezekiel Chapter 1, verses 15 through 16, the scripture reads "Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one wheel on the earth beside these living beings, one for all four of them. The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like sparkling beryl, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if one wheel were within another".
Outside of the Judaic and Christian religious context, Ophanim are often referenced in popular culture. Such examples include the anime television series Digimon Frontier, the Grateful Dead song Estimated Prophet, the fantasy novels The Chronicles of Narnia, as well as numerous video games. Though not quite as popular as the Seraphim or Cherubim due to their unusual aesthetic qualities, the powerful symbolism they evoke still seems to resonate across many diverse cultures.
Ophanim Overview
I have decided to add one final description here on the front page, and hopefully put all confusion to rest regarding who the Seraphim are. This description is for the Nephilim, though I doubt they're confused with the seraphim often because they're much lesser known, the words obviously have a similar ring to them. As with the Cherubim and Ophanim descriptions, this will be just a brief overview, as I plan to write a more detailed essay about the Nephilim later on down the road.
The Hebrew word Nephilim is again plural, and refers to more than one Naphal. The Nephilim are beings first mentioned in the Book of Genesis, Chapter 6, verses 1 through 4, they also appear in other Biblical scripture, as well as some non canonical Jewish texts. In these writings the Nephilim are described as the giant half human offspring of the Sons of God. It's commonly thought that the Sons of God is a direct reference to fallen angels, who not only lived and dwelt amongst mankind before the Great Flood, but also took beautiful human wives.
Biblical references to the Nephilim draw many stark parallels to stories often mentioned in Greek and Norse Mythology, where gods mixed with human beings, resulting in humans with extreme powers, or in some cases extreme vulnerabilities. One such example would be the Greek Titans, who like the Nephilim were not only giants amongst men, they were also a fearsome warrior race who conquered many foes on the battlefield. Probably the most well known Nephilim in this context, would be Goliath, who as we all know was defeated by David and his infamous rock and sling.
Other depictions of the Nephilim apart from their physical grandeur, refer to them as being intertwined with the evil and wickedness of mankind. It was this corrupting influence over the human race that would eventually lead to the Great Flood, and Noah's building of an ark. Though the flood seems to have been mostly aimed at removing their wickedness from the earth, Genesis Chapter 6, verse 4, says that the Nephilim inhabited the earth both before and after the flood, and well into the era of both Moses and David.
