The Cherubim constitute the second highest rank within the Celestial Hierarchy of angelic beings, situated immediately following the Seraphim and preceding the Thrones.
The designation Cherubim denotes a fullness of knowledge or an effusion of wisdom. This name indicates their capacity to know and behold God, to receive the highest gift of light, and to contemplate the beauty of the Godhead in its first manifestation.
They are filled with divine nourishment which is abundant through the first-given profusion. Consequently, they are characterised as loving Wisdoms, just as the Seraphim are called wise Loves.
Through the Cherubim, wisdom is sent down to others and spiritual enlightenment is provided for the seeing and knowledge of God.
Position in the Celestial Hierarchy
According to the classification established by Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, the angelic hosts are divided into three triads, with the Cherubim belonging to the first and highest triad alongside the Seraphim and the Thrones.
This first hierarchy is stationed immediately around God and is united closely to Him before all the rest. Being placed nearest to God, they are instructed in the true understanding of the divine works and receive their hierarchical order in the highest degree from the Deity Itself. They dwell eternally in the constant presence of the Creator.
Biblical Depictions and Symbolism
Scriptural references to Cherubim are frequent, appearing 91 times in the Hebrew Bible. They are first mentioned in the Book of Genesis, where God placed Cherubim and a flaming sword at the east of the Garden of Eden to guard the way to the Tree of Life.
This role establishes them as guardians of sacred spaces and divine mysteries. In the Book of Exodus, God commanded Moses to create gold images of Cherubim on the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant, signifying the presence of God. The Lord is frequently described in the Old Testament as He who sits between the Cherubim.
The Prophet Ezekiel provides a detailed vision of these celestial beings. In Ezekiel 1 and 10, they are described as living creatures possessing four faces: the face of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle.
These four faces represent the four domains of God's rule, with man representing humanity, the lion representing wild animals, the ox representing domestic animals, and the eagle representing birds. Other interpretations suggest the ox face corresponds to the face of a cherub.
These beings are depicted with four wings; two are stretched upward, and two cover their bodies. Under their wings are human hands. Their legs are straight, and their feet resemble those of a calf, shining like polished brass.
They are accompanied by glowing coals and lightning, moving with the speed of flashes of lightning. Associated with the Cherubim in these visions are the Ophanim, or wheels, which are full of eyes and move alongside the living creatures.
Iconography and Appearance
In iconography, Cherubim are often depicted as many-eyed and many-winged beings. The attribute of being many-eyed signifies their ability to view the most divine illuminations from many sides and their conception of the good things of God as ever active. They are radiant with the light of the knowledge of God and the depths of His Wisdom.
The sixfold arrangement of wings often attributed to the highest orders suggests their complete covering and their manifold faculty of leading to the Really Being.
They are portrayed covering their faces and feet, flying with their middle wings, which indicates their circumspection respecting lofty conceptions and their reverent direction of their own life under the divine yoke.
In some artistic representations, Cherubim are shown as a head with two wings or as figures holding open books to symbolise their fullness of knowledge. While Seraphim are often depicted in red to symbolise fire, Cherubim may be associated with the colour blue or gold to represent wisdom and truth.
Liturgical Significance
The Cherubim play a significant role in the worship of the Church, particularly in the Divine Liturgy. The Cherubic Hymn, added to the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom in the sixth century, invites the faithful to mystically represent the Cherubim.
The text of the hymn exhorts the congregation to lay aside all earthly cares to receive the King of all, who comes invisibly escorted by the angelic hosts. This hymn emphasises that during worship, the Church on earth is joined with the heavenly powers in the glorification of the Trinity.
Furthermore, the fans used in liturgical services, known as rhipidion, often bear the image of the six-winged Seraphim or the Cherubim.
These fans represent the presence of the angelic orders surrounding the altar and the holy gifts. The ceaseless cry of the Seraphim and Cherubim, Holy, Holy, Holy, is echoed by the faithful during the service.
Theological Implications
The existence of the Cherubim serves as a testament to the order and rationality of the divine creation. As the second rank of the Celestial Hierarchy, they act as a medium through which divine illumination is transmitted to the lower orders.
The higher orders reveal the divine will and intention of the Creator to the angels of the lower orders, enlightening them.
Saint Gregory the Theologian and Saint John of Damascus view these beings as secondary intelligent lights derived from the first light. They are intellectual essences, free from material heaviness, though compared to God, they appear dense and material. Their immortality is not by nature but by grace, as they are created beings.
The Cherubim, along with the Seraphim and Thrones, participate in the most direct and immediate union with God. They are filled with a light higher than all immaterial knowledge and are rapt in the contemplation of the beauty of the triune Origin.
Their function is not merely bureaucratic but centers on the assimilation to and union with God, acting as bright and spotless mirrors that receive the ray of the Supreme Deity. Through their ministry, they purify, illuminate, and perfect the lower ranks, facilitating the ascent of all rational beings toward the divine likeness.