Difference between revisions of "Cherubim"

A '''cherub''' (/ˈtʃɛrəb/; plural '''cherubim'''; Hebrew: כְּרוּב kərūḇ, pl. כְּרוּבִים kərūḇīm, likely borrowed from a derived form of Akkadian: 𒅗𒊒𒁍 karābu "to bless" such as 𒅗𒊑𒁍 kāribu "one who blesses," a name for the lamassu) is one of the [[angel]]s who directly attend to [[Yahweh|God]], according to [[Abrahamic religion]]s. The numerous depictions of cherubim assign to them many different roles, such as protecting the entrance of the Garden of Eden.

In the Book of Ezekiel and (at least some) [[Christianity|Christian]] icons, the cherub is depicted as having two pairs of wings, and four faces: that of a lion (representative of all wild animals), an ox (domestic animals), a human (humanity), and an eagle (birds). Their legs were straight, the soles of their feet like the hooves of a bull, gleaming like polished brass. Later tradition ascribes to them a variety of physical appearances. Some early midrashic literature conceives of them as non-corporeal. In Western Christian tradition, cherubim have become associated with the ''putto'' (derived from classical Cupid/Eros), resulting in depictions of cherubim as small, plump, winged boys.