Editing Cherub (section)

== 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>

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>

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>

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>