The Western

Cherub

A cherub (; plural cherubim; Hebrew: כְּרוּב‎ kərūv, pl. כְּרוּבִים kərūvîm) is one of the unearthly beings who directly attend to God according to Abrahamic religions. The numerous depictions of cherubim assign to them many different roles; their original duty having been the protection of the Garden of Eden.In 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). De Coelesti Hierarchia places them in the highest rank alongside Seraphim and Thrones.In the Book of Ezekiel and (at least some) Christian icons, the cherub is depicted as having two pair of wings, and four faces: that of a lion (representative of all wild ani… more »