Seraph
A seraph is a member of the highest order of angels in Jewish and Christian tradition, associated with worship and the divine presence.
Isaiah 6: A biblical passage in which Isaiah sees the Lord enthroned and seraphim calling out in worship. This vision describes six-winged seraphim and their role beside the throne.
Angel: A supernatural messenger or attendant of God in Jewish, Christian, and other religious traditions. A seraph belongs to the broader class of heavenly beings called angels.
Sanctus: A Christian liturgical hymn beginning with the words “Holy, holy, holy,” adapted from biblical praise. Its repeated acclamation echoes the seraphim’s cry in Isaiah’s vision.
Cherub: A heavenly being associated with divine presence, guardianship, and the protection of sacred spaces. Cherubim are another prominent order of heavenly beings, distinct from seraphim in biblical imagery.
Book of Isaiah: A prophetic book of the Hebrew Bible, traditionally attributed to Isaiah of Jerusalem and later prophetic voices. Its sixth chapter is the principal biblical source for the seraphim’s familiar imagery.
Six-winged angel: An angelic figure depicted with six wings, often associated with the seraphim of Isaiah 6. Isaiah’s seraphim use two wings to cover their faces, two to cover their feet, and two to fly.
Purification ritual: A ritual action that removes impurity or prepares a person for sacred activity. The burning coal carried by a seraph purifies Isaiah before his prophetic commission.
Ophanim: The wheel-like celestial beings in Ezekiel’s vision, associated with the divine chariot. Ezekiel’s vision presents a different kind of heavenly attendant from Isaiah’s winged seraphim.
Hebrew Bible: The collection of sacred writings that forms the foundational scripture of Judaism and part of the Christian Old Testament. Isaiah’s account places seraphim within the scriptural tradition shared by Judaism and Christianity.
Divine throne: A symbolic seat of divine kingship and authority in religious texts and imagery. The seraphim in Isaiah’s vision attend the Lord enthroned above the temple.