The highest angelic ranks are Thrones, Seraphim and Cherubim. Cherubim Who are seraphim and cherubim

Alexey asks
Answered by Alexander Dulger, 04.11.2009

Peace to you, Alexey!

"CHERUB. The word cherub appears for the first time in the book. Genesis in the following words: “And (God) placed in the east of the Garden of Eden a cherubim with a flaming sword, after the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise, to guard the way to the tree of life” (3:24). Then it talks about cherubim during the construction of the Tabernacle during the time of the prophet Moses () and during the creation of the Temple of Solomon (, 8:6-7,). Their depiction in human form, but with wings, and the placement of these images in the Holy of Holies above the Ark of the Covenant and the atonement, with their faces bowed to it, allows us to see that they, as the highest spiritual beings, are awarded special closeness to God, standing before His throne , reverently serve Him, always ready to fulfill His will, penetrating into the secrets of our salvation (,). In the Psalms of David (17:11, 79:2), and in other priests. writers (, 22:11,) The Lord appears to be seated on cherubim, which also shows their special closeness to God. Prophets Moses and Ezekiel and Evangel. John speaks of them as real beings, and they are placed together with the angels and among the angels (, 17:11, 4:6-9, 5:11). Cherubim constitute a special, highest order in the heavenly hierarchy, distinct from angels (5:11-14, 7:11). They seem to be the intellectual forces closest to God, endowed by God with special perfections and having their own special ministry. Cherub guards the mysterious tree of life in the Garden of Eden. Cherubim overshadow the Ark of the Covenant and purgatory, delving into the mysteries of salvation (). Cherubim surround the throne of the Almighty and the Lamb in heaven, and incessantly day and night they glorify His infinite perfections, not only in the great work of creation, but also in our redemption. In them is the fullness of the highest life and the highest reflection of the glory of God (4:6-8).
(c) Biblical Encyclopedia of Archimandrite Nikephoros

Lucifer, who later became the devil (Satan) was a cherub:

“You were an anointed cherub to overshadow, and I appointed you to do so; you were on the holy mountain of God, walking among the fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, until iniquity was found in you. Because of the vastness of your trade, your inner being was filled with unrighteousness, and you sinned; and I cast you down as unclean from the mountain of God, and drove you, the overshadowing cherub, out of the midst of the fiery stones. Because of your beauty your heart was lifted up, because of your vanity you destroyed your wisdom; Therefore I will throw you to the ground, I will hand you over to shame before kings.”
()

Moreover, God calls him “the overshadowing cherub,” which suggests that he was one of the two cherubim who guarded the Law of God in the ark in the Heavenly Sanctuary:

“Behind the second veil was a tabernacle called the “Holy of Holies,” which had a golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, where there was a golden vessel with manna, Aaron’s rod that blossomed and the tablets of the covenant, and above it the cherubim of glory overshadowing the atonement ( i.e., the Ark of the Covenant), which does not need to be discussed in detail now.”
(TO )

Unfortunately for all of us, he later rebelled against this Law. Since then, he has been whispering in everyone’s ear: “no, you won’t die” () if you break just one of the commandments,” “we are holy and rational beings, filled with the Holy Spirit, we ourselves can decide what to observe and what not, what what is evil and what is good.”

Sincerely,
Alexander

Read more on the topic “Heaven, Angels and Celestials”:

02 Mar

And God said: Let us create man in Our image, in Our likeness. Please tell me why the text is written in the plural? Let us create in our image. Who did God have in mind? (Sergey)

Thrones, Seraphim and Cherubim are the main angelic ranks. Their representatives occupy dominant positions in the heavenly hierarchy. Find out what they are responsible for and what functions they perform.

In the article:

Thrones, Seraphim and Cherubim in various sources

Cherubim - the second highest angelic rank

Cherubim occupy second place in the angelic hierarchy, after Seraphim. According to the Book of Genesis, one of them guards the entrance to Eden with a fiery sword. He was appointed to the position of guard after his expulsion Adam and Eve. Israel's King David describes the cherubim as God's vehicle. It is unknown whether they were harnessed to his chariot or carried God in some other way, since the surviving saying of David does not reveal this secret:

... sat on the cherubs and flew away.

In the Old Testament there is also a frequent epithet describing God - “seated on cherubim.” According to legend, when Pharaoh was persecuting the Jews, God took Cherubim from one of the wheels of his throne and flew on it to save the chosen people. In addition, there is another function of these representatives of one of the highest angelic ranks. Near the throne of God and in the world of people they sing, glorifying him. According to the apocrypha, they are busy chanting together with phoenixes and seraphim.

As one of the highest angels, Cherubim are carriers of divine wisdom. They spread knowledge about God among people, guide them on the right path and help them develop the qualities necessary for a God-fearing person. Cherubim are also dedicated to enhancing the education of other divine entities when necessary.

According to Jewish beliefs, Cherubim were created on the third day of Creation. However, according to Jewish legends, they became the first living creatures to inhabit the deserted world. According to the Talmud, the first creatures were man, bull, eagle and lion. They stayed for some time near the throne of God. Ezekiel later advised him to replace the bull with a cherub so that the bull would not be a living reminder of the times when the Jews worshiped the Golden Calf.

There is no detailed textual description of the appearance of cherubs. However, they were repeatedly depicted in icons and sculpture. Only their faces and wings are visible to people's eyes. Unlike Seraphim, Cherubim never hide their faces. According to the prophecies of Ezekiel, they do not have the same face. Moreover, one of them is human, and the second is lion. Earlier texts describe the Cherubim as beings with four faces, and sometimes even appearing in the form of winged bulls. The structure of their faces, different from human ones, is also noted. Medicine calls such defects in people cherubism.

The Talmud mentions that statues of Cherubim stood only in the very first temple. When the pagans saw them during its destruction, they began to mock the believers, calling them worshipers of statues. Therefore, Cherubim were not depicted in the form of sculptures in the future. They could only be seen in the wall paintings of temples.

According to Jewish traditions, during sleep the human body tells the soul about everything that has been done during the day. The soul transmits information to the spirit, he - to the angel, the angel - to the archangel, the archangel - to the Cherubim, and the Cherubim tells everything to the Seraphim, and the Seraphim reports to God. Accordingly, the Seraphim are the direct superiors of the Cherubim, their intermediaries in communication with God. Kabbalah says that the chief among the Cherubim is an angel who bears the name Cherubiel.

Mural “Cherub” of the Church of Martin the Confessor in Alekseevskaya Novaya Sloboda (Moscow).

The Midrash says that it is not the Cherub who bears God, but God who bears him. It does not contain anything material; God sits on the Cherub, observing what is happening in the world. The same source gives two names for the Cherubim - Tetragrammaton and Elohim. According to legend, these are parts of the true name of God.

In the Christian tradition, Cherubim are considered angels singing in honor of the Lord, as well as bearers of his intelligence and wisdom. According to biblical descriptions, they have twelve wings. Astrologers associate the number of Cherubim wings with the number of Zodiac signs. In addition, there is a connection with the number of hours in half of the earth’s day.

Later, John Chrysostom wrote that Cherubim consist entirely of eyes - their entire body is covered with them. Perhaps that is why they hide it under their wings. John Chrysostom saw in such a structure a symbol of wisdom. According to him, through the Cherubim God's mind looks at the world.

Some theologians, for example, Thomas Aquinas and Theodore the Studite, call the Cherubim representatives of the highest angelic power. In their opinion, they occupy first place in the divine hierarchy, and Seraphim - second. In Orthodox worship there is a special prayer called the Cherubic song.

What place do Thrones occupy in the heavenly hierarchy?

According to the Holy Scriptures, Thrones have this name for a reason. God sits on them from time to time, pronouncing His Judgment. According to some legends, Thrones also serve as a vehicle for God, which is why they are sometimes called God-bearing.

Image of thrones on a fresco of the Church of St. John the Baptist in Kratovo, Macedonia.

Representatives of this angelic order serve as the throne of the Lord. They occupy third place among the angelic ranks, subordinate to the Seraphim and Cherubim. All other angelic ranks are subordinate to the Thrones and higher angels.

Thrones perform not only the functions of transport and the divine throne. With their help, God carries out his judgment on angels and people. Thrones also deal with human courts, helping rulers, judges, and leaders who carry out their duties at different levels, on different scales.

The thrones are depicted as wheels of fire with eyes on the rims. They have four wings. Initially, Cherubim were depicted in this form, but later their appearance became closer to the Seraphim, and wheels of fire were their attributes for some time. At the same time, the true appearance of the Thrones was revealed to people. In Jewish culture, the third rank is called the Wheels, or Ophanim.

The angelic hierarchy is known to theologians from various sources. These are the Old and New Testaments, the Holy Scriptures, as well as the revelations of monks and priests who lived in different times. Thrones, Seraphim and Cherubim are also mentioned in the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. It’s interesting, but in Dante’s immortal work the angelic hierarchy is described in the same way as in modern theological publications.

Assumption of the Virgin, Francesco Botticini

Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones occupy first place in the Christian hierarchy of angelic entities. These are the names of the ranks, the first rank is Seraphim, the second is Cherubim, the third is Thrones. All three ranks belong to the first sphere of the heavenly hierarchy, of which there are three. In each sphere there are three orders of angels.

Angels of the highest rank are rarely depicted as humanoid creatures. Their iconographic images are quite capable of seriously surprising most believers. A clear hierarchy of angels is found only in the Christian tradition. The Koran practically does not touch on this topic, so Islam does not pay much attention to the types of Allah's helpers. In Judaism and Kabbalah, there are several versions of the hierarchy of divine essences, and they all differ significantly from each other.

Dionysius the Areopagite wrote that a person cannot know for sure what the hierarchy of heavenly powers is. In his opinion, only what God wanted to reveal is known. Perhaps only part of the structure of heavenly divine power and the apparatus of governing our world is available to us.

Highest angel Metatron - place in the hierarchy

Metatron and Aura

According to legend, the angel Metatron occupies the main position among all other heavenly entities. He judges other angels, and also sits on the same throne that God has. However, according to the legends, the throne became the cause of a quarrel between God and Metatron and the subsequent punishment of the angel.

Metatron does not belong to the ranks of the first sphere - Seraphim, Cherubim or Thrones. According to legend, he was once an ordinary righteous man. God took him to heaven alive and turned him into a perfect being - the archangel Metatron. Archangels occupy eighth place out of nine among the angelic ranks. However, despite this, he is closer to God than the higher ranks.

However, according to some legends, God expelled Metatron. Other angels did not want to recognize an ordinary person as the main one. In addition, the situation with two thrones, which gave rise to rumors of dual power in heaven, became the reason for the expulsion of Metatron. However, not all legends describe his exile. According to some of them, he forever remained an archangel close to God, despite the punishment he suffered. Accordingly, the angel of the highest rank is Metatron, the only one of his kind.

The highest angelic rank - Seraphim

Seraphim are the highest rank of angels. These are the angels who are closest to God other than Metatron. According to the book of the prophet Isaiah, they appeared before people in the guise of six-winged creatures. They covered their faces with the first pair of wings, and the body with the second. They need the last two wings in order to fly.

According to Enoch, one of the Seraphim calls himself Seraphiel. He has the head of an eagle. Such a bright light emanates from this divine being that even other angels are unable to discern its appearance. Perhaps the other Seraphim covered their faces and bodies only so as not to blind people with their holiness.

The icons depict representatives of the highest angelic order with open faces. Two of their wings are raised up, two support the Seraphim in the air, and with two they cover their bodies from the eyes of people. According to the canon, these are angels who stand around God or support his throne. The predominant color on their icons is fiery, fiery, red.

Dionysius the Areopagite claims that the nature of the Seraphim is similar to fire, a fiery love for purity and holiness. They are in constant motion around the divine. Their calling is to illuminate with their light and scorch with their heat, to elevate and liken lower beings to themselves.

Representatives of the highest rank in the angelic hierarchy praised God and told people about his holiness and the need for faith and observance of Christian commandments. They worship God and serve human needs. But the main function of the Seraphim is to implement the purposes of God on earth. They contribute to their embodiment by giving orders to lower ranks of angels, as well as directly influencing people.

Read the article by Seraphim - only God is stronger.

Cherubim - the second highest angelic rank

Cherubim occupy second place in the angelic hierarchy, after Seraphim. According to the Book of Genesis, one of them guards the entrance to Eden with a fiery sword. He was appointed to the position of guard after the exile of Adam and Eve. Israel's King David describes the cherubim as God's vehicle. It is unknown whether they were harnessed to his chariot or carried God in some other way, since the surviving saying of David does not reveal this secret:

... sat on the cherubs and flew away.

In the Old Testament there is also a frequent epithet describing God - “seated on cherubim.” According to legend, when Pharaoh was persecuting the Jews, God took Cherubim from one of the wheels of his throne and flew on it to save the chosen people. In addition, there is another function of these representatives of one of the highest angelic ranks. Near the throne of God and in the world of people they sing, glorifying him. According to the apocrypha, they are busy chanting together with phoenixes and seraphim.

Read the article who are now called cherubs.

Mural “Cherub” of the Church of Martin the Confessor in Alekseevskaya Novaya Sloboda (Moscow).

What place do Thrones occupy in the heavenly hierarchy?

According to the Holy Scriptures, Thrones have this name for a reason. God sits on them from time to time, pronouncing His Judgment. According to some legends, the Thrones also serve as a vehicle for God, which is why they are sometimes called God-bearing.

Image of thrones on a fresco of the Church of St. John the Baptist in Kratovo, Macedonia.

Representatives of this angelic order serve as the throne of the Lord. They occupy third place among the angelic ranks, subordinate to the Seraphim and Cherubim. All other angelic ranks are subordinate to the Thrones and higher angels.

Thrones perform not only the functions of transport and the divine throne. With their help, God carries out his judgment on angels and people. Thrones also deal with human courts, helping rulers, judges, and leaders who carry out their duties at different levels, on different scales.

In general, there are three ranks of the first sphere of the divine hierarchy. These are the Seraphim closest to God and the Cherubim and Thrones subordinate to them. Each of these divine entities fulfills their roles to help God rule the world.

Cherubim are one of the highest ranks of angels, references to which are found in many situations in biblical traditions. It will definitely be useful to know about them, since cherubim are one of the pillars of the Christian and Jewish faith.

In the article:

Who are cherubs

The first mention of cherubim on the pages of the Bible comes almost from the very moment of the creation of man. It is described that after the expulsion of the first people from Paradise, the Lord placed a cherub with a flaming sword at the gates of the Garden of Eden. Both King David and prophet Ezekiel- they, in particular, remember cherubim as the main vehicle of God. However, this purpose is controversial, since Christian sources mention that this role is performed by other angels, whose name is thrones. The meaning of the word cherub is still not deciphered. Some interpreters connect it with the Hebrew word " Rahab", denoting horse riding.

Most attention was paid to cherubs in the Old Testament stories about the Ark of the Covenant, where the divine instructions to Moses about the appearance of the Ark were described in great detail. Thus, cherubs had to be installed on the lid of the box with the tablets. They were made of pure gold and covered the Ark with their wings. Subsequently, Solomon ordered two five-meter cherubs to be installed in the Holy of Holies of the Jerusalem Temple. They covered the Ark with their wings, were made of olive wood and covered with gold. Cherubs were also depicted on many coverings of both the Temple and the Tabernacle, primarily on bedspreads, curtains and walls. One of the legends says that one of the pilgrims reproached Solomon for the fact that the people of Israel worshiped statues, and after this they began to depict cherubs on the walls to emphasize their secondary status in comparison with God.

In the revelations of the prophet Ezekiel, cherubim are mentioned as creatures that had both the face of a man and a lion. In addition, when Ezekiel saw the tetramorph - the messenger of God, he asked to replace the calf from the four creatures he saw with a cherub, since he did not want the gaze of God to be desecrated by the animal, which the Jews worshiped for some time, having forgotten about their only ruler.

Who are now called cherubs and what do they look like?

Now very often when asked who are now called cherubs - couriers or angels, some answer that they are couriers of God and his messengers. This is a fundamentally misinterpretation. There is virtually no mention in biblical texts of God using such high-ranking angels as messengers. He usually delegates this task to simple angels who are at the bottom level of the angelic hierarchy.

The appearance of cherubim is also the subject of much debate, as few places in the Bible give a clear description of their appearance. Some interpreters believe that the prophet Ezekiel saw precisely the messenger of God, belonging to the second angelic rank. This means that it has the heads of a man, a lion, an eagle and a calf at the same time. In established church iconography, these creatures are most often depicted as four-winged angels. And some individual sources mention the image of cherubs both in the form of fiery wheels and in the form of terrible creatures covered with many eyes.

In the Jewish tradition there is also no unity either regarding the appearance of cherubs or regarding their essence. Moreover, some interpreters of Judaism generally argue that cherub is the name not of a creature, but of an object. This item is an inseparable attribute of God in their opinion.

All this suggests that the appearance of cherubs may vary - either depending on their functional duties, or on their desires and goals. They are not completely ideal creatures either - many of them, like hordes of ordinary ones, followed Satan to hell.

Cherubs in art are the most common misinterpretation

Biblical motifs, in addition to the classical iconography that existed at the dawn of Christianity, aroused great interest among the creators of the Renaissance. It was then that most artists, some out of fear of the Inquisition, and some out of a sincere desire to reveal from a new side the ideas of sensuality in Christianity, preferred to use scenes from the Old Testament in their paintings. It was in these paintings that small, plump babies with wings first appeared. They were not only depicted in paintings, but also statues with their participation, frescoes and other works of art were made.

As a result, now that the high art of the Renaissance has become accessible to everyone, many people unknowingly call these kids cherubs. Although in fact they have nothing to do with the angelic order, closest to God after the seraphim. This misconception, first of all, exists only in Russian-speaking countries.

In fact, such a baby is called putto, or putti - when there are many of them. They appeared due to a mixture of interest in ancient culture with interest in the Christian religion. Putti almost always play a complementary role, accompanying the main object of art. Often, their drawing was entrusted to apprentices and apprentices, while the artist was absorbed in the main plot of the picture. Real cherubs were taken into account by artists extremely rarely, and their depiction was not at all angelic, but depended on the specific plot. Thus, the painting “The Vision of the Prophet Ezekiel” by Raphael is very famous. There this angelic order is depicted as four flying creatures - an angel, a calf, an eagle and a lion, on which God sits.

In general, cherubs occupy an extremely important place in modern Christianity. This is evidenced by the great importance of cherubic incense in church magic and other aspects. Thus, one of the main services performed in Orthodox churches is called the Cherubic Song, which begins with the words “like the cherubs.” However, not a single cherub in any legend had its own name or any purpose. This allows some to doubt the importance of these angels in the divine world.

The celebration of the Council of the Archangel Michael of God and other disembodied Heavenly Powers was established at the beginning of the 4th century at the Local Council of Laodicea, which took place several years before the First Ecumenical Council. The Council of Laodicea, by its 35th canon, condemned and rejected the heretical worship of angels as creators and rulers of the world and approved their Orthodox veneration. The holiday is celebrated in November - the ninth month from March (with which the year began in ancient times) - in accordance with the number of the 9 ranks of Angels. The eighth day of the month indicates the future Council of all the Heavenly Powers on the day of the Last Judgment of God, which the holy fathers call the “eighth day,” for after this age, which runs in weeks of days, the “eighth day” will come, and then “the Son of Man will come in His Glory.” and all the holy angels with Him” (Matthew 25:31).

The Angelic ranks are divided into three hierarchies - highest, middle and lowest. Each hierarchy consists of three ranks. The highest hierarchy includes: Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones. Closest to all the Holy Trinity are the six-winged Seraphim (Flaming, Fiery) (Isa. 6: 2). They burn with love for God and encourage others to do so.

After the Seraphim, the many-eyed Cherubim stand before the Lord (Gen. 3:24). Their name means: outpouring of wisdom, enlightenment, for through them, shining with the light of knowledge of God and understanding of the mysteries of God, wisdom and enlightenment are sent down for true knowledge of God.

Behind the Cherubim are the God-bearing Thrones (Col. 1:16), who mysteriously and incomprehensibly bear God by the grace given to them for service. They serve God's justice.

The average Angelic hierarchy consists of three ranks: Dominance, Strength and Authority.

Dominions (Col. 1:16) rule over the subsequent ranks of Angels. They instruct God-appointed earthly rulers in wise governance. Dominions teach one to control one's feelings, tame sinful lusts, enslave the flesh to the spirit, dominate one's will, and overcome temptations.

The powers (1 Pet. 3:22) fulfill the will of God. They work miracles and send down the grace of miracles and clairvoyance to the saints of God. The forces help people to obey, strengthen them in patience, and bestow spiritual strength and courage.

The authorities (1 Pet. 3:22; Col. 1:16) have the power to tame the power of the devil. They ward off demonic temptations from people, confirm ascetics, protect them, and help people in the fight against evil thoughts.

The lower hierarchy includes three ranks: Principalities, Archangels and Angels.

The principalities (Col. 1:16) rule over the lower angels, directing them to fulfill Divine commands. They are entrusted with managing the universe, protecting countries, peoples, tribes. They began to instruct people to give everyone the honor due to their rank. They teach superiors to perform official duties not for the sake of personal glory and benefits, but for the sake of the honor of God and the benefit of their neighbors.

Archangels (1 Thessalonians 4:16) preach great and glorious things, reveal the mysteries of faith, prophecies and understanding of the will of God, strengthen the holy faith in people, enlightening their minds with the light of the Holy Gospel.

Angels (1 Pet. 3:22) are closest to people. They proclaim God's intentions and instruct people to lead a virtuous and holy life. They protect believers, keep them from falling, raise the fallen, never leave us and are always ready to help if we wish.

All ranks of the Heavenly Forces bear the general name of Angels - in essence of their service. The Lord reveals His will to the highest Angels, and they, in turn, enlighten the rest.

Over all nine ranks, the Lord placed the holy Archangel Michael (his name translated from Hebrew as “who is like God”) - a faithful servant of God, for he cast down from Heaven the proud Lucifer with other fallen spirits. And to the rest of the Angelic Powers he exclaimed: “Let us take notice! Let us become good before our Creator and not think anything displeasing to God!” According to Church tradition, recorded in the service of Archangel Michael, he took part in many Old Testament events. During the Israelites' exit from Egypt, he led them in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Through him the Power of the Lord appeared, destroying the Egyptians and Pharaoh who were pursuing the Israelites. Archangel Michael protected Israel in all disasters.

He appeared to Joshua and revealed the will of the Lord to take Jericho (Joshua 5: 13 - 16). The power of the great Archangel of God appeared in the destruction of 185 thousand soldiers of the Assyrian king Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:35), in the defeat of the wicked leader of Antiochus Iliodor and in protecting from the fire the three holy youths - Ananias, Azariah and Mishael, who were thrown into the oven to be burned for refusal bow to the idol. (Dan. 3, 92 – 95).

By the will of God, the Archangel transported the prophet Habakkuk from Judea to Babylon to give food to Daniel, imprisoned in the den of lions (kontakion akathist, 8).

Archangel Michael forbade the devil to show the body of the holy prophet Moses to the Jews for deification (Jude 1:9).

Saint Archangel Michael showed his power when he miraculously saved a youth thrown into the sea by robbers with a stone around his neck off the coast of Athos (Athos Patericon).

Since ancient times, Archangel Michael has been glorified for his miracles in Rus'. In the Volokolamsk Patericon, the story of the Venerable Paphnutius Borovsky from the words of the Tatar Baskaks about the miraculous salvation of Novgorod the Great is given: “And since Veliky Novgrad was never taken from the Hagarians ... sometimes, by God's permission, it was a sin for our sake, the godless Hagaryan king Batu captured the Rosi land and burned and went to the New City and God and the Most Pure Mother of God covered it with the appearance of Michael the Archangel, who forbade him to go to it. He went to the Lithuanian cities and came to Kyiv and saw the great Archangel Michael written above the doors of the stone church and the prince pointed with his finger: “Forbid me from going to Veliky Novgorod.”

Representations for Russian cities of the Most Holy Queen of Heaven were always carried out by Her appearances with the Heavenly Host, under the leadership of the Archangel. Grateful Rus' sang the Most Pure Mother of God and Archangel Michael in church hymns. Many monasteries, cathedrals, palace and town churches are dedicated to the Archangel. In ancient Kyiv, immediately after the adoption of Christianity, the Archangel Cathedral was erected and a monastery was established. There are Archangel Cathedrals in Smolensk, Nizhny Novgorod, Staritsa, a monastery in Veliky Ustyug (beginning of the 13th century), and a cathedral in Sviyazhsk. There was no city in Rus' where there was not a temple or chapel dedicated to the Archangel Michael. One of the most important churches in the city of Moscow - the tomb temple in the Kremlin - is dedicated to him. The icons of the Chief of the Supreme Powers and his Cathedral are numerous and beautiful. One of them - the icon “Blessed Host” - was painted for the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, where the holy warriors - Russian princes - are depicted under the leadership of the Archangel Michael.

The Archangels are also known from the Holy Scriptures and Holy Tradition: Gabriel - the fortress (power) of God, the herald and servant of Divine omnipotence (Dan. 8, 16; Luke 1, 26); Raphael - healing of God, healer of human ailments (Tov. 3, 16; Tov. 12, 15); Uriel - fire or light of God, enlightener (3 Ezra 5, 20); Selaphiel is God’s prayer book, encouraging prayer (3 Ezra 5, 16); Jehudiel - glorifying God, strengthening those who work for the glory of the Lord and interceding for reward for their exploits; Barachiel is a dispenser of God’s blessing for good deeds, asking people for God’s mercy; Jeremiel - exaltation to God (3 Ezra 4, 36).

On the icons the Archangels are depicted in accordance with the type of their ministry:

Michael - tramples the devil underfoot, in his left hand he holds a green date branch, in his right hand - a spear with a white banner (sometimes a flaming sword), on which a scarlet cross is inscribed.

Gabriel - with a branch of paradise that he brought to the Blessed Virgin, or with a luminous lantern in his right hand and a jasper mirror in his left.

Raphael holds a vessel with healing potions in his left hand, and with his right he leads Tobiah, who is carrying a fish.

Uriel - in his raised right hand - a naked sword at chest level, in his lowered left hand - a “flame of fire”.

Selaphiel - in a prayer position, looking down, hands folded on his chest.

Jehudiel - holds a golden crown in his right hand, and a scourge of three red (or black) ropes in his shuitz.

Barachiel - there are many pink flowers on his clothes.

Jeremiel holds scales in his hand.