| From: | JonSzeto@***.com JonSzeto@***.com |
|---|---|
| Subject: | The Seraphim |
| Date: | Wed, 21 Jul 1999 22:11:48 EDT |
> Not having paid the faintest attention
> as a kiddie in church and having nearly
> disembowelled my parents when the
> words "Catholic" and "School" were
> mentioned in the one sentence as a
> teenager I was wondering about the
> biblical references behind the Seraphim.
>
> Obviously it would help me GM them as
> bad guys if I had a clue as to the
> references and significances of their
> name for a start.
According to the Bible (or rather, the King James Version, and versions
following it, like the NIV), the Seraphim (which are named from the
Hebrew word for either "burners" or "burning ones") are described
specifically and exclusively in Isaiah 6:2-7. To quote:
"Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain
he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain
he did fly.
"And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the
LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
"And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried,
and the house was filled with smoke.
"Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of
unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for
mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
"Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his
hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
"And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy
lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged."
Now, as to the meaning and interpretation of that passage, well it
depends on which theologian you talk to. The common consensus is that
the seraphim are the "most holy" of all the angels. Beyond that...?
One interesting commentary comes from the Reverend Scofield (who
provided the annotations in my Bible). He notes that the seraphim, along
with the cherubim, act as expressions of God's holiness and purity.
However, while the cherubim do this by warding off the "contamination"
of sinners, the seraphim do this by cleansing (more like cauterizing)
the remaining uncleanliness of the saints. (Note the distinction between
sinners and saints.)
This is, of course, one interpretation. Doubtless there are many others.
(I think we'll leave it at that, lest we take GridSec's name in vain... :-)
-- Jon
