SERAPH

plural Seraphim, in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic literature, celestial being variously described as having two or three pairs of wings and serving as a throne guardian of God. Often called the burning ones, seraphim in the Old Testament appear in the Temple vision of the prophet Isaiah as six-winged creatures praising God in what is known in the Greek Orthodox church as the Trisagion (Thrice Holy): Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory (Isaiah 6:3). In Christian angelology the seraphim are the highest-ranking celestial beings in the hierarchy of angels. In art the four-winged cherubim are painted blue (symbolizing the sky) and the six-winged seraphim red (symbolizing fire). Compare cherub.