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Home at last! And there are a number of posts I’m hoping to write, but first I wanted to throw out this little oddity that the Doctor and I were discussing this afternoon, relating to cherubim. As I understand it, the cherubim belong to the highest choir of angels, and are supposed to be the chariot-bearers of God. The name itself, I believe, signifies “ones who are close to God” or something to that effect, indicating that cherubim can be personal attendants of various kinds, or can merely stand near the Almighty singing Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus. But it would be quite surprising to find them removed from the presence of God, even for some holy purpose.
Why is it, then, that God sets cherubim with a flaming sword, to guard the garden of Eden and prevent mankind from re-entering there? Archangels would seem more fitted to the task, they being the ones normally engaged to perform various jobs on God’s behalf. The only thing I can think of is that cherubim might be seen as appropriate bodyguards for the Most Holy, as we see from the way they are depicted on the Veil of the Tabernacle, on the panelling of the Temple, and on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. So, the cherubim not only stand in God’s presence, they also guard the holy places so that unworthy mortals cannot enter therein. In each of the above cases, however, a thing of great supernatural significance was contained inside the thing that was guarded. Eden, by contrast, was to my understanding a place of great natural goodness (though perhaps the tree of life is an exception, thus explaining the presence of the cherubim?)
St. Louis-Marie de Montfort,
Pope St. Pius X,
St. Joseph,
St. Ambrose of Milan,
St. Thomas Aquinas,
St. Francis (and St. Clare),
St. Catherine of Siena,
St. Alphonsus Ligouri,
St. John Chrysostom,
Happy New Year and a very joyful Epiphanytide to you!
St. Thomas says some very interesting things about the roles of the different choirs in his Commentary on Ephesians. Unfortunately, I cannot remember it very clearly and my copy is not at hand.
The Tree of Life is often represented as a type of the Eucharist, though, so you may be on to something there. I believe St. Ephraim gave it great spiritual significance in his Hymns on Paradise.
A Happy New Year to you as well, Raindear! And we’d better all enjoy Ephiphanytide this year, with Lent so soon upon us. :)
In fact, the most likely person to have discussed this subject at length is probably my own beloved Seraphic Doctor, who devoted some effort to explaining the different classes of angels (or so I understand). I fear I am not at all familiar with the relevant texts, however, and it would probably be a trick even to get your hands on hard copies of them (which surely would not have been translated from the Latin.) And I wouldn’t make much headway trying to publish on that subject as an academic philosopher! But maybe someday…
Some of my friends took an advanced Latin/Philosophy course translating some pretty outrageous texts - not available in English - from St. Thomas on angels. They mentioned one extraordinary passage where he claims that the souls of the just will fill the places of the fallen angels and that the world will only continue until that number of souls achieves heaven.
This is a very interesting question.
Would the use of the Cherubim for this role shed light into what was lost on account of The Fall? I have to admit that I have trouble grasping what this could have been.
Would it be possible to think that the intimate relationship that Adam and Eve had with Our Lord, which was broken by The Fall, was so close that Cherubim was needed to sever it?
The Cherubim are second highest — Seraphim highest.
Also, I am not JJ. I am anonymous.
An easy way to remember the angel choirs the the firat verse of the hymn, “Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones:”
Ye watchers and ye holy ones, bright SERAPHS, CHERUBIM, and THRONES, raise the glad strain, alleluia! Cry out DOMINIONS, PRINCEDOMS, POWERS, VIRTUES, ARCHANGELS, ANGELS choirs, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!