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A seraph (; pl. seraphs or seraphim , in the King James Version also ''seraphims'' ''(plural)''; Hebrew: שָׂרָף ''śārāf'', plural שְׂרָפִים ''śərāfîm''; Latin: ''seraphim'' and ''seraphin'' ''(plural)'', also ''seraphus'' ''(-i, m.)'';〔G. H. Lünemann: „Imm. Joh. Gerh. Schellers lateinisch-deutsches und deutsch-lateinisches Handlexicon vornehmlich für Schulen. Zweyter oder deutsch-lateinischer Teil. Vierte verbesserte und vermehrte Auflage.“, Leipzig, 1820, p.722: „Seraph, Seraphus, i, m.“〕 (ギリシア語:σεραφείμ) ''serapheím'') is a type of celestial or heavenly being in Christianity and Judaism. Tradition places seraphs in the highest rank in the Christian angelic hierarchy and in the fifth rank of ten in the Jewish angelic hierarchy. A seminal passage in the Book of Isaiah () used the term to describe six-winged beings that fly around the Throne of God crying "holy, holy, holy". This throne scene, with its triple invocation of holiness (a formula that came to be known as the ''Trisagion''), profoundly influenced subsequent theology, literature and art. Its influence is frequently seen in works depicting angels, heaven and apotheosis. Seraphs are mentioned as celestial beings in an influential Hellenistic work, the Book of Enoch, and the Book of Revelation. ==Origins and development== The word ''seraph/seraphim'' appears three times in the Torah (Numbers 21:6–8, Deuteronomy 8:15) and four times in the Book of Isaiah (6:2–6, 14:29, 30:6). In Isaiah 6:2-6 the term is used to describe a type of celestial being or angel. The other five uses of the word refer to serpents. The vision in Isaiah Chapter 6 of seraphs in an idealised Jerusalem First Temple represents the sole instance in the Hebrew Bible of this word being used to describe celestial beings. "... I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and His train filled the Hekhal (sanctuary). Above him stood the Seraphim; each had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew." (Isaiah 6:1–3) The seraphim cry continually to each other, "Holy, holy, holy, is YHWH of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory." (verses 2–3) One seraph then carries out an act of purification for the prophet by touching his lips with a live coal from the altar (verses 6–7). The text literally describes the "seraphim" as winged celestial beings with a fiery passion for doing God's good work. Notwithstanding the wording of the text itself, at least one Hebrew scholar claims that in the Hebrew Bible the seraphs do not have the status of angels, and that it is only in later sources (like ''De Coelesti Hierarchia'' or ''Summa Theologiae'' that they are considered to be a division of the divine messengers. Seraphs appear in the 2nd-century BC Book of Enoch〔Enoch, xx. 7, lxi. 10, lxxi. 7.〕 where they are mentioned, in conjunction with cherubs, as the heavenly creatures standing nearest to the throne of God. In the Book of Revelation (iv. 4–8) the seraphim are described as being forever in God's presence and praising him: "Day and night with out ceasing they sing: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.'" However this account differs slightly from the account of Isaiah, stating in the eighth verse, "Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings." They appear also in the Christian Gnostic text ''On the Origin of the World''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Seraph」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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