Passing Through the Wall: On Outings, Exodus, Angels, and the Ark

This extended depiction of angels is admittedly largely post-biblical. Within the Hebrew Bible, we learn little about the appearance of angels other than that they have human form and speak. In Hebrew, there are two words and possibly two forms for angelic beings. Although their morphological differences are never specified, mal’akhim act ostensibly as messengers and k’rubim act as guardians. Other roles are suggested in the prophetic literature, but are not explicitly specified in the Pentauch. This taxonomic distinction does not affect the analogy presented here, which accepts them as humanoid in some form, but immortal and imbued with supernatural powers.

It is worth pointing out that neither historic Judaism nor contemporary Judaism condone genital mutilation outside of medical need. Although eunuchs were common throughout the Middle East during Biblical times, there is no evidence that Jews ever produced or used court eunuchs.

The cherubim on the Ark have sometimes been described, not as humanoid figurines, but instead as griffins; i.e., winged lion-like creatures. For example, Propp (2006) in his encyclopedia account of Exodus writes: “Although the Hebrew kerub has entered English as “cherub,” I have chosen instead “Griffin” lest one envision a humanoid angel or, worse, a pudgy toddler” (Propp 2006). Propp’s basis for this argument comes from a school of thought which regards the Ark as a throne, supported by two winged creatures reminiscent of the lions that would have typically adorned the ancient thrones of mortal Egyptian rulers (Metzger, 1985 as discussed in Kitchen 1987). There is, however, nothing within the text of the Torah that lends itself to this theory. Nowhere in Exodus 25 is the Ark referred to as a throne, and, according to Kitchen, even Metzger concedes that “there is a strong possibility that the twin cherubs of the inner sanctuary were upright figures [i.e. humanoid and], not standing on all fours [i.e. lion-like].”

The griffin interpretation is built upon the post exilic, prophetic literature where the ark is envisioned as a throne room (e.g., Samuel 4) with winged lions guarding it. Although such images of griffins around thrones appear in rock engravings from archeological sites, as guards one would expect griffins to be facing outward, not inward. While lions do suggest strength and are often associated with images of lords and rulers in antiquity, they do not imply the supernatural power which overwhelmingly characterizes the sanctity of the Ark. Though difficult to accept the idea of humanoid representations on the Holy Ark, this is undoubtedly what is supported by the biblical text proper, and by the accepted definition of cherub as winged humanoid entities; i.e., angelic creatures guarding sacred places (Oxford English Dictionary).