The cherub in Eden is a figure mentioned in . Many translations, including the ''

New International Version The New International Version (NIV) is a translation of the Bible into contemporary English. Published by Biblica, the complete NIV was released on October 27, 1978, with a minor revision in 1984 and a major revision in 2011. The NIV relies ...

'', identify the cherub with the King of Tyre, specifically

Ithobaal III Ithobaal III (Latin Ithobalus, Hebrew Ethbaal) was recorded by Josephus as the king on the list of kings of Tyre reigning 591/0–573/2 BCE at the time of the first fall of Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau ...

(reigned 591–573 BC) who according to the

list of kings of Tyre The King of Tyre is Lucifer the ruler of Tyre, the ancient Phoenician city in what is now Lebanon. The traditional list of 12 kings, with reigns dated to 990–785 BC, is derived from the lost history of Menander of Ephesus as quoted by Josephus ...

Josephus Flavius Josephus (; , ; ), born Yosef ben Mattityahu (), was a Roman–Jewish historian and military leader. Best known for writing '' The Jewish War'', he was born in Jerusalem—then part of the Roman province of Judea—to a father of pr ...

was reigning contemporary with Ezekiel at the time of the first fall of Jerusalem. Other translations, including the ''

New Revised Standard Version The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is a translation of the Bible in American English. It was first published in 1989 by the National Council of Churches, the NRSV was created by an ecumenical committee of scholars "comprising about thirt ...

'', see the cherub as the king's guardian.

Background

Ezekiel has cited Eden in two extensive passages and one of these (28:11-19) portrayed the king of Tyre in terms of the cherub in Eden. The city is famed for the temple complex of Melkart with its renowned garden enclosure.

Tertullian

Tertullian Tertullian (; ; 155 – 220 AD) was a prolific Early Christianity, early Christian author from Roman Carthage, Carthage in the Africa (Roman province), Roman province of Africa. He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive co ...

in ''Against

Marcion Marcion of Sinope (; ; ) was a theologian in early Christianity. Marcion preached that God had sent Jesus Christ, who was distinct from the "vengeful" God ( Demiurge) who had created the world. He considered himself a follower of Paul the Apost ...

'' 2:10 linked the reference to the fall of

Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...

. This has been followed by many Christians since.''The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament'', p. 1283 John F. Walvoord, Walter L. Baker, Roy B. Zuck - 1985 "This "king" had appeared in the

Garden of Eden In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden (; ; ) or Garden of God ( and ), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the biblical paradise described in Genesis 2–3 and Ezekiel 28 and 31.. The location of Eden is described in the Book of Ge ...

(v. 13), had been a guardian

cherub A cherub (; : cherubim; ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'') is one type of supernatural being in the Abrahamic religions. The numerous depictions of cherubim assign to them many different roles, such as protecting the entrance of the Garden of ...

(v. 14a), had possessed free access ... The best explanation is that Ezekiel was describing

who was the true "king" of Tyre, the one motivating." Its theological interpretation is subject to much theorizing. One recognized that the prophet depicted such cherub within a primordial perfection, which was terminated by sin and consequent exile from the "mountain of God". A theory also posited that Eden was a simile for the portrayal of the splendor of a given geographical area, which in this case is Tyre and that its human king represented

, who was an angel in the garden in Genesis 3.

References

{{Book of Ezekiel Angels in Christianity Angels in Judaism Book of Ezekiel Satan in religious literature Garden of Eden Cherubim 6th-century BC kings of Tyre

Background

Tertullian

See also

References