A Chorus of Angels - Ophanim

Part 3 of NightMau Now's exclusive 9 part series on Biblical Angels.

“As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. 16 This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like topaz, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel.“ (NIV Ezekiel 1:15-16)

Traditional depiction of Ezekiel’s vision. Ophanim on the far left.

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Overview

The Ophanim, sometimes called Thrones, Wheels, or Galgallin, are the strangest and most outlandish rank of angel in the Bible. This is wholly due to their appearance, and besides their strange visage and their function as the chariots of God, there is not much known about these beings. The Ophanim are depicted as wheels covered in eyes nested within one another. The center is occupied by a fire that is a kaleidoscope of color with other creatures inside the fire. What those creatures are is uncertain.

As far as size goes, Ezekiel describes the Ophanim as massive, and his size description is that the wheels are so high it is “dreadful.” He delineates between the parts of the Ophanim that are “beneath the firmament,” which basically means that there is at least some part of the Ophanim that are so high up that they are beyond the sky. In Ezekiel’s vision whenever they moved, it sounded like the waves of the ocean, and when they spoke, it was the noise of thunder and trumpets, according to Ezekiel.

The Ophanim are able to move at will and seem to be able to fly even without the use of wings. The only major mention of the Ophanim in the Bible is Ezekiel’s vision where he sees the Ophanim along with the Cherubim in chapter one and again in chapter 10. Outside of being the chariot of God, there is one weird instance in Ezekiel chapter 10 in which God commands Cherubim to bless a household with the Ophanim. Then, Ezekiel sees Cherubim reach into the Ophanim and pull out burning coals to be distributed through the house.

There are two other potential mentions in the Bible. First, in the book of Daniel, there is a mention of the “Wheels of Gagallin” (where the name Galgallin comes from). Second, in the Book of Revelations, there is no mention of “wheels within wheels” but rather a mention of many elders surrounding the Throne of God and singing His praises. This adds to the building theory that the angels can take many forms, and as far as the Ophanim are concerned, their “wheel” form is simply their true form.

Perspective Through Judaism

In Judaism, the scholar Maimonides lists the Ophanim as the second highest-ranking angels, over the Seraphim by a few ranks. Other scholars and collections of works rank the Ophanim from second to ninth depending on the source. Also, in the Kedusha section of the morning prayer, Ophanim are mentioned in relation to Seraphim. It is said, “The Ophanim and the holy living creatures with great uproar raise themselves up; facing the Seraphim they offer praise, saying ‘Blessed be God’s glory from His place.’”

Perspective Through Christianity

It is widely regarded that the Ophanim are wise and just angels that inform the lower angels on how to conduct themselves. Similarly, St. Thomas Aquinas compares them to four qualities of seats in the Summa Theolgicae. First, as seats they are raised up to the immediate knowledge of the types of things in God, similarly to how seats are raised about the earth. Second, because a seat is a display of strength when a person sits firmly on it, the Ophanim are made firm in their judgement by God. Third, as seats bear the sitter, so too do the Ophanim bear God and His ways to the inferior celestial being. Fourth, as seats are open to receive the sitter, so too are the Ophanim open to receiving and serving God.

An important distinction in some Christian sects is that the “Wheels” and the “Thrones” are different, whereas in Christianity they are believed to be the same being. The wheels are what has been discussed so far, but the Thrones are the elders represented in John’s vision in the Book of Revelation. Finally, there is a separate passing mention of Thrones in Colossians 1:16, simply stating that God created them.

Other Perspectives

Unlike in Judaism and Christianity, there is no direct mention of Ophanim in Islam, nor is there any solid inference to their existence within the text. More recent radical offshoots, such as the hate organization, “the Nation of Islam” (if this organization is even considered tangentially related to Islam), have compared the Ophanim to flying saucers the size of a small planet. They have also said that these “saucers” will destroy the cities of white people. Naturally, mainstream Islamic traditions differ radically from this “UFO religion,” and practicing Muslims do not believe in this idea.

To Wrap Up

The Ophanim’s description makes it clear as to why whenever angels appeared before people, they began with the phrase, “Be not afraid.” If you saw one of the Ophanim, your first reaction would undoubtedly be fear. However, it is highly unlikely that an Ophanim would ever visit a human, as most references in canonical and noncanonical texts state that they basically never leave heaven and are bound to God’s Throne. Nevertheless, they are an incredibly interesting celestial being in the Abrahamic religions.