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Ezekiel 1 gives each of the four living creatures the faces of a human, lion, ox, and eagle. The Apocalypse of Abraham echoes these faces but turns the throne bearers into a singing host whose threatening looks need to be restrained by Jaoel.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Ezekiel 1:10
Hebrew Bible
10 Their faces had this appearance: Each of the four had the face of a man, with the face of a lion on the right, the face of an ox on the left, and also the face of an eagle. 11 Their wings were spread out above them; each had two wings touching the wings of one of the other beings on either side and two wings covering their bodies. 12 Each moved straight ahead—wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. 13 In the middle of the living beings was something like burning coals of fire or like torches. It moved back and forth among the living beings. It was bright, and lightning was flashing out of the fire. 14 The living beings moved backward and forward as quickly as flashes of lightning.
Apocalypse of Abraham 18:5
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
3 And as the fire raised itself up, ascending into the height, I saw under the fire a throne of fire, and, round about it all-seeing ones, reciting the song, and under the throne four fiery living creatures singing, 4 and their appearance was one, each one of them with four faces. 5 And such was the appearance of their faces, of a lion, of a man, of an ox, of an eagle. four heads [were upon their bodies] [so that the four creatures had sixteen faces]; 6 and each had six wings; from their shoulders, [and their sides] and their loins. 7 And with the (two) wings from their shoulders they covered their faces, and with the (two) wings which (sprang) from their loins they covered their feet, while the (two) middle wings they spread out for flying straightforward.
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Notes and References
“... 18.1–14 As in hekhalot literature, a song precedes a vision of the Throne of Glory. Here it is com-
bined from details found in Ezek. 1 and 1 En. 14 with some additions: fire and “the sound of their
kedushah”; a chariot form of the Throne; fiery Wheels reciting songs; four Living Creatures with
four different faces each carry the Throne and sing; they threaten each other and Yahoel recon-
ciles them (again by teaching them a song). ...”
Kulik, Alexander
"Apocalypse of Abraham" in Louis H. Feldman, James L. Kugel, and Lawrence H. Schiffman (eds.) Outside the Bible: Ancient Jewish Writings Related to Scripture
(p. 1468) The Jewish Publication Society, 2013
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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