ophanim (aufanim, ofanim, ophannim)

In the MERKABAH , high-ranking celestial beings or angels who are “Many-Eyed Ones” and “ WHEELS ” by which God distinguishes the chaos. The ophanim are equated with THRONES and sometimes with CHERUBIM . In Jewish lore and in the Enochian books they are fiery beings. Their prince is given as Ophaniel, Raphael, and Ribkiel. 3 ENOCH 25:6–7 gives a description: All the ophanim are full of eyes and full of wings, eyes corresponding to wings and wings corresponding to eyes. From them light shines, like the light of the morn- ing star. Seventy-two sapphire stones are set in their gar- ments, on the left side of them, and four emeralds are set in each one’s crown, the brightness of which shines in the four corners of ’Arabot, just as the brightness of the sun’s orb shines into the four corners of the world. Pavil- ions of brilliance, pavilions of splendor, pavilions of light, sapphire, and emerald envelop them, so that no one should see the appearance of their eyes and faces. According to the Sefer Yetzirah, God made fire from water and fashioned for himself a throne of Glory with ophanim, SERAPHIM , and cherubim as his MINISTERING ANGELS of fire, thus completing his dwelling. The ophanim exist in the universe of Asiyah (Making/Cre- ation) and are the angelic order of Chokmah (Wis- dom), the second sephirot of the Kabbalistic TREE OF LIFE , where they are under the rule of the archangel Ratziel. A later name for the ophanim is GALGALLIM . See EZEKIEL .