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St. Michael the Archangel guarding the entrance of the Garden of Eden^[1] by Giusto de' Menabuoi ca. 1377.

A cherub (Heb. כְּרוּב, pl. כְּרוּבִים, eng. trans kərūv, pl. kərūvîm, dual kərūvāyim lat. cherub[us], pl cherubi[m], Assyrian ܟܪܘܒܐ) is a type of spiritual being mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and cited later on in the Christian biblical canons, usually associated with the presence of God. The plural can be written as cherubim, cherubims^KJV or cherubs. In modern English the word cherub is sometimes used for what are strictly putti, baby or toddler angels in art. This article is concerned with the original sense of the word.

Cherubim are mentioned in the Torah (five books of Moses), the Book of Ezekiel, and the Book of Isaiah. They are also mentioned in the books of 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, and 2 Chronicles mainly in the construction of the House of God. There is only one mention in the New Testament, in Hebrews 9:5, referring to the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant.

Origins[link]

A Shedu.

The Hebrew term cherubim is cognate with the Assyrian term karabu, Akkadian term kuribu, and Babylonian term karabu; the Assyrian term means 'great, mighty', but the Akkadian and Babylonian cognates mean 'propitious, blessed'.^[2][3] In some regions the Assyro-Babylonian term came to refer in particular to spirits which served the gods, in particular to the shedu (human-headed winged bulls);^[3] the Assyrians sometimes referred to these as kirubu, a term grammatically related to karabu.^[2] They were originally a version of the shedu, protective deities sometimes found as pairs of colossal statues either side of objects to be protected, such as doorways.^[3][4] However, although the shedu were popular in Mesopotamia, archaeological remains from the Levant suggest that they were quite rare in the immediate vicinity of the Israelites.^[4] The related Lammasu (human-headed winged lions — to which the sphinx is similar in appearance), on the other hand, were the most popular winged-creature in Phoenician art, and so scholars suspect that Cherubim were originally a form of Lammasu.^[4] In particular, in a scene reminiscent of Ezekiel's dream, the Megiddo Ivories — ivory carvings found at Megiddo (which became a major Israelite city) — depict an unknown king being carried on his throne by hybrid winged-creatures.^[5]

A pair of shedu, protecting a doorway (the body of the creatures extending into the distance).

The Lammasu was originally depicted as having a king's head, a lion's body, and an eagle's wings, but because of the artistic beauty of the wings, these rapidly became the most prominent part in imagery ;^[2] wings later came to be bestowed on men, thus forming the stereotypical image of an angel.^[5] The griffin — a similar creature but with an eagle's head rather than that of a king — has also been proposed as an origin, arising in Israelite culture as a result of Hittite usage of griffins (rather than being depicted as aggressive beasts, Hittite depictions show them seated calmly, as if guarding),^[5] and some have proposed that griffin may be cognate to cherubim,^[6] but Lammasu were significantly more important in Levantine culture, and thus more likely to be the origin.^[2]

Early Semitic tradition conceived the cherubim as guardians, being devoid of human feelings, and holding a duty both to represent the gods and to guard sanctuaries from intruders, in a comparable way to an account found on Tablet 9 of the inscriptions found at Nimrud.^[2] In this view, cherubim, like the shedu, were probably originally depictions of storm deities, especially the storm winds.^[6] This view is offered as a hypothesis to explain the reason for cherubim being described as acting as the chariot of the LORD in Ezekiel's visions, the Books of Samuel,^[7] the parallel passages in the later Book of Chronicles,^[8] and passages in the early Psalms:^[2] "and he rode upon a cherub and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind".^[9][10]

In the Bible[link]

The most famous appearance of cherubim in the Bible is in the Garden of Eden story, to guard the way to the tree of life.

Cherubim feature at some length in the Book of Ezekiel. When they first appear in chapter one, when Ezekiel was "by the river Chebar", they are not called cherubims, but he saw "the likeness of four living creatures". (Ezekiel 1:5) Each of them had four faces and four wings, with straight feet with a sole like the sole of a calf's foot, and "hands of a man" under their wings. Each had four faces: The face of a man, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and the face of an eagle. (Ezekiel 1:6-10)

In Ezekiel chapter ten, another full description of the Cherubims appears with slight differences in details. Three of the four faces are the same; man, lion and eagle; but where chapter one had the face of an ox, Ezekiel 10:14 says "face of a cherub". Ezekiel equates the Cherubims of chapter ten with the living creature of chapter one by saying: "This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar", in Ezekiel 10:15, and in Ezekiel 10:20 he said: "This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims."

In a psalm of David that appears in Samuel 22:11 and Psalms 18:10, David said that the LORD "rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind."

The words Cherub and Cherubims appear many other times in the holy scriptures, referring to the Cherubims of beaten gold on the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant, and images on the curtains of the tabernacle, and in Solomon's temple, including two Cherubims made of olive wood overlaid with gold that were ten cubits high.^[11]

Post-biblical Judaism[link]

A cherub, according to traditional Christian iconography.

Many forms of Judaism teach belief in the existence of angels, including Cherubim within the Jewish angelic hierarchy. The existences of angels is generally widely contested within traditional rabbinic Judaism; there is, however, a wide range of views on what angels actually are, and how literally one should interpret biblical passages associated with them.

In Kabbalah there has long been a strong belief in Cherubim, with the Cherubim, and other angels, regarded as having mystical roles. The Zohar, a highly significant collection of books in Jewish mysticism, states that the Cherubim were led by one of their number, named Kerubiel.^[2]

On the other end of the philosophical spectrum is the view of Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, better known as Maimonides. He had a neo-Aristotelian interpretation of the Bible. Maimonides writes that to the wise man, one sees that what the Bible and Talmud refer to as "angels" are actually allusions for the various laws of nature; they are the principles by which the physical universe operates. "Guide of the Perplexed" II:4 and II:6.

For all forces are angels! How blind, how perniciously blind are the naive?! If you told someone who purports to be a sage of Israel that the Deity sends an angel who enters a woman's womb and there forms an embryo, he would think this a miracle and accept it as a mark of the majesty and power of the Deity, despite the fact that he believes an angel to be a body of fire one third the size of the entire world. All this, he thinks, is possible for God. But if you tell him that God placed in the sperm the power of forming and demarcating these organs, and that this is the angel, or that all forms are produced by the Active Intellect; that here is the angel, the "vice-regent of the world" constantly mentioned by the sages, then he will recoil.

For he {the naive person} does not understand that the true majesty and power are in the bringing into being of forces which are active in a thing although they cannot be perceived by the senses....Thus the Sages reveal to the aware that the imaginative faculty is also called an angel; and the mind is called a cherub. How beautiful this will appear to the sophisticated mind, and how disturbing to the primitive."

Maimonides says (Guide for the Perplexed III:45) that the figures of the cherubayim were placed in the sanctuary only to preserve among the people the belief in angels, there being two in order that the people might not be led to believe that they were the image of God.

Reform Judaism and Reconstructionist Judaism generally either drop references to angels or interpret them metaphorically^{[citation needed]}.

Cherubs are discussed within the midrash literature. The two cherubayim placed by God at the entrance of paradise (Gen. iii. 24) were angels created on the third day, and therefore they had no definite shape; appearing either as men or women, or as spirits or angelic beings (Genesis Rabbah xxi., end). The cherubim were the first objects created in the universe (Tanna debe Eliyahu R., i. beginning). The following sentence of the Midrash is characteristic: "When a man sleeps, the body tells to the neshamah (soul) what it has done during the day; the neshamah then reports it to the nefesh (spirit), the nefesh to the angel, the angel to the cherub, and the cherub to the seraph, who then brings it before God (Leviticus Rabbah xxii.; Eccl. Rabbah x. 20).

A midrash states that when Pharaoh pursued Israel at the Red Sea, God took a cherub from the wheels of His throne and flew to the spot, for God inspects the heavenly worlds while sitting on a cherub. The cherub, however, is "something not material", and is carried by God, not vice versa (Midr. Teh. xviii. 15; Canticles Rabbah i. 9).

In the passages of the Talmud that describe the heavens and their inhabitants, the seraphim, ofannim, and ḥayyot are mentioned, but not the cherubim (Ḥag. 12b); and the ancient liturgy also mentions only these three classes.

One traditional depiction of the cherubim and chariot vision, based on the description by Ezekiel.

In the Talmud, Yose ha-Gelili holds,^[12] when the Birkat HaMazon (Grace after Meals) is recited by at least ten thousand seated at one meal, a special blessing, "Blessed is Ha-Shem our God, the God of Israel, who dwells between the Cherubim", is added to the regular liturgy.

Catholicism[link]

In Catholic theology, following the writings of Pseudo-Dionysius, the cherubim are the second highest rank in the angelic hierarchy, following the Seraphim.^[13] In western art, Putti are sometimes mistaken for Cherubim, although they look nothing alike.

Depictions[link]

There were no cherubim in Herodian reconstruction of the Temple, but according to some authorities, its walls were painted with figures of cherubim.^[14] In Christian art they are often represented with the faces of a lion, ox, eagle, and man peering out from the center of an array of four wings (Ezekiel 1:5-11, 10:12,21 Revelation 4:8); (seraphim have six); the most frequently encountered descriptor applied to cherubim in Christianity is many-eyed, and in depictions the wings are often shown covered with a multitude of eyes (showing them to be all seeing beings). Since the Renaissance, in Western Christianity cherubim have become confused with putti—innocent souls, looking like winged children, that sing praises to God daily—that can be seen in innumerable church frescoes and in the work of painters such as Raphael.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cherubs

See also[link]

• Cupid and Kamadeva
• Cherubism (medical condition)
• Hierarchy of Angels
• Putto
• Seraph

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Yaniv, Bracha, The Cherubim on Torah Ark Valances, Jewish Art Department, Bar-Ilan University, published in Assaph: Studies in Art History, Vol.4, 1999

External links[link]

• Jewish Encyclopedia: Cherub
• Catholic Encyclopedia: Cherubim
• The Cherubim - some pointers and problems by Rabbi Dr Raymond Apple

Christian angelic hierarchy v t e
First Sphere (liberated)	Seraphim • Cherubim • Ophanim • Thrones
Second Sphere (active)	Dominions • Virtues  • Powers or Authorities
Third Sphere (active)	Principalities or Rulers • Archangels • Angels

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2011)

Josh Woodward
Official promo photo taken in May, 2007
Background information
Origin	Findlay, Ohio, United States
Genres	Acoustic/alternative rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, keyboard, drums
Years active	2002-Present
Labels	Snooter Records
Website	http://www.joshwoodward.com/

	Swansong A song by Josh Woodward, entitled "Swansong", winner of the Ubuntu Free Culture Showcase.[1]
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Josh Woodward is a singer-songwriter based in Findlay, Ohio. He is known for releasing his music freely on the Internet in addition to selling hard copies of his albums, as well as releasing his music on iTunes.

History[link]

Woodward grew up in Van Buren, Ohio,^[2] and began playing music at high school in the early 1990s, where he was part of a punk/funk band. After attending college, he worked for Yahoo! in California, and then moved back to Van Buren, Ohio, to start his own company. When Coffee Amici, a coffee bar and performing arts venue in Findlay, opened, Woodward again began to pursue his musical interests. He produced his first album, Here Today in 2004. He also became involved with Song Fight!, entering over fifty competitions and becoming well known on the website. His second album, Crawford Street, was mostly made up of songs he had written for SongFight, and Woodward described it as "a dark sweet tooth". While he sold Crawford Street for $5 at gigs, he gave away the songs for free online. This led to viral advertising, meaning Woodward has fans around the world. In September 2005, Woodward featured on Adam Curry's PodShow, which was broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio. His third album, Only Whispering, was given professional production. More disks were printed, and they were, unlike his previous CDs, made available on Amazon.com. Mariah Mercer, writing for The Courier, described the album as "a mash of acoustic guitar, underscored by dark piano and percussion. Occasionally reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel, other times echoing strains of The Barenaked Ladies, even a little John Mayer vibe in the mix, the combination comes together as a not-quite-folk, but far from the pop rock currently dominating the airwaves."^[3] Woodward released his fourth album, Here Today in 2004, and this was followed by Crawford Street (2005), Only Whispering (2006), Not Quite Connected (2007) and Dirty Wings (2007). All of his albums are released under Creative Commons licenses.^[4]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Here Today (2004)
• Crawford Street (2005)
• Only Whispering (2006)
• Not Quite Connected (2007)
• Dirty Wings (2007)
• The Simple Life (2008)
• Breadcrumbs (2009)
• Ashes (2010)

Other releases[link]

• Reject Bin (2005)
• Sunny Side of the Street (2005)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Josh Woodward on Jamendo
• Josh Woodward on LastFM

This article about a singer-songwriter from the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Mike Rowe
Born	(1962-03-18) March 18, 1962 (age 50) Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Residence	San Francisco, California
Occupation	Television host Narrator, actor, voice over actor, opera singer, activist
Website
http://www.mikeroweWORKS.com

Michael Gregory "Mike" Rowe ( /ˈroʊ/; born March 18, 1962)^[1] is an American media personality best known as the host of the Discovery Channel series Dirty Jobs. He can also be heard as narrator on a variety of series and has appeared in recurring commercials for Ford Motor Company.

Early life[link]

Rowe was born in Baltimore, Maryland to parents John and Peggy Rowe. Rowe has said in commercials for Dirty Jobs that the show is a tribute to his father and grandfather. Rowe became an Eagle Scout on January 2, 1979 in Troop 16 in Baltimore.^[2] During his service project for Eagle Scout at the Maryland School for the Blind, he read aloud to students, and he cites this as one of the reasons he became interested in narrating and writing.^[2][3] On being an Eagle Scout he said "The Eagle Award is not really meant for people who need to be dragged across the finish line. It's meant for a select few... ."'^[2]

Rowe attended Kenwood Presbyterian Church in Baltimore when he was younger; his parents still regularly attend. Rowe attended Overlea High School, where he excelled in both theater and singing under the tutelage of choir director Freddie King, whom Rowe credits for first interesting him in performing.^[4] An early stutterer, Rowe was able to overcome the handicap while in school.^[5] After graduation from high school, he attended Essex Community College,^[4] and briefly sang with the Chorus of the Chesapeake, which at the time was directed by King. He later graduated from Towson University^[6] with a degree in Communication Studies.^[7]

Rowe sang professionally with the Baltimore Opera.^[8][9] He says about this job:

I joined the opera to get my union card and meet girls. I was a saloon singer, so I went down to the Baltimore Opera and learned an aria and auditioned. I figured I'd do one show and quit. But the girls were everywhere and the truth is, the music was really decent.^[10]

Television career[link]

As host[link]

In the early 1990s Rowe was an on-air host for the shop-at-home TV channel QVC. When interviewed, Rowe relates how he got the job at QVC:

I was in the opera at the time. I walked across the street with a buddy of mine (during a performance) - we're dressed as Vikings and we have a drink. The TV is turned to QVC. ... My buddy bets me $100 I can't get a call back. So ... I crashed the audition and got a job on the spot. I basically turned the whole thing into my own stupid David Letterman show - I made fun of the callers and made fun of the products.^[10]

Rowe claims that QVC fired him three times.^[10] When told in a 2008 episode of Dirty Jobs that the gourds he was working on would be sold via QVC, he stated he was familiar with the corporation and proceeded to ad-lib a sales pitch for them.^[11]

Rowe has hosted Your New Home for WJZ in Baltimore, Worst Case Scenarios for TBS, On-Air TV for American Airlines, The Most for The History Channel, No Relation for FX,^[12] New York Expeditions for PBS, Channel 999 instructional guide for the now defunct PrimeStar satellite television service, and the CD-ROM music trivia game Radio Active (as "Bobby Arpeggio") for now-defunct Sanctuary Woods.

From 2001 to 2005 Rowe hosted Evening Magazine on KPIX-TV in San Francisco. During this time, he appeared in a news segment called "Somebody's Gotta Do It", profiling a number of unpleasant professions; this concept later grew into Dirty Jobs. Rowe's first work with Discovery included a trip to the Valley of the Golden Mummies to host Egypt Week Live!, where he explored ancient tombs live on air with Dr. Zahi Hawass, an Egyptian archaeologist.

As narrator[link]

In addition to hosting programs, Rowe has an extensive background as a narrator. His work with Discovery Channel includes narrating American Chopper, American Hot Rod, Deadliest Catch, Wild Pacific, and Ghost Lab, as well as other Discovery specials and series such as How the Universe Works, and Syfy's Ghost Hunters. Rowe has hosted the Discovery Channel's annual "Shark Week" in 2006 and 2008, along with hosting the special You Spoof Discovery, an amateur parody video special which poked fun at some of the popular series on the Discovery Channel's lineup.^[13]

On Dirty Jobs, Rowe frequently mocks his seeming omnipresence on Discovery Channel; when a segment on firefighting and salvage was unable to be completed in a single day, he assured his firefighter host that he would "send over the MythBusters ... maybe the American Chopper boys ... [to finish the job]".

Mike Rowe poses for a photo during filming at Skulls Unlimited International.

Rowe was originally tapped to be the on-screen host of the Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch, a show about crab fishing in the Bering Sea, and shot footage aboard several crab boats in addition to narrating the series. When Dirty Jobs was picked up by Discovery, he was told to choose which show he wanted to appear in on-screen. Rowe claims he was told by Discovery that the shows would air back-to-back on the same night: "We can't have you telling us stories about six dead fishermen on camera and making a fart joke with your arm in a cow's ass".^[14] Rowe chose to host Dirty Jobs and narrate Deadliest Catch; the footage of him on the boats was not used in the series, although he did appear in a season finale of Deadliest Catch, interviewing the boat captains. Rowe hosted a related show about life on the Bering Sea, a 2007 miniseries, After the Catch.

Other narration work by Rowe includes Mystery Diagnosis, Drydock: A Cruise Ship Reborn, Southern Steel, Powertool Drag Racing, Scavengers Rock (Animal Planet), and the opening of Ghost Hunters, a Syfy series from the producers of American Chopper. Additionally, Rowe has done voiceover work for the reality television show The Ultimate Fighter and the NASCAR pre-race show for The 2009 Chase on ESPN.^[15]

On December 21, 2009, Rowe became the announcer on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer.^[16]

Additional appearances[link]

On October 7, 2007 Rowe appeared on Fox's American Dad! as the voice of a meter maid.^[17]

Rowe appeared on an episode of Sesame Street (Season 39) in a segment called "Dirtiest Jobs With Mike Rowe", which aired on October 13, 2008. Rowe visits Sesame Street to find the dirtiest job, which happens to belong to Oscar. Rowe must do all the things Oscar does. His tasks include finding and counting stinky cheese, sorting trash, and giving his pet pig, Spot, a mud bath. To Oscar's chagrin, Rowe does not want to stop, as he is having too much fun.^[18]

Mike Rowe spoke to over 70,000 scouts, leaders, and visitors at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree in Fort AP Hill, Virginia. Rowe, an Eagle Scout, spoke to the crowd about the importance of being physically and mentally clean, but emphasized the need for all scouts to get dirty.^[19]

In 2012, Rowe appeared in an episode of the ABC sitcom Last Man Standing playing the role of Jim Baxter, the brother of Tim Allen's character.

As pitchman[link]

In 1998, Rowe was the television spokesperson for Epic Pharmacy, a Baltimore-area association of independent pharmacies.

Beginning in March 2007, he was featured in several Ford Motor Company F-Series truck commercials, presented in a style similar to Dirty Jobs, including one for Ford Sync.^[20][21] In the summer of 2009, he appeared in advertisements for Ford and Lincoln-Mercury vehicles that used the tagline: "Why Ford. Why Now."^[22]

In 2008, Rowe partnered with W. W. Grainger, a Chicago-based Fortune 500 industrial supply company.

In 2010, Rowe appeared in internet spots for Motorola iDEN combined radios/mobile phones, explaining that the phones were used "by real people, for real work" as they were used for Dirty Jobs-type applications.

In 2010, Rowe partnered with Lee Premium Select Jeans and appeared in television spots wearing jeans that "make my butt look good".

On July 26, 2010, Rowe became the spokesperson for Caterpillar. Rowe will work with dealers and customers "to get a real world perspective on their jobs".^[23] These interactions will be featured at Cat dealers as well as on the Caterpillar website and mikeroweWORKS website.

In 2011, Rowe appeared with his parents in television spots for Viva paper towels.^[24]

Trade activism[link]

On Labor Day 2008, Rowe launched a website, MikeRoweWorks.com, which is focused on the decline in the blue collar trades and the crumbling state of the infrastructure. A trade resource center has been launched and provides information, resources, and forums for people interested in learning about, or pursuing a career in, the trades,^[2] as well as a new blog aggregator for the trades and construction industry called the "Trades Hub", which launched in April 2011.

On September 19, 2010, Mike Rowe and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers started a grassroots campaign called “I Make America”. The campaign aims to create jobs in the manufacturing sector by encouraging infrastructure investment and export agreements. The group argues that this will improve the economy and global competitiveness of the United States.^[25]

Mike Rowe has contributed video content to The Alabama Construction Recruitment Institute's trade-worker recruiting campaign GoBuildAlabama.com, culminating in an Iron Bowl-themed commercial broadcast on local CBS affiliates during Thanksgiving weekend 2010.^[26]

In May 2011, Rowe testified on the issue before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.^[27][28]

Personal life[link]

Rowe currently resides in San Francisco, California.^[29]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mike Rowe

• Mike Rowe's official website
• Mike Rowe at the Internet Movie Database
• Mike Rowe #4 on Maxim.com's 2007 list of Top Dudeliest Dudes
• Mike Rowe presenting at the 2008 EG conference
• Discovery, Realization and Lamb Castration at The Entertainment Gathering, December 2008