Seraph

A seraph (/ˈsɛr.əf/; pl. seraphs or seraphim /ˈsɛr.ə.fɪm/, in the King James Version also seraphims (plural); Hebrew: שָׂרָף śārāf, plural שְׂרָפִים śərāfîm; Latin: seraphim and seraphin (plural), also seraphus (-i, m.);Greek: σεραφείμ serapheím) is a type of celestial or heavenly being in Christianity and Judaism.

Tradition places seraphs in the highest rank in the Christian angelic hierarchy and in the fifth rank of ten in the Jewish angelic hierarchy. A seminal passage in the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-8) used the term to describe six-winged beings that fly around the Throne of God crying "holy, holy, holy". This throne scene, with its triple invocation of holiness (a formula that came to be known as the Trisagion), profoundly influenced subsequent theology, literature and art. Its influence is frequently seen in works depicting angels, heaven and apotheosis. Seraphs are mentioned as celestial beings in an influential Hellenistic work, the Book of Enoch, and the Book of Revelation.

Rogue Mage series

The Rogue Mage series of fantasy novels were written by Faith Hunter about races of beings inhabiting a post-apocalyptic Earth of the not-too distant future. Some of them possess magical powers. The series is set in the remains of the United States about a century after an apocalypse similar to the one predicted in the Book of Revelation, but with no God appearing.

Bloodring

Bloodring (ISBN 0-451-46108-8) is the first fantasy novel by Hunter and the first installment of the series. It was published by Roc Trade on 2006 November 7. It was given a three-star review by Romantic Times.

Plot summary

The story take place about a century after an apocalypse. It includes "neomages", a new race of beings that arose during the time of the apocalypse. They live in an area known as the Enclave, which is both a prison and sanctuary, and are able to work with "leftover creation energy".

Thorn St. Croix is a neomage in exile from the Enclave. Thorn (unlike most mages) is telepathic, and she constantly hears the thoughts of the other mages in the Enclave. This threatened to drive her insane when it began during her adolescence and forced her to live amongst humans whose thoughts she does not hear.

Seraphs (Battlestar Galactica)

The Seraphs (singular: Seraph) were an alien race in the original Battlestar Galactica series from 1978/79 and its spinoff series, Galactica 1980. They were never expressly referred to by name in the series, but were called "Seraphs" in the scripts for the episodes in which they appear, as well as in the mid-1990s Galactica comic books.

Appearances

The Seraphs were a noncorporeal race of sentients who first appear in "War of the Gods". They show up again at the conclusion of the "Terra" story arc and in the Galactica 1980 episode "The Return of Starbuck" which explained the origins of the mysterious Doctor Zee. They were to figure heavily in the episode "Wheel of Fire", which was in preproduction when the series was cancelled.

The Seraphs are represented in the 2003 reimagining by the mysterious "angel" characters who appear throughout the series' run.

Depiction

Seraphs are wingless angels, traveling in a large spacecraft most commonly referred to as the Ship of Lights. They appear roughly humanoid, though their faces are always veiled. When Lieutenant Starbuck attempts to touch one, his hand goes through its body. It is later revealed in "Experiment in Terra" that they can take on a normal human form when called upon to do so. In this particular instance a Seraph appeared as a normal human and called himself John (played by Edward Mulhare) and acted as Apollo's liaison during the Terra crisis.