SANDALPHON

more information English: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandalphon

Origin

Some of the earliest sources on Sandalphon refer to him as the prophet Elijah transfigured and elevated to angelic status. Other sources (mainly from the midrashic period) describe him as the "twin brother" of Metatron , whose human origin as Enoch was similar to the human origin of Sandalphon. Whatever his origin, Sandalphon figures prominently in the mystical literary traditions of Rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity , notably in the Midrash , Talmud , and Kabbalah .

Descriptions and functions

Physical descriptions of Sandalphon vary depending on the source. He is uniformly depicted as extremely tall--he exceeds Hadraniel (another angel ) in height by a 500-year foot journey. During Moses ' visit to the Third Heaven, he is said to have glimpsed Sandalphon and called him the "tall angel" (though this legend dates to much later than the time of the Torah). The Babylonian Talmud Hagigah 13b says Sandalphon's head reaches Heaven, which is also said of Israfel and of the Greek giant Typhon , with whom Sandalphon seems to have similar mythological roots. He is also described as being a member of the sarim (angelic princes), and a hazzan (master of heavenly song).

In The Greater Key of Solomon , Sandalphon is designated "the left-hand feminine cherub of the Ark". In the liturgy for the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles , he is credited with gathering the prayers of the faithful, making a garland of such prayers, and then "adjuring them to ascend as an orb to the supreme King of Kings". In Enoch chapter 3, he is the ruler of the Sixth Heaven (makom) but in the Zohar he is "chief of the Seventh Heaven". According to Islamic lore, he dwells in the Fourth Heaven. As Michael does, he carries on a ceaseless battle with Samael (perhaps Satan ), angel of evil.

The ancient sages also referred to him by the name Ophan ( Hebrew for "wheel"), a reference to the "wheel within the wheel" from Ezekiel 's vision of the merkavah (heavenly chariot) in Ezekiel chapter 1. Sandalphon is also said to be instrumental in bringing about the differentiation of sex in the embryo.