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Spirits celestial influences and signs

Cherubin

A divine celestial influence described through descent and superior power.

From the book

A Chymical Dictionary

Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026

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Orientation

At a Glance

  • The wordA divine celestial influence described through descent and superior power.
  • In the bookAniada and Influentia provide related vocabulary for heavenly powers and their relation to natural or human life.
  • A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 15; facsimile PDF page 343.

Historical definition

Cherubin is a celestial virtue and influence, a dominion and power above all dominions and powers, proceeding from God and descending to earth and all people. Paracelsus speaks at length of this divine glory in his expositions of the Psalms of David.

Meaning

The definition locates the source in God and describes a movement of influence toward earth and humanity. Its vocabulary of dominion and power ranks the subject above other powers. This is a theological and celestial account, not a material ingredient identified by a familiar chemical name.

The final sentence is also a reading direction supplied by the historical dictionary. It points to Paracelsian expositions of the Psalms of David. This edition preserves that attribution without claiming, solely from the dictionary sentence, to have identified and collated the exact passage intended.

Use in the book

Aniada and Influentia provide related vocabulary for heavenly powers and their relation to natural or human life. The Cherubin entry makes divine origin particularly explicit. Comparing the terms can clarify how the dictionary moves between religious and natural-philosophical explanation, while keeping each term’s distinct role visible.

Places to read

  1. CherubinRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
  2. AniadaA term linking heavenly gifts, Christian sacraments and life-preserving celestial influence.
  3. InfluentiaThe causal action of superior bodies upon inferior bodies.
  4. SeraphinA heavenly power and, particularly, the assembly of angels.

Source note

Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 15; facsimile PDF page 343 — Facsimile

Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Cherubin ; compare Aniada, Influentia, Seraphin