Zaphkiel (Hebrew: צַפְקִיאֵל Ṣafqīʾēl), also written as Tzaphqiel, Tzaphkiel, Zaphchial, Zaphiel, or Zelel, is an archangel. He is sometimes equated with Zadkiel, but other times, considered to be a different angel.[1] Zaphkiel is "chief of the Ophanim (order of thrones) and one of the 9 angels that rule Heaven; also one of the 7 archangels."[1] He can watch people when they need to make important decisions and when they need to put them into words for others. If they are unsure of the words, he will help them to make the message more clear. The leader of the Erelim, he is associated with the planet Saturn.[1] It is associated also with the sephira of Binah.

The Throne Zaphkiel, engraving by Crispijn van de Passe, circa 1575. Biblioteca Nacional de España, Madrid.

In fiction

edit

Zaphkiel has been adapted for several pieces of modern fiction:

  • Zaphkiel is an Archon of the Order of Thrones in Wizards of the Coast's roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons.
  • In the Japanese light novel series Date A Live, Zafkiel is the name of a spiritual weapon (referred to as Angels within the series), belonging to Kurumi Tokisaki. Zafkiel takes on the form of a large clock. It has various powers related to manipulating time, including reversing one's or another's condition, sending one's consciousness to their past self, and peeking into the past of any object shot.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c Davidson, Gustav (1971) [1967]. A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels. New York: Free Press.