The Cherubium : Its Ancient Origins !!!
The Hebrew term cherubim is cognate with the Assyrian term karabu , means 'great, mighty'. In some regions the Assyro-Babylonian this term came to refer in particular to spirits which served the gods , in particular to the shedu ,a human-headed winged bulls ( Vaux, Roland. John McHugh, Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions (NY, McGraw-Hill, 1961). 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. The Lammasu was originally depicted as having a king's head, a bull's body, and an eagle's wings, but because of the artistic beauty of the wings. In Isaiah 37:16, Hezekiah prays, addressing Yahweh as "enthroned above the Cherubim" (referring to the mercy seat). Cherubim feature at some length in the Book of Ezekiel where they first appear in chapter one