Ophanim
vision.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|A traditional depiction of the chariot vision, based on the description in Ezekiel, with an opan on the left side]
The ophanim, alternatively spelled auphanim or ofanim, and also called galgalim, refer to the wheels seen in Ezekiel's vision of the chariot in. One of the Dead Sea Scrolls construes them as angels; late sections of the Book of Enoch portray them as a class of celestial beings who never sleep, but guard the throne of God. In some systems of Christian angelology, they are one of the choirs of angels, and are also identified as Thrones.
These "wheels" have been associated with of the four, eye-covered wheels, that move next to the winged Cherubim, beneath the throne of God. The four wheels move with the Cherubim because the spirit of the Cherubim is in them. The late Second Book of Enoch also referred to them as the "many-eyed ones".
The First Book of Enoch seems to imply that the Ophanim are equated to the "Thrones" in Christianity when it lists them all together, in order: "...round about were Seraphim, Cherubim, and Ophanim".
Function
It is said that they were the actual wheels of the Lord's Heavenly Chariot."The four wheels had rims and they had spokes, and their rims were full of eyes round about."
They are also frequently referred to as "many-eyed ones".
Ophanim in specific spiritual traditions
Ophanim in Judaism
Maimonides lists Ophanim as the second to closest of angels to God in his exposition of the Jewish angelic hierarchy.In prayer
The kedusha section in the morning prayer includes the phrase, "The ophanim and the holy living creatures with great uproar raise themselves up; facing the seraphim they offer praise, saying, 'Blessed be God's glory from His place." The inspiration behind this particular passage is Ezekiel's vision. The theme of angels praising God was inserted into the passage by paytanim.Ophanim are mentioned in the El Adon prayer, often sung by the congregation, as part of the traditional Shabbat morning service.
In the Jewish angelic hierarchy thrones and wheels are different. This is also true in the Kabbalistic angelic hierarchy.
Thrones in the Orthodox Church
De Coelesti Hierarchia refers to the Thrones from the Old Testament description as the third Order of the first sphere, the other two superior orders being the Cherubim and Seraphim.This view was also accepted by the Catholic Church and by Thomas Aquinas.