how i wish i could see it

i love seeing what ties mythology to biblical narrative. but one that is just now being made evident to me is that of the phoenix and the seraphim. not that it isnt new to other people, as a google search will tell you.
but i'd bet we're likely more familiar w/ the firebird that raises from its own ashes than we are with the strange angelic creatures in the bible. so:
ever heard of the cherubim and seraphim? maybe? well, that's the seraphim i'm talking about. what are they? they are mentioned in numbers, deuteronomy, and isaiah. the first place we are introduced to them is in numbers - the israelites have turned away from God and are being stupid and stubborn and have no faith or trust in Him, so God sends seraphs to start killing them. moses is commanded to make a staff w/ a bronze seraph on it, and those that look at it will be saved. now if you're like me you're saying, "wait - i thought it was snakes biting the people, what's this about it being a seraph? i thought those were angels. was it not snakes?"
well, no idea. in the definitions they say it can be a poisonous snake*
another thing you're thinking - why would that have any parallel to the phoenix? snake = bird that sets itself on fire? ok, so let me give you the translation/description of what a seraph is:
a fiery serpent. not just a snake, but a snake on fire.  the root word it comes from means: to burn.
* they say it can be a poisonous snake by contributing the poison as the fire factor. hm, sure.

so then you go to isaiah, where it gives a visual description of one of these things. in this case a seraph has 6 wings, and is found above the throne of God.
when the phoenix  is preparing to die, it gathers cinnamon, and spikenard, and myrrh - incense. it burns incense. biblically this is used in acts of worship. in isaiah 6, where we get the description of seraphim, in verse 4 it says the whole temple is filled with smoke. trust me, he isnt saying it's on fire - there is so much incense burning in their worship, it fills the temple.

now, if seraphs are burning ones, then what is a better word for snake? satan* is called a snake in the garden of eden, genesis 3:1 - that word is different, nachash. its root means 'to practice divination, divine, observe signs, learn by experience, diligently observe, practice fortunetelling, take as an omen'
this word for snake is used when moses throws his staff to the ground and it becomes a snake.
this isnt the word used in the other story, this isnt the kind of snake moses later makes out of bronze....however it is used to reference it in 2 kings.
 my brain is whirling right now. fiery snakes that may or may not have wings. well, isaiah 30:6 talks about a flying serpent.

*with the various descriptions of satan, i cant help but wonder how he plays into this...was once a cherub - a guardian. in ezekiel, it talks about the king of tyre, and many people see it as prophetic/descriptive of the serpent in eden - it describes him as having walked on the mountain of God among the stones of fire. stones of fire? consider it this way: alter stones (consider again the isaiah 6 passage). his fate is being consumed by fire that comes from w/in himself. interesting. banned from his place at the alter, he becomes the phoenix? or at least wants to perhaps... interesting.
back to the parallel...
firebird w/ a tail of gold and scarlet, purple and blue - lavish and vibrant color and value. when it dies, it bursts into flame.
king of tyre whose clothing was adorned with every precious stone, a mighty guardian on the mountain of God. destroyed by fire from within.

so what about the rebirth?
well, the phoenix -
in egypt, the bennu created itself from a fire that was burned on a holy tree... called “He Who Came Into Being by Himself,” “Ascending One"...
other cultures seem to agree that it is a good creature that will bring blessing.
in china, it reigns over all the other birds...
oh, check this and tell me if it rings a bell:
During the Han Dynasty (2,200 years ago) two phoenixes, one a male (feng, 鳳) and the other a female (huang, 凰) were often shown together facing one other...
do you see it? in the most holy place in the temple are two cherubim facing each other over lain in gold. yes, i know - not seraphim, but still!

oh- epiphany after epiphany! ok, several traditions hold that if this bird lands on your head - you'll be a king.
something like a dove landed on Jesus after his baptism. fascinating.

ok, another fun parallel for another day, the griffin and the cherub.
 another thing i wouldnt mind being able to do is read the books of enoch from the apocrypha, he talks about seraphim and other things, i wouldnt mind finding out what he has to day about it.

well, i'm worn out now. hope you had fun following my madness!