MUCH of apocryphal, Heikhalot, and Qumran literature emphatically reflects the belief in celestial beings residing in heaven alongside the God of Israel, to a degree considerably beyond biblical and rabbinic understanding. A characteristic feature of this literature, in all its ramifications, is the central position and presence of angels in the cosmos, in history, and in the cult. These celestial beings are variously referred to as ‘holiest of the holy ones’, ‘congregation of elim [_ godlike beings]’, ‘sons/children of elim’, ‘sons of heaven’, ‘holy angels’, ‘chief princes’, ‘priests of the inner sanctum’ (korev), ‘servants/angels of the Countenance’, ‘spirits of knowledge’, ‘lords’, and ‘host of angels’. They perform the sacred service in the supernal Heikhalot and are associated in many ways with the order of Creation, the cycles of the universe, the traditions of the priesthood, the sevenfold cycles of the Temple cult and their mythological origins.