Japheth Japheth Japheth (, "Yefet"; ""; ), is one of the three sons of Noah in the Book of Genesis, where he plays a role in the story of Noah's drunkenness and the curse of Ham, and subsequently in the Table of Nations as the ancestor of the peoples of the Aegean, Anatolia, and elsewhere. In medieval and early modern European tradition he was considered to be the progenitor of European and, later, East Asian peoples. The meaning of the name Yafet/Yefet (יָפֶת/יֶפֶת) is disputable. There are two possible sources to the meaning of the name. Japheth first appears in the
Jophiel Zohar lists him as a Great Angel Chief in charge of 53 legions who superintend Torah-readings on the Sabbath. Jophiel is said to be a companion to the angel Metatron. C.E. Clement, in his book 'Angels in Art,' names Jophiel as the teacher of Ham, Japheth, and Shem. Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa and Thomas Rudd likewise name Jophiel as the teacher of Shem. In Anglican and Episcopal traditions, Jophiel is recognized as an archangel. He is often depicted in iconography holding a flaming sword, such as the stained glasses at St Peter and St John's Church in Kirkley, Holy Trinity Church