Seraph

When Neo enters the tea house Seraph appears glowing and different from everything around him and obviously to anything Neo has seen before. Why is this? Is Seraph part of some order? He also matches Neo in every fighting move as well as testing him he decides that Neo is the One. Is that to say Seraph has tested the One before?

He is a program, probably superior in fighting skills, better than the agents. So by fighting neo he maybe tests how fast neo moves as opposed to agents and just ordinary humans, remember you fight him in the game also. maybe this helps??

From what I can tell from the video game and the film is that he is a program that matchs the skills of the opponent. He never seems to be any stronger than anyone who he fights which would seem to suggest this. What I would like to know is why neo didn't have to fight seraph in the first film to see the oracle and why does she need to have him guarding her now?

All of the programs we’ve encountered this far in the movies, have their own special purposes. It seems some sample emotions, languages, investigate the human psyche etc. etc.
The oracle made a choice sometime between M1 and M2, that’s made it necessary for her to be protected. She even says as much in Enter the Matrix when she talks to Niobe. The choice to help Neo. That’s why she needs protection and is hiding out here and there.
Who Seraph is, though, is a good question. A fighting program, or a test-program doesn’t explain a) why he glows in the Matrix, and b) how he can call outside the Matrix to the Logos.
He IS an A.I. though. Just as Persephone uses a kiss for identification and learning, Serpah uses a fight to identify and learn. Maybe he’s the digital self of a former One?