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The cumulative hierarchy is a transitive class even without the ambient Axiom of foundation. If $a$ is a nonempty member, choose the least ordinal $\alpha$ with $a\cap V_{\alpha }\ne \varnothing$. It is a successor $\beta +1$. An element $x$ of that intersection is a subset of $V_{\beta }$, while $a$ has no element in $V_{\beta }$, so $a\cap x=\varnothing$. This proves internal Foundation. If the hierarchy also satisfies the other ZF axioms, restricting every quantifier of a finite ZF proof to this definable class translates it into a proof from ZF without foundation. Thus adjoining Foundation preserves consistency relative to the remaining axioms.

Here $Z{F}^{\ast }$ denotes ZF without foundation. Transfinite recursion on ordinals defines the cumulative hierarchy byThe associated class is $V=\{x:\exists \alpha \in \mathrm{Ord}(x\in V_{\alpha })\}$. Each level is a set, while $V$ is a definable class. Without Foundation it need not contain every ambient set; it consists of the sets built by this well-founded hierarchy.

In first-order set theory a class in set theory is a definable collection, written schematically $\{x:\theta (x,\vec{p})\}$ using a logical formula and set parameters. A class term is an abbreviation for such a defining condition; it does not add a new kind of object to the quantifiers of ZF. A class in set theory is proper if it is not the collection of elements of any set.

Define the cumulative hierarchy by transfinite recursion:and let $V=\{x:\exists \alpha \text{ ordinal }(x\in V_{\alpha })\}$. Without foundation this denotes the well-founded part produced by the hierarchy; it must not simply be assumed to contain every ambient set. Transfinite recursion on ordinals and the relevant set constructions remain available in ZF without foundation.

Prove transitivity by transfinite induction. The empty stage is transitive. Suppose $T=V_{\alpha }$ is transitive. Then each member of $T$ is a subset of $T$, so $T\subseteq \mathcal{P}(T)$. Also $\mathcal{P}(T)$ is transitive: if $u\in v\in \mathcal{P}(T)$, then $u\in T$ and, by transitivity of $T$, $u\subseteq T$, so $u\in \mathcal{P}(T)$. At a limit stage, a union of transitive sets is transitive. This proves transitivity at every stage.

Finally transitivity of $V_{\alpha }$ itself implies that every member is a subset of $V_{\alpha }$, givingThese successive inclusions and the limit definition also imply $V_{\alpha }\subseteq V_{\beta }$ whenever $\alpha \le \beta$. The argument has not used foundation. This leaf includes the unnumbered definitions preceding the source's three claims.

ZF without foundation consists of the axioms of Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory with the Axiom of foundation omitted. Ordinal-indexed transfinite recursion still defines the cumulative hierarchy. Its union is the well-founded part and need not include all ambient sets.