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Angel

In various theistic religious traditions, an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.

The Archangel Michael wears a Roman military cloak and cuirass in this 17th-century depiction by Guido Reni.
Schutzengel (English: "Guardian Angel") by Bernhard Plockhorst depicts a guardian angel watching over two children.
Jacob Wrestling with the Angel, by Gustave Doré in 1855

Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God and humanity.[1][2] Other roles include protectors and guides for humans, such as guardian angels, and servants of God.[3] Abrahamic religions describe angelic hierarchies, which vary by religion and sect. Some angels have specific names (such as Gabriel or Michael) or titles (such as seraph or archangel). Those expelled from Heaven are called fallen angels, distinct from the heavenly host.

The Wounded Angel, Hugo Simberg, 1903, voted Finland's "national painting" in 2006

Angels in art are often identified with bird wings,[4] halos,[5] and divine light. They are usually shaped like humans of extraordinary beauty, though this is not always the case—sometimes, they can be portrayed in a frightening, inhuman manner.[6]

Etymology edit

The word angel arrives in modern English from Old English engel (with a hard g) and the Old French angele.[7] Both of these derive from Late Latin angelus, which in turn was borrowed from Late Greek ἄγγελος angelos (literally "messenger").[8] Τhe word's earliest form is Mycenaean a-ke-ro, attested in Linear B syllabic script.[9] According to the Dutch linguist R. S. P. Beekes, ángelos itself may be "an Oriental loan, like ἄγγαρος (ángaros, 'Persian mounted courier')."[10]

The rendering of "ángelos" is the Septuagint's default translation of the Biblical Hebrew term malʼākh, denoting simply "messenger" without connoting its nature. In the Latin Vulgate, this meaning becomes bifurcated: when malʼākh or ángelos is supposed to denote a human messenger, words like nuntius or legatus are applied. If the word refers to some supernatural being, the word angelus appears. Such differentiation has been taken over by later vernacular translations of the Bible, early Christian and Jewish exegetes and eventually modern scholars.[11]

Background edit

The concept of angels is historically best to be understood from different ideas of the concept of God throughout history. In polytheistic and animistic worldviews, supernatural powers (i.e. deities, spirits, daemons, etc.) were asssigned to different natural phenomena.[12](p102) Within a monotheistic framework, these powers were reconsidered to be servants of the supreme deity, turning autonomous supernatural beings into "angels".[12](p102)

By that, the concept of angels can best be understood as humanities' perception of the world, including natural phenomena and humans, to be controlled or influenced by supernatural powers ultimately under control of a supreme God.[12](p102) Prominent angels, such as Michael and Gabriel, reflect a connection to the Chief Semitic deity El. Even "bad" angels such as Satan, Samael, Iblis etc., can be understood as an operating force within the nature of humans, as responsible for selfish tendencies.[12](p102)

The idea of angels in early Hebrew scripture as supernatural agents is absent.[13] Instead, the Hebrew deity intervenes in human affairs, mostly by means of punishment.[14] Only in later thought of post-exilic and prophetic writings, the Biblical deity is conceptualized as distant and more merciful, his interventions replaced by the idea of angels.[14] However, such angels still carry out the gruesome attributes of God and can be both benevolent and malevolent.[14] The notion of angels as embodiment of good emerges only under influence of Zoroastrianism, in which the Devil is conceived as the principle of evil, with a hosts of demons, in battle with the holy entities (Aməša Spəṇta) created by Ahura Mazda (principle of good).[14][13]

Influence of dualistic tendencies and replacment of divine powers by angels is evident from the Qumram writings. In the Angelic Liturgy, the Hebrew term elim (deities, heavenly powers) is used for angelic beings and not for God.[15](p23) The War Scroll speaks about angels of light fighting against demonic beings of darkness.[15](p20)

Zoroastrianism edit

 
Relief of Angel, Taq-e Bostan

In Zoroastrianism there are different angel-like figures. For example, each person has one guardian angel, called Fravashi. They patronize human beings and other creatures, and also manifest God's energy. The Amesha Spentas have often been regarded as angels, although there is no direct reference to them conveying messages,[16] but are rather emanations of Ahura Mazda ("Wise Lord", God); they initially appeared in an abstract fashion and then later became personalized, associated with various aspects of creation.[17]

Judaism edit

In Judaism, angels (Hebrew: מַלְאָךְ mal’āḵ; "messenger"), are understood through interpretation of the Tanakh and in a long tradition as supernatural beings who stand by God in heaven, but are strictly to be distinguished from God (YHWH) and are subordinate to him. Occasionally, they can show selected people God's will and instructions.[18] In the Jewish tradition they are also inferior to humans since they have no will of their own and are able to carry out only one divine command.[19]

Hebrew Bible edit

 
Three angels hosted by Abraham, Ludovico Carracci (c. 1610–1612), Bologna, Pinacoteca Nazionale
 
Tobias and the Angel by Filippino Lippi, created between c. 1472 and c. 1482

The Torah uses the Hebrew terms מלאך אלהים (mal'āk̠ 'ĕlōhîm; "messenger of God"), מלאך יהוה (mal'āk̠ Yahweh; "messenger of the Lord"), בני אלהים (bənē 'ĕlōhîm; "sons of God") and הקודשים (haqqôd̠əšîm; "the holy ones") to refer to beings traditionally interpreted as angels. Later texts use other terms, such as העליונים (hā'elyônîm; "the upper ones").[citation needed]

The term 'מלאך' ('mal'āk̠') is also used in other books of the Hebrew Bible. In the early stages of Hebrew writings, the term refers to human messengers, not to supernatural entities.[14][20] A human messenger might be a prophet or priest, such as Malachi, "my messenger"; the Greek superscription in the Septuagint translation states the Book of Malachi was written "by the hand of his messenger" ἀγγέλου (angélu). Examples of a supernatural messenger[21] are the "Malak YHWH", who is either a messenger from God,[22] an aspect of God (such as the logos),[23] or God himself as the messenger (the "theophanic angel.")[21][24]

Michael D. Coogan notes that it is only in the late books that the terms "come to mean the benevolent semi-divine beings familiar from later mythology and art."[25] Daniel is the biblical book to refer to individual angels by name,[26] mentioning Gabriel in Daniel 9:21 and Michael in Daniel 10:13. These angels are part of Daniel's apocalyptic visions and are an important part of apocalyptic literature.[25][27]

In Daniel 7, Daniel receives a dream-vision from God. [...] As Daniel watches, the Ancient of Days takes his seat on the throne of heaven and sits in judgement in the midst of the heavenly court [...] an [angel] like a son of man approaches the Ancient One in the clouds of heaven and is given everlasting kingship.[28]

Coogan explains the development of this concept of angels: "In the postexilic period, with the development of explicit monotheism, these divine beings—the 'sons of God' who were members of the Divine Council—were in effect demoted to what are now known as 'angels', understood as beings created by God, but immortal and thus superior to humans."[25] This conception of angels is best understood in contrast to demons and is often thought to be "influenced by the ancient Persian religious tradition of Zoroastrianism, which viewed the world as a battleground between forces of good and forces of evil, between light and darkness."[25] One of these is hāššāṭān, a figure depicted in (among other places) the Book of Job.

Rabbinic Judaism edit

According to Rabbinic Judaism, the angels have no bodies, but are eternally living creatures created out of fire. The Babylonian Talmud reads as "The Torah was not given to ministering angels." (לא נתנה תורה למלאכי השרת) usually understood as a concession to human's imperfection, in contrast to the angels.[29] Thus, they occasionally appear in Midrashim as competition with humans.[30] The angels as heavenly beings, strictly following the laws of God, become jealous of God's affection for man. Humans, by following the Torah, in prayer, by resisting evil instincts (yetzer hara) and by teshuva, are preferred to the flawless angels. As a result, they are also inferior to humans in the Jewish tradition. In the Midrash, the plural of El (Elohim) used in Genesis in relation to the creation of human beings is explained by the presence of angels: God therefore consulted with the angels, but made the final decision alone. This story serves as an example, teaching that the powerful should also consult with the weak. God's own final decision highlights God's undisputable omnipotence.[30]

In post-Biblical Judaism, certain angels took on particular significance and developed unique personalities and roles. Although these archangels were believed to rank among the heavenly host, no systematic hierarchy ever developed. Metatron is considered one of the highest of the angels in Merkabah and Kabbalah mysticism and often serves as a scribe; he is briefly mentioned in the Talmud[31] and figures prominently in Merkabah mystical texts. Michael, who serves as a warrior[32] and advocate for Israel (Daniel 10:13), is looked upon particularly fondly.[33] Gabriel is mentioned in the Book of Daniel (Daniel 8:15–17) and briefly in the Talmud,[34] as well as in many Merkabah mystical texts. There is no evidence in Judaism for the worship of angels, but there is evidence for the invocation and sometimes even conjuration of angels.[26]

Philo of Alexandria identifies the angel with the Logos inasmuch as the angel is the immaterial voice of God. The angel is something different from God himself, but is conceived as God's instrument.[35]

Four classes of ministering angels minister and utter praise before the Holy One, blessed be He: the first camp (led by) Michael on His right, the second camp (led by) Gabriel on His left, the third camp (led by) Uriel before Him, and the fourth camp (led by) Raphael behind Him; and the Shekhinah of the Holy One, blessed be He, is in the centre. He is sitting on a throne high and exalted[36]

Later interpretations edit

According to Kabbalah, there are four worlds and our world is the last world: the world of action (Assiyah). Angels exist in the worlds above as a 'task' of God. They are an extension of God to produce effects in this world. After an angel has completed its task, it ceases to exist. The angel is in effect the task. This is derived from the book of Genesis when Abraham meets with three angels and Lot meets with two. The task of one of the angels was to inform Sara and Abraham of their coming child. The other two were to save Lot and to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.[26]

Jewish philosopher Maimonides explained his view of angels in his Guide for the Perplexed II:4 and II

... This leads Aristotle in turn to the demonstrated fact that God, glory and majesty to Him, does not do things by direct contact. God burns things by means of fire; fire is moved by the motion of the sphere; the sphere is moved by means of a disembodied intellect, these intellects being the 'angels which are near to Him', through whose mediation the spheres move ... thus totally disembodied minds exist which emanate from God and are the intermediaries between God and all the bodies [objects] here in this world.

— Guide for the Perplexed II:4, Maimonides

Maimonides had a neo-Aristotelian interpretation of the Bible. Maimonides writes that to the wise man, one sees that what the Bible and Talmud refer to as "angels" are actually allusions to the various laws of nature; they are the principles by which the physical universe operates.

For all forces are angels! How blind, how perniciously blind are the naive?! If you told someone who purports to be a sage of Israel that the Deity sends an angel who enters a woman's womb and there forms an embryo, he would think this a miracle and accept it as a mark of the majesty and power of the Deity, despite the fact that he believes an angel to be a body of fire one third the size of the entire world. All this, he thinks, is possible for God. But if you tell him that God placed in the sperm the power of forming and demarcating these organs, and that this is the angel, or that all forms are produced by the Active Intellect; that here is the angel, the "vice-regent of the world" constantly mentioned by the sages, then he will recoil.– Guide for the Perplexed II:4

 
One of Melozzo's musician (seraphim) angels from the Basilica dei Santi Apostoli, now in the sacristy of St. Peter's Basilica
 
Angel of the Revelation by William Blake, created between c. 1803 and c. 1805

Individuals edit

From the Jewish Encyclopedia, entry "Angelology".[26]

  • Michael (archangel) (translation: who is like God?), kindness of God, and stands up for the children of mankind
  • Gabriel (archangel) (translation: God is my strength), performs acts of justice and power

(Only these two angels are mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible; the rest are from extra-biblical tradition.)

  • Jophiel (translation: Beauty of God), expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden holding a flaming sword and punishes those who transgress against God
  • Metatron, heavenly scribe of God
  • Raphael (archangel) (translation: It is God who heals), God's healing force
  • Uriel (archangel) (translation: God is my light), leads humanity to destiny
  • Samael (archangel) (translation: Venom of God), angel of death—see also Malach HaMavet (translation: the angel of death)
  • Sandalphon (archangel) (translation: bringing together), battles Samael and brings mankind together

Christianity edit

 
An angel on a confessional in a Roman Catholic church in Warsaw as a metaphor of the seal of confession

In the early stage, the Christian concept of an angel characterized the angel as a 'messenger' of God. The word "angel" can be drawn to the term or role of a "messenger" throughout the Bible in both old and new testaments - (Hebrews 1:14) calls them "ministering [or serving] spirits", sent by God to aid the "heirs of salvation".[37] Later came identification of individual angelic messengers: Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and Uriel.[38] Then, in the space of slightly over two centuries (from the 3rd to the 5th) the image of angels took on definite characteristics both in theology and in art.[39] Ellen Muehlberger has argued that in Late Antiquity, angels were conceived of as one type of being among many, whose primary purpose was to guard and to guide Christians.[40]

Bible edit

Angels are represented throughout Bibles as spiritual beings which are intermediate between God and humanity: "For thou hast made him [man] a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour" (Psalms 8:4–5). Christians believe that angels are created beings, based on (Psalms 148:2–5; Colossians 1:16). Greek translations of the Hebrew Bible refer to intermediary beings as angels, instead of daimons, thus giving raise to a distinction between demons and angels.[41] In the Old Testament, both benevolent and fierce angels are mentioned, but never called demons. The symmetry lies between angels sent by God, and intermediary spirits of foreign deities, not in good and evil deeds.[42]

In the New Testament, the existence of angels, just like that of demons, is taken for granted.[43] They can intervene and intercede on behalf of humans. Angels protect the righteous (Matthew 4:6, Luke 4:11). They dwell in the heavens (Matthew 28:2, John 1:51), act as God's warriors (Matthew 26:53) and worship God (Luke 2:13).[44] In the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus, angels behave as psychopomps. The Resurrection of Jesus features angels, telling the woman that Jesus is no longer in the tomb, but has risen from the dead.[45]

Interaction with humans edit

 
Kristus i Getsemane (1873), an angel comforting Jesus before his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, by Carl Heinrich Bloch (1834–1890)

Forget not to show love unto strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.—Hebrews 13:2

According to Jesus' statement, angels of Heaven don't marry (Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25, and Luke 20:34–46).[46]

Three separate cases of angelic interaction deal with the births of John the Baptist and Jesus. In (Luke 1:11), an angel appears to Zechariah to inform him that he will have a child despite his old age, thus proclaiming the birth of John the Baptist. In Luke 1:26, Gabriel visits Mary in the Annunciation to foretell the birth of Jesus. Angels proclaim the birth of Jesus in the Adoration of the shepherds in Luke 2:10.[47]

According to Matthew 4:11, after Jesus spent 40 days in the desert, "...the Devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him." In Luke 22:43 an angel comforts Jesus during the Agony in the Garden.[48] In Matthew 28:5 an angel speaks at the empty tomb, following the Resurrection of Jesus and the rolling back of the stone by angels.[47]

In 1851 Pope Pius IX approved the Chaplet of Saint Michael based on the 1751 reported private revelation from archangel Michael to the Carmelite nun Antonia d'Astonac.[49] In a biography of Gemma Galgani written by Germanus Ruoppolo, Galgani stated that she had spoken with her guardian angel.

Pope John Paul II emphasized the role of angels in Catholic teachings in his 1986 address titled "Angels Participate In History Of Salvation", in which he suggested that modern mentality should come to see the importance of angels.[50]

According to the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, "The practice of assigning names to the Holy Angels should be discouraged, except in the cases of Gabriel, Raphael and Michael whose names are contained in Holy Scripture."[51]

Theology edit

According to Augustine of Hippo, the term 'angel' refers to "the name of their office, not [...] their nature", as they are pure spirits who act as messengers, clarifying: "If you seek the name of their nature, it is 'spirit'; if you seek the name of their office, it is 'angel': from what they are, 'spirit', from what they do, 'angel'."[52] Gregory of Nazianzus thought that angels were made as "spirits" and "flames of fire", following Hebrews 1, and that they can be identified with the "thrones, dominions, rulers and authorities" of Colossians 1.[40]

By the late 4th century, the Church Fathers agreed that there were different categories of angels, with appropriate missions and activities assigned to them. There was, however, some disagreement regarding the nature of angels. Some argued that angels had physical bodies,[53] while some maintained that they were entirely spiritual. Some theologians had proposed that angels were not divine but on the level of immaterial beings subordinate to the Trinity. The resolution of this Trinitarian dispute included the development of doctrine about angels.[54]

Forty Gospel Homilies by Pope Gregory I (c. 540 – 12 March 604) noted angels and archangels.[55] The Fourth Lateran Council's (1215) Firmiter credimus decree (issued against the Albigenses) declared that the angels were created beings and that men were created after them. The First Vatican Council (1869) repeated this declaration in Dei Filius, the "Dogmatic constitution on the Catholic faith".

In the Middle Ages, theologians had to address Augustine's ideas of "angelic knowledge", as set out in De Genesi ad litteram, which he divided into "morning" knowledge, knowledge of Creation before it is created derived from direct access to the Word of God, and "evening" knowledge, knowledge of Creation derived from perceiving it after it has been created.[56]Thomas Aquinas (13th century) related angels to Aristotle's metaphysics in his Summa contra Gentiles,[57] Summa Theologica,[58] the 8th question of Quaestiones Disputatae de Veritate,[56] and in De substantiis separatis,[59] a treatise on angelology.

Aquinas varied significantly from the Augustinian view in two major respects: angels were not created in an initial state of bliss, and only beatified angels have "morning" knowledge.[60] In other words: angels have an angelic nature, but in their natural states have no access to Divine "morning" knowledge of Creation, which they only gain with supernatural assistance.[61] This was Aquinas' most original contribution to Christian angelology.[60] Although angels have greater knowledge than men, they are not omniscient, as Matthew 24:36 points out.[62]

According to the Summa Theologica, angels were created instantaneously by God in a state of grace in the Empyrean Heaven (LXI. 4) at the same time when he created all the contents of the corporeal world (LXI. 3). They are pure spirits whose life consists in knowledge and love. Being bodiless, their knowledge is intellectual and not through senses (LIV. 5). Differently from humans, their knowledge is not acquired from the exterior world (having acquired all knowledge they would ever receive in the moment of their creation); moreover they attain to the truth of a thing at a single glance without need of reasoning (LV. a; LVIII. 3,4). They know all that passes in the external world (LV. 2) and the totality of creatures, but they don't know human secret thoughts that depends on human free will and thereby are not necessarily linked up with external events (LVII. 4). They don't know also the future unless God reveals it to them (LVII. 3).[63]

According to Aquinas, angels are the closest creatures to God. Therefore, like God, they are constituted by pure form without matter.[64] While they do not have a physical composition of matter and form (called ilemorphysm), they possess the metaphysical composition of act (the act of being[65]) and potency (their finite essence, yet without being[65]).[66] Each angel is a species which a unique individual belongs to; angels differ one from another by way of their unique and irrepetible form. In other words, form - and not matter - is their principle of individuation.[67]

The New Church (Swedenborgianism) edit

The New Church denominations that arose from the writings of theologian Emanuel Swedenborg have distinct ideas about angels and the spiritual world in which they dwell. Adherents believe that all angels are in human form with a spiritual body, and are not just minds without form.[68] There are different orders of angels according to the three heavens,[69] and each angel dwells in one of innumerable societies of angels. Such a society of angels can appear as one angel as a whole.[70]

All angels originate from the human race, and there is not one angel in heaven who first did not live in a material body.[71] Moreover, all children who die not only enter heaven but eventually become angels.[72] The life of angels is that of usefulness, and their functions are so many that they cannot be enumerated. However each angel will enter a service according to the use that they had performed in their earthly life.[73] Names of angels, such as Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, signify a particular angelic function rather than an individual being.[74]

While living in one's body an individual has conjunction with heaven through the angels,[75] and with each person, there are at least two evil spirits and two angels.[76] Temptation or pains of conscience originates from a conflict between evil spirits and angels.[77] Due to man's sinful nature it is dangerous to have open direct communication with angels[78] and they can only be seen when one's spiritual sight has been opened.[79] Thus from moment to moment angels attempt to lead each person to what is good tacitly using the person's own thoughts.[80]

Latter Day Saints edit

 
Temple statue of the Angel Moroni, Bern, Switzerland

The Latter Day Saint movement views angels as the messengers of God. They are sent to mankind to deliver messages, minister to humanity, teach doctrines of salvation, call mankind to repentance, give priesthood keys, save individuals in perilous times, and guide humankind.[81]

Latter Day Saints believe that angels either are the spirits of humans who are deceased or who have yet to be born, or are humans who have been resurrected or translated and have physical bodies of flesh and bones.[82] Joseph Smith taught that "there are no angels who minister to this earth but those that do belong or have belonged to it."[83] As such, Latter Day Saints also believe that Adam, the first man, was and is now the archangel Michael,[84][85][86] and that Gabriel lived on the earth as Noah.[82] Likewise the Angel Moroni first lived in a pre-Columbian American civilization as the 5th-century prophet-warrior named Moroni.

Smith described his first angelic encounter in the following manner:

While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a light appearing in my room, which continued to increase until the room was lighter than at noonday, when immediately a personage appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his feet did not touch the floor.

He had on a loose robe of most exquisite whiteness. It was a whiteness beyond anything earthly I had ever seen; nor do I believe that any earthly thing could be made to appear so exceedingly white and brilliant ...

Not only was his robe exceedingly white, but his whole person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly like lightning. The room was exceedingly light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person. When I first looked upon him, I was afraid; but the fear soon left me.[87]

Most angelic visitations in the early Latter Day Saint movement were witnessed by Smith and Oliver Cowdery, who both said (prior to the establishment of the church in 1830) they had been visited by the prophet Moroni, John the Baptist, and the apostles Peter, James, and John. Later, after the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, Smith and Cowdery said they had been visited by Jesus, and subsequently by Moses, Elias, and Elijah.[88]

Others who said they received a visit by an angel include the other two of the Three Witnesses: David Whitmer and Martin Harris. Many other Latter Day Saints, both in the early and modern church, have said they had seen angels, although Smith posited that, except in extenuating circumstances such as the restoration, mortals teach mortals, spirits teach spirits, and resurrected beings teach other resurrected beings.[89]

Islam edit

 
Depiction of an angel in a Persian miniature (Iran, 1555)

Belief in angels is fundamental to Islam. The Quranic word for angel (Arabic: ملاك Malāk) derives either from Malaka, meaning "he controlled", due to their power to govern different affairs assigned to them,[90] or from the root either from ʼ-l-k, l-ʼ-k or m-l-k with the broad meaning of a "messenger", just like its counterparts in Hebrew (malʾákh) and Greek (angelos). Unlike their Hebrew counterpart, the term is exclusively used for heavenly spirits of the divine world, but not for human messengers. The Quran refers to both angelic and human messengers as "rasul" instead.[91] Contrary to popular belief, angels are never described as agents of revelation in the Quran, although interpretation credits Gabriel with that.[92]

The Quran is the principal source for the Islamic concept of angels.[93] Some of them, such as Gabriel and Michael, are mentioned by name in the Quran, others are only referred to by their function. In hadith literature, angels are often assigned to only one specific phenomenon.[94] Angels play a significant role in Mi'raj literature, where Muhammad encounters several angels during his journey through the heavens.[95] Further angels have often been featured in Islamic eschatology, Islamic theology and Islamic philosophy.[96] Duties assigned to angels include, for example, communicating revelations from God, glorifying God, recording every person's actions, and taking a person's soul at the time of death. Angels aren't limited to the benevolent tasks, but can also carry out grim orders. It is angels at the service of God, not demons, who guard and punish in hell.[97]

In Islam, just like in Judaism and Christianity, angels are often represented in anthropomorphic forms combined with supernatural images, such as wings, being of great size or wearing heavenly articles.[98] The Quran describes them as "messengers with wings—two, or three, or four: He [God] adds to Creation as He pleases..."[99] Common characteristics for angels are their missing needs for bodily desires, such as eating and drinking.[100] Their lack of affinity to material desires is also expressed by their creation from light: Angels of mercy are created from nur (cold light) in opposition to the angels of punishment created from nar (hot light).[101] Muslims do not generally share the perceptions of angelic pictorial depictions, such as those found in Western art.

Although believing in angels remain one of Six Articles of Faith in Islam, one can not find a dogmatic angelology in Islamic tradition. Despite this, scholars had discussed the role of angels from specific canonical events, such as the Mi'raj, and Quranic verses. Even if they are not in focus, they have been featured in folklore, philosophy debates and systematic theology. While in classical Islam, widespread notions were accepted as canonical, there is a tendency in contemporary scholarship to reject much material about angels, like calling the Angel of Death by the name Azra'il.[102]

Individual angels appear on talisman and may be evoked in exorcism rites, whose names are engraved in talismans or amulets.[103]

Some modern scholars have emphasized a metaphorical reinterpretation of the concept of angels.[104]

As pure servants edit

Based Quran describes angels in At-Tahrim 66:6 "not disobeying" and Al-Anbiya 21:19 of "not acting arrogant",[105] Muslim scholars developed a doctrine of angelic infallibility. According to this doctrine, angels are characterized as mere messengers between the earthly and the heavenly world. Salih bin Abdullah al Humaid, Imam of Masjid al-Haram, interpret this concept of angels as the exclusion of Satan and from the purity of angels.[106][107]

Hasan al-Basri, supports this argument by a Ḥadīth from Sahih Muslim distinguishing angels created from light and djānn created from fire.[108] He argues that djānn refers to Satan, and that Satan is the father of jinn and devils.[109]

As inhabitants of heaven edit

Scholars who assume that angels could sin argue that Surah At-Tahrim and Al-Anbiya praise angels for their obedience, because it is possible for them to fall.[110]: 546  Al-Maturidi (853–944 CE) states that the inhabitants of heaven were tested by adorenments, just as humans and jinn on earth were tested, pointing at Sūrat al-Kahf [Q. 18:7][111][112] Surah al-Anbiya (21:29) states that, if an angel were to claim divinity for himself, he would be sentenced to hell, often seen as a reference to Satan for those who include the possibility of fallen angels.[112][113]

They include Satan among the angels and name him ʿAzāzīl. When the Quran calls Satan "one of the jinn", they say it is a nisba for the term jannāt, the place he comes from. He is supposed to be appointed by God to chase the jinn away fromt he earth.[114] It is only after his disobedience and disregard for the creation of Adam, he becomes a shayṭān (devil).[114] Similarly, the angelic pair Harut and Marut are considered to have been banished from heaven for negative comments about humanity. However, the Islamic coneption of fallen angels is not about angelic revolt, but how tough it is to be a human.[115]

Baháʼí faith edit

In his Kitáb-i-Íqán Baháʼu'lláh, founder of the Baháʼí Faith, describes angels as people who "have consumed, with the fire of the love of God, all human traits and limitations", and have "clothed themselves" with angelic attributes and have become "endowed with the attributes of the spiritual". ʻAbdu'l-Bahá describes angels as the "confirmations of God and His celestial powers" and as "blessed beings who have severed all ties with this nether world" and "been released from the chains of self", and "revealers of God's abounding grace". The Baháʼí writings also refer to the Concourse on High, an angelic host, and the Maid of Heaven of Baháʼu'lláh's vision.[116]

I raised my hand another time, and bared one of Her breasts that had been hidden beneath Her gown. Then the firmament was illumined by the radiance of its light, contingent beings were made resplendent by its appearance and effulgence, and by its rays, infinite numbers of suns dawned forth, as though they trekked through heavens that were without beginning or end. I became bewildered at the pen of God's handiwork, and at what it had inscribed upon Her temple. It was as though She had appeared with a body of light in the forms of the spirit, as though She moved upon the earth of essence in the substance of manifestation. I noticed that the houris had poked their heads out of their rooms and were suspended in the air above Her. They grew perplexed at Her appearance and Her beauty and were entranced by the raptures of Her song. Praise be to Her creator, fashioner, and maker--to the one Who made Her manifest.

Then she nearly swooned within herself, and with all her being she sought to inhale My fragrance. She opened Her lips, and the rays of light dawned forth from Her teeth, as though the pearls of the cause had appeared from Her treasures and Her shells.

She asked, "Who art Thou?"

I said, "A servant of God and the son of his maidservant."[117]

— Tablet of the Maiden, Baháʼu'lláh

Neoplatonism edit

Philo of Alexandria already identified the Neo-Platonic interpretation of daemons as angels. The daemons were thought to be intermediary between the supernatural and earthly realm, interpreted by Philo as the Greek term for angels.[42]

In the commentaries of Proclus (4th century) on the Timaeus of Plato, Proclus uses the terminology of "angelic" (aggelikos) and "angel" (aggelos) in relation to metaphysical beings. According to Aristotle, just as there is a Prime Mover,[118] so too, must there be spiritual secondary movers.[119]

Ibn Sina, who drew upon the Neo-Platonistic emanation cosmology of Al-Farabi, developed an angelological hierarchy of Intellects, which are created by "the One". Therefore, the first creation by God was the supreme archangel followed by other archangels, who are identified with lower Intellects. From these Intellects again, emanated lower angels or "moving spheres", from which in turn, emanated other Intellects until it reaches the Intellect, which reigns over the souls. The tenth Intellect is responsible for bringing material forms into being and illuminating the minds.[120][121]

Sikhism edit

The poetry of the holy scripture of the Sikhs – the Sri Guru Granth Sahib – figuratively mentions a messenger or angel of death, sometimes as Yama (ਜਮ – "Yam") and sometimes as Azrael (ਅਜਰਾਈਲੁ – "Ajraeel"):

ਜਮ ਜੰਦਾਰੁ ਨ ਲਗਈ ਇਉ ਭਉਜਲੁ ਤਰੈ ਤਰਾਸਿ
The Messenger of Death will not touch you; in this way, you shall cross over the terrifying world ocean [ru], carrying others across with you.

— Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Siree Raag, First Mehl, p. 22.[122]

ਅਜਰਾਈਲੁ ਯਾਰੁ ਬੰਦੇ ਜਿਸੁ ਤੇਰਾ ਆਧਾਰੁ
Azraa-eel, the Messenger of Death, is the friend of the human being who has Your support, Lord.

— Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Tilang, Fifth Mehl, Third House, p. 724.[123]

In a similar vein, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib talks of a figurative Chitar (ਚਿਤ੍ਰ) and Gupat (ਗੁਪਤੁ):

ਚਿਤ੍ਰ ਗੁਪਤੁ ਸਭ ਲਿਖਤੇ ਲੇਖਾ ॥

ਭਗਤ ਜਨਾ ਕਉ ਦ੍ਰਿਸਟਿ ਨ ਪੇਖਾ

Chitar and Gupat, the recording angels of the conscious and the unconscious, write the accounts of all mortal beings, / but they cannot even see the Lord's humble devotees.

— Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Aasaa, Fifth Mehl, Panch-Pada, p. 393.[124]

However, Sikhism has never had a literal system of angels, preferring guidance without explicit appeal to supernatural orders or beings.[citation needed]

Esotericism edit

Hermetic Qabalah edit

According to the Kabbalah as described by the Golden Dawn there are ten archangels, each commanding one of the choirs of angels and corresponding to one of the Sephirot. It is similar to the Jewish angelic hierarchy.

Rank Choir of Angels Translation Archangel Sephirah
1 Hayot Ha Kodesh Holy Living Ones Metatron Keter
2 Ophanim Wheels Raziel Chokmah
3 Erelim Brave ones[125] Tzaphkiel Binah
4 Hashmallim Glowing ones, Amber ones[126] Tzadkiel Chesed
5 Seraphim Burning Ones Khamael Gevurah
6 Malakim Messengers, angels Raphael Tipheret
7 Elohim Godly Beings Uriel Netzach
8 Bene Elohim Sons of Elohim Michael Hod
9 Cherubim [127] Gabriel Yesod
10 Ishim Men (man-like beings, phonetically similar to "fires") Sandalphon Malkuth
 
Wheel of the 72 angels of God that exist throughout the course of a year. Here, the squares are meaningless and were only added for aesthetic value.

Theosophy edit

In the teachings of the Theosophical Society, Devas are regarded as living either in the atmospheres of the planets of the Solar System (Planetary Angels) or inside the Sun (Solar Angels) and they help to guide the operation of the processes of nature such as the process of evolution and the growth of plants; their appearance is reputedly like colored flames about the size of a human. It is believed by Theosophists that devas can be observed when the third eye is activated. Some (but not most) devas originally incarnated as human beings.[128]

It is believed by Theosophists that nature spirits, elementals (gnomes, undines, sylphs, and salamanders), and fairies also can be observed when the third eye is activated.[129] It is maintained by Theosophists that these less evolutionarily developed beings have never been previously incarnated as humans; they are regarded as being on a separate line of spiritual evolution called the "deva evolution"; eventually, as their souls advance as they reincarnate, it is believed they will incarnate as devas.[130]

It is asserted by Theosophists that all of the above-mentioned beings possess etheric bodies that are composed of etheric matter, a type of matter finer and more pure that is composed of smaller particles than ordinary physical plane matter.[130]

Other edit

The Greek magical papyri, a set of texts forming into a completed grimoire that date somewhere between 100 BC and 400 AD, also list the names of the angels found in monotheistic religions, but they are presented as deities.[131]

Numerous references to angels present themselves in the Nag Hammadi Library, in which they both appear as malevolent servants of the Demiurge and innocent associates of the aeons.[132]

Brahma Kumaris edit

The Brahma Kumaris uses the term "angel" to refer to a perfect, or complete state of the human being, which they believe can be attained through a connection with God.[133][134] It is expanded as a state of being rather than an entity.[133]

Yazidism edit

In Yazidism, there are seven Divine Beings (often called 'angels' in the literature) who were created by God prior to the creation of this world. God appointed Tawûsî Melek as their leader and assigned all of the world's affairs to these seven Divine Beings.[135] These Divine Beings are referred to as Tawûsî Melek, Melek Şemsedîn, Melek Nasirdîn, Melek Fexredîn, Melek Sicadîn, Melek Şêxsin and Melek Şêxûbekir.

In art edit

 
 
Two Baroque putti from southern Germany, mid-18th century, lindenwood, gilded and with original polychromy, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City)

According to mainstream Christian theology, angels are wholly spiritual beings and therefore do not eat, excrete or have sex, and have no gender. Although their different roles, such as warriors for some archangels, may suggest a human gender, Christian artists were careful not to given them specific gender attributes, at least until the 19th century, when some acquire breasts for example.[136]

 
16th century stone statue depicting the Angel of Portugal, at the Machado de Castro National Museum, in Portugal.

In an address during a General Audience of 6 August 1986, entitled "Angels participate in the history of salvation", Pope John Paul II explained that "[T]he angels have no 'body' (even if, in particular circumstances, they reveal themselves under visible forms because of their mission for the good of people)."[50] Christian art perhaps reflects the descriptions in Revelation 4:6–8 of the Four Living Creatures (Greek: τὰ τέσσαρα ζῷα) and the descriptions in the Hebrew Bible of cherubim and seraphim (the chayot in Ezekiel's Merkabah vision and the Seraphim of Isaiah). However, while cherubim and seraphim have wings in the Bible, no angel is mentioned as having wings.[137] The earliest known Christian image of an angel—in the Cubicolo dell'Annunziazione in the Catacomb of Priscilla (mid-3rd century)—is without wings. In that same period, representations of angels on sarcophagi, lamps and reliquaries also show them without wings,[138] as for example the angel in the Sacrifice of Isaac scene in the Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus (although the side view of the Sarcophagus shows winged angelic figures).

The earliest known representation of angels with wings is on the "Prince's Sarcophagus", attributed to the time of Theodosius I (379–395), discovered at Sarigüzel, near Istanbul, in the 1930s.[139] From that period on, Christian art has represented angels mostly with wings, as in the cycle of mosaics in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (432–440).[140] Four- and six-winged angels, drawn from the higher grades of angels (especially cherubim and seraphim) and often showing only their faces and wings, are derived from Persian art and are usually shown only in heavenly contexts, as opposed to performing tasks on earth. They often appear in the pendentives of church domes or semi-domes. Prior to the Judeo-Christian tradition, in the Greek world the goddess Nike and the gods Eros and Thanatos were also depicted in human-like form with wings.

John Chrysostom explained the significance of angels' wings:

They manifest a nature's sublimity. That is why Gabriel is represented with wings. Not that angels have wings, but that you may know that they leave the heights and the most elevated dwelling to approach human nature. Accordingly, the wings attributed to these powers have no other meaning than to indicate the sublimity of their nature.[141]

Angels are typically depicted in Mormon art as having no wings based on a quote from Joseph Smith ("An angel of God never has wings").[142]

In terms of their clothing, angels, especially the Archangel Michael, were depicted as military-style agents of God and came to be shown wearing Late Antique military uniform. This uniform could be the normal military dress, with a tunic to about the knees, an armour breastplate and pteruges, but was often the specific dress of the bodyguard of the Byzantine Emperor, with a long tunic and the loros, the long gold and jewelled pallium restricted to the Imperial family and their closest guards.

The basic military dress was shown in Western art into the Baroque period and beyond (see Reni picture above), and up to the present day in Eastern Orthodox icons. Other angels came to be conventionally depicted in long robes, and in the later Middle Ages they often wear the vestments of a deacon, a cope over a dalmatic. This costume was used especially for Gabriel in Annunciation scenes—for example the Annunciation in Washington by Jan van Eyck.

Some types of angels are described as possessing more unusual or frightening attributes, such as the fiery bodies of the Seraphim, and the wheel-like structures of the Ophanim.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ The Free Dictionary: "angel" 8 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 1 September 2012
  2. ^ . Religion Facts. Archived from the original on 6 April 2015.
  3. ^ Augustine of Hippo's Enarrationes in Psalmos 9 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine, 103, I, 15, augustinus.it (in Latin)
  4. ^ Proverbio (2007), pp. 90–95; compare review in La Civiltà Cattolica, 3795–3796 (2–16 August 2008), pp. 327–328.
  5. ^ Didron, Vol 2, pp.68–71.
  6. ^ Blau, Ludwig; Kohler, Kaufmann. "Angelology". Jewish Encyclopedia. from the original on 20 May 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  7. ^ . Oxford Dictionaries – English. Archived from the original on 12 May 2013.
  8. ^ Strong, James. "Strong's Greek". Biblehub.com. from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2017. Transliteration: aggelos Phonetic Spelling: (ang'-el-os)
  9. ^ palaeolexicon.com, a-ke-ro 2 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Palaeolexicon.
  10. ^ Beekes, R. S. P., Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Brill, 2009, p. 9.
  11. ^ Kosior, Wojciech (June 2013). "The Angel in the Hebrew Bible from the Statistic and Hermeneutic Perspectives. Some Remarks on the Interpolation Theory". The Polish Journal of Biblical Research. 12 (1 (23)): 55–70. from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  12. ^ a b c d Abu-Hamdiyyah, Muhammad. The Qur'an: an introduction. Routledge, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Barr, James. "The question of religious influence: The case of Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity." Journal of the American Academy of Religion 53.2 (1985): 201-235.
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  15. ^ a b Rees, Valery. From Gabriel to Lucifer: A cultural history of angels. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012.
  16. ^ Lewis, James R., Oliver, Evelyn Dorothy, Sisung Kelle S. (Editor) (1996), Angels A to Z, Entry: Zoroastrianism, pp. 425–427, Visible Ink Press, ISBN 0-7876-0652-9
  17. ^ Darmesteter, James (1880)(translator), The Zend Avesta, Part I 22 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine: Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 4, pp. lx–lxxii, Oxford University Press, 1880, at sacred-texts.com 20 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ Hermann Röttger: Mal'ak jhwh, Bote von Gott. Die Vorstellung von Gottesboten im hebräischen Alten Testament. Peter Lang Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1978, ISBN 3-261-02633-2 (zugl. Dissertation, Universität Regensburg 1977). Johann Michl: Engel (jüd.). In: RAC, Band 5. Hiersemann Verlag, Stuttgart 1962, p. 60–97. (German)
  19. ^ Joseph Hertz: Kommentar zum Pentateuch, hier zu Gen 19,17 EU. Morascha Verlag Zürich, 1984. Band I, p. 164. (German)
  20. ^ Jones, David Albert. Angels: a history. Oxford University Press, 2010. p. 3
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  23. ^ Frederick Copleston, A History of Philosophy, Volume 1, Continuum, 2003, p. 460.
  24. ^ Baker, Louis Goldberg. Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology: Angel of the Lord 12 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine "The functions of the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament prefigure the reconciling ministry of Jesus. In the New Testament, there is no mention of the angel of the Lord; the Messiah himself is this person."
  25. ^ a b c d Coogan, Michael D. (2009). A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament. Oxford University Press.
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  27. ^ Dunn, James D. G. (15 July 2010). Did the First Christians Worship Jesus?: The New Testament Evidence. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 67. ISBN 978-1-61164-070-0. God sends an angel to communicate with prophets, and an interpreter angel appears regularly in apocalyptic visions and as companion in heavenly journeys. One of the most fascinating features of several ancient stories is the appearance of what can be called theophanic angels; that is, angels who not only bring a message from God, but who represent God in personal terms, or who even may be said to embody God.
  28. ^ Chilton, Bruce D. (2002). "(The) Son of (The) Man, and Jesus". In Craig A. Evans (ed.). Authenticating the Words of Jesus. BRILL. p. 276. ISBN 0-391-04163-0. As described in the book of Daniel, "one like a son of man" is clearly identified as the messianic and angelic redeemer of Israel, a truly heavenly redeemer known to Israel as the archangel Michael.
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  103. ^ Patrick Hughes, Thomas Patrick Hughes Dictionary of Islam Asian Educational Services 1995 ISBN 978-81-206-0672-2 page 73
  104. ^ Guessoum, Nidhal (2010). Islam's Quantum Question: Reconciling Muslim Tradition and Modern Science. I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-0-85773-075-6.
  105. ^ Abdul-Rahman al-Sa'di; professor Shalih bin Abdullah bin Humaid from Riyadh Tafsir center; Imad Zuhair Hafidz from Markaz Ta'dhim Qur'an Medina (2016). "Surat al Anbiya ayah 19". Tafsirweb (in Indonesian and Arabic). Islamic University of Madinah; Ministry of Religious Affairs (Indonesia); Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance. Retrieved 30 January 2022. yaitu [dari] kalangan malaikat "mereka tiada mempunyai rasa angkuh untuk menyembahNya dan tiada (pula) merasa letih," maksudnya mereka tidak mengalami kebosanan dan tidak jemu lantaran besarnya motivasi mereka, sempurnanya cinta mereka dan kuatnya fisik-fisik mereka.
  106. ^ Abdul-Rahman al-Sa'di; professor Shalih bin Abdullah bin Humaid from Riyadh Tafsir center; Imad Zuhair Hafidz from Markaz Ta'dhim Qur'an Medina (2016). "Surat Al-Hijr Ayat 30". Tafsirweb (in Indonesian and Arabic). Islamic University of Madinah; Ministry of Religious Affairs (Indonesia); Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance. Retrieved 30 January 2022. 30. فَسَجَدَ الْمَلٰٓئِكَةُ كُلُّهُمْ أَجْمَعُونَ (Maka bersujudlah para malaikat itu semuanya bersama-sama) Mereka bersujud saat itu juga tanpa menunda-nunda;
  107. ^ Abdul-Rahman al-Sa'di; professor Shalih bin Abdullah bin Humaid from Riyadh Tafsir center; Imad Zuhair Hafidz from Markaz Ta'dhim Qur'an Medina (2016). "Surat Al-Hijr Ayat 31". Tafsirweb (in Indonesian and Arabic). Islamic University of Madinah; Ministry of Religious Affairs (Indonesia); Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance. Retrieved 30 January 2022. 31. إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰٓ أَن يَكُونَ مَعَ السّٰجِدِينَ (kecuali iblis. Ia enggan ikut besama-sama (malaikat) yang sujud itu) Terdapat pendapat mengatakan bahwa iblis termasuk dari jenis malaikat, namun ia enggan untuk bersujud karena keangkuhan dan kedengkiannya terhadap Adam, maka ia layak mendapat laknat dari Allah. Namun pendapat yang benar adalah ia bukan termasuk malaikat, namun ketika itu ia bersama para malaikat sehingga ia termasuk yang diperintah untuk bersujud, namun ia menolak melakukannya; 31. Kecuali Iblis - yang saat itu bersama para Malaikat dan ia bukan salah satu dari mereka - menolak untuk sujud kepada Adam bersama para Malaikat.
  108. ^ Muhammad Abduh Tuasikal (26 September 2023). "Serial 3 Alam Jin: Setan dan Iblis Bukan Malaikat" (in Indonesian). Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  109. ^ https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/can--cin (turkish)
  110. ^ ibn ʿUmar al-Baydawi, ʿAbd Allah (2016). The Lights Of Revelation And The Secrets Of Interpretation. Translated by Haddad, Gibril Fouad. Beacon Books and Media Limited. ISBN 9780992633578.
  111. ^ Saleh, Walid A. "Rereading al-Ṭabarī through al-Māturīdī: New light on the third century hijrī." Journal of Qur'anic Studies 18.2 (2016): 180-209.
  112. ^ a b Ulrich Rudolph Al-Māturīdī und Die Sunnitische Theologie in Samarkand Brill, 1997 ISBN 9789004100237 pp. 54-56
  113. ^ Yüksek Lisans Tezi Imam Maturidi'nin Te'vilatu'l-kur'an'da gaybi konulara İstanbul-2020 2501171277
  114. ^ a b Awn, Peter J. (1983). "Mythic Biography". Satan's Tragedy and Redemption: Iblīs in Sufi Psychology. Numen Book Series. Vol. 44. Leiden and Boston: Brill Publishers. pp. 18–56. doi:10.1163/9789004378636_003. ISBN 978-90-04-37863-6.
  115. ^ Dye, Guillaume. Early Islam: the sectarian milieu of late Antiquity?. Éditions de l'Université de Bruxelles, 2023.
  116. ^ Smith, Peter (2000). "angels". A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. 38–39. ISBN 1-85168-184-1.
  117. ^ "Tablet of the Maiden". bahai-library.com. from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  118. ^ Aristotle. Metaphysics. 1072a ff.
  119. ^ Aristotle. Metaphysics. 1073a13 ff.
  120. ^ Abdullah Saeed Islamic Thought: An Introduction Routledge 2006 ISBN 978-1-134-22565-1 p. 101
  121. ^ Mark Verman The Books of Contemplation: Medieval Jewish Mystical Sources SUNY Press 1992 ISBN 978-0-7914-0719-6 p. 129
  122. ^ "Sri Granth: Sri Guru Granth Sahib". srigranth.org. from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  123. ^ "Sri Granth: Sri Guru Granth Sahib". srigranth.org. from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  124. ^ "Sri Granth: Sri Guru Granth Sahib". srigranth.org. from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  125. ^ "Strong's Hebrew: 691. אֶרְאֵל (erel) – perhaps a hero". biblesuite.com. from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  126. ^ "Strong's Hebrew: 2830. חַשְׁמַל (chashmal) – perhaps amber". biblesuite.com. from the original on 28 August 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  127. ^ "Strong's Hebrew: 3742. כְּרוּב (kerub) – probably an order of angelic beings". biblesuite.com. from the original on 9 October 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  128. ^ Hodson, Geoffrey, Kingdom of the Gods ISBN 0-7661-8134-0—Has color pictures of what Devas supposedly look like when observed by the third eye—their appearance is reputedly like colored flames about the size of a human.
  129. ^ . 21 November 2002. Archived from the original on 21 November 2002. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  130. ^ a b Powell, A.E. The Solar System London:1930 The Theosophical Publishing House (A Complete Outline of the Theosophical Scheme of Evolution) See "Lifewave" chart (refer to index)
  131. ^ Betz, Hans (1996). The Greek Magical Papyri In Translation. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-04447-7. Entries: "Introduction to the Greek Magical Papyri" and "PGM III. 1-164/fourth formula".
  132. ^ James M. Robinson (1988). The Nag Hammadi Library. Read online for free at the Internet Archive.
  133. ^ a b Basava Journal, Volume 19. Basava Samiti, 1994 (Bangalore, India).
  134. ^ Peace & purity: the story of the Brahma Kumaris : a spiritual revolution By Liz Hodgkinson
  135. ^ Omarkhali, Khanna (2017). The Yezidi religious textual tradition, from oral to written : categories, transmission, scripturalisation, and canonisation of the Yezidi oral religious texts : with samples of oral and written religious texts and with audio and video samples on CD-ROM. Wiesbaden. ISBN 978-3-447-10856-0. OCLC 994778968.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  136. ^ "Because angels are purely spiritual creatures without bodies, there is no sexual difference between them. There are no male or female angels; they are not distinguished by gender.", p. 10, "Catholic Questions, Wise Answers", Ed. Michael J. Daley, St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2001, ISBN 978-0-86716-398-8. See also Catholic Answers 2 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine, which gives the standard, unchanged, Catholic position.
  137. ^ "Angel", The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia James Orr, editor, 1915 edition.
  138. ^ Proverbio (2007), pp. 81–89; cf. review in La Civiltà Cattolica, 3795–3796 (2–16 August 2008), pp. 327–328.
  139. ^ Proverbio (2007) p. 66.
  140. ^ Proverbio (2007), pp. 90–95
  141. ^ Proverbio (2007) p. 34.
  142. ^ "History of the Church, 3:392". Institute.lds.org. from the original on 23 January 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2012.

Sources edit

Further reading edit

  • Bamberger, Bernard Jacob, (15 March 2006). Fallen Angels: Soldiers of Satan's Realm. Jewish Publication Society of America. ISBN 0-8276-0797-0
  • Barker, Margaret (2004). An Extraordinary Gathering of Angels, M Q Publications. ISBN 978-1-84072-680-0
  • Bennett, William Henry (1911), "Angel" , in Chisholm, Hugh (ed.), Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 2 (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press, pp. 4–6
  • Briggs, Constance Victoria, 1997. The Encyclopedia of Angels : An A-to-Z Guide with Nearly 4,000 Entries. Plume. ISBN 0-452-27921-6.
  • Bunson, Matthew, (1996). Angels A to Z: A Who's Who of the Heavenly Host. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-517-88537-9.
  • Cheyne, James Kelly (ed.) (1899). Angel. Encyclopædia Biblica. New York, Macmillan.
  • Cruz, Joan Carroll, OCDS, 1999. Angels and Devils. TAN Books and Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0-89555-638-3
  • Cummings, Owen F., 2023. Angels In Scripture and Tradition, Paulist Press, New Jersey. ISBN 978-0-8091-5633-7
  • Davidson, A. B. (1898). "Angel". In James Hastings (ed.). A Dictionary of the Bible. Vol. I. pp. 93–97.
  • Davidson, Gustav, (1967). A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels. Free Press. ISBN 0-02-907052-X
  • Driver, Samuel Rolles (Ed.) (1901) The book of Daniel. Cambridge UP.
  • Graham, Billy, 1994. Angels: God's Secret Agents. W Pub Group; Minibook edition. ISBN 0-8499-5074-0
  • Guiley, Rosemary, 1996. Encyclopedia of Angels. ISBN 0-8160-2988-1
  • Jastrow, Marcus, 1996, A dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic literature compiled by Marcus Jastrow, PhD., Litt.D. with an index of Scriptural quotations, Vol 1 & 2, The Judaica Press, New York
  • Kainz, Howard P., "Active and Passive Potency" in Thomistic Angelology Martinus Nijhoff. ISBN 90-247-1295-5
  • Kreeft, Peter J. 1995. Angels and Demons: What Do We Really Know About Them? Ignatius Press. ISBN 0-89870-550-9
  • Leducq, M. H. (1853). "On the Origin and Primitive Meaning of the French word Ange". Proceedings of the Philological Society. 6 (132). from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  • Lewis, James R. (1995). Angels A to Z. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 0-7876-0652-9
  • Melville, Francis, 2001. The Book of Angels: Turn to Your Angels for Guidance, Comfort, and Inspiration. Barron's Educational Series; 1st edition. ISBN 0-7641-5403-6
  • Michalak, Aleksander R. (2012), Angels as Warriors in Late Second Temple Jewish Literature.Mohr Siebeck. ISBN 978-3-16-151739-6.
  • Miller, Stephen. (2019), The Book of Angels: Seen and Unseen. Cambridge Scholars Pub. ISBN 978-1-5275-3434-6. https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-5275-3434-6
  • Muehlberger, Ellen (2013). Angels in Late Ancient Christianity. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-993193-4
  • Oosterzee, Johannes Jacobus van. Christian dogmatics: a text-book for academical instruction and private study. Trans. John Watson Watson and Maurice J. Evans. (1874) New York, Scribner, Armstrong.
  • Proverbio, Cecilia (2007). La figura dell'angelo nella civiltà paleocristiana (in Italian). Assisi, Italy: Editrice Tau. ISBN 978-88-87472-69-1.
  • Ronner, John, 1993. Know Your Angels: The Angel Almanac With Biographies of 100 Prominent Angels in Legend & Folklore-And Much More! Mamre Press. ISBN 0-932945-40-6.
  • Smith, George Adam (1898) The book of the twelve prophets, commonly called the minor. London, Hodder and Stoughton.
  • Smith, William Robertson (1878), "Angel" , in Baynes, T. S. (ed.), Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 2 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, p. 26–28
  • Swedenborg E. Heaven and its Wonders and Hell From Things Heard and Seen (Swedenborg Foundation 1946), ISBN 0-554-62056-1 (Detailed information on angels and their life in heaven)
  • Swedenborg, E. Wisdom's Delight in Marriage ("Conjugial") Love: Followed by Insanity's Pleasure in Promiscuous Love (Swedenborg Foundation 1979 ISBN 0-87785-054-2) (Extensive review of angelic marriage)
  • von Heijne, Camilla, 2010. The Messenger of the Lord in Early Jewish Interpretations of Genesis. BZAW 412. De Gruyter, Berlin/New York, ISBN 978-3-11-022684-3
  • von Heijne, Camilla, 2015 "Angels" pp. 20–24 in The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Theology, vol. 1. Oxford University Press, New York. ISBN 978-0-19-023994-7

External links edit

  • Coptic Doxology of Heavenly Order
  • Zoroastrian angels
  • Jewish Encyclopedia entry on angels
  • Directory on popular piety and the liturgy. Principles and guidelines Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Directory of Popular Piety and the Liturgy, §§ 212–217, "The Holy Angels, Vatican City, December 2001]
  • Angels, BBC Radio 4 discussion with Martin Palmer, Valery Rees & John Haldane (In Our Time, Mar. 24, 2005)

angel, confused, with, angle, this, article, about, supernatural, beings, other, uses, disambiguation, ology, redirects, here, novel, ology, novel, various, theistic, religious, traditions, angel, supernatural, spiritual, being, serves, archangel, michael, wea. Not to be confused with Angle This article is about the supernatural beings For other uses see Angel disambiguation Angelology redirects here For the novel see Angelology novel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God The Archangel Michael wears a Roman military cloak and cuirass in this 17th century depiction by Guido Reni Schutzengel English Guardian Angel by Bernhard Plockhorst depicts a guardian angel watching over two children Jacob Wrestling with the Angel by Gustave Dore in 1855Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God and humanity 1 2 Other roles include protectors and guides for humans such as guardian angels and servants of God 3 Abrahamic religions describe angelic hierarchies which vary by religion and sect Some angels have specific names such as Gabriel or Michael or titles such as seraph or archangel Those expelled from Heaven are called fallen angels distinct from the heavenly host The Wounded Angel Hugo Simberg 1903 voted Finland s national painting in 2006Angels in art are often identified with bird wings 4 halos 5 and divine light They are usually shaped like humans of extraordinary beauty though this is not always the case sometimes they can be portrayed in a frightening inhuman manner 6 Contents 1 Etymology 2 Background 3 Zoroastrianism 4 Judaism 4 1 Hebrew Bible 4 2 Rabbinic Judaism 4 2 1 Later interpretations 4 3 Individuals 5 Christianity 5 1 Bible 5 1 1 Interaction with humans 5 2 Theology 5 3 The New Church Swedenborgianism 5 4 Latter Day Saints 6 Islam 6 1 As pure servants 6 2 As inhabitants of heaven 7 Bahaʼi faith 8 Neoplatonism 9 Sikhism 10 Esotericism 10 1 Hermetic Qabalah 10 2 Theosophy 10 3 Other 11 Brahma Kumaris 12 Yazidism 13 In art 14 See also 15 References 15 1 Sources 16 Further reading 17 External linksEtymology editThe word angel arrives in modern English from Old English engel with a hard g and the Old French angele 7 Both of these derive from Late Latin angelus which in turn was borrowed from Late Greek ἄggelos angelos literally messenger 8 The word s earliest form is Mycenaean a ke ro attested in Linear B syllabic script 9 According to the Dutch linguist R S P Beekes angelos itself may be an Oriental loan like ἄggaros angaros Persian mounted courier 10 The rendering of angelos is the Septuagint s default translation of the Biblical Hebrew term malʼakh denoting simply messenger without connoting its nature In the Latin Vulgate this meaning becomes bifurcated when malʼakh or angelos is supposed to denote a human messenger words like nuntius or legatus are applied If the word refers to some supernatural being the word angelus appears Such differentiation has been taken over by later vernacular translations of the Bible early Christian and Jewish exegetes and eventually modern scholars 11 Background editThe concept of angels is historically best to be understood from different ideas of the concept of God throughout history In polytheistic and animistic worldviews supernatural powers i e deities spirits daemons etc were asssigned to different natural phenomena 12 p102 Within a monotheistic framework these powers were reconsidered to be servants of the supreme deity turning autonomous supernatural beings into angels 12 p102 By that the concept of angels can best be understood as humanities perception of the world including natural phenomena and humans to be controlled or influenced by supernatural powers ultimately under control of a supreme God 12 p102 Prominent angels such as Michael and Gabriel reflect a connection to the Chief Semitic deity El Even bad angels such as Satan Samael Iblis etc can be understood as an operating force within the nature of humans as responsible for selfish tendencies 12 p102 The idea of angels in early Hebrew scripture as supernatural agents is absent 13 Instead the Hebrew deity intervenes in human affairs mostly by means of punishment 14 Only in later thought of post exilic and prophetic writings the Biblical deity is conceptualized as distant and more merciful his interventions replaced by the idea of angels 14 However such angels still carry out the gruesome attributes of God and can be both benevolent and malevolent 14 The notion of angels as embodiment of good emerges only under influence of Zoroastrianism in which the Devil is conceived as the principle of evil with a hosts of demons in battle with the holy entities Amesa Speṇta created by Ahura Mazda principle of good 14 13 Influence of dualistic tendencies and replacment of divine powers by angels is evident from the Qumram writings In the Angelic Liturgy the Hebrew term elim deities heavenly powers is used for angelic beings and not for God 15 p23 The War Scroll speaks about angels of light fighting against demonic beings of darkness 15 p20 Zoroastrianism editMain article Yazata nbsp Relief of Angel Taq e BostanIn Zoroastrianism there are different angel like figures For example each person has one guardian angel called Fravashi They patronize human beings and other creatures and also manifest God s energy The Amesha Spentas have often been regarded as angels although there is no direct reference to them conveying messages 16 but are rather emanations of Ahura Mazda Wise Lord God they initially appeared in an abstract fashion and then later became personalized associated with various aspects of creation 17 Judaism editMain article Angels in Judaism In Judaism angels Hebrew מ ל א ך mal aḵ messenger are understood through interpretation of the Tanakh and in a long tradition as supernatural beings who stand by God in heaven but are strictly to be distinguished from God YHWH and are subordinate to him Occasionally they can show selected people God s will and instructions 18 In the Jewish tradition they are also inferior to humans since they have no will of their own and are able to carry out only one divine command 19 Hebrew Bible edit nbsp Three angels hosted by Abraham Ludovico Carracci c 1610 1612 Bologna Pinacoteca Nazionale nbsp Tobias and the Angel by Filippino Lippi created between c 1472 and c 1482The Torah uses the Hebrew terms מלאך אלהים mal ak ĕlōhim messenger of God מלאך יהוה mal ak Yahweh messenger of the Lord בני אלהים bene ĕlōhim sons of God and הקודשים haqqod esim the holy ones to refer to beings traditionally interpreted as angels Later texts use other terms such as העליונים ha elyonim the upper ones citation needed The term מלאך mal ak is also used in other books of the Hebrew Bible In the early stages of Hebrew writings the term refers to human messengers not to supernatural entities 14 20 A human messenger might be a prophet or priest such as Malachi my messenger the Greek superscription in the Septuagint translation states the Book of Malachi was written by the hand of his messenger ἀggeloy angelu Examples of a supernatural messenger 21 are the Malak YHWH who is either a messenger from God 22 an aspect of God such as the logos 23 or God himself as the messenger the theophanic angel 21 24 Michael D Coogan notes that it is only in the late books that the terms come to mean the benevolent semi divine beings familiar from later mythology and art 25 Daniel is the biblical book to refer to individual angels by name 26 mentioning Gabriel in Daniel 9 21 and Michael in Daniel 10 13 These angels are part of Daniel s apocalyptic visions and are an important part of apocalyptic literature 25 27 In Daniel 7 Daniel receives a dream vision from God As Daniel watches the Ancient of Days takes his seat on the throne of heaven and sits in judgement in the midst of the heavenly court an angel like a son of man approaches the Ancient One in the clouds of heaven and is given everlasting kingship 28 Coogan explains the development of this concept of angels In the postexilic period with the development of explicit monotheism these divine beings the sons of God who were members of the Divine Council were in effect demoted to what are now known as angels understood as beings created by God but immortal and thus superior to humans 25 This conception of angels is best understood in contrast to demons and is often thought to be influenced by the ancient Persian religious tradition of Zoroastrianism which viewed the world as a battleground between forces of good and forces of evil between light and darkness 25 One of these is hassaṭan a figure depicted in among other places the Book of Job Rabbinic Judaism edit According to Rabbinic Judaism the angels have no bodies but are eternally living creatures created out of fire The Babylonian Talmud reads as The Torah was not given to ministering angels לא נתנה תורה למלאכי השרת usually understood as a concession to human s imperfection in contrast to the angels 29 Thus they occasionally appear in Midrashim as competition with humans 30 The angels as heavenly beings strictly following the laws of God become jealous of God s affection for man Humans by following the Torah in prayer by resisting evil instincts yetzer hara and by teshuva are preferred to the flawless angels As a result they are also inferior to humans in the Jewish tradition In the Midrash the plural of El Elohim used in Genesis in relation to the creation of human beings is explained by the presence of angels God therefore consulted with the angels but made the final decision alone This story serves as an example teaching that the powerful should also consult with the weak God s own final decision highlights God s undisputable omnipotence 30 In post Biblical Judaism certain angels took on particular significance and developed unique personalities and roles Although these archangels were believed to rank among the heavenly host no systematic hierarchy ever developed Metatron is considered one of the highest of the angels in Merkabah and Kabbalah mysticism and often serves as a scribe he is briefly mentioned in the Talmud 31 and figures prominently in Merkabah mystical texts Michael who serves as a warrior 32 and advocate for Israel Daniel 10 13 is looked upon particularly fondly 33 Gabriel is mentioned in the Book of Daniel Daniel 8 15 17 and briefly in the Talmud 34 as well as in many Merkabah mystical texts There is no evidence in Judaism for the worship of angels but there is evidence for the invocation and sometimes even conjuration of angels 26 Philo of Alexandria identifies the angel with the Logos inasmuch as the angel is the immaterial voice of God The angel is something different from God himself but is conceived as God s instrument 35 Four classes of ministering angels minister and utter praise before the Holy One blessed be He the first camp led by Michael on His right the second camp led by Gabriel on His left the third camp led by Uriel before Him and the fourth camp led by Raphael behind Him and the Shekhinah of the Holy One blessed be He is in the centre He is sitting on a throne high and exalted 36 Later interpretations edit According to Kabbalah there are four worlds and our world is the last world the world of action Assiyah Angels exist in the worlds above as a task of God They are an extension of God to produce effects in this world After an angel has completed its task it ceases to exist The angel is in effect the task This is derived from the book of Genesis when Abraham meets with three angels and Lot meets with two The task of one of the angels was to inform Sara and Abraham of their coming child The other two were to save Lot and to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah 26 Jewish philosopher Maimonides explained his view of angels in his Guide for the Perplexed II 4 and II This leads Aristotle in turn to the demonstrated fact that God glory and majesty to Him does not do things by direct contact God burns things by means of fire fire is moved by the motion of the sphere the sphere is moved by means of a disembodied intellect these intellects being the angels which are near to Him through whose mediation the spheres move thus totally disembodied minds exist which emanate from God and are the intermediaries between God and all the bodies objects here in this world Guide for the Perplexed II 4 MaimonidesMaimonides had a neo Aristotelian interpretation of the Bible Maimonides writes that to the wise man one sees that what the Bible and Talmud refer to as angels are actually allusions to the various laws of nature they are the principles by which the physical universe operates For all forces are angels How blind how perniciously blind are the naive If you told someone who purports to be a sage of Israel that the Deity sends an angel who enters a woman s womb and there forms an embryo he would think this a miracle and accept it as a mark of the majesty and power of the Deity despite the fact that he believes an angel to be a body of fire one third the size of the entire world All this he thinks is possible for God But if you tell him that God placed in the sperm the power of forming and demarcating these organs and that this is the angel or that all forms are produced by the Active Intellect that here is the angel the vice regent of the world constantly mentioned by the sages then he will recoil Guide for the Perplexed II 4 nbsp One of Melozzo s musician seraphim angels from the Basilica dei Santi Apostoli now in the sacristy of St Peter s Basilica nbsp Angel of the Revelation by William Blake created between c 1803 and c 1805Individuals edit From the Jewish Encyclopedia entry Angelology 26 Michael archangel translation who is like God kindness of God and stands up for the children of mankind Gabriel archangel translation God is my strength performs acts of justice and power Only these two angels are mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible the rest are from extra biblical tradition Jophiel translation Beauty of God expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden holding a flaming sword and punishes those who transgress against God Metatron heavenly scribe of God Raphael archangel translation It is God who heals God s healing force Uriel archangel translation God is my light leads humanity to destiny Samael archangel translation Venom of God angel of death see also Malach HaMavet translation the angel of death Sandalphon archangel translation bringing together battles Samael and brings mankind togetherChristianity edit nbsp An angel on a confessional in a Roman Catholic church in Warsaw as a metaphor of the seal of confessionMain article Christian angelology In the early stage the Christian concept of an angel characterized the angel as a messenger of God The word angel can be drawn to the term or role of a messenger throughout the Bible in both old and new testaments Hebrews 1 14 calls them ministering or serving spirits sent by God to aid the heirs of salvation 37 Later came identification of individual angelic messengers Gabriel Michael Raphael and Uriel 38 Then in the space of slightly over two centuries from the 3rd to the 5th the image of angels took on definite characteristics both in theology and in art 39 Ellen Muehlberger has argued that in Late Antiquity angels were conceived of as one type of being among many whose primary purpose was to guard and to guide Christians 40 Bible edit Angels are represented throughout Bibles as spiritual beings which are intermediate between God and humanity For thou hast made him man a little lower than the angels and hast crowned him with glory and honour Psalms 8 4 5 Christians believe that angels are created beings based on Psalms 148 2 5 Colossians 1 16 Greek translations of the Hebrew Bible refer to intermediary beings as angels instead of daimons thus giving raise to a distinction between demons and angels 41 In the Old Testament both benevolent and fierce angels are mentioned but never called demons The symmetry lies between angels sent by God and intermediary spirits of foreign deities not in good and evil deeds 42 In the New Testament the existence of angels just like that of demons is taken for granted 43 They can intervene and intercede on behalf of humans Angels protect the righteous Matthew 4 6 Luke 4 11 They dwell in the heavens Matthew 28 2 John 1 51 act as God s warriors Matthew 26 53 and worship God Luke 2 13 44 In the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus angels behave as psychopomps The Resurrection of Jesus features angels telling the woman that Jesus is no longer in the tomb but has risen from the dead 45 Interaction with humans edit nbsp Kristus i Getsemane 1873 an angel comforting Jesus before his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane by Carl Heinrich Bloch 1834 1890 Forget not to show love unto strangers for thereby some have entertained angels unawares Hebrews 13 2 According to Jesus statement angels of Heaven don t marry Matthew 22 30 Mark 12 25 and Luke 20 34 46 46 Three separate cases of angelic interaction deal with the births of John the Baptist and Jesus In Luke 1 11 an angel appears to Zechariah to inform him that he will have a child despite his old age thus proclaiming the birth of John the Baptist In Luke 1 26 Gabriel visits Mary in the Annunciation to foretell the birth of Jesus Angels proclaim the birth of Jesus in the Adoration of the shepherds in Luke 2 10 47 According to Matthew 4 11 after Jesus spent 40 days in the desert the Devil left him and behold angels came and ministered to him In Luke 22 43 an angel comforts Jesus during the Agony in the Garden 48 In Matthew 28 5 an angel speaks at the empty tomb following the Resurrection of Jesus and the rolling back of the stone by angels 47 In 1851 Pope Pius IX approved the Chaplet of Saint Michael based on the 1751 reported private revelation from archangel Michael to the Carmelite nun Antonia d Astonac 49 In a biography of Gemma Galgani written by Germanus Ruoppolo Galgani stated that she had spoken with her guardian angel Pope John Paul II emphasized the role of angels in Catholic teachings in his 1986 address titled Angels Participate In History Of Salvation in which he suggested that modern mentality should come to see the importance of angels 50 According to the Vatican s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments The practice of assigning names to the Holy Angels should be discouraged except in the cases of Gabriel Raphael and Michael whose names are contained in Holy Scripture 51 Theology edit Further information Christian theology According to Augustine of Hippo the term angel refers to the name of their office not their nature as they are pure spirits who act as messengers clarifying If you seek the name of their nature it is spirit if you seek the name of their office it is angel from what they are spirit from what they do angel 52 Gregory of Nazianzus thought that angels were made as spirits and flames of fire following Hebrews 1 and that they can be identified with the thrones dominions rulers and authorities of Colossians 1 40 By the late 4th century the Church Fathers agreed that there were different categories of angels with appropriate missions and activities assigned to them There was however some disagreement regarding the nature of angels Some argued that angels had physical bodies 53 while some maintained that they were entirely spiritual Some theologians had proposed that angels were not divine but on the level of immaterial beings subordinate to the Trinity The resolution of this Trinitarian dispute included the development of doctrine about angels 54 Forty Gospel Homilies by Pope Gregory I c 540 12 March 604 noted angels and archangels 55 The Fourth Lateran Council s 1215 Firmiter credimus decree issued against the Albigenses declared that the angels were created beings and that men were created after them The First Vatican Council 1869 repeated this declaration in Dei Filius the Dogmatic constitution on the Catholic faith In the Middle Ages theologians had to address Augustine s ideas of angelic knowledge as set out in De Genesi ad litteram which he divided into morning knowledge knowledge of Creation before it is created derived from direct access to the Word of God and evening knowledge knowledge of Creation derived from perceiving it after it has been created 56 Thomas Aquinas 13th century related angels to Aristotle s metaphysics in his Summa contra Gentiles 57 Summa Theologica 58 the 8th question of Quaestiones Disputatae de Veritate 56 and in De substantiis separatis 59 a treatise on angelology Aquinas varied significantly from the Augustinian view in two major respects angels were not created in an initial state of bliss and only beatified angels have morning knowledge 60 In other words angels have an angelic nature but in their natural states have no access to Divine morning knowledge of Creation which they only gain with supernatural assistance 61 This was Aquinas most original contribution to Christian angelology 60 Although angels have greater knowledge than men they are not omniscient as Matthew 24 36 points out 62 According to the Summa Theologica angels were created instantaneously by God in a state of grace in the Empyrean Heaven LXI 4 at the same time when he created all the contents of the corporeal world LXI 3 They are pure spirits whose life consists in knowledge and love Being bodiless their knowledge is intellectual and not through senses LIV 5 Differently from humans their knowledge is not acquired from the exterior world having acquired all knowledge they would ever receive in the moment of their creation moreover they attain to the truth of a thing at a single glance without need of reasoning LV a LVIII 3 4 They know all that passes in the external world LV 2 and the totality of creatures but they don t know human secret thoughts that depends on human free will and thereby are not necessarily linked up with external events LVII 4 They don t know also the future unless God reveals it to them LVII 3 63 According to Aquinas angels are the closest creatures to God Therefore like God they are constituted by pure form without matter 64 While they do not have a physical composition of matter and form called ilemorphysm they possess the metaphysical composition of act the act of being 65 and potency their finite essence yet without being 65 66 Each angel is a species which a unique individual belongs to angels differ one from another by way of their unique and irrepetible form In other words form and not matter is their principle of individuation 67 The New Church Swedenborgianism edit The New Church denominations that arose from the writings of theologian Emanuel Swedenborg have distinct ideas about angels and the spiritual world in which they dwell Adherents believe that all angels are in human form with a spiritual body and are not just minds without form 68 There are different orders of angels according to the three heavens 69 and each angel dwells in one of innumerable societies of angels Such a society of angels can appear as one angel as a whole 70 All angels originate from the human race and there is not one angel in heaven who first did not live in a material body 71 Moreover all children who die not only enter heaven but eventually become angels 72 The life of angels is that of usefulness and their functions are so many that they cannot be enumerated However each angel will enter a service according to the use that they had performed in their earthly life 73 Names of angels such as Michael Gabriel and Raphael signify a particular angelic function rather than an individual being 74 While living in one s body an individual has conjunction with heaven through the angels 75 and with each person there are at least two evil spirits and two angels 76 Temptation or pains of conscience originates from a conflict between evil spirits and angels 77 Due to man s sinful nature it is dangerous to have open direct communication with angels 78 and they can only be seen when one s spiritual sight has been opened 79 Thus from moment to moment angels attempt to lead each person to what is good tacitly using the person s own thoughts 80 Latter Day Saints edit nbsp Temple statue of the Angel Moroni Bern SwitzerlandThe Latter Day Saint movement views angels as the messengers of God They are sent to mankind to deliver messages minister to humanity teach doctrines of salvation call mankind to repentance give priesthood keys save individuals in perilous times and guide humankind 81 Latter Day Saints believe that angels either are the spirits of humans who are deceased or who have yet to be born or are humans who have been resurrected or translated and have physical bodies of flesh and bones 82 Joseph Smith taught that there are no angels who minister to this earth but those that do belong or have belonged to it 83 As such Latter Day Saints also believe that Adam the first man was and is now the archangel Michael 84 85 86 and that Gabriel lived on the earth as Noah 82 Likewise the Angel Moroni first lived in a pre Columbian American civilization as the 5th century prophet warrior named Moroni Smith described his first angelic encounter in the following manner While I was thus in the act of calling upon God I discovered a light appearing in my room which continued to increase until the room was lighter than at noonday when immediately a personage appeared at my bedside standing in the air for his feet did not touch the floor He had on a loose robe of most exquisite whiteness It was a whiteness beyond anything earthly I had ever seen nor do I believe that any earthly thing could be made to appear so exceedingly white and brilliant Not only was his robe exceedingly white but his whole person was glorious beyond description and his countenance truly like lightning The room was exceedingly light but not so very bright as immediately around his person When I first looked upon him I was afraid but the fear soon left me 87 Most angelic visitations in the early Latter Day Saint movement were witnessed by Smith and Oliver Cowdery who both said prior to the establishment of the church in 1830 they had been visited by the prophet Moroni John the Baptist and the apostles Peter James and John Later after the dedication of the Kirtland Temple Smith and Cowdery said they had been visited by Jesus and subsequently by Moses Elias and Elijah 88 Others who said they received a visit by an angel include the other two of the Three Witnesses David Whitmer and Martin Harris Many other Latter Day Saints both in the early and modern church have said they had seen angels although Smith posited that except in extenuating circumstances such as the restoration mortals teach mortals spirits teach spirits and resurrected beings teach other resurrected beings 89 Islam edit nbsp Depiction of an angel in a Persian miniature Iran 1555 Main article Angels in Islam Belief in angels is fundamental to Islam The Quranic word for angel Arabic ملاك Malak derives either from Malaka meaning he controlled due to their power to govern different affairs assigned to them 90 or from the root either from ʼ l k l ʼ k or m l k with the broad meaning of a messenger just like its counterparts in Hebrew malʾakh and Greek angelos Unlike their Hebrew counterpart the term is exclusively used for heavenly spirits of the divine world but not for human messengers The Quran refers to both angelic and human messengers as rasul instead 91 Contrary to popular belief angels are never described as agents of revelation in the Quran although interpretation credits Gabriel with that 92 The Quran is the principal source for the Islamic concept of angels 93 Some of them such as Gabriel and Michael are mentioned by name in the Quran others are only referred to by their function In hadith literature angels are often assigned to only one specific phenomenon 94 Angels play a significant role in Mi raj literature where Muhammad encounters several angels during his journey through the heavens 95 Further angels have often been featured in Islamic eschatology Islamic theology and Islamic philosophy 96 Duties assigned to angels include for example communicating revelations from God glorifying God recording every person s actions and taking a person s soul at the time of death Angels aren t limited to the benevolent tasks but can also carry out grim orders It is angels at the service of God not demons who guard and punish in hell 97 In Islam just like in Judaism and Christianity angels are often represented in anthropomorphic forms combined with supernatural images such as wings being of great size or wearing heavenly articles 98 The Quran describes them as messengers with wings two or three or four He God adds to Creation as He pleases 99 Common characteristics for angels are their missing needs for bodily desires such as eating and drinking 100 Their lack of affinity to material desires is also expressed by their creation from light Angels of mercy are created from nur cold light in opposition to the angels of punishment created from nar hot light 101 Muslims do not generally share the perceptions of angelic pictorial depictions such as those found in Western art Although believing in angels remain one of Six Articles of Faith in Islam one can not find a dogmatic angelology in Islamic tradition Despite this scholars had discussed the role of angels from specific canonical events such as the Mi raj and Quranic verses Even if they are not in focus they have been featured in folklore philosophy debates and systematic theology While in classical Islam widespread notions were accepted as canonical there is a tendency in contemporary scholarship to reject much material about angels like calling the Angel of Death by the name Azra il 102 Individual angels appear on talisman and may be evoked in exorcism rites whose names are engraved in talismans or amulets 103 Some modern scholars have emphasized a metaphorical reinterpretation of the concept of angels 104 As pure servants edit Based Quran describes angels in At Tahrim 66 6 not disobeying and Al Anbiya 21 19 of not acting arrogant 105 Muslim scholars developed a doctrine of angelic infallibility According to this doctrine angels are characterized as mere messengers between the earthly and the heavenly world Salih bin Abdullah al Humaid Imam of Masjid al Haram interpret this concept of angels as the exclusion of Satan and from the purity of angels 106 107 Hasan al Basri supports this argument by a Ḥadith from Sahih Muslim distinguishing angels created from light and djann created from fire 108 He argues that djann refers to Satan and that Satan is the father of jinn and devils 109 As inhabitants of heaven edit Scholars who assume that angels could sin argue that Surah At Tahrim and Al Anbiya praise angels for their obedience because it is possible for them to fall 110 546 Al Maturidi 853 944 CE states that the inhabitants of heaven were tested by adorenments just as humans and jinn on earth were tested pointing at Surat al Kahf Q 18 7 111 112 Surah al Anbiya 21 29 states that if an angel were to claim divinity for himself he would be sentenced to hell often seen as a reference to Satan for those who include the possibility of fallen angels 112 113 They include Satan among the angels and name him ʿAzazil When the Quran calls Satan one of the jinn they say it is a nisba for the term jannat the place he comes from He is supposed to be appointed by God to chase the jinn away fromt he earth 114 It is only after his disobedience and disregard for the creation of Adam he becomes a shayṭan devil 114 Similarly the angelic pair Harut and Marut are considered to have been banished from heaven for negative comments about humanity However the Islamic coneption of fallen angels is not about angelic revolt but how tough it is to be a human 115 Bahaʼi faith editIn his Kitab i Iqan Bahaʼu llah founder of the Bahaʼi Faith describes angels as people who have consumed with the fire of the love of God all human traits and limitations and have clothed themselves with angelic attributes and have become endowed with the attributes of the spiritual ʻAbdu l Baha describes angels as the confirmations of God and His celestial powers and as blessed beings who have severed all ties with this nether world and been released from the chains of self and revealers of God s abounding grace The Bahaʼi writings also refer to the Concourse on High an angelic host and the Maid of Heaven of Bahaʼu llah s vision 116 I raised my hand another time and bared one of Her breasts that had been hidden beneath Her gown Then the firmament was illumined by the radiance of its light contingent beings were made resplendent by its appearance and effulgence and by its rays infinite numbers of suns dawned forth as though they trekked through heavens that were without beginning or end I became bewildered at the pen of God s handiwork and at what it had inscribed upon Her temple It was as though She had appeared with a body of light in the forms of the spirit as though She moved upon the earth of essence in the substance of manifestation I noticed that the houris had poked their heads out of their rooms and were suspended in the air above Her They grew perplexed at Her appearance and Her beauty and were entranced by the raptures of Her song Praise be to Her creator fashioner and maker to the one Who made Her manifest Then she nearly swooned within herself and with all her being she sought to inhale My fragrance She opened Her lips and the rays of light dawned forth from Her teeth as though the pearls of the cause had appeared from Her treasures and Her shells She asked Who art Thou I said A servant of God and the son of his maidservant 117 Tablet of the Maiden Bahaʼu llahNeoplatonism editPhilo of Alexandria already identified the Neo Platonic interpretation of daemons as angels The daemons were thought to be intermediary between the supernatural and earthly realm interpreted by Philo as the Greek term for angels 42 In the commentaries of Proclus 4th century on the Timaeus of Plato Proclus uses the terminology of angelic aggelikos and angel aggelos in relation to metaphysical beings According to Aristotle just as there is a Prime Mover 118 so too must there be spiritual secondary movers 119 Ibn Sina who drew upon the Neo Platonistic emanation cosmology of Al Farabi developed an angelological hierarchy of Intellects which are created by the One Therefore the first creation by God was the supreme archangel followed by other archangels who are identified with lower Intellects From these Intellects again emanated lower angels or moving spheres from which in turn emanated other Intellects until it reaches the Intellect which reigns over the souls The tenth Intellect is responsible for bringing material forms into being and illuminating the minds 120 121 Sikhism editThis section uses texts from within a religion or faith system without referring to secondary sources that critically analyze them Please help improve this article November 2010 Learn how and when to remove this template message The poetry of the holy scripture of the Sikhs the Sri Guru Granth Sahib figuratively mentions a messenger or angel of death sometimes as Yama ਜਮ Yam and sometimes as Azrael ਅਜਰ ਈਲ Ajraeel ਜਮ ਜ ਦ ਰ ਨ ਲਗਈ ਇਉ ਭਉਜਲ ਤਰ ਤਰ ਸ The Messenger of Death will not touch you in this way you shall cross over the terrifying world ocean ru carrying others across with you Sri Guru Granth Sahib Siree Raag First Mehl p 22 122 ਅਜਰ ਈਲ ਯ ਰ ਬ ਦ ਜ ਸ ਤ ਰ ਆਧ ਰ Azraa eel the Messenger of Death is the friend of the human being who has Your support Lord Sri Guru Granth Sahib Tilang Fifth Mehl Third House p 724 123 In a similar vein the Sri Guru Granth Sahib talks of a figurative Chitar ਚ ਤ ਰ and Gupat ਗ ਪਤ ਚ ਤ ਰ ਗ ਪਤ ਸਭ ਲ ਖਤ ਲ ਖ ਭਗਤ ਜਨ ਕਉ ਦ ਰ ਸਟ ਨ ਪ ਖ Chitar and Gupat the recording angels of the conscious and the unconscious write the accounts of all mortal beings but they cannot even see the Lord s humble devotees Sri Guru Granth Sahib Aasaa Fifth Mehl Panch Pada p 393 124 However Sikhism has never had a literal system of angels preferring guidance without explicit appeal to supernatural orders or beings citation needed Esotericism editHermetic Qabalah edit See also Hermetic Qabalah According to the Kabbalah as described by the Golden Dawn there are ten archangels each commanding one of the choirs of angels and corresponding to one of the Sephirot It is similar to the Jewish angelic hierarchy Rank Choir of Angels Translation Archangel Sephirah1 Hayot Ha Kodesh Holy Living Ones Metatron Keter2 Ophanim Wheels Raziel Chokmah3 Erelim Brave ones 125 Tzaphkiel Binah4 Hashmallim Glowing ones Amber ones 126 Tzadkiel Chesed5 Seraphim Burning Ones Khamael Gevurah6 Malakim Messengers angels Raphael Tipheret7 Elohim Godly Beings Uriel Netzach8 Bene Elohim Sons of Elohim Michael Hod9 Cherubim 127 Gabriel Yesod10 Ishim Men man like beings phonetically similar to fires Sandalphon Malkuth nbsp Wheel of the 72 angels of God that exist throughout the course of a year Here the squares are meaningless and were only added for aesthetic value Theosophy edit In the teachings of the Theosophical Society Devas are regarded as living either in the atmospheres of the planets of the Solar System Planetary Angels or inside the Sun Solar Angels and they help to guide the operation of the processes of nature such as the process of evolution and the growth of plants their appearance is reputedly like colored flames about the size of a human It is believed by Theosophists that devas can be observed when the third eye is activated Some but not most devas originally incarnated as human beings 128 It is believed by Theosophists that nature spirits elementals gnomes undines sylphs and salamanders and fairies also can be observed when the third eye is activated 129 It is maintained by Theosophists that these less evolutionarily developed beings have never been previously incarnated as humans they are regarded as being on a separate line of spiritual evolution called the deva evolution eventually as their souls advance as they reincarnate it is believed they will incarnate as devas 130 It is asserted by Theosophists that all of the above mentioned beings possess etheric bodies that are composed of etheric matter a type of matter finer and more pure that is composed of smaller particles than ordinary physical plane matter 130 Other edit See also Magic in the Greco Roman world and Gnosticism The Greek magical papyri a set of texts forming into a completed grimoire that date somewhere between 100 BC and 400 AD also list the names of the angels found in monotheistic religions but they are presented as deities 131 Numerous references to angels present themselves in the Nag Hammadi Library in which they both appear as malevolent servants of the Demiurge and innocent associates of the aeons 132 Brahma Kumaris editThe Brahma Kumaris uses the term angel to refer to a perfect or complete state of the human being which they believe can be attained through a connection with God 133 134 It is expanded as a state of being rather than an entity 133 Yazidism editMain articles List of Yazidi holy figures and Yazidism Holy figures In Yazidism there are seven Divine Beings often called angels in the literature who were created by God prior to the creation of this world God appointed Tawusi Melek as their leader and assigned all of the world s affairs to these seven Divine Beings 135 These Divine Beings are referred to as Tawusi Melek Melek Semsedin Melek Nasirdin Melek Fexredin Melek Sicadin Melek Sexsin and Melek Sexubekir In art editMain articles Angels in art and Putto nbsp nbsp Two Baroque putti from southern Germany mid 18th century lindenwood gilded and with original polychromy in the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York City According to mainstream Christian theology angels are wholly spiritual beings and therefore do not eat excrete or have sex and have no gender Although their different roles such as warriors for some archangels may suggest a human gender Christian artists were careful not to given them specific gender attributes at least until the 19th century when some acquire breasts for example 136 nbsp 16th century stone statue depicting the Angel of Portugal at the Machado de Castro National Museum in Portugal In an address during a General Audience of 6 August 1986 entitled Angels participate in the history of salvation Pope John Paul II explained that T he angels have no body even if in particular circumstances they reveal themselves under visible forms because of their mission for the good of people 50 Christian art perhaps reflects the descriptions in Revelation 4 6 8 of the Four Living Creatures Greek tὰ tessara zῷa and the descriptions in the Hebrew Bible of cherubim and seraphim the chayot in Ezekiel s Merkabah vision and the Seraphim of Isaiah However while cherubim and seraphim have wings in the Bible no angel is mentioned as having wings 137 The earliest known Christian image of an angel in the Cubicolo dell Annunziazione in the Catacomb of Priscilla mid 3rd century is without wings In that same period representations of angels on sarcophagi lamps and reliquaries also show them without wings 138 as for example the angel in the Sacrifice of Isaac scene in the Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus although the side view of the Sarcophagus shows winged angelic figures The earliest known representation of angels with wings is on the Prince s Sarcophagus attributed to the time of Theodosius I 379 395 discovered at Sariguzel near Istanbul in the 1930s 139 From that period on Christian art has represented angels mostly with wings as in the cycle of mosaics in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major 432 440 140 Four and six winged angels drawn from the higher grades of angels especially cherubim and seraphim and often showing only their faces and wings are derived from Persian art and are usually shown only in heavenly contexts as opposed to performing tasks on earth They often appear in the pendentives of church domes or semi domes Prior to the Judeo Christian tradition in the Greek world the goddess Nike and the gods Eros and Thanatos were also depicted in human like form with wings John Chrysostom explained the significance of angels wings They manifest a nature s sublimity That is why Gabriel is represented with wings Not that angels have wings but that you may know that they leave the heights and the most elevated dwelling to approach human nature Accordingly the wings attributed to these powers have no other meaning than to indicate the sublimity of their nature 141 Angels are typically depicted in Mormon art as having no wings based on a quote from Joseph Smith An angel of God never has wings 142 In terms of their clothing angels especially the Archangel Michael were depicted as military style agents of God and came to be shown wearing Late Antique military uniform This uniform could be the normal military dress with a tunic to about the knees an armour breastplate and pteruges but was often the specific dress of the bodyguard of the Byzantine Emperor with a long tunic and the loros the long gold and jewelled pallium restricted to the Imperial family and their closest guards The basic military dress was shown in Western art into the Baroque period and beyond see Reni picture above and up to the present day in Eastern Orthodox icons Other angels came to be conventionally depicted in long robes and in the later Middle Ages they often wear the vestments of a deacon a cope over a dalmatic This costume was used especially for Gabriel in Annunciation scenes for example the Annunciation in Washington by Jan van Eyck Some types of angels are described as possessing more unusual or frightening attributes such as the fiery bodies of the Seraphim and the wheel like structures of the Ophanim nbsp Italian Gothic angel of the annunciation circa 1430 1440 Istrian limestone gesso and gilt 95 3 x 37 5 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art nbsp Southern German Baroque angel by Ignaz Gunther circa 1760 1770 lindenwood with traces of gesso 26 7 x 18 4 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art nbsp Arquebusier Angels hundreds of colonial paintings depicting these angels Colonial Bolivia and Peru 17th century were part of the Cusco Colonial Painting School nbsp The extraordinary looking Cherubim immediately to the right of Ezekiel and Ophanim the nested wheels appear in the chariot vision of Ezekiel nbsp An angel in the former coat of arms of Tenala nbsp Sopo Archangels a series of archangels painted around 1650 in colonial Colombia nbsp Apparition of Saint Michael ca 1686 by Cristobal de Villalpando Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral collection Colonial Mexico See also editAngel Buffy the Vampire Slayer Angel Beats Angel of the North Angels in art Apsara Chalkydri George Clayton Classification of demons Cupid and Erotes Dakini Demigod Elioud Eudaemon mythology Exorcism Gandharva Ghost Genius mythology Holy Spirit Hierarchy of angels In paradisum List of angels in theology List of films about angels Non physical entity Substance theory Uthra Valkyrie Watcher angel YakshaReferences edit The Free Dictionary angel Archived 8 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 1 September 2012 Angels in Christianity Religion Facts Archived from the original on 6 April 2015 Augustine of Hippo s Enarrationes in Psalmos Archived 9 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine 103 I 15 augustinus it in Latin Proverbio 2007 pp 90 95 compare review in La Civilta Cattolica 3795 3796 2 16 August 2008 pp 327 328 Didron Vol 2 pp 68 71 Blau Ludwig Kohler Kaufmann Angelology Jewish Encyclopedia Archived from the original on 20 May 2016 Retrieved 2 May 2016 angel Definition of angel in English by Oxford Dictionaries Oxford Dictionaries English Archived from the original on 12 May 2013 Strong James Strong s Greek Biblehub com Archived from the original on 4 March 2021 Retrieved 4 October 2017 Transliteration aggelos Phonetic Spelling ang el os palaeolexicon com a ke ro Archived 2 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine Palaeolexicon Beekes R S P Etymological Dictionary of Greek Brill 2009 p 9 Kosior Wojciech June 2013 The Angel in the Hebrew Bible from the Statistic and Hermeneutic Perspectives Some Remarks on the Interpolation Theory The Polish Journal of Biblical Research 12 1 23 55 70 Archived from the original on 17 June 2022 Retrieved 22 November 2013 a b c d Abu Hamdiyyah Muhammad The Qur an an introduction Routledge 2020 a b Barr James The question of religious influence The case of Zoroastrianism Judaism and Christianity Journal of the American Academy of Religion 53 2 1985 201 235 a b c d e The Encyclopedia of Religion Vol 1 New York Macmillan 1986 p 283 ISBN 0 02 909700 2 a b Rees Valery From Gabriel to Lucifer A cultural history of angels Bloomsbury Publishing 2012 Lewis James R Oliver Evelyn Dorothy Sisung Kelle S Editor 1996 Angels A to Z Entry Zoroastrianism pp 425 427 Visible Ink Press ISBN 0 7876 0652 9 Darmesteter James 1880 translator The Zend Avesta Part I Archived 22 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine Sacred Books of the East Vol 4 pp lx lxxii Oxford University Press 1880 at sacred texts com Archived 20 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine Hermann Rottger Mal ak jhwh Bote von Gott Die Vorstellung von Gottesboten im hebraischen Alten Testament Peter Lang Verlag Frankfurt am Main 1978 ISBN 3 261 02633 2 zugl Dissertation Universitat Regensburg 1977 Johann Michl Engel jud In RAC Band 5 Hiersemann Verlag Stuttgart 1962 p 60 97 German Joseph Hertz Kommentar zum Pentateuch hier zu Gen 19 17 EU Morascha Verlag Zurich 1984 Band I p 164 German Jones David Albert Angels a history Oxford University Press 2010 p 3 a b מ ל א ך Francis Brown S R Driver and Charles A Briggs eds A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament p 521 Retrieved 30 July 2012 Pope Hugh Angels Archived 1 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol 1 New York Robert Appleton Company 1907 accessed 20 October 2010 Frederick Copleston A History of Philosophy Volume 1 Continuum 2003 p 460 Baker Louis Goldberg Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology Angel of the Lord Archived 12 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine The functions of the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament prefigure the reconciling ministry of Jesus In the New Testament there is no mention of the angel of the Lord the Messiah himself is this person a b c d Coogan Michael D 2009 A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament Oxford University Press a b c d Angelology The Jewish Encyclopedia Archived from the original on 28 March 2010 Retrieved 30 July 2012 Dunn James D G 15 July 2010 Did the First Christians Worship Jesus The New Testament Evidence Westminster John Knox Press p 67 ISBN 978 1 61164 070 0 God sends an angel to communicate with prophets and an interpreter angel appears regularly in apocalyptic visions and as companion in heavenly journeys One of the most fascinating features of several ancient stories is the appearance of what can be called theophanic angels that is angels who not only bring a message from God but who represent God in personal terms or who even may be said to embody God Chilton Bruce D 2002 The Son of The Man and Jesus In Craig A Evans ed Authenticating the Words of Jesus BRILL p 276 ISBN 0 391 04163 0 As described in the book of Daniel one like a son of man is clearly identified as the messianic and angelic redeemer of Israel a truly heavenly redeemer known to Israel as the archangel Michael Hayes Christine The Torah was not Given to Ministering Angels Rabbinic Aspirationalism Talmudic Transgressions Brill 2017 123 160 a b Reinhard Gregor Kratz Hermann Spieckermann Gotterbilder Gottesbilder Weltbilder Griechenland und Rom Judentum Christentum und Islam Mohr Siebeck 2006 ISBN 978 3 16 148807 8 German Sanhedrin 38b and Avodah Zerah 3b Aleksander R Michalak Angels as Warriors in Late Second Temple Jewish Literature Tuebingen Mohr Siebeck 2012 Hannah Darrell D Michael and Christ Michael Traditions and Angel Christology in Early Christianity Tuebingen Mohr Siebeck 1999 cf Sanhedrin 95b Copleston Frederick Charles 2003 A history of philosophy Volume 1 Continuum International Publishing Group p 460 ISBN 0 8264 6895 0 Friedlander Gerald Pirke de Rabbi Eliezer Varda Books What the Bible says about Angels as Messengers www bibletools org Retrieved 7 October 2023 Barker Margaret 2004 An Extraordinary Gathering of Angels M Q Publications LA FIGURA DELL ANGELO NELLA CIVILTA PALEOCRISTIANA PROVERBIO CECILIA TAU Libro 27 December 2008 Archived from the original on 27 December 2008 Retrieved 23 September 2017 a b Muehlberger Ellen 2013 Angels in late ancient Christianity New York Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 993193 4 OCLC 806291246 Martin Dale Basil 2010 When Did Angels Become Demons Journal of Biblical Literature 129 4 657 677 doi 10 2307 25765960 ISSN 0021 9231 JSTOR 25765960 a b Martin Dale Basil 2010 When Did Angels Become Demons Journal of Biblical Literature 129 4 657 677 doi 10 2307 25765960 JSTOR 25765960 Loren T Stuckenbruck Gabriele Boccaccini 2016 Enoch and the Synoptic Gospels Reminiscences Allusions Intertextuality SBL Press p 119 ISBN 978 0 88414 118 1 Loren T Stuckenbruck Gabriele Boccaccini 2016 Enoch and the Synoptic Gospels Reminiscences Allusions Intertextuality SBL Press pp 112 113 ISBN 978 0 88414 118 1 Loren T Stuckenbruck Gabriele Boccaccini 2016 Enoch and the Synoptic Gospels Reminiscences Allusions Intertextuality SBL Press p 123 ISBN 978 0 88414 118 1 David Jeremiah 2013 Created in the Beginning Angels Who They Are and How They Help What the Bible Reveals Crown Publishing Group p 75 ISBN 9780307831293 OCLC 859530086 a b CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA Angels www newadvent org Archived from the original on 1 September 2006 Retrieved 29 October 2005 BibleGateway Luke 22 43 Biblegateway com Archived from the original on 15 July 2012 Retrieved 30 July 2012 Ann Ball 2003 Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices ISBN 0 87973 910 X page 123 a b Angels Participate In History Of Salvation Vatican va 6 August 1986 Archived from the original on 20 October 2012 Retrieved 30 July 2012 Directory on popular piety and the liturgy Principles and guidelines www vatican va Archived from the original on 23 June 2012 Retrieved 15 March 2020 Augustine En in Ps 103 1 15 PL 37 1348 Ludlow Morwenna 2012 Brakke David ed Demons Evil and Liminality in Cappadocian Theology PDF Journal of Early Christian Studies Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press 20 2 179 211 183 doi 10 1353 earl 2012 0014 hdl 10871 15370 ISSN 1067 6341 S2CID 145816767 Retrieved 11 November 2012 Proverbio 2007 pp 29 38 cf summary in Libreria Hoepli Archived 27 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine and review in La Civilta Cattolica 3795 3796 2 16 August 2008 pp 327 328 Pope Gregory I David Hurst OSB 1990 Homily 34 Forty Gospel Homilies Cistercian Publications p 287 ISBN 978 0 87907 623 8 You should be aware that the word angel denotes a function rather than a nature Those holy spirits of heaven have indeed always been spirits They can only be called angels when they deliver some message Moreover those who deliver messages of lesser importance are called angels and those who proclaim messages of supreme importance are called archangels And so it was that not merely an angel but the archangel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary a b Scribano 2022 p 11 Thomas Aquinas 46 Summa contra Gentiles Vol 2 Archived from the original on 3 March 2012 Retrieved 2 February 2011 Thomas Aquinas Treatise on The Angels Spirit Summa Theologiae The substance of the angels absolutely considered Prima Pars Q 50 Newadvent org Archived from the original on 2 November 2010 Retrieved 2 February 2011 Aquinas Thomas De substantiis separatis Josephkenny joyeurs com Archived from the original on 12 December 2010 a b Scribano 2022 p 12 Scribano 2022 pp 12 13 BibleGateway Matthew 24 36 Biblegateway com Archived from the original on 15 July 2012 Retrieved 30 July 2012 Pegues O P R P Thomas 1922 Cathechism of the Summa Theologica of Saint Thomas Aquinas for the Use of the Faithful Translated by Whitacre O P Aelred Leipzig St Athanasius Press pp 26 27 ISBN 978 1 7216 9547 8 nbsp This article incorporates text from this source which is in the public domain Edward Feser 2009 Aquinas A Beginner s Guide Simon and Schuster p 35 ISBN 978 1 78074 006 5 Archived from the original on 4 April 2023 Retrieved 22 February 2023 An angel says Aquinas is a form without matter and thus its essence corresponds to its form alone DEE 4 Does this mean that an angel as a pure form is also pure actuality devoid of potency By no means a b of essence and actus essendi in angels and from their consequent caused character to their potency act composition As quoted in John F Whippel 2020 Metaphysical Themes in Thomas Aquinas III Studies in philosophy and the history of philosophy Vol 63 CUA Press p 106 ISBN 978 0 8132 3355 0 ISSN 0585 6965 and JSTOR 24636655 ideo est in eo compositio actus et potencie Cfr Quodlibet IX question 4 article 1 corpus Rome Leonine edition 1996 vol 25 fasc 2 1 p 102 Column B lines 115 124 and p 103 column A lines 125 132 As quoted in Commentary on actus essendi Actus Essendi 2 March 2015 Archived from the original on 15 May 2023 Retrieved 15 May 2023 also quoted in Juan Jose Herrera 2015 El actus essendi en Tomas de Aquino Distincion evolucion y sintesis personal La fascinacion de ser metafisico Academia edu 55 90 Edouard Hugon 2013 Cosmology Translated with Notes by Francisco J Romero Carrasquillo Editiones Scholasticae p 196 ISBN 978 3 86838 531 1 Archived from the original on 4 April 2023 Retrieved 22 February 2023 Quote Another requirement is that there be a principle of individuation But certain beings namely angels lack a principle of individuation which is signate matter Hence the angelic form even though it is communicable in itself as species is not in fact communicated because there are no numerically distinct subjects that can receive it Swedenborg Emanuel Heaven and Hell 1758 Rotch Edition revised New York Houghton Mifflin and Company 1907 in The Divine Revelation of the New Jerusalem 2012 n 74 Arcana Coelestia n 459 Heaven and Hell n 51 53 Heaven and Hell n 311 Heaven and Hell n 416 Heaven and Hell n 387 393 Swedenborg Emanuel Heavenly Arcana or Arcana Coelestia 1749 58 AC Rotch Edition revised New York Houghton Mifflin and Company 1907 in The Divine Revelation of the New Jerusalem 2012 n 8192 3 Heaven and Hell n 291 298 Arcana Coelestia n 50 697 968 Arcana Coelestia n 227 Arcana Coelestia n 784 2 Heaven and Hell n 76 Arcana Coelestia n 5992 3 God s messengers those individuals whom he sends often from his personal presence in the eternal worlds to deliver his messages Luke 1 11 38 to minister to his children Acts 10 1 8 Acts 10 30 32 to teach them the doctrines of salvation Mosiah 3 to call them to repentance Moro 7 31 to give them priesthood and keys D amp C 13 128 20 21 to save them in perilous circumstances Nehemiah 3 29 31 Daniel 6 22 to guide them in the performance of his work Genesis 24 7 to gather his elect in the last days Matthew 24 31 to perform all needful things relative to his work Moro 7 29 33 such messengers are called angels a b LDS Bible Dictionary Angels Scriptures lds org 21 February 2012 Archived from the original on 12 March 2020 Retrieved 30 July 2012 Doctrine and Covenants 130 4 5 Archived 20 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints Chapter 6 The Fall of Adam and Eve Gospel Principles Salt Lake City Utah LDS Church 2011 pp 26 30 D amp C 107 24 Scriptures lds org 21 February 2012 Archived from the original on 21 December 2019 Retrieved 30 July 2012 Mark E Petersen Adam the Archangel Ensign November 1980 Joseph Smith History 1 30 33 Scriptures lds org 21 February 2012 Archived from the original on 20 June 2019 Retrieved 30 July 2012 D amp C 110 Scriptures lds org 21 February 2012 Archived from the original on 28 July 2019 Retrieved 30 July 2012 Robert J Matthews The Fulness of Times Ensign December 1989 Syed Anwer Ali Qurʼan the Fundamental Law of Human Life Surat ul Faateha to Surat ul Baqarah sections 1 21 Syed Publications 1984 University of Virginia Digitalized 22 Okt 2010 p 121 S R Burge Journal of Qurʼanic Studies The Angels in Surat al Malaʾika Exegeses of Q 35 1 Sep 2011 vol 10 No 1 pp 50 70 Welch A T Paret R and Pearson J D al Ḳurʾan in Encyclopaedia of Islam Second Edition Edited by P Bearman Th Bianquis C E Bosworth E van Donzel W P Heinrichs Consulted online on 05 May 2022 lt http dx doi org 10 1163 1573 3912 islam COM 0543 gt First published online 2012 First print edition ISBN 978 90 04 16121 4 1960 2007 section 2 Stephen Burge Angels in Islam Jalal al Din al Suyuti s al Haba ik fi akhbar al mala ik Routledge 2015 ISBN 978 1 136 50473 0 p 23 Stephen Burge Angels in Islam Jalal al Din al Suyuti s al Haba ik fi akhbar al mala ik Routledge 2015 ISBN 978 1 136 50473 0 p 79 Stephen Burge Angels in Islam Jalal al Din al Suyuti s al Haba ik fi akhbar al mala ik Routledge 2015 ISBN 978 1 136 50473 0 p 29 Stephen Burge Angels in Islam Jalal al Din al Suyuti s al Haba ik fi akhbar al mala ik Routledge 2015 ISBN 978 1 136 50473 0 p 22 Lange C R Locating hell in Islamic traditions conference booklet International symposium in Islamic Traditions 2012 Stephen Burge Angels in Islam Jalal al Din al Suyuti s al Haba ik fi akhbar al mala ik Routledge 2015 ISBN 978 1 136 50473 0 pp 97 99 Quran 35 1 Esposito 2002 pp 26 28 W Madelung Mala ika Encyclopaedia of Islam Online Gisela Webb Angel Encyclopaedia of the Qurʼan Online Cenap Cakmak Islam A Worldwide Encyclopedia 4 volumes ABC CLIO 18 05 2017 ISBN 978 1 61069 217 5 p 140 Jane Dammen McAuliffe Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾan Volume 3 Georgetown University Washington DC p 45 Stephen Burge Angels in Islam Jalal al Din al Suyuti s al Haba ik fi akhbar al mala ik 2015 ISBN 978 1 136 50473 0 part 1 1 and 1 2 Patrick Hughes Thomas Patrick Hughes Dictionary of Islam Asian Educational Services 1995 ISBN 978 81 206 0672 2 page 73 Guessoum Nidhal 2010 Islam s Quantum Question Reconciling Muslim Tradition and Modern Science I B Tauris ISBN 978 0 85773 075 6 Abdul Rahman al Sa di professor Shalih bin Abdullah bin Humaid from Riyadh Tafsir center Imad Zuhair Hafidz from Markaz Ta dhim Qur an Medina 2016 Surat al Anbiya ayah 19 Tafsirweb in Indonesian and Arabic Islamic University of Madinah Ministry of Religious Affairs Indonesia Ministry of Islamic Affairs Dawah and Guidance Retrieved 30 January 2022 yaitu dari kalangan malaikat mereka tiada mempunyai rasa angkuh untuk menyembahNya dan tiada pula merasa letih maksudnya mereka tidak mengalami kebosanan dan tidak jemu lantaran besarnya motivasi mereka sempurnanya cinta mereka dan kuatnya fisik fisik mereka Abdul Rahman al Sa di professor Shalih bin Abdullah bin Humaid from Riyadh Tafsir center Imad Zuhair Hafidz from Markaz Ta dhim Qur an Medina 2016 Surat Al Hijr Ayat 30 Tafsirweb in Indonesian and Arabic Islamic University of Madinah Ministry of Religious Affairs Indonesia Ministry of Islamic Affairs Dawah and Guidance Retrieved 30 January 2022 30 ف س ج د ال م ل ئ ك ة ك ل ه م أ ج م ع ون Maka bersujudlah para malaikat itu semuanya bersama sama Mereka bersujud saat itu juga tanpa menunda nunda Abdul Rahman al Sa di professor Shalih bin Abdullah bin Humaid from Riyadh Tafsir center Imad Zuhair Hafidz from Markaz Ta dhim Qur an Medina 2016 Surat Al Hijr Ayat 31 Tafsirweb in Indonesian and Arabic Islamic University of Madinah Ministry of Religious Affairs Indonesia Ministry of Islamic Affairs Dawah and Guidance Retrieved 30 January 2022 31 إ ل آ إ ب ل يس أ ب ى أ ن ي ك ون م ع الس ج د ين kecuali iblis Ia enggan ikut besama sama malaikat yang sujud itu Terdapat pendapat mengatakan bahwa iblis termasuk dari jenis malaikat namun ia enggan untuk bersujud karena keangkuhan dan kedengkiannya terhadap Adam maka ia layak mendapat laknat dari Allah Namun pendapat yang benar adalah ia bukan termasuk malaikat namun ketika itu ia bersama para malaikat sehingga ia termasuk yang diperintah untuk bersujud namun ia menolak melakukannya 31 Kecuali Iblis yang saat itu bersama para Malaikat dan ia bukan salah satu dari mereka menolak untuk sujud kepada Adam bersama para Malaikat Muhammad Abduh Tuasikal 26 September 2023 Serial 3 Alam Jin Setan dan Iblis Bukan Malaikat in Indonesian Retrieved 21 December 2023 https islamansiklopedisi org tr can cin turkish ibn ʿUmar al Baydawi ʿAbd Allah 2016 The Lights Of Revelation And The Secrets Of Interpretation Translated by Haddad Gibril Fouad Beacon Books and Media Limited ISBN 9780992633578 Saleh Walid A Rereading al Ṭabari through al Maturidi New light on the third century hijri Journal of Qur anic Studies 18 2 2016 180 209 a b Ulrich Rudolph Al Maturidi und Die Sunnitische Theologie in Samarkand Brill 1997 ISBN 9789004100237 pp 54 56 Yuksek Lisans Tezi Imam Maturidi nin Te vilatu l kur an da gaybi konulara Istanbul 2020 2501171277 a b Awn Peter J 1983 Mythic Biography Satan s Tragedy and Redemption Iblis in Sufi Psychology Numen Book Series Vol 44 Leiden and Boston Brill Publishers pp 18 56 doi 10 1163 9789004378636 003 ISBN 978 90 04 37863 6 Dye Guillaume Early Islam the sectarian milieu of late Antiquity Editions de l Universite de Bruxelles 2023 Smith Peter 2000 angels A concise encyclopedia of the Bahaʼi Faith Oxford Oneworld Publications pp 38 39 ISBN 1 85168 184 1 Tablet of the Maiden bahai library com Archived from the original on 6 June 2019 Retrieved 6 June 2019 Aristotle Metaphysics 1072a ff Aristotle Metaphysics 1073a13 ff Abdullah Saeed Islamic Thought An Introduction Routledge 2006 ISBN 978 1 134 22565 1 p 101 Mark Verman The Books of Contemplation Medieval Jewish Mystical Sources SUNY Press 1992 ISBN 978 0 7914 0719 6 p 129 Sri Granth Sri Guru Granth Sahib srigranth org Archived from the original on 25 May 2015 Retrieved 24 May 2015 Sri Granth Sri Guru Granth Sahib srigranth org Archived from the original on 25 May 2015 Retrieved 24 May 2015 Sri Granth Sri Guru Granth Sahib srigranth org Archived from the original on 25 May 2015 Retrieved 24 May 2015 Strong s Hebrew 691 א ר א ל erel perhaps a hero biblesuite com Archived from the original on 17 February 2013 Retrieved 5 December 2012 Strong s Hebrew 2830 ח ש מ ל chashmal perhaps amber biblesuite com Archived from the original on 28 August 2013 Retrieved 5 December 2012 Strong s Hebrew 3742 כ רו ב kerub probably an order of angelic beings biblesuite com Archived from the original on 9 October 2013 Retrieved 5 December 2012 Hodson Geoffrey Kingdom of the Gods ISBN 0 7661 8134 0 Has color pictures of what Devas supposedly look like when observed by the third eye their appearance is reputedly like colored flames about the size of a human Paintings of some of the devas claimed to have been seen by Hodson from his book Kingdom of the Gods Eskild Tjalve s paintings of devas nature spirits elementals and fairies 21 November 2002 Archived from the original on 21 November 2002 Retrieved 30 July 2012 a b Powell A E The Solar System London 1930 The Theosophical Publishing House A Complete Outline of the Theosophical Scheme of Evolution See Lifewave chart refer to index Betz Hans 1996 The Greek Magical Papyri In Translation University of Chicago Press ISBN 978 0 226 04447 7 Entries Introduction to the Greek Magical Papyri and PGM III 1 164 fourth formula James M Robinson 1988 The Nag Hammadi Library Read online for free at the Internet Archive a b Basava Journal Volume 19 Basava Samiti 1994 Bangalore India Peace amp purity the story of the Brahma Kumaris a spiritual revolution By Liz Hodgkinson Omarkhali Khanna 2017 The Yezidi religious textual tradition from oral to written categories transmission scripturalisation and canonisation of the Yezidi oral religious texts with samples of oral and written religious texts and with audio and video samples on CD ROM Wiesbaden ISBN 978 3 447 10856 0 OCLC 994778968 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Because angels are purely spiritual creatures without bodies there is no sexual difference between them There are no male or female angels they are not distinguished by gender p 10 Catholic Questions Wise Answers Ed Michael J Daley St Anthony Messenger Press 2001 ISBN 978 0 86716 398 8 See also Catholic Answers Archived 2 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine which gives the standard unchanged Catholic position Angel The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia James Orr editor 1915 edition Proverbio 2007 pp 81 89 cf review in La Civilta Cattolica 3795 3796 2 16 August 2008 pp 327 328 Proverbio 2007 p 66 Proverbio 2007 pp 90 95 Proverbio 2007 p 34 History of the Church 3 392 Institute lds org Archived from the original on 23 January 2020 Retrieved 30 July 2012 Sources edit Esposito John 2002 What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 515713 0 Scribano Emanuela 2022 Descartes Innatisms as Anti Augistinianism Descartes in Context Essays Oxford University Press ISBN 9780197649558 Further reading editBamberger Bernard Jacob 15 March 2006 Fallen Angels Soldiers of Satan s Realm Jewish Publication Society of America ISBN 0 8276 0797 0 Barker Margaret 2004 An Extraordinary Gathering of Angels M Q Publications ISBN 978 1 84072 680 0 Bennett William Henry 1911 Angel in Chisholm Hugh ed Encyclopaedia Britannica vol 2 11th ed Cambridge University Press pp 4 6 Briggs Constance Victoria 1997 The Encyclopedia of Angels An A to Z Guide with Nearly 4 000 Entries Plume ISBN 0 452 27921 6 Bunson Matthew 1996 Angels A to Z A Who s Who of the Heavenly Host Three Rivers Press ISBN 0 517 88537 9 Cheyne James Kelly ed 1899 Angel Encyclopaedia Biblica New York Macmillan Cruz Joan Carroll OCDS 1999 Angels and Devils TAN Books and Publishers Inc ISBN 0 89555 638 3 Cummings Owen F 2023 Angels In Scripture and Tradition Paulist Press New Jersey ISBN 978 0 8091 5633 7 Davidson A B 1898 Angel In James Hastings ed A Dictionary of the Bible Vol I pp 93 97 Davidson Gustav 1967 A Dictionary of Angels Including the Fallen Angels Free Press ISBN 0 02 907052 X Driver Samuel Rolles Ed 1901 The book of Daniel Cambridge UP Graham Billy 1994 Angels God s Secret Agents W Pub Group Minibook edition ISBN 0 8499 5074 0 Guiley Rosemary 1996 Encyclopedia of Angels ISBN 0 8160 2988 1 Jastrow Marcus 1996 A dictionary of the Targumim the Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi and the Midrashic literature compiled by Marcus Jastrow PhD Litt D with an index of Scriptural quotations Vol 1 amp 2 The Judaica Press New York Kainz Howard P Active and Passive Potency in Thomistic Angelology Martinus Nijhoff ISBN 90 247 1295 5 Kreeft Peter J 1995 Angels and Demons What Do We Really Know About Them Ignatius Press ISBN 0 89870 550 9 Leducq M H 1853 On the Origin and Primitive Meaning of the French word Ange Proceedings of the Philological Society 6 132 Archived from the original on 3 February 2019 Retrieved 20 September 2018 Lewis James R 1995 Angels A to Z Visible Ink Press ISBN 0 7876 0652 9 Melville Francis 2001 The Book of Angels Turn to Your Angels for Guidance Comfort and Inspiration Barron s Educational Series 1st edition ISBN 0 7641 5403 6 Michalak Aleksander R 2012 Angels as Warriors in Late Second Temple Jewish Literature Mohr Siebeck ISBN 978 3 16 151739 6 Miller Stephen 2019 The Book of Angels Seen and Unseen Cambridge Scholars Pub ISBN 978 1 5275 3434 6 https www cambridgescholars com product 978 1 5275 3434 6 Muehlberger Ellen 2013 Angels in Late Ancient Christianity Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 993193 4 Oosterzee Johannes Jacobus van Christian dogmatics a text book for academical instruction and private study Trans John Watson Watson and Maurice J Evans 1874 New York Scribner Armstrong Proverbio Cecilia 2007 La figura dell angelo nella civilta paleocristiana in Italian Assisi Italy Editrice Tau ISBN 978 88 87472 69 1 Ronner John 1993 Know Your Angels The Angel Almanac With Biographies of 100 Prominent Angels in Legend amp Folklore And Much More Mamre Press ISBN 0 932945 40 6 Smith George Adam 1898 The book of the twelve prophets commonly called the minor London Hodder and Stoughton Smith William Robertson 1878 Angel in Baynes T S ed Encyclopaedia Britannica vol 2 9th ed New York Charles Scribner s Sons p 26 28 Swedenborg E Heaven and its Wonders and Hell From Things Heard and Seen Swedenborg Foundation 1946 ISBN 0 554 62056 1 Detailed information on angels and their life in heaven Swedenborg E Wisdom s Delight in Marriage Conjugial Love Followed by Insanity s Pleasure in Promiscuous Love Swedenborg Foundation 1979 ISBN 0 87785 054 2 Extensive review of angelic marriage von Heijne Camilla 2010 The Messenger of the Lord in Early Jewish Interpretations of Genesis BZAW 412 De Gruyter Berlin New York ISBN 978 3 11 022684 3 von Heijne Camilla 2015 Angels pp 20 24 in The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Theology vol 1 Oxford University Press New York ISBN 978 0 19 023994 7External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Angels nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Angels Coptic Doxology of Heavenly Order Zoroastrian angels Jewish Encyclopedia entry on angels Directory on popular piety and the liturgy Principles and guidelines Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments Directory of Popular Piety and the Liturgy 212 217 The Holy Angels Vatican City December 2001 Angels BBC Radio 4 discussion with Martin Palmer Valery Rees amp John Haldane In Our Time Mar 24 2005 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Angel amp oldid 1194406171, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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