Angel

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Angel – a supernatural being, often depicted as a benevolent celestial messenger, associated with divine love and protection. Often symbolized by wings 👼👼 #divine #guardianangel

The word angel comes from Latin. late angĕlus, and this of the gr. ἄγγελος; means messenger or advertiser. We are talking about spiritual beings of divine origin who carry a message or act on behalf of God to help, assist, and protect human beings.

In the Bible they are called “Sons of God” (Gen 6, 2; Ps 29, 1; 89, 7); they form the divine senate (Job 1,6; Is 6, 2-3); (Rev 5:11). In the oldest texts we speak of the “Angel of Yahweh”, who is not clearly distinguished from God himself and is presented as a personification of his presence and message (Gen 16, 7; 21, 17-19, Judges 6, 11-24). Some are called archangels, cherubim, and seraphim (Gen 4, 24; Is 6, 6; 1 Thes 4, 16; Heb 9, 5; Jdt 9), others receive personal names (Michael, Gabriel, Raphael (Tob 3, 17; 12, 15; Lk 1, 19.26; Rev 12, 7; Heb 1, 4-. 13), invites us not to make them a reason for discussion and also speaks of angels, emissaries of Satan (Mt 25, 41; 2 Cor 11, 14; Rev 11). fallen angel.

Angelic characteristics

Although different religions and traditions explain the origin and purpose of angels in different ways, several general characteristics describe what an angel is.

God’s creation

Both religions and philosophy describe angels as purely spiritual beings that exist as emanations of a supreme being. An angel is “the immaterial voice of God” according to the philosopher Philo of Alexandria. This means that an angel is something apart from God, but was conceived as an instrument of Divinity. The Jewish philosopher Maimonides, in his Guide to the Perplexed, described angels as disembodied minds emanating from God. According to him, angels are intermediaries between God and the world.

Delivery courier

The word angel is thought to be derived from the Greek term “angelos,” meaning “messenger.” In the theology of Abrahamic religions, angels are generally in charge of giving a message from God to humans. In the Christian tradition, angels convey messages at the most important moments in the life of Jesus Christ, such as the Annunciation, his birth, and the agony in the garden. They also appear in the empty tomb after the Resurrection. The angels also announce other important events, such as the birth of Saint John the Baptist. In Islam, angels are identified as messengers of God.

Being of light

Angels are often described as “beings of light.” Since many traditions consider that angels are created by God for to help or give a message, they are associated with light because they are immaterial and ethereal. Those people who report encounters with angels generally describe their presence as luminous. Angels do not have a material body, although it is considered that they can materialize to carry out their mission.

God’s servant

An angel is recognized as a messenger of God and as a being of superior intelligence, great power, and pure holiness, but is not considered to have free will. An angel does not make decisions or generate judgments. Its mission is to serve God and human beings. According to modern interpretations, such as those suggested by the New Age movement, the purpose of angels is to serve and love unconditionally. In this way, they balance the acts or energies contrary to love generated by beings with free will.

Worker

In different spiritual traditions, the role of the angel as a messenger is reflected in ways that could be considered special jobs or tasks. For example, in Islam, it is said that angels bring the soul into the body, collect the soul of the dead, and record the good and bad events in people’s lives. In Christianity, the guardian angel or custodian is in charge of protecting a person throughout their life. According to Kabbalah, angels exist as an extension of God to produce effects in this world. Once the angel has finished his task, he ceases to exist. The angel is “the work” itself.

Although the concept of what an angel is varies according to the different interpretations that have emerged throughout the history of human spirituality, their general characteristics coincide. As emanations of Divinity, responsible for carrying his messages and carrying out his will, angels are the beings whose purpose is to fill the world with the presence of God.

Representation of angels in art

The first images, in the early Christian period, represent them as men; Later they will be human figures equipped with wings, with different connotations of age and sex. After Constantine’s edict regarding freedom of worship (313), the angel will be used as an iconographic reference. In the oldest Annunciation, that of the catacomb of Priscilla (2nd-3rd centuries), there is an angel without wings, either to deviate from the pagan iconographic repertoire or for greater fidelity to the biblical text, which speaks of angels similar in everything to men. They wear the typical Christian clothing, that is, a canopy over a tunic, they do not wear the chiton of winged victories nor are they naked. Over time they will wear a court dignitary costume or with liturgical characters, stoles, and dalmatic. Later the angels are given wings, implicit in the concept of being sent by God, of beings that fly. From the Renaissance onwards, with the danger of confusion with paganism gone, they were presented as naked children.

The angelic hierarchies

Biblical sources cite angels with different functions in different passages, which is why they were later subdivided into nine choirs or hierarchies. In the writing De coelesti hierarchia, the pseudo-Dionysius Areopagite harmoniously relates men to celestial creatures. The nine closest to God are the seraphim, cherubim, and Thrones. The Dominations, Powers, and Virtues follow. The Principalities, Archangels, and Angels conclude. This thought will be recovered by Gregory the Great and will be in force for. the Middle Ages. However, from the 15th century onwards, humanists questioned such theories.

The Seraphim, “Beings of Fire,” are the angels who are around God. Its name comes from the Hebrew seraph, which means “to burn.” They are linked to a nature burning with the fire of love with light and purity. They were represented with six wings and red color.

Above him were seraphim; Each one had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one cried to another, saying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! The whole earth is full of his glory!

Isaiah 6, 2-3

The Cherubim take their name from the Hebrew kerub, derived from the Akkadian karibu meaning “praying.” They are cited in Genesis 3, 24; Exodus 25, 19; 37, 8; 2 Samuel 22, 11; 1 Kings 6, 25-26; 2 Chronicles 3, 11-12; Psalms 7, 11; 69, 2; 98, 1; Ecclesiasticus 49, 8; Isaiah 37, 16; Ezekiel 9, 3; 10, 2-14; 28, 14-16; 41, 18; Daniel 33, 55; Hebrews 9, 5. In the book of Exodus, representations derived from the guardian animals of the Mesopotamian region, a type of griffin, seem to be distinguished in the cherubs, of which statues are made for the ark. Ezekiel saw human-like figures with four wings and four faces, and even distinguished an arm under their wings, and next to each one a shining wheel. In the Apocalypse, in a passage from Saint Paul in the Epistle to the Hebrews, the Old Testament tradition is taken up.

The Thrones, sometimes identified with the Ophanim, are the third of the choirs. They support the throne of God and transmit his will to others.

The term Dominations is a translation of the Latin dominations used by the Latin Vulgate to translate from biblical Greek the words κυριότητες (kyriotētes) and κυριότητος (kyriotētos), plurals of the noun kyriotēs meaning “power or position as a lord”, whose root means “Sir”. They are pointed out as the angels who “rule over kingdoms and have victory or defeat in battle in their hands” and, referring to the biblical passage of Zechariah 1, 8, he describes them as “riders riding red horses.”

The Powers remain our finite plane of reality and are responsible for maintaining cosmic balance, and physical laws. They have therefore been called “guardians of the borders”, as they guard the margins of the spiritual world with the physical world. Dionysius the Areopagite pointed out that, as heavenly guardians, the Powers are provided with a conscience that prevents them from doing evil. It is believed that these are the guardians of the spiritual world and therefore those in charge of bringing souls before the presence of God once they die, the leader of the choir of powers is the archangel Azrael.

The Virtues, also known as Guardian Angels, have the mission of helping humans get closer to God. They are associated with the servants of the Virgin Mary, they usually carry flowers or symbols of Mary and are related to the Passion of Christ. They are bearers of divine grace and courage, their main duty is to work for miracles on Earth. They were the angels who presided over the Ascension of Jesus. His day is commemorated on October 2. It is tradition to represent the Guardian Angel holding a child by the hand, teaching him to pray, pointing to the sky, or protecting the child from evil with a shield. It is cited in Tobias 12, 12; and in Matthew 18, 10. In the 4th century, Saint Basil of Caesarea affirms that every human being has an angel at their side who, as protector and shepherd, guides them in life. It was widely disseminated in the 18th century, with texts of devotion to the guardian angel and the inclusion, by the will of Paul V, of the feast of the guardian angels in the Catholic calendar.

But if an angel from heaven appears -a special messenger to intercede for a person and declare that he is upright- he will be gracious and say, “Rescue him from the grave, for I have found a ransom for his life”.

Job 33, 23-24

The Principalities manifest God’s dominion over nature. Also called integrating angels, they are the guardians of the nations. They monitor events that affect countries, including politics, military issues, and trade. In Byzantine iconography, they are recognized by their military attire and weapons including spears or axes, in addition to the flowering lily and the seal. In the cathedral of Chartres, they are represented in priestly habit; alb, and dalmatic next to the gospel book. In the cathedral of Milan, they carry in their hands a rock on which a fortress stands.

The word “ Archangel ” comes from the Koine Greek ἀρχάɣɣελος (archangelos) ‘archangel’, and from the Latin: archangelus. The ancient Greek prefix ἀρχ- (arc-), or in another form of the prefix ἄρχω (archo) means ‘one who rules, who directs, who commands, who leads, the one who has supremacy or is superior’ + ἄɣɣελος (angelos) meaning ‘delivery courier’. From these roots, the meaning given is ‘chief angel’, or ‘captain of the angels’. Numerous archangels are mentioned in the Bible:

Michael, the head of the heavenly army,
Gabriel, the heavenly messenger,
Raphael, the protector of travelers, health, and courtship,
Uriel is the one in charge of the lands and temples of God,
Raguel is the one in charge of justice, of impartiality and harmony,
Sariel is the one in charge of the spirits of men who sin,
Remiel is the one in charge of the resurrected.
Jophiel is the one in charge of the innocent.
Azrael is the one in charge of receiving the souls and leading them to be judged.
Raziel, the keeper of secrets.
Camael is the one in charge of promoting gratitude towards God.
Zadkiel personifies the mercy of God.
Jegudiel is the patron of all workers.
Sealtiel is in charge of the planets and the heavens.
Barachiel is the head of the guardian angels.
Haniel is the head of the principalities and virtues.
Nuriel.
Serafiel is in charge of purification.
Jehoel is the leader of the second subordination of angels.
Sandalfón is in charge of gathering prayers and transmitting them to God.
Hadraniel, Sandalfón collaborator.
Shamsiel taught men the signs of the Sun.
Satariel.
Zerachiel.
Cassiel, the angel of tears.

Raphael is the archangel whose name, of Hebrew origin, means “God has healed me.” It is related to healing, to the east, the place where the sun rises, to the dawn, to spring, to the color green, and to the caduceus, which is the union of two symbols: the staff and the snake, being a symbolic instrument of a mystical type. His holiday is September 29 along with Miguel and Gabriel. He is associated with the Virgin Mary. In the book of Tobias, he is the messenger of God who, after the invocation of Tobit, a righteous man who loses his fortune and goes blind, accompanied his young son Tobias, who was considering the possibility of suicide, to collect a loan of ten silver talents made ten years earlier. During the journey from Assyria to Rages in Media, Raphael, who did not identify himself as an angel until the end of the journey, but as a man named Azariah, not only showed Tobias the safest path but also saved him from various dangers. He had Tobias catch the big fish that had tried to eat the boy’s foot while he was bathing in the Tigris; Later he made him marry Sara, daughter of Raguel, and taught him how to free her from a demon that killed her husbands on the first night of their marriage and had already caused him to lose seven of hers. Once the loan had been collected, Raphael led the spouses to his father’s house and Tobias, following the angel’s teachings, cured Tobit’s blindness.

The legend says that when Adam, the first man, was expelled from Paradise, he began to fall ill with all the known terrestrial diseases, and even those that were yet to be known, and that there was an angel (anonymous, although it is said that it was Raphael or Raziel) who presented Adam with a book of herbal cures in which there was a list of all the plants and their medicinal properties. Also, it is Raphael who gives Noah the carpentry instructions for the construction of the ark or tevah: 137 meters long, 23 wide, and 14 high.

Michael is the archangel whose name, of Hebrew origin, means “Who is like God?” He protects merchants, masters of arms, police, haberdashers, pharmacists, makers of scales, and fencers. He was called by the prophet Daniel “the great prince” who “defends the children of your people.” He is invoked to have a good death. His holiday is September 29, along with Gabriel and Rafael. From September 28 to October 2, the Patron Saint Festivities are celebrated in honor of Saint Michael the Archangel by Catholics and Anglicans. For the Greek and Armenian churches, the feast of Michael is from September 8 to October 2. He is associated with the south, place of the sun at noon and summer, with the color blue and the element of fire, his symbol is a flaming sword. In the book of Daniel, in the Bible, Michael is cited as the first of the princes and the custodian of the people of Israel. In the New Testament, in the epistle of Judas, he is recognized as an archangel. In the Apocalypse, he is the angel who leads the others in battle against the dragon demon and defeats it. For this reason, texts were dedicated to him as a majestic being, with the power to examine souls before the Judgment. Michael, the defender of heaven, leads the battle against Lucifer and banishes the fallen angels to Hell.

Michael gave Moses the Ten Commandments, twice, and stopped Abraham at the last minute when he was going to sacrifice his son Isaac. Centuries later, in the Middle Ages, Michael was the patron saint of knights. Michael encouraged Joan of Arc to put on manly clothes. and to convince the dauphin that he would be crowned king of France if she allowed him to go into battle for him. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, Michael emerges as the “Prince of Light.” In the apocryphal gospel of Bartholomew, God creates man in his image using clay that Michael brings him from the four corners of the Earth.

The archangel Gabriel is a herald of good news, he sits at the left of God. He has 140 pairs of wings. Patron of communications, his name means “God is my strength.” He comes from the Hebrew govri’el, “God is (my) strength” – gevurah is “power” or “strength.” He is related to the west, the sunset, autumn, the water element, and the color white, his symbol is a silver cup. He protects communication workers, postmen, radio, television, and Internet workers, or those with public opinion, ambassadors, journalists, messengers, and philatelists. He is celebrated on September 29, along with Miguel and Rafael. Catholics celebrate the Feast of Saint Gabriel on March 24. Pope Pius XII, on January 12, 1951, declared Gabriel, the main messenger of God, and patron saint of employees in telecommunications. Gabriel sometimes appears with a crown, he is associated with the white lily that he carries to the virgin at the moment of the annunciation.

His body was like chrysolite, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and legs like the brilliance of burnished bronze.

Dan. 10:5-6

It appears twice in the Old Testament, sent by God to the prophet Daniel to help him interpret the meaning of a vision and predict the arrival of the Messiah. In the New Testament, he announces to Zechariah the birth of the Baptist, and to the Virgin Mary the birth of Christ. He is also credited as the archangel who asked God’s favor for the parting of the waters of the Red Sea, which saved the Israelites from certain death.

The archangel Uriel, whose name of Hebrew origin means “God is my light”, his light is represented as fire, he is known as the inspiration of music, and poets, and also as the Angel of Repentance. He was highly venerated in the time of Saint Ambrose. He is related to the north, midnight, winter, the color ruby ​​red, the element earth, and the symbol of the five-pointed star known as the pentagram. Custodian of time and the stars. They only talk about him. In apocryphal sources, he was included among the angels accepted by the Church after. the Council of Aachen, in 789. He is the protagonist of the apocryphal book of Enoch Ethiopian, he appears in the fourth book of Ezra, where it is said that he went. the angel sent by God to announce the final Judgment. It is said that he brought alchemy to earth and that he whispers, sings, and dictates the Kabbalah, that he was the angel who warned Noah of the coming of the Flood, and who took the Baptist to the desert as a child to be instructed.

In the Christian tradition, we speak of angels who are worshipers, armed, in action, musicians, and even those who have been rebellious and therefore demonic. In his book Summa Daemoniaca, Father José Antonio Fortea says: «From each of the nine hierarchies angels fell, transforming into demons. That is, some demons are virtues, powers, seraphim, etc. Even though they are demons, they still retain their power and intelligence intact.

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church it is stated that: “From creation (Jb 38, 7, where the good, obedient angels are called “sons of God”) and throughout the entire history of salvation, we find them, announcing, from afar or near, that salvation and serving the divine plan of its realization: They close the earthly paradise (Gen 3, 24), they protect Lot (Gen 19), they save Hagar and her son (Gen 21, 17), they stay the hand of Abraham (Gen 22, 11), the law is communicated by their ministry (Acts 7,53), they lead the people of God (Ex 23, 20-23), they announce births (Jc 13) and vocations (Jc 6, 11-24; Is 6, 6), assist the prophets (1 Kings 19, 5), to name but a few examples.

Finally, the angel Gabriel announces the birth of the Precursor and that of Jesus himself (Lk 1, 11.26).” From the Incarnation to the Ascension, the life of the incarnate Word is surrounded by the adoration and service of angels. When God introduces “his Firstborn into the world, he says: “Let all the angels of God worship him” (Heb 1:6). His song of praise at the birth of Christ has not ceased to resonate in the praise of the Church: “Glory to God…” (Lk 2:14). They protect the childhood of Jesus (Mt 1, 20; 2, 13.19), they serve Him in the desert (Mk 1, 12; Mt 4, 11), they comfort Him in agony (Lk 22, 43) when He could have been saved by them from the hand of their enemies (Mt 26, 53) like Israel once (2 M 10, 29-30; 11,8). It is also the angels who “evangelize” (Lk 2, 10) announcing the Good News of the Incarnation (Lk 2, 8-14), and the Resurrection (Mk 16, 5-7) of Christ. On the occasion of the second coming of Christ, announced by the angels (Heb 1, 10-11), they will be present at the service of the judgment of the Lord (Mt 13, 41; 25, 31; Lk 12, 8-9)»; and further:» Hence, the entire life of the Church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of the angels (Acts 5, 18-20; 8, 26-29; 10, 3-8; 12, 6-11; 27, 23-25). «In her liturgy, the Church joins with the angels to worship the thrice-holy God (Roman Missal, «Sanctus»)»; «From its beginning (Mt 18, 10) until death (Lk 16, 22), human life is surrounded by its guardianship of angels «No one will be able to deny that each faithful has an angel at their side as a protector and shepherd to guide his life” (Saint Basil the Great, Adversus Eunomium, 3, 1: PG 29, 656B). From this earth, the Christian life participates, by faith, in the blessed society of angels and men, united in God.

Angels and little angels

From the traditional iconographic point of view, the angel is male, as this is noted in biblical passages. It is probably due to the mentality of the time since a male messenger was more credible than a female one.

In the apocryphal book of Enoch, it is said that angels fell in love with the daughters of men, and this may have influenced the depiction of female angels. There are cases of ancient angels, painted in the catacombs, with beards, a characteristic that surprisingly reappears in representations of the Apocalypse of the 15th century, when angelic figures with female features and headdresses were relatively common. The tendency was to present the fighting angels of the Apocalypse as more mature, and the worshipers of the Renaissance Nativity as more feminine.

Although angels are represented with human forms, clothes, wings, different sexes, and ages, tradition suggests conceiving them as beings of pure energy, sexless and ageless.

The appearance of the child angel proposed in Christian iconography a rediscovery of the classical world: Eros, the little putti.

Angels for Muslims

There are four archangels: Mikal (Miguel), Jibril (Gabriel), Izrail (Uriel), and Israfil (Rafael).

The Islamic cherubs, the karubiyun, give praise to God incessantly with the chant tasbih, “Glory to Allah.” Immersed in a state of immense peace, the Islamic cherubs dwell in a kingdom of Heaven that is inaccessible to the attacks of Iblis, the demon.

References:

• Parra, Tomás. (2001) Bible Dictionary. Saint Paul. Mexico. ISBN: 970-612-044-0
• Giorgi, Rosa (2004) Angels and demons. Elect. Barcelona. ISBN: 84-8156-368-4
• Patani, Charles. (2002) The sacred origins of deep things. Obelisk. Barcelona. ISBN: 84-7720-863-8
• Ratzinger, Joseph. Schönborn, Christoph (1995). Introduction to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. New city. Madrid.

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