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"Schutzengel" (English: "Guardian Angel") by Bernhard Plockhorst depicts a guar dian angel watching over two children An angel (from the Greek ???e??? - ngelos[1]) is a supernatural being or spirit, usually in humanoid form with feathered wings on their backs and halos around th eir heads, found in various religions and mythologies. The theological study of angels is known as "angelology". In Zoroastrianism and Abrahamic religions they are often depicted as benevolent celestial beings who a ct as intermediaries between Heaven and Earth, or as guardian spirits or a guidi ng influence.[2] The term "angel" has also been expanded to various notions of spirits found in m any other religious traditions. Other roles of angels include protecting and gui ding human beings, and carrying out God's tasks.[3] In art, angels are often depicted with bird-like wings on their back, a halo, ro bes and various forms of glowing light.[4]

Contents [hide] 1 Etymology 2 Judaism 2.1 Famous angels and their tasks 2.1.1 Individual angels 2.1.2 Jewish angelic hierarchy 3 Christianity 3.1 Interaction with angels 3.2 Latter Day Saints 4 5 6 7 8 9 Islam Bah' Faith Neoplatonism Zoroastrianism Sikhism Brahma Kumaris

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Theosophy Hermetic Qabalah Contemporary belief in angels Angels in art See also References Further reading External links

Etymology[edit]

Three angels hosted by Abraham, Ludovico Carracci (1555 1619), Bologna, Pinacotec a Nazionale. The word angel in English is a fusion of the Old English/Germanic word engel (wi th a hard g) and the Old French angele. Both derive from the Latin angelus which in turn is the romanization of the ancient Greek ???e??? (ngelos[5]), "messenger ", "envoy",[6] which is related to the Greek verb ??????? (angllo), meaning "bear a message, announce, bring news of" etc.[7] The earliest form of the word is th e Mycenaean a-ke-ro attested in Linear B syllabic script.[8][9] Judaism[edit] Main article: Angels in Judaism The Bible uses the terms ???? ????? (mal ak? elohm; messenger of God), ???? ???? (ma l ak? YHWH; messenger of the Lord), ??? ????? (b?ne Elohim elohm; sons of God) and ? ?????? (haqqd?? m; the holy ones) to refer to beings traditionally interpreted as an gels. Later texts use other terms, such as ???????? (ha elynm; the upper ones). The term ???? (mal ak?) is also used in the Tanakh; a similar term, ?????? (mala ika h), is used in the Qur'an. The Greek and Hebrew words, depending on the context may refer either to a human messenger or a supernatural messenger. The human mes senger could possibly be a prophet or priest, such as Malachi, "my messenger", a nd the Greek superscription that the Book of Malachi was written "by the hand of his messenger" ??????? ang?lou. Examples of a supernatural messenger[10] are th e "Malak YHWH," who is either a messenger from God,[11] an aspect of God (such a s the Logos),[12] or God himself as the messenger (the "theophanic angel.")[10][ 13] Scholar Michael D. Coogan notes that it is only in the late books that the terms "come to mean the benevolent semidivine beings familiar from later mythology an d art."[14] Daniel is the first biblical figure to refer to individual angels by name,[15] mentioning Gabriel (God's primary messenger) in Daniel 9:21 and Micha el (the holy fighter) in Daniel 10:13. These angels are part of Daniel's apocaly ptic visions and are an important part of all apocalyptic literature.[14] 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 kn own as 'angels', understood as beings created by God, but immortal and thus supe rior to humans."[14] 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 fo rces of good and forces of evil, between light and darkness."[14] One of these i s ha a?an, a figure depicted in (among other places) the Book of Job. Philo of Alexandria identifies the angel with the Logos as far as the angel is t

he immaterial voice of God. The angel is something different than God Himself, b ut is conceived as God's instrument.[16] In post-Biblical Judaism, certain angels took on particular significance and dev eloped unique personalities and roles. Though these archangels were believed to rank among the heavenly host, no systematic hierarchy ever developed. Metatron i s considered one of the highest of the angels in Merkabah and Kabbalist mysticis m and often serves as a scribe; he is briefly mentioned in the Talmud[17] and fi gures prominently in Merkabah mystical texts. Michael, who serves as a warrior a nd advocate for Israel (Daniel 10:13), is looked upon particularly fondly. Gabri el is mentioned in the Book of Daniel (Daniel 8:15 17), the Book of Tobit, and bri efly in the Talmud,[18] 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 inv ocation and sometimes even conjuration of angels.[19] Medieval Jewish philosopher Maimonides explained his view of angels in his Guide for the Perplexed II:4 and II:6: "...This leads Aristotle in turn to the demonstrated fact that God, glory and ma jesty 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 o f a disembodied intellect, these intellects being the 'angels which are near to Him', through whose mediation the spheres [planets] move... thus totally disembo died minds exist which emanate from God and are the intermediaries between God a nd all the bodies [objects] here in this world." Guide for the Perplexed II:4, Maimonides According to Kabalah, 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 h as 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 Lo t meets with two. The task of one of the angels was to inform Abraham of his com ing child. The other two were to save Lot and to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.[20] Famous angels and their tasks[edit] From the Jewish Encyclopedia, entry "angelology".[21] Individual angels[edit]

One of Melozzo's musician (seraphim) angels from the Basilica dei Santi Apostol i, now in the sacristy of St. Peter's BasilicaMichael (translation: who is like God?),kindness of God Gabriel (translation: the strength of God), performs acts of justice and power Raphael (translation: God Heals), God's healing force Uriel (translation: God is my light), leads us to destiny Samael (translation: the severity of God), angel of death see also Malach HaMavet (translation: the angel of death) Sandalphon (translation: bringing together), battles Samael and brings humankind together Camael/Chamuel (translation: one who seeks God), expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden holding a flaming sword and punishes those who transgress against God

Sataniel/Satan (translation: the adversary),[22] tempts humans, serves as an adv ersary, and brings people's sins before them in the heavenly court Metatron (translation is disputed, may mean "keeper of the watch", "guardian", o r "he who sits behind the throne of Heaven"), God's heavenly scribe recording th e deeds of all that is done in Earth and Heaven and all of Creation. Jewish angelic hierarchy[edit] Main article: Jewish angelic hierarchy Maimonides, in his Yad ha-Chazakah: Yesodei ha-Torah, counts ten ranks of angels in the Jewish angelic hierarchy, beginning from the highest: Rank Angel Notes 1 Chayot Ha Kodesh See Ezekiel chs. 1 and 10 2 Ophanim See Ezekiel chs. 1 and 10 3 Erelim See Isaiah 33:7 4 Hashmallim See Ezekiel 1:4 5 Seraphim See Isaiah 6 6 Malakim Messengers, angels 7 Elohim "Godly beings" 8 Bene Elohim "Sons of Godly beings" 9 Cherubim See Talmud Hagigah 13b 10 Ishim "manlike beings", see Genesis 18:2, Daniel 10:5 Christianity[edit] Main article: Christian angelic hierarchy

The Archangel Michael wears a late Roman military cloak and cuirass in this 17t h-century depiction by Guido Reni Later Christians inherited Jewish understandings of angels, which in turn may ha ve been partly inherited from the Egyptians.[23] In the early stage, the Christi an concept of an angel characterized the angel as a messenger of God. Angels are creatures of good, spirits of love, and messengers of the savior Jesus Christ.[ 24] Later came identification of individual angelic messengers: Gabriel, Michael , Raphael, Uriel, and Lucifer. Then, in the space of little more than two centur ies (from the 3rd to the 5th) the image of angels took on definite characteristi cs both in theology and in art.[25] By the late 4th century, the Church Fathers agreed that there were different cat egories of angels, with appropriate missions and activities assigned to them. Th ere was, however, some disagreement regarding the nature of angels. Some argued that Angels had physical bodies,[26] while some maintained that they were entire ly spiritual. Some theologians had proposed that angels were not divine but on t he level of immaterial beings subordinate to the Trinity. The resolution of this Trinitarian dispute included the development of doctrine about angels.[27] The angels are represented throughout the Christian Bible as a body of spiritual beings intermediate between God and men: "You have made him (man) a little less than the angels " (Psalms 8:4-5). Some Christians believe that angels are created beings, and use the following passage as evidence: "praise ye Him, all His ange ls: praise ye Him, all His hosts for He spoke and they were made. He commanded an d they were created " (Psalms 148:2-5; Colossians 1:16). The Fourth Lateran Counci l (1215) declared that the angels were created beings. The Council's decree Firm iter credimus (issued against the Albigenses) declared both that angels were cre

ated and that men were created after them. The First Vatican Council (1869) repe ated this declaration in Dei Filius, the "Dogmatic constitution on the Catholic faith". Of note is that the Bible describes the function of angels as "messenger s" and does not indicate when the creation of angels occurred.[28][29] Thomas Aquinas (13th century) relates angels to Aristotle's metaphysics in his S umma contra Gentiles,[30] Summa Theologica,[31] and in De substantiis separatis, [32] a treatise on angelology. Many Christians regard angels as asexual and not belonging to either gender as t hey interpret Matthew 22:30 in this way. Angels are on the other hand usually de picted in painting and sculpture as looking like male human beings. Their names are also masculine. And although angels have greater knowledge than men, they ar e not omniscient, as Matthew 24:36 points out.[33] Christian art perhaps reflect s the descriptions in Revelation 4:6 8 of the Four Living Creatures (Greek: t? t?s sa?a ??a) 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.[34] Interaction with angels[edit]

An angel comforting Jesus, by Carl Heinrich Bloch, 1865-1890. "'Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have enterta ined angels without knowing it."[Hebrews 13:2] The New Testament includes many interactions and conversations between angels an d humans. For instance, three separate cases of angelic interaction deal with th e births of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. In Luke 1:11, an angel appears to Zechariah to inform him that he will have a child despite his old age, thus pro claiming the birth of John the Baptist[35] And in Luke 1:26 the archangel Gabrie l visits the Virgin Mary in the Annunciation to foretell the birth of Jesus Chri st.[36] Angels then proclaim the birth of Jesus in the Adoration of the shepherd s in Luke 2:10.[37] Angels also appear later in the New Testament. In Luke 22:43 an angel comforts Jesus Christ during the Agony in the Garden.[38] In Matthew 2 8:5 an angel speaks at the empty tomb, following the Resurrection of Jesus and t he rolling back of the stone by angels.[39] Hebrews 13:2 reminds the reader that they may "entertain angels unaware".[40] Since the completion of the New Testament, the Christian tradition has continued to include reported interactions with angels. For instance, in 1851 Pope Pius I X approved the Chaplet of Saint Michael based on the 1751 private revelation fro m archangel Michael to the Carmelite nun Antonia d'Astonac.[41] And Pope John Pa ul II emphasized the role of angels in Catholic teachings in his 1986 address ti tled "Angels Participate In History Of Salvation", in which he suggested that mo dern mentality should come to see the importance of angels.[42] As recently as the 20th century, visionaries and mystics have reported interacti ons with, and indeed dictations from, angels. For instance, the bed-ridden Itali an writer and mystic Maria Valtorta wrote The Book of Azariah based on "dictatio ns" that she directly attributed to her guardian angel Azariah, discussing the R oman Missal used for Sunday Mass in 1946 and 1947.[43] Latter Day Saints[edit]

Temple statue of the Angel Moroni, Bern, Switzerland Adherents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (generally referred to as "Mormons") view angels as the messengers of God. They are sent to mankind to deliver messages, minister to humanity, teach doctrines of salvation, call m ankind to repentance, give priesthood keys, save individuals in perilous times, and guide humankind.[44] Latter Day Saints believe that angels either are the spirits of humans who are d eceased or who have yet to be born, or are humans who have been resurrected or t ranslated and have physical bodies of flesh and bones,[45] and accordingly Josep h Smith taught that "there are no angels who minister to this earth but those th at do belong or have belonged to it."[46] As such, Latter Day Saints also believ e that Adam (the first man) is now the archangel Michael,[47][48] and that Gabri el lived on the earth as Noah.[45] Likewise the Angel Moroni first lived in a pr e-Columbian American civilization as the 5th-century prophet-warrior named Moron i. Joseph Smith, Jr. described his first angelic encounter thus:[49] "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 noon day, when immediately a personage appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, f or his feet did not touch the floor. He had on a loose robe of most exquisite whiteness. It was a whiteness beyond an ything 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 beyon d description, and his countenance truly like lightning. The room was exceedingl y light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person. When I first l ooked upon him, I was afraid; but the fear soon left me." Most angelic visitations in the early Latter Day Saint movement were witnessed b y Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, who both claimed (prior to the establishment of the Church in 1830) to have been visited by the prophet Moroni, John the Bapt ist, and the Apostles Peter, James, and John. Later, at the dedication of the Ki rtland Temple, Smith and Oliver Cowdery claimed to have been visited by Jesus, a nd subsequently by Moses, Elias, and Elijah.[50] Angels are typically depicted i n Mormon art as having no wings based on a quote from Joseph Smith ("An angel of God never has wings").[51] People who claimed to have received a visit by an angel include the other two of the Three Witnesses: David Whitmer and Martin Harris. Many other Latter Day Sai nts, both in the early and modern church, have claimed to have seen angels, thou gh Smith posited that, except in extenuating circumstances such as the restorati on, mortals teach mortals, spirits teach spirits and resurrected beings teach ot her resurrected beings.[52] Islam[edit]

Depiction of an angel in Islamic Persian miniature

Main article: Islamic view of angels Angels (Arabic: ?????? , Mala?ikah) are mentioned many times in the Qur'an and H adith. Islam is clear on the nature of angels in that they are messengers of God . They have no free will, and can do only what God orders them to do. An example of a task they carry out is that of testing individuals by granting them abunda nt wealth and curing their illness.[53] Believing in angels is one of the six Ar ticles of Faith in Islam. Some examples of angels in Islam: Jibrail: the archangel Gabriel (Jibra'il) is an archangel who serves as a messen ger from God. Michael: the angel of nature. Israfil (Arabic: ???????, Transliteration: Israfil, Alternate Spelling: Israfel, Meaning: The Burning One [54] ), is the angel of the trumpet in Islam,[55] thou gh unnamed in the Qur'an. Along with Mikhail, Jibrail and Izra'il, he is one of the four Islamic archangels.[54] Israfil will blow the trumpet from a holy rock in Jerusalem to announce the Day of Resurrection.[56] The trumpet is constantly poised at his lips, ready to be blown when God so orders. Darda'il: the angels who travel in the earth searching out assemblies where peop le remember God s name. Harut and Marut are two angels mentioned in Qur'an, who were sent down to test t he people at Babylon. Azrael is Azraa-eel ???????: the Angel of Death Kiraman Katibin: the two angels who record a person's good and bad deeds. Mu'aqqibat: a class of guardian angels who keep people from death until its decr eed time. Munkar and Nakir: the angels who test the faith of the dead in their graves. The y ask the soul of the dead person questions. If the person fails the questions, the angels make the man suffer until the Day of Judgement. If the soul passes th e questions, he will have a pleasant time in the grave until the Day of Judgemen t. Ridwan: the angel in charge of maintaining Jannat or Paradise. Maalik: the angel who keeps or guards hellfire. Harut and Marut (Arabic: ????? ???????) are two angels mentioned in the second S urah of the Qur'an, who were sent down to test the people at Babel or Babylon by performing deeds of magic. (Sura Al-Baqara, verse 102). The Qur'an indicates th at although they warned the Babylonians not to imitate them or do as they were d oing, some members of their audience failed to obey and became sorcerers, thus d amning their own souls. Bah' Faith[edit]

In his Book of Certitude Bah u llh, founder of the Bah Faith, describes angels as people who "have consumed, with the fire of the love of God, all human traits and limit ations", and have "clothed themselves" with angelic attributes and have become " endowed with the attributes of the spiritual". 'Abdu l-Bah 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 s elf", and "revealers of God s abounding grace". The Bah writings also refer to the Co ncourse on High, an angelic host, and the Maid of Heaven of Bah u llh's vision.[57] Neoplatonism[edit] In the commentaries of Proclus (4th century, under Christian rule) on the Timaeu s of Plato, Proclus uses the terminology of "angelic" (aggelikos) and "angel" (a ggelos) in relation to metaphysical beings. According to Aristotle, just as ther e is a First Mover,[58] so, too, must there be spiritual secondary movers.[59] Zoroastrianism[edit]

Main article: Zoroastrian angelology In Zoroastrianism there are different angel-like figures. For example, each pers on has one guardian angel, called Fravashi. They patronize human beings and othe r creatures, and also manifest God s energy. The Amesha Spentas have often been re garded as angels, although there is no direct reference to them conveying messag es,[54] but are rather emanations of Ahura Mazda ("Wise Lord", God); they initia lly appear in an abstract fashion and then later became personalized, associated with diverse aspects of the divine creation.[60] Sikhism[edit]

This section improperly uses one or more religious texts as primary sources wit hout referring to secondary sources that critically analyze them. Please help im prove this article by adding references to reliable secondary sources, with mult iple points of view. (November 2010) Azrael (as Azraa-eel) is named as the angel of death in the Guru Granth Sahib, t he holy scripture and the final Guru of the Sikhs.[61] In So Dar and Raag Asa Sat Guru Nanak mentions Chitragupta as the angel who reco rd the deeds of men.[62][63] Brahma Kumaris[edit] In Brahma Kumaris, it is taught that every member becomes an angel of light (far ishta in Hindi)[64] and that founder Dada Lekhraj has already become perfect man and angel Brahma through practise of Raja Yoga.[65][66][67] Theosophy[edit] In the teachings of Theosophy, Devas are regarded as living either in the atmosp heres of the planets of the solar system (Planetary Angels) or inside the Sun (S olar Angels) (presumably other planetary systems and stars have their own angels ) and they help to guide the operation of the processes of nature such as the pr ocess 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 de vas can be observed when the third eye is activated. Some (but not most) devas o riginally incarnated as human beings.[68] It is believed by Theosophists that nature spirits, elementals (gnomes, undines, sylphs, and salamanders), and fairies can be also be observed when the third ey e is activated.[69] It is maintained by Theosophists that these less evolutionar ily developed beings have never been previously incarnated as humans; they are r egarded as being on a separate line of spiritual evolution called the deva evolut ion ; eventually, as their souls advance as they reincarnate, it is believed they will incarnate as devas.[70] It is asserted by Theosophists that all of the above mentioned beings possess et heric bodies that are composed of etheric matter, a type of matter finer and mor e pure that is composed of smaller particles than ordinary physical plane matter .[70] Hermetic Qabalah[edit] See also: Hermetic Qabalah

According to the Kabbalah as described by the Golden Dawn there are ten archange ls, each commanding one of the choir of angels and corresponding to one of the S ephirot. 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[71] Tzaphkiel Binah 4 Hashmallim Glowing ones, Amber ones[72] 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 [73] Gabriel Yesod 10 Ishim Men (man-like beings, phonetically similar to "fires") Sandalphon Malku th Contemporary belief in angels[edit]

Seal of Sant'Angelo (rione of Rome) A 2002 study based on interviews with 350 people, mainly in the UK, who said the y have had an experience of an angel, describes several types of such experience s: visions, sometimes with multiple witnesses present; auditions, e.g. to convey a warning; a sense of being touched, pushed, or lifted, typically to avert a da ngerous situation; and pleasant fragrance, generally in the context of somebody' s death. In the visual experiences, the angels described appear in various forms , either the "classical" one (human countenance with wings), in the form of extr aordinarily beautiful or radiant human beings, or as beings of light.[74] In the US, a 2008 survey by Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religio n, published by TIME magazine,[75][76] which polled 1,700 respondents, found tha t 55 percent of Americans, including one in five of those who say they are not r eligious, believe that they have been protected by a guardian angel during their life. An August 2007 Pew poll found that 68 percent of Americans believe that " angels and demons are active in the world",[77] and according to four different polls conducted in 2009, a greater percentage of Americans believe in angels (55 %) than those who believe in global warming (36%).[78][79] According to the Gallup Youth Survey, in a Teen Belief in the Supernatural poll in 1994, 76% of 508 teenagers (aged 13 17) believe in angels, a greater percentage than those who believe in astrology, ESP, ghosts, witchcraft, clairvoyance, Big foot, and vampires. In 1978, 64% of American young people believed in angels; in 1984, 69% of teenagers believed in angels; and by 1994, that number grew to 76% , while belief in other supernatural concepts, such as the Loch Ness monster and ESP, has declined. In 1992, 80% of 502 surveyed teenage girls believe in angels , and 81% of Catholic teens and 82% of regular church attendees harbored beliefs

in angels.[80][81] According to another set of Gallup polls, designated towards all Americans, in 1994, 72% of Americans said they believed in angels, while in 2004, 78% of the surveyed Americans indicated belief in angels, with the percen tage of Americans that did not believe in angels dropping from 15% to 10%, and t he percentage of Americans that were "not sure" dropping from 13% to 11%.[82][83 ] A 2008 survey of over 1000 Canadians found 67 percent believe in angels.[84] Angels in art[edit] Main article: Angels in art

12th-century icon of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel wearing the loros of th e Imperial guards. 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 peri od, representations of angels on sarcophagi, lamps and reliquaries also show the m without wings,[85] as for example the angel in the Sacrifice of Isaac scene in the Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus (although the side view of the Sarcophagus sho ws winged angelic figures). The earliest known representation of angels with wings is on the "Prince's Sarco phagus", discovered in the 1930s at Sarigzel, near Istanbul, and attributed to th e time of Theodosius I (379 395).[86] From that period on, Christian art has repre sented angels mostly with wings, as in the cycle of mosaics in the Basilica of S aint Mary Major (432 440).[87] 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 hea venly contexts, as opposed to performing tasks on earth. They often appear in th e pendentives of church domes or semi-domes. Prior of the Judeo-Christian tradit ion in the Greek world, the Greek goddess Nike and the god Eros were also depict ed in human-like form with wings. Saint John Chrysostom explained the significance of angels' wings: "They manifest a nature's sublimity. That is why Gabriel is represented with win gs. Not that angels have wings, but that you may know that they leave the height s and the most elevated dwelling to approach human nature. Accordingly, the wing s attributed to these powers have no other meaning than to indicate the sublimit y of their nature."[88] In terms of their clothing, angels, especially the Archangel Michael, were depic ted as military-style agents of God and came to be shown wearing Late Antique mi litary 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 loro s, the long gold and jewelled pallium restricted to the Imperial family and thei r closest guards. The basic military dress was shown in Western art into the Bar oque period and beyond (see Reni picture above), and up to the present day in Ea stern Orthodox icons. Other angels came to be conventionally depicted in long ro bes, and in the later Middle Ages they often wear the vestments of a deacon, a c ope over a dalmatic; this costume was used especially for Gabriel in Annunciatio n scenes for example the Annunciation in Washington by Jan van Eyck.

See also[edit] Apsara Archangel Dakini Elioud Eudaemon Fallen angel Gandharva Non-physical entity Guardian angel Hierarchy of angels Jinn List of films about angels Nephilim Shoulder angel Sons of God Watcher or Grigori References[edit] 1.Jump up ^ Oxford Dictionaries, "angel" 2.Jump up ^ The Free Dictionary [1] retrieved 1 September 2012 3.Jump up ^ According also to Augustine of Hippo's Enarrationes in Psalmos, 103, I, 15, augustinus.it (Latin) 4.Jump up ^ Angels and the New Race - Page 8, Geoffrey Hodson - 1998 5.Jump up ^ Greek Names 6.Jump up ^ ???e???. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek English Lexicon at the Perseus Project 7.Jump up ^ ???????. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek English Lexicon at the Perseus Project 8.Jump up ^ palaeolexicon.com; a-ke-ro, Palaeolexicon (Word study tool of ancien t languages) 9.Jump up ^ "Mycenaean (Linear b) - English Glossaryy" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-0730. 10.^ Jump up to: a b ""?????????," Francis Brown, S.R. Driver, and Charles A. Br iggs, eds.: ''A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament'' , p. 521". Arc hive.org. Retrieved 2012-07-30. 11.Jump up ^ Pope, Hugh. "Angels." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. accessed 20 Oct. 2010 12.Jump up ^ Frederick Copleston, A History of Philosophy, Volume 1, Continuum, 2003, p. 460. 13.Jump up ^ Louis Goldberg Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology: Angel of the Lord "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 m ention of the angel of the Lord; the Messiah himself is this person." 14.^ Jump up to: a b c d Coogan, Michael D. (2009). A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament. Oxford University Press. 15.Jump up ^ %7CThe "Jewish Encyclopedia, accessed Feb. 15, 2008". Jewishencyclo pedia.com. Retrieved 2012-07-30. 16.Jump up ^ Copleston, Frederick Charles (2003). A history of philosophy, Volum e 1. Continuum International Publishing Group, p. 460. ISBN 0-8264-6895-0 17.Jump up ^ Sanhedrin 38b and Avodah Zerah 3b. 18.Jump up ^ cf. Sanhedrin 95b 19.Jump up ^ Angels, Jewish Encyclopedia, 1914 20.Jump up ^ The Jewish Encyclopedia Retrieved January 31, 2010 21.Jump up ^ The Jewish Encyclopedia, retrieved January 31, 2010 22.Jump up ^ Sizing Up Satan in the Bible, retrieved July 4, 2011 23.Jump up ^ The development of Jewish ideas of angels: Egyptian and Hellenistic connections, ca. 600 BCE to ca. 200 CE Evans, Annette Henrietta Margaretha [2] 24.Jump up ^ 2 Thessalionians 1:7 KJV

25.Jump up ^ Proverbio(2007), pp. 25 38; cf. summary in Libreria Hoepli 26.Jump up ^ Ludlow, Morwenna (2012). "Demons, Evil, and Liminality in Cappadoci an Theology". In Brakke, David. Journal of Early Christian Studies (Baltimore: J ohns Hopkins University Press) 20 (2): 179 211 [183]. doi:10.1353/earl.2012.0014. ISSN 1067-6341. Retrieved 2012-11-11. 27.Jump up ^ Proverbio(2007), pp. 29 38; cf. summary in Libreria Hoepli and review in La Civilt Cattolica, 3795-3796 (2 16 August 2008), pp. 327 328. 28.Jump up ^ "ANGELS - What does the Bible teach about angels? ". Christiananswer s.net. Retrieved 2012-07-30. 29.Jump up ^ "When Did God Create Angels?". Apologetics Press. Retrieved 2012-07 -30. 30.Jump up ^ Thomas Aquinas. "46". Summa contra Gentiles 2. 31.Jump up ^ Thomas Aquinas. "Summa Theologica". Treatise on Angels (Newadvent.o rg). 32.Jump up ^ Aquinas, Thomas. De substantiis separatis. Josephkenny.joyeurs.com. 33.Jump up ^ "BibleGateway, Matthew 24:36". Biblegateway.com. Retrieved 2012-0730. 34.Jump up ^ "Angel," The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia James Orr, e ditor, 1915 edition. 35.Jump up ^ "BibleGateway, Luke 1:11". Biblegateway.com. Retrieved 2012-07-30. 36.Jump up ^ "BibleGateway, Luke 1:26". Biblegateway.com. Retrieved 2012-07-30. 37.Jump up ^ "BibleGateway, Luke 2:10". Biblegateway.com. Retrieved 2012-07-30. 38.Jump up ^ "BibleGateway, Luke 22:43". Biblegateway.com. Retrieved 2012-07-30. 39.Jump up ^ "BibleGateway, Matthew 28:5". Biblegateway.com. Retrieved 2012-07-3 0. 40.Jump up ^ "BibleGateway, Hebrews 13:2". Biblegateway.com. Retrieved 2012-07-3 0. 41.Jump up ^ Ann Ball, 2003 Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices ISB N 0-87973-910-X page 123 42.Jump up ^ "Angels Participate In History Of Salvation". Vatican.va. 1986-08-0 6. Retrieved 2012-07-30. 43.Jump up ^ Maria Valtorta 1972, The Book of Azariah ISBN 88-7987-013-0 44.Jump up ^ "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 doctrine s of salvation (Mosiah 3); to call them to repentance (Moro. 7:31); to give them priesthood and keys (D. & C. 13; 128:20 21); to save them in perilous circumstanc es (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 a ngels.". 45.^ Jump up to: a b "LDS Bible Dictionary-Angels". Scriptures.lds.org. 2012-0221. Retrieved 2012-07-30. 46.Jump up ^ "D&C 130:5". Scriptures.lds.org. Retrieved 2012-07-30. 47.Jump up ^ "Chapter 6: The Fall of Adam and Eve," Gospel Principles, 31, see a lso the entry for Adam in Glossary, Gospel Principles, 376 48.Jump up ^ "D&C 107:24". Scriptures.lds.org. 2012-02-21. Retrieved 2012-07-30. 49.Jump up ^ "Joseph Smith History 1:30-33". Scriptures.lds.org. 2012-02-21. Ret rieved 2012-07-30. 50.Jump up ^ "D&C 110". Scriptures.lds.org. 2012-02-21. Retrieved 2012-07-30. 51.Jump up ^ "History of the Church, 3:392". Institute.lds.org. Retrieved 2012-0 7-30. 52.Jump up ^ Matthews, Robert J. "The Fulness of Times". Lds.org. Retrieved 2012 -07-30. 53.Jump up ^ Sahih al-Bukhari, 4:56:670 54.^ Jump up to: a b c Lewis, James R., Oliver, Evelyn Dorothy, Sisung Kelle S. (Editor) (1996), Angels A to Z, p. 224, Visible Ink Press, ISBN 0-7876-0652-9 55.Jump up ^ Webster, Richard (2009). Encyclopedia of angels (1st ed. ed.). Wood bury, Minn.: Llewellyn Publications. p. 97. ISBN 9780738714622. 56.Jump up ^ "Israfil". Encyclopaedia. Britannica. Retrieved 20 November 2012.

57.Jump up ^ Smith, Peter (2000). "angels". A concise encyclopedia of the Bah' Fai th. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. 38 39. ISBN 1-85168-184-1. 58.Jump up ^ Aristotle. Metaphysics. 1072a ff. 59.Jump up ^ Aristotle. Metaphysics. 1073a13 ff. 60.Jump up ^ Darmesteter, James (1880)(translator), The Zend Avesta, Part I: Sac red Books of the East, Vol. 4, pp. lx-lxxii, Oxford University Press, 1880, at s acred-texts.com 61.Jump up ^ Section 7, part 165 (Raag Gauree), and section 25, part 31 (Raag Ma aroo). Hosted on the Internet Sacred Text Archive 62.Jump up ^ "Shri Guru Granth Sahib: So Dar". Sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 201207-30. 63.Jump up ^ "Shri Guru Granth Sahib: Raag Aasaa". Sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 2 012-07-30. 64.Jump up ^ Basava Journal, Volume 19. Basava Samiti, 1994 (Bangalore, India). 65.Jump up ^ Peace & purity: the story of the Brahma Kumaris : a spiritual revol ution By Liz Hodgkinson 66.Jump up ^ The Descent of incorporeal God into the human body of Brahma: a bri ef biographical account. Jagdish Chander 1984 67.Jump up ^ Illustrations on raja yoga: the science for attaining purity, peace , and bliss. Jagdish Chander 1975 68.Jump up ^ Hodson, Geoffrey, Kingdom of the Gods ISBN 0-7661-8134-0 Has color pi ctures of what Devas supposedly look like when observed by the third eye their app earance 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": 69.Jump up ^ "Eskild Tjalve s paintings of devas, nature spirits, elementals and f airies:". Web.archive.org. 2002-11-21. Archived from the original on 2002-11-21. Retrieved 2012-07-30. 70.^ Jump up to: a b Powell, A.E. The Solar System London:1930 The Theosophical Publishing House (A Complete Outline of the Theosophical Scheme of Evolution) Se e "Lifewave" chart (refer to index) 71.Jump up ^ http://biblesuite.com/hebrew/691.htm 72.Jump up ^ http://biblesuite.com/hebrew/2830.htm 73.Jump up ^ http://biblesuite.com/hebrew/3742.htm 74.Jump up ^ Emma Heathcote-James (2002): Seeing Angels. London: John Blake Publ ishing. 75.Jump up ^ Guardian Angels Are Here, Say Most Americans TIME Retrieved August 25, 2010 76.Jump up ^ Half of Americans believe in angels ABC News 77.Jump up ^ Harris, Dan (2008-09-18). "Most Americans Believe in Guardian Angel s: More Than Half of Americans Say Guardian Angels Watch Over Us". ABC News. 78.Jump up ^ Tuesday, December 8, 2009 (2009-12-08). "More Americans believe in angels than global warming". Outsidethebeltway.com. Retrieved 2012-07-30. 79.Jump up ^ More Americans believe in angels than humans role in global warming[ dead link] The Raw Story 80.Jump up ^ Malcovitz, Hal; George Gallup (Introduction) (2005). The Gallup You th Survey: Teens and the Supernatural and Paranormal. Mason Crest Publishers. IS BN 1-59084-876-4. 81.Jump up ^ Hux, Clete (1994). "Angelmania: Close Encounters of the Celestial K ind". The Watchman Expositor (Watchman Fellowship ministry) 11 (6) 82.Jump up ^ "Americans More Likely to Believe in God than the Devil". Gallup.co m. Retrieved 2012-07-30. 83.Jump up ^ "Angels and Demons in Christianity". Religionfacts.com. Retrieved 2 012-07-30. 84.Jump up ^ News Service, Canwest (2008-12-23). "Believe in angels? You're not alone". ABC News.[broken citation] 85.Jump up ^ Proverbio (2007), pp. 81 89; cf. review in La Civilt Cattolica, 3795 379 6 (2 16 August 2008), pp. 327 328. 86.Jump up ^ Proverbio (2007) p. 66. 87.Jump up ^ Proverbio (2007), pp. 90 95; cf. review in La Civilt Cattolica, 3795 379

6 (2 16 August 2008), pp. 327 328. 88.Jump up ^ Proverbio (2007) p. 34. Further reading[edit] Proverbio, Cecilia (2007). La figura dell'angelo nella civilt paleocristiana (in Italian). Assisi, Italy: Editrice Tau. ISBN 88-87472-69-6. Cheyne, James Kelly (ed.) (1899). Angel. Encyclopdia Biblica. New York, Macmillan . Driver, Samuel Rolles (Ed.) (1901) The book of Daniel. Cambridge UP. Davidson, A. B. (1898). "Angel". In James Hastings. A Dictionary of the Bible I. pp. pages 93 97. 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. Smith, George Adam (1898) The book of the twelve prophets, commonly called the m inor. London, Hodder and Stoughton. Bamberger, Bernard Jacob, (March 15, 2006). Fallen Angels: Soldiers of Satan's R ealm. Jewish Publication Society of America. ISBN 0-8276-0797-0 Bennett, William Henry (1911). "Angel". In Chisholm, Hugh. Encyclopdia Britannic a (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press Briggs, Constance Victoria, 1997. The Encyclopedia of Angels : An A-to-Z Guide w ith 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. Cruz, Joan Carroll, OCDS, 1999. Angels and Devils. TAN Books and Publishers, Inc . ISBN 0-89555-638-3 Davidson, Gustav. A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels. Free Pres s. ISBN 0-02-907052-X 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 Yerush almi, and the Midrashic literature compiled by Marcus Jastrow, PhD., Litt.D. wit h and index of Scriptural quotatons, 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? Ign atius Press. ISBN 0-89870-550-9 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, C omfort, and Inspiration. Barron's Educational Series; 1st edition. ISBN 0-7641-5 403-6 Ronner, John, 1993. Know Your Angels: The Angel Almanac With Biographies of 100 Prominent Angels in Legend & Folklore-And Much More! Mamre Press. ISBN 0-93294540-6. Swedenborg E.Heaven and its Wonders and Hell From Things Heard and Seen (Swedenb org Foundation 1946, ISBN 0-554-62056-1 (Detailed information on angels and thei r life in heaven) Swedenborg, E. Wisdom's Delight in Marriage ("Conjugial") Love: Followed by Insa nity s Pleasure in Promiscuous Love (Swedenborg Foundation 1979 ISBN 0-87785-054-2 ) (Extensive review of angelic marriage) External links[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Angels. Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Angels Catholic Encyclopedia entry on angels Zoroastrian angels

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Third Sphere (active) Principalities or Rulers Archangels Angels

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