Angels
In many religions such as Judaism, Christianity and
Islam, it is believed that between God and mankind there
are intermediary beings, called angels.
They are bodiless entities that perform certain tasks
for God and are commonly thought of as the messengers of
God.
Angels are good spirits, unlike their counterparts the demons.
They are usually portrayed as having a human form,
being dressed in long, white clothes, surrounded by a
bright light and with long, swanlike wings. They were portrayed
thus by artists, often on Church command, to alert the
faithful that angels are more than human.
There are cases, however, where angels appeared as
ordinary men and were mistaken as such (the story of Lot,
for instance). In the Old Testament angels play a
prominent role as the messengers from God.
Also in the Old Testament the leading demon, Satan,
is introduced. However, it was not until the New
Testament that Satan was portrayed as Lucifer,
the first of the fallen
angels to rebel against God.
In the New Testament, angels are present at all the
important events in the life of Jesus. Here, they became
more than just messengers; they are portrayed as the agents
of God in bringing judgement to the world.
Until the New Testament there were only two orders of
angles; the seraphim and cherubim.
The commonly used hierarchy of nine orders is that
popularized by the Pseudo-Areopagite of Pseude-Dionysius
(early 5th century) in his De Hierarchia Celesti, which
arranges them in three triads: Seraphim, Cherubim,
and Thrones (Ophanim) in the first circle; Dominions
(Hashmallim), Virtues (Tarshishim), and Powers in
the second circle; Principalities, Archangels
and Angels in the third circle.
The seven holy angels are:
Michael,
Gabriel,
Raphael,
Uriel,
Chamuel,
Jophiel,
and Zadkiel.
Michael
and Gabriel are mentioned in the Bible, Raphael in
the Apocrypha
and all appear in Enoch (VIII, 2). A list of
fallen angels
is given by Milton in Paradise Lost (Bk. I, 392).
Muslims
say that angels were created from pure bright
gems; the
genii from fire, and man from clay.
Greek:
angelos, messenger.
Source:http://www.angelfire.com/realm/shades/demons/emangels.htm
In many religions such as Judaism, Christianity and
Islam, it is believed that between God and mankind there
are intermediary beings, called angels.
They are bodiless entities that perform certain tasks
for God and are commonly thought of as the messengers of
God.
Angels are good spirits, unlike their counterparts the demons.
They are usually portrayed as having a human form,
being dressed in long, white clothes, surrounded by a
bright light and with long, swanlike wings. They were portrayed
thus by artists, often on Church command, to alert the
faithful that angels are more than human.
There are cases, however, where angels appeared as
ordinary men and were mistaken as such (the story of Lot,
for instance). In the Old Testament angels play a
prominent role as the messengers from God.
Also in the Old Testament the leading demon, Satan,
is introduced. However, it was not until the New
Testament that Satan was portrayed as Lucifer,
the first of the fallen
angels to rebel against God.
In the New Testament, angels are present at all the
important events in the life of Jesus. Here, they became
more than just messengers; they are portrayed as the agents
of God in bringing judgement to the world.
Until the New Testament there were only two orders of
angles; the seraphim and cherubim.
The commonly used hierarchy of nine orders is that
popularized by the Pseudo-Areopagite of Pseude-Dionysius
(early 5th century) in his De Hierarchia Celesti, which
arranges them in three triads: Seraphim, Cherubim,
and Thrones (Ophanim) in the first circle; Dominions
(Hashmallim), Virtues (Tarshishim), and Powers in
the second circle; Principalities, Archangels
and Angels in the third circle.
The seven holy angels are:
Michael,
Gabriel,
Raphael,
Uriel,
Chamuel,
Jophiel,
and Zadkiel.
Michael
and Gabriel are mentioned in the Bible, Raphael in
the Apocrypha
and all appear in Enoch (VIII, 2). A list of
fallen angels
is given by Milton in Paradise Lost (Bk. I, 392).
Muslims
say that angels were created from pure bright
gems; the
genii from fire, and man from clay.
Greek:
angelos, messenger.
Source:http://www.angelfire.com/realm/shades/demons/emangels.htm
