The Book of Angels: Seen and Unseen 1527534340, 9781527534346

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The Book of Angels

The Book of Angels: Seen and Unseen By

Stephen Miller

Cambridge Scholars Publishing

The Book of Angels: Seen and Unseen By Stephen Miller This book first published 2019 Cambridge Scholars Publishing Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright© 2019 by Stephen Miller All rights for this book reserved.No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic ,mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-5275-3434-0 ISBN (13): 978-1-5275-3434-6

For Winifred Elsie and Edward Ernest my mother and father

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. Psalm 91:11, KJV

CONTENTS

List of Illustrations .................................................................................... ix Acknowledgements ................................................................................. xiii Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 Chapter One ................................................................................................ 3 On the Nature of Angels Chapter Two ............................................................................................... 9 On the Hierarchies and Orders of Angels Seraphim Cherubim Thrones Dominions (or Dominations, or Lordships) Virtues (or Powers, or Strongholds) Powers (or Authorities) Principalities (or Princedoms, or Rulers) Archangels Angels Chapter Three ........................................................................................... 23 The Seven Heavens Chapter Four ............................................................................................. 31 The Archangels Chamuel/Camael Gabriel Jophiel Lucifer/Satan Metatron Michael Raguel Raphael Remi el~miel

Saraqael/Zerachiel

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Contents

Uriel Zadkiel Chapter Five ............................................................................................. 73 Other Angels Chapter Six ............................................................................................... 91 Fallen Angels Chapter Seven ........................................................................................ 101 Contemporary References to Angels in Popular Literature, Film and Television Chapter Eight ......................................................................................... 109 More Things in Heaven and Earth Glossary of Terms .................................................................................. 119 Bibliography ........................................................................................... 133 Index ....................................................................................................... 141

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS SEE COLOUR PLATES SECTION

Chapter One Fig. 1-1 William Blake, When the Morning Stars Sang Together, pen & ink and water colour over traces of graphite, ea. 1804-1807, The Morgan Library and Musemn, New York

Chapter Two Fig. 2-1 Giotto di Bondone, Stigmatisation ofSt. Francis, from Scenes from the Life ofSt. Francis, fresco, 1325, Bardi Chapel, Santa Croce, Florence Fig. 2-2 Francesco Botticini, Assmnption of the Virgin, 14 75-76, ©The National Gallery, London, photo Lucy Miller

Chapter Three Fig. 3-1 William Blake, Jacob 's Dream, pen & ink and water colour, ea. 1805, © Trustees of the British Musemn, London Fig. 3-2 A Persian miniature of Paradise, from The History of Muhammad, Bibliotheque nationale de France, Paris Fig. 3-3 The Flammarion engraving, first documented appearance in Camille Flammarion's volmne L'atmosphere: meteorologie populaire (The Atmosphere: Popular Meteorology), 1888

Chapter Four Fig. 4-1 Francesco Botticini, Michael with Archangels Raphael and Gabriel, 1470, © The Uffizi Gallery, Florence Fig. 4-2 Giovanni Bellini, The Agony in the Garden, ea. 1465, © The National Gallery, London Fig. 4-3 Rembrandt, The Agony in the Garden (etching and drypoint), ca.1652, Ashmolean Musemn, Oxford Fig. 4-4 Fra Filippo Lippi, The Annunciation, ea. mid-1450s, © The National Gallery, London Fig. 4-5 Fra Filippo Lippi, The Annunciation (detail of the Archangel Gabriel), ea. mid-1450s, © The National Gallery, London

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List of Illustrations

Fig. 4-6 Remy Ossawa Tanner, The Annunciation, 1898, Philadelphia Museum of Art Fig. 4- 7 Titian, Polyptych of The Resurrection (Avera/di Polyptych), detail of the Archangel Gabriel, 1520-1522, Santi Nazaro e Celso, Brescia, northern Italy Fig. 4-8 Crispijn de Passe the Elder, The Archangel Jophiel, engraving with etching, plate created 1590-1637, ©Trustees of the British Museum, London Fig. 4-9 Alexandre Cabanel, The FallenAngel, 1847, Musee Fabre, Montpellier Fig. 4-10 William Blake, Satan Arousing the Rebel Angels, watercolour painted 1808, ©Victoria and Albert Museum, London Fig. 4-11 The Ancient ofDays, a 14th century fresco from Ubisi, Georgia Fig. 4-12 Paul Gauguin, The Vision After the Sermon, 1888, the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh Fig. 4-13 Hans Memling, Last Judgement Triptych (central panel), 1466-1473, National Museum, Gdaiisk Fig. 4-14 Luca Giordano, Archangel Michael Hurls the Rebellious Angels into the Abyss, ea. 1666, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria Fig. 4-15 Icon ofSt. Michael, Byzantine & Christian Museum, 14th century, Athens Fig. 4-16 Pierre-Paul Prud'hon, Justice and Divine Vengeance Pursuing Crime, 1808, Louvre, Paris Fig. 4-17 The Rod (or Stqf!J qfthe Greek godAsclepius (orAsklepios) , seen at either side of the entrance of the fapde of the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh, photo courtesy of Dr. Sally-Anne Huxtable Fig. 4-18 Workshop ofAndrea de! Verrocchio, Tobias andtheAngel, ea. 1470-1475, ©The National Gallery, London Fig. 4-19 Master of the Life of St. John the Baptist, The Encounter between John the Baptist and the Angel Urie/ on the Mount ofPenitence, ea. 1330-1340, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC Fig. 4-20 Leonardo Da Vinci, Virgin qf the Rocks!Vergine de/le Rocce, 1483-1486, Louvre, Paris Fig. 4-21 Rembrandt, Abraham and Isaac (oil on canvas), 1634, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia Fig. 4-22 Rembrandt, Abraham's Sacrifice (etching and drypoint), 1655, The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge Fig. 4-23 Marc Chagall, Abraham Slaying Isaac (detail), ea. mid-1960s, Musee du Message Biblique, Nice, France

Chapter Five Fig. 5-1 Albrecht Durer, Four Angels holding back the winds and the Marking ofthe Elect, 1498, © Trustees of the British Museum, London Fig. 5-2 Alessandro Botticelli, The Mystical Nativity, ea. 1500-1501 , © The National Gallery, London, photo Lucy Miller Fig. 5-3 Carved relief from the Palace of Sargon II, 722-705 BC, featuring a fourwinged spirit from the Assyrian palace at Khorsabad Fig. 5-4 Winged Victory ofSamothrace, also called the Nike ofSamothrace, ea. 220185 BC, Louvre, Paris

The Book of Angels: Seen and Unseen

xi

Chapter Six Fig. 6-1 Frans Floris, The Fall of the Rebel Angels (the surviving middle panel), 1554, Royal Museum ofFine Arts Antwerp

Chapter Seven Fig. 7-1 Anonymous, God the Geometer/The Creation ofthe World, folio l verso of a Bible moralisee, Paris, ea. 1220-1230

Chapter Eight Fig. 8-1 Caravaggio, The Inspiration ofSaint Matthew, 1602, Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This book follows the publication, in January 2016, of my monograph The Word made Visible in the Painted Image, which itself began life as the dissertation and assortment of connected papers, written for my Masters in 'Christianity and the Arts' at King's College London (in collaboration with The National Gallery, London), in 2013 and 2014. This study is an exploration of the various traditions and associated lore and legends surrounding angels and looks at how angels have been depicted in the major monotheistic religions over the past two millennia, or so. It attempts to relate those traditions to human expression in primarily the visual arts and to consider the dialogue that might arise as a result of that examination. While this is a separate undertaking from my previous book, it can also be seen as an offshoot of many of the themes and ideas of that book. Consequently, several of the acknowledgements I made then apply now. In addition to the Christianity and the Arts course leader, at King's College, Professor Ben Quash, I am indebted to several members of the Theology and Religious Studies department, through various seminar groups and discussions, including: Revd. Professor Richard Burridge, Revd. Vernon White (the former Canon Theologian at Westminster Abbey), Professor Paul Joyce, Professor Eddie Adams and Dr. Jonathan Stokl, among others. Special thanks are due to Professor Aaron Rosen (of the Rocky Mountain College in Montana), who was generous in allowing me to look through parts of his own preparatory material for his next major monograph and for exchanging ideas about particular images for this monograph, particularly with reference to Marc Chagall. Acknowledgement is due to the various museums, galleries and estates that have granted copyright permissions for the images used. These are separately credited. Among those who supplied certain images reproduced here are Dr. Sally-Anne Huxtable and Lucy Miller. My thanks are also due to the National Gallery, London, the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum, for granting a scholarly waiver for certain images used in this first edition. This important initiative in support of scholarship and the

xiv

Acknowledgements

encouragement of research into the nation's collections of paintings and illustrations is invaluable to academics and researchers alike, especially to those working with limited budgets. Unrestricted access to King's College Libraries has proved of great value during the research phase of this project, as has access to Lambeth Palace Library (including the pre-1850 books and manuscripts of the Sion Library). Thanks are also due to the British Library, the Warburg Institute Library and Senate House Library and to the helpful library staff of all of the above. My gratitude is also due to Adam Rummens, my commissioning editor and Amanda Millar (typesetting) at CSP, for their unflagging support in helping to successfully resolve the various publishing complexities necessary to steer this project to its conclusion and for generally making things as painless as possible in the process. Indeed, it is with great gratitude that I acknowledge the support and encouragement I have received from several quarters in this venture, and not least to my family, with love and thanks, in allowing me the luxury of the time spent on this project. London, Holy Week 2019

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INTRODUCTION

Both collectively and individually we have a deep and abiding fascination with angels. They have recurred in scripture and apocryphal and mystical writings, as well as in poetry, literature and the visual arts. And yet little is categorically known of these enigmatic and elusive creatures, of their nature, jurisdictions, habitat and various and several functions and responsibilities. Being creatures of spirit, they are generally invisible to us, despite on occasion revealing themselves, in disguised form, as messengers and heralds to a select few unsuspecting humans. What is known has been pieced together from tradition, lore and legend, scattered documentation, witness, testimony and theological, philosophical and artistic meditation, insight and imagination.

The Book ofAngels: Seen and Unseen, includes biblical, deuterocanonical, apocryphal and mystical depictions of angels in writings and the visual arts from before the coming of Jesus Christ to the present day-through the Hebrew and Christian Bibles as well as Islamic, Zoroastrian, Mesopotamian, ancient Greek, and latter-day accounts. It explores not only how the church fathers have appreciated angels, but how visionaries, poets and visual artists, from a variety of traditions and backgrounds, have expressed and pictured them. We explore especially the visual clues, artistic conventions and attributes that have been set down to help us to recognise them in their particular roles and functions. Certain writings have had influential bearing on our understanding of angels. We focus on the hierarchies and orders proposed in a number of influential texts (including those proposed by the likes of Pseudo-Dionysius, St. Thomas Aquinas and others), as well as on subsequent interpretation. This book is written for those who want to understand what angels are and what their relationship and significance to us might be. In a new age of fascination with the metaphysical and supernatural (in film, television, popular mythology and literature) are we cementing or losing our connection with the authentic meaning and purpose that such vibrant and energised beings bring to our table?

2

Introduction

Few books have attempted to look at the connection that the various traditions of angels have with literature and the visual arts and fewer, if any, have valued how human sensibilities and imaginative reasoning have emiched the subject. This book starts with a consideration of the nature of angels and is followed by a chapter on the various hierarchies and orders (drawn from the likes of Pseudo-Dionysius, St. Thomas Aquinas and others), followed by an exploration of the localities where such creatures might be found. A detailed chapter on the known and assumed Archangels deals with not only those mentioned in scripture, but draws on a number of other archangel candidates from a variety of sources, in close detail, with examples of the art in which they feature (wherever possible). Two overspill chapters follow, on Other Angels-which includes examples of the forerunners of angels in, for example, ancient Mesopotamian and Greek cultures, as winged protective spirits-and on Fallen Angels. A chapter on contemporary references to angels in popular literature, film and television follows this, before moving to a concluding chapter eight. This monograph contains more than 30 illustrations in a central colour plates section. It also has a useful glossary of the terms used throughout this study included at the end. It is with great gratitude that I acknowledge the support and encouragement I have received from several quarters in this venture (see particularly my Acknowledgements for a more precise breakdown of these). We begin in the following chapter with a consideration and outline of the nature of angels handed down to us through tradition.

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CHAPTER ONE ON THE NATURE OF ANGELS

We might reasonably describe angels as a breed apart from humankind. Although often implicated in our spiritual and physical wellbeing, they typically, in the very act of their appearance to us, present a somewhat daunting, not to say terrifying aspect, that proves challenging to our comprehension. They are driven, dispassionate, dutiful and inflexible in their attitude, yet, like us, created beings, coexisting as part of created nature. The seventh to eighth century Syrian monk and priest, John of Damascus (St. John Damascene) summarised the dogmatic writings of the early Church Fathers in his Ekdosis akribes tes Orthod6xou Pisteos (An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith), the first study of systematic theology in Eastern Christianity. John tells us that the 'Maker and Creator of the angels' ,1 ... brought them out of nothing into being and created them after His own image, an incorporeal race, a sort of spirit or immaterial fire.

They are described as 'spiritual', 'immaterial', or as John also often refers to them, as 'mental essence', and the highest of all created beings. Indeed, they wer e here from the very dawn of creation, befor e man, and they were singing the praises of God at the very foundation of the cosmos and of all creation. As we hear in The Book of Job , when the Lord speaks to Job from out of the whirlwind: 2 'Where were you.. . 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings [or, sons of God] shouted for joy?' Fig. 1-1 William Blake, When the Morning St(J]'s Sang Together, pen & ink and watercolour, ea. 1804-1807, The Morgan Library and Museum, New York See Colour Plate Section

The rebuke here is for all mankind, not just Job, when the angels were created we were still scarcely a twinkle in God's eye. Angels are traditionally pictured, day and night, before the face of God in heaven, continually praising His presence. John Damascene speaks of their 'ardour,

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Chapter One

and heat, and keenness and shaipness with which they hunger for God and serve Him' .3 In the context of heaven, they are shown as obedient and loving beings ministering to the Lord, while in the context of their interactions with mankind on earth, they act primarily as messengers (as in angelus), or as delegates or ambassadors, as the Hebrew malak signifies, but also as heralds, intercessors, protectors, guides and enablers (of the power of healing, for instance, particularly of the contrite). They tend to appear somewhat dispassionate in the execution of their earthly duties, but evidently also show glimpses of genuine engagement and concern for mankind's destiny and salvation. They do not perform miracles on their own account, or by their own reckoning, but only through the will and grace of God. Angels marked the incarnation of Jesus Christ, clearing the way for the descent of the Son of God to earth, they ministered to him in his life and death, in his abasement and in his glory. They also appear to be capable of sympathy (even empathy) with us fellow creatures, despite their collective horror at the brutality inflicted by humanity on the incarnate Son, and appear to have some insight into the mystery of redemption. However, they do not see everything and cannot look into the future. Only God knows and fully understands the outcome of created history and yet the angels look to support and celebrate the fulfilment of God's plan for us, and all creation, in all they are tasked to do, even if they do not know exactly what the end of creation will look like, or when that culmination will come. The angels, like us, must remain vigilant.4 32 But

about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

While part of human nature is spiritual, in our earthly existence of living in the flesh we are demonstrably more material than spiritual. Angels, on the other hand, are cast as more spiritual than material and are often referred to as 'spirits', since, from our perspective at least, this would appear to be the functional part of their nature. They are invisible to us in our corporeal form and are not constrained by many of the physical restraints that currently restrict us. Angels possess neither the tangible mortal bodies we now inhabit, nor the perfect immortal bodies which shall be ours on the day of resurrection, when we will be changed in an instant. Yet the angels preceded us and enjoy a more direct relationship with God than we currently enjoy. The fourth century Archbishop of Constantinople, St. Gregory of Nazianzus (also known as Gregory the Theologian), reasoned that God first created the angelic powers as an extension of his presence: 5

On the Nature of Angels

5

Since for the goodness of God it was not sufficient to be occupied only with the contemplation of Himself, but it was needful that good should extend further and further, so that the number of those who have received grace might be as many as possible (because this is characteristic of the highest Goodness) therefore, God devised first of all the angelic heavenly powers; and the thought became deed, which was fulfilled by the Word, and perfected by the Spirit.

Only then, 'inasmuch as the first creatures were pleasing to Him, He devised another world, material and visible, the orderly composition of heaven and earth, and that which is between them' .6 The Russian Orthodox priest, Bishop Alexander (Alexander V asilievich Mileant), tells us that man has always known of angels, which appear in ancient religions (see Chapter Five), and talks of angels as 'our elder brothers', sentto reveal to us the will of God and to assist us in reaching salvation.7 While it seems understandable that we associate angels with the 'spiritual' realm, according to John of Damascus, angels are called spiritual (or immaterial) and incmporeal only in comparison with us. In comparison with God all is 'dense' and material, 'For in reality only the Deity is immaterial and incorporeal'. 8 Scripture and the associated writings in all of the Abrahamic religions describe angels as either descending from heaven to earth, or ascending back to heaven (see Chapter Three on the layering of the heavens). While they are created immortal (Luke 20:36), their immortality is not a property of their nature, nor is it unconditional, but depends wholly upon God's grace, 'not by nature but by grace' , as John of Damascus puts it. 9 John adds that God 'is above the Eternal: for He, the Creator of times, is not under the dominion of time, but above time' .10 Bishop Alexander tells us that angels are capable of inward self-development, that their intellect is higher than that of humans, and that by their might and power they surpass all earthly authorities and governments (see 2 Peter 2:11 ). And yet they are also limited in their power, as we h ave said, they do not know or see everything and cannot perform miracles by v irtue of themselves. Angels and A rch angels, b ein g the n earest to us (in a sense the most mundane of the celestial h ierarchy, albeit the most immediately important to human beings) are mentioned throughout holy scr ipture. Th e books of the prophets mention the cherubim and seraphim as well as other celestial orders and St. Paul also r efers to an assortment of celestial beings (dominions, powers, virtues, principalities, and wh at h ave you) in his Epistle to the Ephesians, saying that Christ is in the heavens :11 21

far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 22 And

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Chapter One he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things ...

Indeed, the Church Fathers have expressed the opinion that dividing the angels into their several orders or choirs touches only upon those identities and jurisdictions that are revealed through holy scripture, but that we should not expect this to be an adequate reflection of the full reality of the possibilities of the names and orders of celestial beings yet to be revealed to us. For example, The Book of Revelation makes reference to mysterious creatures and spirits surrounding God that do not readily fit our understanding of such beings elsewhere in scripture and St. Paul also hints in the verses from Ephesians (see above) that there are celestial creatures whose identities are not yet known to us. It is implied that these 'spiritual', or 'non-material', powers and 'essences' are at work around us. The suggestion also is that not all of these powers are necessarily forces for good. Indeed, Paul urges us to put on the 'whole armour of God' in our dealings with such celestial entities: 12 12

For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Such unseen forces are engaged in the battlefield of the created cosmos, for the hearts and minds (and souls) of humans, supernatural influences ranging alongside the natural order, both angels and demons, forces for good as well for as for ill. Tradition insists that all was created by God and all was 'good', the demonic forces were themselves created angels, but through their own free will fell from the grace of God through pride, vaulting ambition, envy, etc. John of Damascus comments on the nature of angels and how it is that some may have turned in this direction: 13 With difficulty they are moved to evil, yet they are not absolutely immoveable: but now they are altogether immoveable, not by nature but by grace and their nearness to the Only Good.

Colossians affirms that the eternal Son is set above all things (angels and other sorts of celestial beings included) in heaven and on earth: 14 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstbom of all creation; 16 for in [or, by] him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

On the Nature of Angels

7

Angels (in the narrow or specific sense of the word) and other classes of celestial being (in a wider sense) are it seems at liberty to move between the physical (material) world and the spiritual (immaterial) realm. 15 They are mighty and prompt to fulfil the will of the Deity, and their nature is endowed with such celerity that wherever the Divine glance bids them there they are straightway found.

In consequence of this, angels are able to accomplish more than humans, our earth-bound existence being relatively restricted. 16 They are above us for they are incorporeal, and are free of all bodily passion, yet are not passionless: for the Deity alone is passionless [i.e. unmoved by passion].

The Bible describes angelic beings as having supernatural power and strength, but not more than the boundless and uncreated Creator of all things. Angels are a heavenly order of beings, below God (see Hebrews 1:6), but above (if only a little above, and if only for the present time) humanity (Hebrews 2:7). From this introductory outline on the nature of angels we now turn to the several hierarchies and orders of angels in the following chapter.

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Notes l ) John of Damascus, A n Exact Exposition ofthe Orthodox Faith, Ed. Paul A. Boer Sr. , trans. L. Pullen & E. W. Watson, 2012. See opening of 'Concerning Angels', bk. 2, eh. 3 2) Job 38:7, NRSVA 3) John of Damascus, op.cit., bk. 2, eh. 3 4) Mark 13:32, NRSVA 5) Bishop Alexander (Vasilievich Mileant) cites St. Gregory the Theologian, in his article: 'The Nature of Angels Their Hierarchy and Ministrations', 20 Nov. 2011, see Orthodox Christianity website: http://orthochristian. com/42954.html 6) Ibid. 7) Ibid. 8) John of Damascus, op.cit. , bk. 2, eh. 3 9) Ibid. 10) Ibid. 11) Ephesians l :2 1-22, NRSVA 12) Ephesians 6: 12, NRS VA 13) John of Damascus, op.cit. , bk. 2, eh. 3

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Chapter One

14) Colossians 1:15-17,~SVA 15) John of Damascus, op.cit., bk. 2, eh. 3 16) Ibid.

CHAPTER Two ON THE HIERARCHIES AND ORDERS OF ANGELS

There is a general consensus across traditions (if at odds in the particular) that angels, and heavenly beings of a similar ilk, are divided into nine basic choirs or orders, derived from holy scripture (although this number is not constant in all traditions and authorities), within three spheres or hierarchies (derived from theological speculation rather than scripture), each sphere having its own triadic arrangement of three orders/choirs. Within such an arrangement is seems that individuals are not necessarily confined to a particular order (or sphere) but may participate in more than one group, according to their nature and according to the roles to which they are variously assigned. Gabriel, for example, is included in the orders of cherubim (apparently not seraphim), virtues, archangels and angels, and evidently operates (according to a number of authorities and traditions) within each of the three hierarchical spheres, as does Archangel Michael who is a seraph, rather than cherub, and also included in the order of virtues, as well as operating in the role of archangel. Satan, before his fall from grace when often referred to as Lucifer (erroneously so according to some sources, see Chapter Four), was typically seen as an archangel and also considered to be from one or other of the orders of cherubim or seraphim (according to source), as well as being included in the second hierarchy in the order of powers (or authorities). We might understand these designations as divisions ofresponsibility, as well as implied status, among the ranks of angels. The angels of the first sphere are said to attend in heaven, in the presence of God, with second sphere angels, or archons, working as the celestial governors of creation, guiding and ruling the 'spirits', or angelic beings. A third sphere of the angelic host function as m essengers, guides and protectors, engaging in the world of humans. This lowest-tier of angels are those that we might most commonly and appropriately have dealings with. Personal or so-called ' guardian angels' would be included in this group, for example, together with those tasked with bringing tidings and messages relating to the revelation of parts of God's cosmic plan.

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Chapter Two

An influential book on the hierarchy of angels, De Coelesti Hierarchia (On the Celestial Hierarchy), was compiled in the late-fifth century by the Christian Neoplatonist called Pseudo-Dionysius (not to be confused with the first century Dionysius the Areopagite, of the Athenian judicial council, mentioned in The Acts ofthe Apostles, w ith whom the author pseudonymously identifies). This treatise set the model of nine orders divided into three spheres, which was copied and elaborated on throughout the middle ages. The first sphere, and the most exalted, comprised the orders of Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones. The second sphere included Dominions (or Dominations, also translated as Lordships), Virtues (also translated as Powers) and (somewhat confusingly) Powers (also translated as Authorities). The third (and lowest) sphere included those responsible for regulating the world and, if called upon to do so, interact with humans, the Principalities, Archangels and plain common-or-garden Angels.

Before Pseudo-Dionysius, Pope Clement of Rome had proposed 11 orders/choirs of angels in the first century, St. Ambrose nine and St. Jerome seven. F ollowing Pseudo-Dionysius, St. Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologiae , developed a similar arrangement to that of Pseudo-Dionysius, of three hierarchies, with each hierarchy containing three choirs of angels. This kept to the model of seraphim, cherubim and thrones, followed by dominions (dominations) , virtues and powers, and principalities, archangels and angels. Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon), a prolific and influential scholar of the Torah in the 12th century, counts 10 ranks of angels in Jewish angelic hierarchy, in his M ishneh Torah : Sefer Yad ha-Chazaka (Book of the Strong Hand) . These were: Chayot Ha Kodesh (holy living ones, see Ezekiel chapters 1 and 10), Ophanim (the wheels, also Ezekiel chapters 1 and 10), Erelim (brave ones, I saiah 33:7), Hashmallim (glowing/amber ones, Ezekiel 1:4), Seraphim (burning ones, Isaiah 6), M alakim (messengers/heralds, angels), Elohim (godly beings), Bene E lohim (sons of godly beings), Cherubim, and finally !shim (man-like beings, Genesis 18:2 and Daniel 10:5, 'a man clothed in linen '). In MaseketAzilut (an anonymous K abbalistic work of the early 14th century), the 10 ranks of angels are given as: seraphim, w ith Shemuel or Jehoel as chief; ofanim, with R aphael and Ofaniel as chiefs; cherubim, with Cherubiel as chief; shinannim, w ith Zedek iel and Gabriel as chiefs; tarshishim, w ith T arshish and Sabriel chiefs; ishim, w ith Zephaniel as chief; hashmallim, with I:Iashmal as chief; malakim, w ith Uzziel chief; bene elohim, with Hofniel as chief; and arelim, w ith Michael as chief. These are the archangels created before all others and

On the Hierarchies and Orders of Angels

11

over them is set 'Metatron-Enoch', transformed from human flesh and blood into flaming fire. In addition to such divisions, extensive lists of individually named angels (including fallen angels and demons) belonging to (or excluded from) the various orders can be found in such sources as, The Book ofEnoch (written over an extended timeframe from the period BC to first century AD), The Lemegeton (compiled in the 17th century from older material) and the so-called Sixth and Seventh Books ofMoses (an 18th or 19th century text, allegedly written by Moses and secretly passed down). Despite there being little to go on in the canon of the New Testament, Pseudo-Dionysius (in De Coelesti Hierarchia) followed some 700 years later by Thomas Aquinas (Summa Theologiae) drew on certain passages (notably from the epistles of Ephesians and Colossians), to develop the triadic model of three spheres, each subdivided into three orders or choirs. 20

God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 1 15

He [Jesus Christ, the eternal Son] is the image of the invisible God, the firstbom of all creation; 16 for in [or, by] him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 2

In his Celestial Hierarchy Pseudo-Dionysius sets out his intentions to,3 ... behold the intelligent hierarchies of heaven and we should do so in accordance with what scripture has revealed to us in symbolic and uplifting fashion.

These hierarchies are revealed to us by, 4 ...the Light which, by the way of representative symbols, makes known to us the most blessed hierarchies among the angels.

The author goes on to explain what he means by a hierarchy and why they might be important to us.5 and6 A hierarchy is a sacred order, a state of understanding and an activity approximating as closely as possible to the divine. And it is uplifted to the imitation of God in proportion to the enlightenments divinely given to it.

12

Chapter Two ... for every member of the hierarchy, perfection consists in this, that it is uplifted to imitate God as far as possible and, more wonderful still, that it becomes what scripture calls a 'fellow workman for God'. [see also, 1 Corinthians 3: 9, 1 Thessalonians 3: 2]

In his fourth chapter, Pseudo-Dionysius turns from a general discussion of hierarchy to consideration of the 'angelic hierarchy' and reminds us that scripture 'teaches us that the Law was given to us by the angels'. 7 In chapters six to nine the author takes us through the previously mentioned various ranks and spheres of the 'heavenly beings'. The ' first hierarchy' comprising seraphim, cherubim and thrones, followed by a 'middle hierarchy' of dominions, powers and authorities and the 'final hierarchy' of principalities, archangels and angels.

While the nine names of the orders are derived from scripture, the author concedes that the triadic structure is adopted from elsewhere. 8 The word of God has provided nine explanatory designations for the heavenly beings, and my own sacred-initiator has divided these into three threefold groups.

Pseudo-Dionysius (we should remember, posing as the first century St. Dionysius the Areopagite) claims that the triadic arrangement of the hierarchies is taken from Hierotheus ('the Thesmothete'), reputed to be the first bishop of the Christian Athenians and reportedly present at the dormition of the Theotokos (Mother of God). According to tradition, Hierotheus was instructed, baptised and ordained by the apostle Paul in about the year 53. (See also Pseudo-Dionysius's The Divine Names in which 'our famous teacher', Hierotheus, is mentioned together with reference to a work, Elements of Theology, ascribed to that 'teacher' .) 9 As to the first hierarchy we are told: 10 Here ... are the most holy 'thrones' and the orders said to possess many eyes and many wings, called in Hebrew the 'cherubim' and 'seraphim'.

Note the descriptions 'many eyes' (Ezekiel 1:18) and 'many wings' (six wings in Isaiah 6:2, forthe seraphim, and four in Ezekiel 1and10, in respect of the cherubim). These celestial creatures are to be found, 'Immediately around God and in a proximity enjoyed by no other' . Pseudo-Dionysius claims that his 'famous teacher' notes that these three orders form 'a single hierarchy which is truly first and whose member s are of equal status' .. . 'No other [group or hierarchy] is more like the divine or receives more directly the first enlightenments from the Deity' .11 He continues, that those, 'with a

On the Hierarchies and Orders of Angels

13

knowledge of Hebrew are aware of the fact that the holy name "seraphim" means "fire-makers", that is to say, "carriers of warmth". And that, "'cherubim" means "fullness of knowledge" or "outpouring of wisdom"' .12 The first ofthe hierarchies is hierarchically ordered by truly superior beings, for this hierarchy possesses the highest order as God's immediate neighbour, being grounded directly around God and receiving the primal theophanies and perfections. Hence the descriptions "carriers of warmth" and "thrones". Hence, also, the title "outpouring of wisdom". These names indicate their similarity to what God is ...

He adds a little later: 13 The first beings have their place beside the Godhead to whom they owe their being. They are, as it were, in the anteroom of divinity ... They know no diminution at all toward inferior things, for they have their own godlike property an eternally unfailing, unmoved, and completely uncontaminated foundation.

Further, the highest ranks share their understanding of the 'operations of God' with the lower ranks. 14 The theologians have clearly shown that the lower ranks of heavenly beings have harmoniously received from their superiors whatever understanding they have of the operations of God, whereas the higher ranks have been enlightened in initiations, so far as permitted, by the very Godhead.

This first group, 'imitates, as far as possible, the beauty of God's condition and activity' .15

Seraphim Seraphim (singular seraph) is literally translated as the 'burning ones' . In the Hebrew Bible seraph is interestingly also a synonym for serpent. Mentioned in Isaiah, seraphim are assumed to be the highest rank of angel and serve in the very presence of the Lord God before His throne. They continually shout and sing God's praises and are typically described as sixwinged fiery beings- two wings covering their faces and two covering their feet, leaving two to fly with. 16 I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphs were in attendance above him ; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another and said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory '.

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Michael belongs to this order and Satan (before his fall from grace, as Lucifer) was also considered to be a seraph (although Thomas Aquinas insisted that Satan was a cherub, the argument being that cherubim are derived from knowledge , which is compatible w ith mortal sin, while seraphim are derived from charity, which is incompatible with mortal sin). St. Thomas notes that: 17 ... the names of two angelic orders, the Seraphim and the Thrones, are not given to devils; for they mean things incompatible with mortal sin, the ardour of charity and the presence of God. But devils are called Cherubim, Powers and Principalities, since these terms denote knowledge and power, which are in the wicked as well as the good.

Notwithstanding St. Thomas's objection, Lucifer is sometimes depicted with 12 rather than six wings, indicating his previous enhanced status amongst the seraphim over even other seraphs. Fig. 2-1 Giotto di Bondone, Stigmatisation ofSt. Francis, from Scenes from the Life ofSt. Francis, fresco, 1325, Bardi Chapel, Santa Croce, Florence See Colour Plate Section

The Stigmatisation ofSt. Francis appears above the entrance to the Bardi Capel in Santa Croce, Florence, in which Francis receives the stigmata (the five wounds of Christ) from a seraph-a rare illustrative example of a celestial being of such exalted rank interacting with the world.

Cherubim Cherubim (singular cherub, not to be confused with the chubby wingedhuman infants or putti of the visual arts), are described in Ezekiel and according to traditional Christian iconography they have four faces (man, ox, lion and eagle, also adopted as the symbols of the four Evangelists, together known as a tetramorph). They have four conjoined w ings covered w ith eyes. They guard the way to The Throne ofGod and to The Tree ofLife in the Garden of Eden. 18 24

He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life.

Cherubim are m entioned here in Genesis (guarding The Tree ofLife w ith flaming sword); Exodus 25:1 7-22 (in connection with the Ark of the Covenant); 2 Chronicles 3:7 (in connection w ith Solomon's building of the

On the Hierarchies and Orders of Angels

15

Temple); 1 Kings 6:23-29 (in connection with temple furnishings); Ezekiel 10 (see below); and Ezekiel 28:14 (in connection with the lamentation over the King of Tyre).

Thrones Thrones (or Elders) are a class of celestial being mentioned in the New Testament. They represent God's justice and have the throne as their symbol. The Thrones are sometimes associated with the Ophanim (or Wheels) of Jewish angelic hierarchy. The Wheels are unusual looking, even compared with other celestial beings, and are said to be moved by the spirit of other beings, which raises the question whether the Ophanim are spiritual beings at all or something purely material, or mechanical. In The Book of Daniel something like a chariot is described (bringing to mind several illustrations by William Blake). 19 9 As I watched, thrones were set in place, andan Ancient One [or, an Ancient of Days] took his throne ; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his

head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, and its wheels were burning fire.

The appearance of a beryl-coloured wheel-within-a-wheel mechanism, with rims covered with eyes is described in Ezekiel and their movement appears to be closely connected with the movements of the cherubim. 20 1 Then I looked, and above the dome that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a sapphire, in form resembling a throne. 2 He said to the m an clothed in linen, 'Go within the wheel-work underneath the cherubim; fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim, and scatter them over the city' ... 6 When he commanded the man clothed in linen, ' Take fire from within the wheel-work, from among the cherubim' , he went in and stood beside a wheel. 7 And a cherub stretched out his hand from among the cherubim to the fire that was among the cherubim, took som e of it, and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out. 8 The cherubim appeared to have the form of a human hand under their wings. 9 I looked, and there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one beside each cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was like gleaming beryl. 10 And as for their appearance, the four looked alike, something like a wheel within a wheel. 11 When they moved, they moved in any of the four directions without veering as they moved; but in whatever direction the front wheel face d, the others followed without veering as they m oved. 12 Their entire body, their rims, their spokes, their wings, and the wheels the wheels of the four of them

16

Chapter Two were full of eyes all round. 13 As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing 'the wheel-work'. 14 Each one had four faces: the first face was that of the cherub, the second face was that of a human being, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that of an eagle [note that the ox of the more usual tetram01ph mentioned in Ezekiel 1 has been dropped from the line-up here in favour of cherub]. 15 The cherubim rose up. These were the living creatures that I saw by the river Che bar. 16 When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them; and when the cherubim lifted up their wings to rise up from the earth, the wheels at their side did not veer. 17 When they stopped, the others stopped, and when they rose up, the others rose up with them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in them. 18 Then the glory of the Lord went out from the threshold of the house and stopped above the cherubim. 19 The cherubim lifted up their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight as they went out with the wheels beside them. They stopped at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the Lord; and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. 20 These were the living creatures that I saw underneath the God of Israel by the river Che bar; and I knew that they were cherubim. 2 1 Each had four faces, each four wings, and underneath their wings something like human hands. 22 As for what their faces were like, they were the same faces whose appearance I had seen by the river Chebar. Each one moved straight ahead.

Christian rather than Jewish theologians tend to describe the Thrones as Elders (rather than as Wheels), who listen to the will of God and present the prayers of men. The 24 elder men in The Book of Revelation are usually thought to be included in this order of spiritual entity. Pseudo-Dionysius explains something about the perceived appearance of such beings set against what we are given in scripture: 21 They [the celestial beings] are not shaped to resemble the brutishness of oxen or to display the wildness of lions. They do not have the curved beak of the eagle or the wings or feathers of birds. We must not have pictures of flaming wheels whirling in the skies, of material thrones made ready to provide a reception for the Deity, of multicoloured horses, or of spearcarrying lieutenants, or any of those shapes handed on to us amid all the variety of the revealing symbols of scripture. The Word of God makes use of poetic imagery when discussing these formless intelligences but ... it does so not for the sake of art, but as a concession to the nature of our own mind.

This 'concession to the nature of our own mind' is worth noting at this point. We will return to this later. The second, or middle group of the triadic arrangements, is made up of the dominions (or dominations) and 'the astonishing sights of the divine authorities and powers'.22 The dominions are 'forever striving mightily

On the Hierarchies and Orders of Angels

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toward the true dominion and the true source of all dominion' ,23 while the powers [also called virtues, in this context] exhibit 'a kind of masculine and unshakable courage in all its godlike activities'. 24 The authorities have,25 ... an equal order with the divine dominions and powers. They are so placed that they can receive God in a harmonious and unconfused way and indicate the ordered nature of the celestial and intellectual authority.

Dominions (or Dominations, or Lordships) The dominions, or dominations, mentioned in Ephesians and Colossians (see above), also translated from the Greek as lordships, regulate the duties oflower angels. It is extremely rare for the angelic lords to make themselves physically manifest to humans. The dominions are believed to look like divinely beautiful humans often depicted with a pair of feathered wings, in line with the popular representation of angels, but they may be distinguished from other groups by the habit of wielding orbs oflight, attached to sceptres, or to the pommels of their swords.

Virtues (or Powers, or Strongholds) The Virtues are those ministries through which signs and miracles are made in the world. The term is linked to the attribute of 'might', from the Greek root dynamis. In Ephesians the use of virtue and power appears virtually synonymous. 26 20

God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and se ated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.

Powers (or Authorities) The Powers, or A uthorities (as distinct from the powers that are also termed Virtues), from the Greek exousiai, are the order of warrior angels, tasked with opposing evil spirits, especially those that make use of matter in the universe. Their role is to prevent such sprits from doing as much harm in the world as would otherwise be the case. The powers/authorities are typically occupied with casting and chaining evil spirits to places of confinement or detention, which is somewhat ironic, as Lucifer/Satan is often associated with this order (before his fall from grace). They are usually represented as soldiers wearing armour and equipped with defensive and

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offensive armour and weapons, such as shields, swords, spears or chains. They are warrior angels loyal to God alone. The primary duty of this order is to superv ise the movements of the heavenly bodies to ensure that the order of the cosmos is maintained. The authorities are the bearers of conscience and the keepers of history. It falls to them to oversee the distribution of power among mankind. It is believed by some that no power has ever 'fallen', although others believe that Satan w as in fact the chief of the powers before his fall from grace. Indeed, St. Paul, in his Letter to the Ephesians, warns us of the struggle against 'spiritual forces of evil' (rather than against the enemies of flesh and blood) and the need to put on 'the whole armour ofGod'. 27 11

Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

The clear message here is that not all of the celestial company are forces for good. Pseudo-Dionysius concludes his treatise on the celestial hierarchies by turning to 'the godlike principalities, archangels, and angels' ,28 occupying the lowest sphere (i.e. the sphere that is nearest to humans). The principalities 'possess a godlike and princely hegemony, with a sacred order most suited to princely powers' .29 The archangels stand between the principalities and the angels and communicate with both orders.30 The holy archangels have the same order as the heavenly principalities and ... j oin with the angels to form a single hierarchy and rank.

Principalities (or Princedoms, or Rulers) The Principalities (archai), also translated as Princedoms and Rulers, are the angels that guide and protect nations, or groups of p eoples, for example the Catholic Church. The principalities preside over the ranks of the third sphere of angels and ch arge them with fulfilling divine ministry. There are some who administer and some who assist. The principalities are depicted as wearing a crown and carrying a sceptre. Their duty is also said to be to carry out the orders given to them by the high er sphere angels and b equeath blessings to the material world. Their task is to oversee groups of p eople. They are the educators and guardians of earth. They are said to

On the Hierarchies and Orders of Angels

19

inspire living beings to strive for creativity in the arts and sciences, in particular. The principalities (archai), also translated as rulers and princedoms, are mentioned in, Ephesians 1:21 and 3:10 (see above), as 'the rulers in the heavenly places', and also in Colossians 1:16 (see above) and 2: 10. The principalities/rulers in 1 Corinthians 15:24-' after he [Christ] has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power', Ephesians 6: 12 (see above) and Colossians 2: 15-are plainly reprobate powers, indicating that not only benign or benevolent rulers preside.

Archangels The word Archangel means chief angel and derives from the Greek archein, meaning to be first in rank or power; and angelos, which means messenger or envoy. The word is only used twice in the New Testament (in Jude 1:9, in connection with Michael and 1 Thessalonians 4:16). Only archangels Michael and Gabriel are mentioned by name in the New Testament and Gabriel is not specifically referred to as an archangel anywhere in the biblical canon, although it is assumed that he is. The term only ever appears in the singular and only as a specific reference to Michael, which some have taken to mean that Michael is in fact the only Archangel. Irrespective of this, Raphael is referred to as an archangel in The Book of Tobit, but while the book is recognised as canonical by Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and some Anglican denominations, Jews and Protestants do not recognise it as scripture and its general status is deuterocanonical (of the second canon). Raphael states he is one of the seven angels 'who stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lord ',31 and it is widely accepted that Michael and Gabriel are two of the other six. Uriel ('the Light of God') is also considered to be an archangel and one of the seven. (See Chapter Four for more information on the Archangels.) Another interpretation of the 'seven archangels' is that these seven are the seven spirits of God that stand before the throne described in The Book of Enoch and also in the New Testament Book ofRevelation. The seven angels are said to be the guardians of nations and countries, and are concerned with the issues and events surrounding these, including politics, military matters, commerce and trade. For example, Michael is traditionally seen as being the protector of Israel and of the ecclesia, equated with the Church and, in theological terms, the forerunner of the spiritual New Israel.

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It is also possible to make a distinction between l!fChangel (lower-case) and 6,rchangel (initial upper-case). While the former can denote the secondlowest choir (arch-angels in the sense of being above only the lowest order of 'Angel'), the latter may denote the highest of all the angels (in the sense of the Archangel who is above all other angels and celestial beings of any order). Michael is usually considered to be the highest of all, even including the seven angels of the presence (of which he is one) and consequently the seraph (of the highest order of seraphim) and Archangel (highest individual) above all.

Angels The Angels, or Mal 'akhim (Hebrew), are the lowest order of the celestial hierarchy, the most commonly recognised, and the likeliest to engage and interact with humans. They are the celestial beings most concerned with the affairs of living things. Within this order there are many different kinds of angel serving different roles and functions. The primary function of the angels is that they are sent as messengers to mankind and also as guides in the paths of righteousness to our eventual salvation. They complete the final tier of the 'heavenly intelligences' and, according to Pseudo-Dionysius, among all of the heavenly beings it is,32 ... they that possess the final quality of being an angel. For being closer to us, they, more appropriately than the previous ones, are named 'angels' insofar as their hierarchy is more concerned with revelation and is closer to the world. Fig. 2-2 Francesco Botticini,Assumption o/the Virgin, 1475-76, © The National Gallery, London, photo Lucy Miller See Colour Plate Section

Francesco Botticini's 15th century depiction of the Assumption of the Virgin, in London's National Gallery, shows the disciples of Jesus gathered around Mary's tomb, filled with representations of her lily attribute. The donors who commissioned the painting are kneeling and flanking this group, at a distance, to the left and right. In the court of heaven above Mary kneels before her son and is blessed, surrounded by three tiers and nine choirs of worshipping angels, together with a number of saints.

***

On the Hierarchies and Orders of Angels

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Notes 1) Ephesians 1:20-21, NRSVA 2) Colossians 1: 15-1 7, NRSVA 3) Pseudo-Dionysius, The Complete Works, from De Coelesti Hierarchia (On the Celestial Hierarchy), trans. Colm Luibheid, forward & notes Paul Rorem, 1987, 121A, p145 4) Ibid. 121B, p146 5) Ibid. 164D, pl 53 6) Ibid. 165B, p154 7) Ibid. 180B,p157 8) Ibid. 200D, p160 9) Ibid. Pseudo-Dionysius, The Divine Names, 68 lA, p69 10) Ibid. Pseudo-Dionysius, On the Celestial Hierarchy, 200D-201A, pl60 11) Ibid. 201A, p161 12) Ibid. 205B, pp 161-162 13) Ibid. 208A-208B, pl63 14) Ibid. 209A, pl 64 15) Ibid. 212A, p165 16) Isaiah 6:1-3,NRSVA 17) Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, vol. 9, 'Angels', Ed. Kenelm Foster, Prima Pars I, q63 , article 9, reply to obj. 3, 2006, p279 18) Genesis 3 :24, NRSVA 19) Daniel 7:9, NRSVA 20) Ezekiel 10:1-2, 6-22, NRSVA 21) Pseudo-Dionysius, op.cit., On the Celestial Hierarchy, 137 A-137B, pp 147-148 22) Ibid. 237B, pl 66 23) Ibid. 237C, p167 24) Ibid. 23 7D, pl 67 25) Ibid. 240A, p167 26) Ephesians 1:20-21, NRSVA 27) Ephesians 6:11-1 2, NRSVA 28) Pseudo-Dionysius, op.cit., On the Celestial Hierarchy, 257B, p 169 29) Ibid. 257B, pi 70 30) Ibid. 257C, p l 70 31) Tobit 12:1 5, NRSVA 32) Pseudo-Dionysius, op.cit., On the Celestial Hierarchy, 260A, pl 70

CHAPTER THREE THE SEVEN HEAYENS

We tum in this chapter, from the nature of angels and the conditions of their various appearances to humans, and from their hierarchies and orders, to the places they might populate. Angels are often depicted as travelling back and forth between the highest heaven and earth, from the very throne and presence of God to face-to-face interaction with human beings, bridging the chasms between realms, from there to here and back again. Genesis 28 relates the dream of Jacob, for example: 'And he dreamed that there was a ladder [or stainvay] set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it' .1 William Blake's illustration of Jacob 's Dream of about 1805, in the British Museum, shows angels ascending and descending from the highest heaven in the disappearing distance at the top, through the heavens of the fixed stars, to earth at the foot of the stairway. Fig. 3-1 William Blake, Jacob's Dream, pen & ink and water colour, ea. 1805, © Trustees of the British Museum, London See Colour Plate Section

The idea of a multiplicity of heavenly places (from three, rather than just one unified Heaven, to seven, to 10, some sources cite hundreds2 ) arose from ancient religious traditions, folklore and the astronomical observation of celestial bodies. The idea of seven heavens gained predominance as a standard model of the created cosmos, recognising seven realms or tiers to the heavens, which served as an ordered judicial hierarchy above the earth. This idea was associated with the classical arrangement of the seven observable 'planets' (two of which were not planets at all) and the fixed stars, which derived from ancient Mesopotamia and found expression in the Abrahamic religions and a number of associated mythologies. Similar concepts are also to be found in eastern religions, such as Hinduism. The seven classical planets comprised: Mercury, Venus, the Moon, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The sun and the moon clearly influenced actions upon earth, such as the growth of plants and the regulation of ocean tides,

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Chapter Three

and the understanding that celestial bodies influence such things on earth lent a supernatural or magical significance to the number seven itself-as in accounts of seven churches, seven lampstands, seven spirits, seven thrones, seven holy angels, etc. The number seven had special significance in Babylonian ritual, which developed into speculation about 'seven heavens ', notably in Jewish and Islamic traditions, as well as Christian. Ancient observers had noted that certain planetary objects moved at different rates and orbits from the fixed stars beyond them and, unlike comets, which appeared in the sky without warning, moved in uniform patterns that could be accurately predicted. The word planet itself derives from the Greek and essentially means 'wanderer', describing the movement of physical objects in the night sky in relation to the stars. Alternative interpretations of cosmological order located the seven heavens in the constellations with the seven stars of the Plough. Such interpretations gave rise to the development of geocentric cosmologies, putting the earth (and man) at the centre, with the heavens understood to be arranged as vast spheres, or hidden layers, rotating around earth. Speculation grew about the effect that celestial objects, other than the sun and moon, might exercise over earthly events. Symbolic and religious associations naturally connected such influential bodies with angelic rulers and ministers, responsible for the jurisdiction of the spheres and for maintaining order in the cosmos. In Hebrew lore, for example, the seven heavens comprise: the first heaven, Shamayim, ruled over by Gabriel; Raqia, ruled over by Zachariel and Raphael; Shehaqim, presided over by Anahel and three subordinate sarim (angelic princes), Jagniel, Rabacyel and Dalquiel; Machonon, ruled over by Michael; Mathey, ruled over by Sandalphon; Zebu/, ruled over by Zachiel, and assisted (somewhat confusingly) by Zebul (by day) and Sabath (by night); and the seventh heaven, Araboth, presided over by Cassiel, 3 w here God was also said to reside. In the pseudepigraphal text of 2 Enoch, the Garden ofEden and The Tree ofLife are both found in the third heaven (see also 2Corinthians 12:2-3, in the New Testament, which speaks of P aul being 'caught up [or caught away] to the third heaven') . In 2 Enoch there are 10 rather than seven heavens, the additional three being: Muzaloth; Kukhavim, home of the 12 signs of the zodiac; and Aravoth (a Hebrew term for the signs of the zodiac), where Enoch saw his vision of 'the face of the Lord' . As Gustav Davidson points out, this describes a confused picture, with its apparent assertion that the signs of the zodiac do not 'lodge' in the heavens named after them. 4 The notion of seven heavens appears in The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs5 (a pseudepigraphal work of the dying

The Seven Heavens

25

commands of the 12 sons of Jacob, which reached its final form sometime in the second century AD and is part of the Armenian Orthodox Bible of 1666) and other Jewish apocrypha and was also familiar to the ancient Persians and Babylonians. The Persians imagined the Almighty in the highest of the seven heavens, 'seated on a great white throne, surrounded by winged cherubim'. 6 According to the Talmud (the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and a primary source of Jewish theology), the cosmos is made of seven heavens, one above the other, called: Velon, Raki 'a, Shehaqim, Zebul, Ma 'on, Machon andAraboth. 7 Velon (Latin, velum , 'curtain'), is rolled up and down to enable the sun to go in and out, according to Isaiah 40:22, ' It is he ... who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in'. Raki 'a, is the place where the sun, moon and stars are fixed, as in Genesis 1: 17, 'God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth'. Shehaqim (or Shehakim ), is where the millstones to grind manna for the righteous are housed. Zebul, the upper Jerusalem, with its Temple is where Michael offers the sacrifice at the altar, expressed in 1Kings8:13, ' I have built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in for ever'. Ma 'on, where the classes of ministering angels dwell, who sing by night and are silent by day, Deuteronomy 26: 15, 'Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the ground that you have given us'. Machon (or Makon) , where the treasuries of snow and hail are stored, together with chambers of dew, rain and mist, behind doors of fire. And the highest of the seven heavens, Araboth, where justice and righteousness, the treasures of life and ofblessing, the souls of the righteous and the dew of r esurrection are to be found. Here are located the ofanim (or ophanim, the 'wheels' seen in Ezekiel's vision of the chariot), seraphim, the hayyoth (heavenly cr eatures, a class of Merkabah angel, corresponding to the cherubim of Christian angelology) and the throne of God itself. The Jewish Merkabah (so-called 'chariot mysticism ') and Hekhalot ('palaces') literature was devoted to discussing the details of these heavens, often in connection with traditions relating to the patriarch Enoch, such as 3 Enoch (also known as the Hebrew Enoch) . In addition to the commonly accepted model of seven heavens, an alternative arrangement (also derived from ancient Mesopotamia) held that there were just three heavens, the third (and highest) of which was the dwelling place of God. A tradition also grew in the Middle Ages that proposed a system of 10 heavens and this cosmology was taught in the first European universities, reaching the height of literary expression in Dante's The Divine Comedy, completed in 1320.

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The early books of the Hebrew Bible (the Tanakh) make reference to Heaven (in Hebrew, Shamayim), but not to a specific number of heavens. Heaven appears in the first verse of Genesis and light is separated from darkness in verses 4 and 5, thus dividing the heavens into two sections, day and night. In verse 8, heaven equates to the atmosphere around the earth in which the birds fly, and in verse 14 the sky is the setting for the 'celestial lights' , identified in verse 16 as the sun, moon and stars. 8 16

God made the two great lights the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night and the stars. 17 God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness.

Another concept of heaven, called shamayi h 'shamayim ('heaven of heavens ') is referenced in passages such as, Genesis 28: 12, Deuteronomy 10:14 and 1 Kings 8:2 7, as a spiritual realm inhabited by God and the angels. The ambiguity of the term shamayim in the Tanakh and the fact that the word is plural, leaves scope for the interpretation of several possibilities. In 2 Enoch, the third heaven is described as 'between corruptibility and incorruptibility', containing The Tree of Life, 'whereupon the Lord rests, when he goes up into paradise' .9 The third heaven contains springs of milk, honey, wine and oil that flow into the Garden of Eden. It is also described as 'a very terrible place' for those that do wrong, with 'all manner of tortures' inflicted by merciless angels on those who ' dishonour God' by sinning against nature. 10 In the Slavonic version of the Apocalypse of Baruch (3 Baruch) the author is shown a dragon in the third heaven, who is said to eat the bodies of 'those that have spent their lives in ev il'. \Vhile in Louis Ginzb er g's The Legends of the Jews, the third heav en is reported to b e like the other six, 'twelve myriads of miles in w idth and twelve myriads of miles in len gth', built of silver and gold and containing 'the best of everything there is in h eav en ' .11 In Judaism, p articular angels visit and populate the third heaven, along w ith biblical notables such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Aaron, and the tribe of the Israelites of Exodus. John the Baptist is also to b e found here, according to The Apocalypse of J ames (in Islamic tradition, John is located in the second heaven along w ith Jesus). In the Sumerian language, the w ords for heav en (or sky) and earth are An and Ki. Sumerian incantations of the late second millennium BC make r eference to not only seven heavens but also to seven earths. In general, H eaven is not a place for humans in M esopotamian religion. A s Gilgamesh says to his friend Enkidu, in The Epic of Gilgamesh (which dates to some

The Seven Heavens

27

18 centuries BC), 'Who, my Friend, can ascend to the heavens! [Only] the gods can dwell forever with Shamash' 12 (the Mesopotamian god of the sun and part of an astral triad of divinities). 13 Fig. 3-2 A Persian mi.niature of Paradise, from The History of Muhammad, Bibliotbeque nationale de France, Paris See Colour Plate Section

In Islam, the Qur' an frequently mentions the existence of seven samaawat, translated as heavens. One view is that 'seven' simply means 'many' and is not to be taken literally (the number seven is also used to imply the same in the Arabic language). Other sources do take the number literally. An interpretation of 'heavens' is that the stars and galaxies (including our own) are all part of the first heaven and beyond that six still bigger realms exist, which remain hidden. In Islamic tradition each of the seven heavens is depicted as being composed of a different material. The first heaven is made of silver and is the home of Adam and Eve, as well as the angels of each star. The second heaven is made of gold and is the home of John the Baptist and Jesus. The third heaven, is made of pearls, Joseph and Azrael ('the angel of death') abide here. (Note: According to Judaic tradition, the third heaven accommodates both paradise and hell, with hell, located simply on 'the northern side'.)14 The fourth heaven (of Islamic tradition) is made of white gold, with Enoch residing there. The fifth heaven is made of silver, where the 'avenging angel' is to be found. The sixth heaven is composed of garnets and rubies, where Moses resides, and the seventh heaven, which borrows some concepts from its Jewish counterpart, is depicted as being composed of divine light, incomprehensible to mortal m an. Abraham is found here.

The Empyrean, from the ancient Greek, is the place of 'highest heaven' , which in ancient cosmologies was supposed to be full of the element of fire (or aether in Aristotle's natural philosophy). The Empyrean was thus used as a name for the firmament especially in Christian literature, notably in The Divine Comedy, as the dwelling-place of God. The celestial beings here are m ade of pure light. The word is used both as a noun and as an adjective, although empyreal is an alternate adjectival form. 2 Enoch, written in the first century AD, describes the mystical assent of the patriarch Enoch through a hierarchy of 10 heavens. Enoch passes through the Garden of Eden in the third heaven on his way to stand face-to-face with the Lord God in the 1Qth and highest heaven. 1 5 Along the way he encounters angels who take terrible retribution on wrongdoers. The book's depiction of 10 heavens

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(also in medieval Christianity) represented an expansion of the older seven heaven model. In Gnostic tradition, the governing powers were far from uniformly benign or benevolent beings sympathetic to the plight of earth-bound humans. Such mystery religions oflate antiquity imparted secret and arcane knowledge to the initiated. The material cosmos is presented as the defective creation of inferior gods (the archons or 'rulers' who reign in the planetary spheres), or indeed of the chief archon (a wicked or incompetent demiurge, or 'world-maker', often identified with the God of the Old Testament), who either out of ignorance or envy claims to be the one true God. Several such systems spoke of a divine Pleroma (plenitude) of light, a sort of pre-cosmic community of divine beings called the 'aeons', generated in eternity by a divine Father who himself remained hidden from them in the inaccessible heights of his transcendence. Fallen man is described as an 'unhappy amalgamation of body (soma), soul (psyche), and spirit (pneuma)'. 16 The first two aspects are part of the demiurge' s creation and so fall under the sway of the archons and of 'the iron law of fate' (heimarmene) by which the world is guided. The last aspect (pneuma) , however, is a pure emanation of the divine world beyond and has no natural relation to the cosmos and so can, when recalled to itself, free itself from the tyranny of the cosmic rulers, powers or principalities that subjugate it. The ascent of the spirit through the layered heavens will be fraught with perils, with the archons striving at every tum, in each sphere, to prevent the pneumatikos (that part of man that belongs to the imperishable spirit and is sheathed in a perishable soul) from returning to the Pleroma. David Bentley Hart summarises this Gnostic landscape as a place in which both 'the self and the cosmos are, as it were, labyrinths in which the spirit is lost and wandering, until Christ or some other savior brings it knowledge of itself, and stirs it from the drugged sleep in which it languishes as it drifts from one life to another' .17 The Neoplatonists (and Plotinus in particular) were contemptuous of the Gnostics for their denigration of the material universe and praised the beauty of this world as the most perfect that could be produced by the workings of a divine mind upon (in Hart's words) the 'recalcitrant substrate ofmatter '. 18 Fig. 3-3 The Flammarion engraving, first documented appearance in Camille Flammarion's volume L'atmosphere: meteorologie populaire (The Atmosphere: Popular Meteorology), 1888 See Colour Plate Section

The Seven Heavens

29

The 'Flammarion engraving' (a wood engraving by an unknown artist) made its first documented appearance in Camille Flammarion's 1888 volume L 'atmosphere: meteorologie populaire (The Atmosphere: Popular Meteorology). A pilgrim, carrying a staff, is seen peeling back and climbing through the curtain of the cosmos, with its fixed stars, to reveal the hidden heavenly realms beyond, reaching to the highest heaven (the Empyrean). A caption below the engraving translates to English as, 'A medieval missionary tells that he has found the point where heaven and earth meet'. Flammarion made drawings of his own and it is believed that some of the illustrations for his books were engraved from these. It is possible that Flammarion created this image himself. While the 20th century astronomer Ernst Zinner claimed that the image dated to the German Renaissance, there is no evidence for this and indeed all of the evidence points to the engraving being made much later. However, similar depictions of a heavenly vault separating the earth from an outer realm did appear in Germany, and elsewhere, in the 16th century. 19

***

Notes 1) Genesis28:12,NRSVA 2) The Zohar refers to 390 Heavens, Adolph Jellinek (in Bet Ha-Midrasch) recalls a legend of 955 Heavens, and Basilides (a first to second century Christian Gnostic) sets the number of Heavens at 365 (for more on the various Gnostic traditions, see David Bentley Hart's, Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and its Fashionable Enemies, 2009, pp 134-143) 3) Gustav Davidson, A Dictionary ofAngels, 1971, p268 4) Ibid. p269 5) The Testament of the Twelve P atriarchs, a pseudepigraphal work of the dying commands of the 12 sons ofJacob, which reached its fin al form sometime in the second century AD and is part of the Armenian Orthodox Bible of 1666 6) Davidson, op. cit., p 269 7) For scriptural references see Isaiah 40:22, Genesis 1:17, Psalms 78:23, 'Yet he commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven', etc. Isaiah 63 : 15, Deuteronomy 26: 15, Psalms 42:9, 1 Kings 8:39 and Deuteronomy 28:12 8) Genesis 1: 16-1 8, NRSVA 9) 2 Enoch, eh. 8 10) Ibid. ch.10 11) Louis Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews, vol. I, eh. 1, ' The Creation of the W orld', 1954, 1994 12) The Epic of Gilgamesh, trans. Maureen Gallery Kovacs, from tablet II (standard version), lines 228-229 (taken from the Old Babylonian), 1989

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13) In Mesopotamian religion, Shamash (Akkadian, Sumerian Utu) was the god of the sun, who, with the moon god, Sin (Sumerian Nanna), and Ishtar (Sumerian Inanna) the goddess of Venus, was part of an astral triad of divinities. Shamash exercised the power of light over darkness and evil. In this capacity he became known as the god of justice and equity and was the judge of both gods and men. At night, Shamash became judge of the underworld. He was pictured seated on a throne, holding the symbols of justice and righteousness, a staff and a ring. Also associated with Shamash is the notched dagger and he is often pictured with a disc that symbolised the Sun. Shamash's consort wasAya, who was later absorbed by Ishtar. (See Encyclopaedia Britannica entry on 'Shamash' for further detail.) 14) 2 Enoch, eh. 10 15) Ibid. eh. 22 16) David Bentley Hart, Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and its Fashionable Enemies, 2009, pl40 17) Ibid. pl40 18) Ibid. pl43 19) See Sebastian Munster's (the German cartographer and cosmographer) Cosmographia of 1544, especially the title page illustration of the first book of the German edition of 1600.

CHAPTER FOUR THE ARCHANGELS

As discussed in Chapter Two, on the hierarchies and orders of the angelic host, the word archangel in effect means 'chief angel' and derives from the Greek archein, meaning to begin or to rule, to be first in rank or power; and angelos, which means messenger or envoy. The word archangel is used only twice in the New Testament (in Jude 1:9, about Michael, in dispute over the body of Moses, and in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, in connection with the resurrection of the dead). Only archangels Michael and Gabriel are referred to by name in the New Testament and Gabriel is not specifically referred to as an archangel anywhere in the biblical canon, although it is commonly assumed that he is. However, the term only ever appears in the singular and only as a specific reference to Michael, which some have taken to mean that Michael is in fact the only true Archangel. Raphael is referred to as an archangel in The Book ofTobit, but while the book is recognised as canonical by Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and some Anglican denominations, Jews and Protestants do not recognise it as scripture and its general status is deuterocanonical (of the second canon). In Tobit, Raphael leaves us in no doubt that he is one of the seven angels, 'who stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lord', 1 thus associating these unnamed seven with archangels, as Raphael is so named. Gabriel tells Zechariah the same about himself (that he stands ' in the presence of God', Luke 1:19) and Michael also stands squarely in this elite group. Consequently, it is commonly assumed that all three are archangels. Also, Uriel (from the Hebrew, m eaning ' God is my light', or 'the light of God') is often considered to be a fourth archangel and also one of the seven angels who stand before God, r eferred to in The B ook of R evelation, where following the opening of the seventh seal we are told, ' I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them ' .2 The definite article shows that a particular seven are in mind. While Uriel's name is excluded from the Lutheran Bible, in particular, he plays a prominent role in an apocryphon r ead by Anglican and Russian Orthodox churches (see The Second Book of Esdras, or so-called Fourth Book in the Latin Vulgate). Uriel also plays a part in the apocryphal B ook of Enoch (considered canonical by Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox churches only). The so-called ' Seven Archangels '

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are associated with the 'seven spirits' of God that stand before His throne, described in The Book of Enoch as well as the New Testament's Book of Revelation. The seven angels are said to be the guardians of nations and countries, and are concerned with the issues and events surrounding these, including politics, military matters, commerce and trade. For example, Michael is traditionally seen as being the protector of Israel and of the ecclesia, the body of the faithful. It is also possible to make a distinction between grchangel (lower-case) andA_rchangel (initial upper-case). While the former can denote the secondlowest choir (arch-angels in the sense of being above only the lowest order, i.e. the choir of ' Angels'), the latter may denote the highest of all the angels (in the sense of the angel who is above all other angels, and spiritual beings, of any order). Michael is usually considered to be the highest of all, even including the 'seven angels of the Presence' (of which he is one) and consequently the chief of the seraphim (the highest order) and the Archangel (the highest individual) above all. Certain unconventional Christian sects even believe that Michael is another name for Jesus himself.

We will run through a selection of the known and assumed archangels in more detail in this chapter and discuss how they might be recognised in the visual arts by their personal attributes. Of the seven primordial angels which appear in the angelology of post-Exilic Judaism only Gabriel, Michael and Raphael are mentioned in holy scripture (only then, as noted in the case of Raphael, if accepting The Book of Tobit as holy scripture). According to the pre-Christian Book of Enoch-which seems as good a place to start as any, being the earliest of the references to the seven holy angels-the additional angels to the three already m entioned are: Uriel, R aguel, Saraqael [or ZerachielJ and Remiel [or Jeremiel].3 Add to these the seven spirits or angels who stand before the Lord, speculated upon in a variety of sources, and we get a consensus list of: Michael, GabrieL R aphael, Uriel, Chamuel [or CamaelJ , J ophiel and Zadkie l,4 from which three additional archangel candidates emerge. Despite possible objections to the contrary, it would also seem remiss to leave out such prominent angels as Lucifer andMetatron, who are added to our list for good (or ill) m easure. Other angels (so-called archangels, or otherwise), not making the cut here, will be dealt with (in necessarily less detail) in two following overspill chapters on ' Other Angels' and 'Fallen Angels'. Fig. 4-1 F rancesco Botticini, Michael with Archangels Raphael and Gabriel, 1470, © The Uffizi Ga llery, Florence See Colour Plate Section

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33

All three biblical archangels appear in Francesco Botticini's 15th century painting, Michael with Archangels Raphael and Gabriel, in the Uffizi in Florence (see Fig. 4-1 in the colour plate section).

*** Chamuel/Camael Chamuel ('he who seeks God'), or Camael ('he who sees' or 'stands before, God'), as his name would suggest, is generally accepted as belonging to the seven angels of the Presence. It is also asserted that Chamuel is one of the angels, if not the chief angel, of those involved in the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and stands guard at Eden's East gate with fiery sword in hand (although there are several other candidates, from the order of cherubim, including Jophiel and Gabriel, that several sources and authorities alternatively put forward in this role).

Camael and Chamuel are assumed to be alternate names for the same angel. Camael is identified for his strength and courage in Christian and Jewish angelology (according to a footnote in Eliphas Levi's The History of Magic, Camael was also a god of war in Druid mythology). 5 Camael is associated with divine justice and often also noted in occultism as among the governing angels of the seven planets, specifically as the ruler of the planet Mars. Chamuel is styled as chief of the order of Powers, and is included in the sefirot ofKabbalist tradition, representing the quality called 'Geburah' (strength) on Kabbalah's 'Tree of Life'. In Christian angelic lore he is noted as chief of the order of Dominations (Dominions, or alternatively of Principalities), as a candidate for the angel who wrestled Jacob at Peniel (although several other angels also contest this role) and, Metford assures us, is the angel (also often identified as Gabriel) who brought the cup that Jesus prayed might be taken from him, during the biblical episode in the Garden of Gethsemane.6 Without identifying him by name, PseudoDionysius refers to this angel as the ' angel of great council', in his De Coelesti Hierarchia (On the Celestial Hierarchy), writing: 7 I do not need to remind you of the sacred tradition concerning the angel who comforted Jesus or of the fact that because of his generous work for our salvation he himself entered that order of revealers and is called the 'angel of great counsel' .

In Elgar's The Dream ofGerontius, this is the unnamed angel who appears as the ' Angel of the Agony' (bass).

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The Angel Chamuel is not recognised by the Catholic Church, as it does not permit names of angels that are not found in the biblical canon. Pope Zachary, the last pope of the Byzantine Papacy, rejected names taken from apocryphal \VIitings in a council in Rome, held in 745, and a similar step was deemed necessary at the synod held in Aix-la-Chapelle in 789. 8 Such rulings have lately been reemphasised by the Catholic Church in banning the veneration of angels not mentioned in the Bible in its Directory ofPublic Piety, of2002.

Visual art In The Gospel ofLuke, Jesus withdraws from his disciples and prays on the Mount of Olives. 9 42

'Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.' 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. 44 In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops ofblood falling down on the ground. 45 When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, 46 and he said to them, 'Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial'.

The angel sent from heaven to the Garden of Gethsemane---while disciples Peter, James and John slept-to give Jesus strength and courage, is assumed to be either Chamuel or Gabriel. The cup, also mentioned in Matthew 26:39 andMark 14:36that Giovanni Bellini's angel bears in The Agony in the Garden, in London's National Gallery, becomes a symbol of the impending self-sacrifice of Jesus for the redemption of the sins of man. Fig. 4-2 Giovanni Bellini, The Agony in the Garden, ea. 1465, © The National Gallery, London See Colour Plate Section

Rembrandt's 17th century etching and drypoint on this same subject, at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, sees the angel physically supporting the body of Jesus and comforting him in his time of inner conflict, in a moving act at a pivotal moment, for Christians, in w orld history. Fig. 4-3 Rembrandt, The Agony in the Garden (etching and drypoint), ca.1652, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford See Colour Plate Section

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Gabriel In the New Testament (and indeed in the texts of all of the Abrahamic religions) the role of messenger is accentuated in respect of Archangel Gabriel, over and above the various other roles assigned and associated with angels. In The Gospel of Luke, Gabriel is sent by God to Zechariah as a messenger to bring the news that his wife Elizabeth would soon bear a son (i.e. John the Baptist) and to tell Zechariah that he is to name him John. 10 11

Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; andfear overwhelmed him. 13 But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.

Despite praying for this very outcome, Zechariah expresses what in the circumstances might be seen as pardonable scepticism, causing Gabriel to forcefully assert his credentials and in so doing rebuke Zechariah. 11 19 ...

'I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur'.

Gabriel is also sent to the Virgin Mary, in the role of messenger, with tidings that she will give birth to the Son of God (see Luke 1:26-38). The angel is altogether more tolerant of Mary's protestations concerning the impossibility these events. 12 30 The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour w ith God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. ' 34 Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I am a virgin?' 35 The angel said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born w ill be holy; he will be called Son of God'.

In The Gospel of Matthew, we are told that (aside from Jesus) nobody born of woman is greater than John the Baptist (occasionally described as an angel himself, as well as prophet, in his role of herald), with the proviso that the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than John. It is Gabriel who is entrusted to bring momentous news of both Jesus and John- for

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Christians, the two greatest individuals to live a human lifo--to the world at this pivotal point in history. Gabriel is also the angel that appears twice to the prophet Daniel (see Daniel 8:15-27 and 9:21-2 7) in Jewish scripture (albeit described as a man rather than as an angel, which is common in Old Testament writings). While, as previously mentioned, Gabriel isn't specifically named as an archangel in the Bible it is assumed that he is an angel of this rank as he is one of just two ' angels of God' named in the New Testament, along with Michael (named as 'archangel' in Jude), and also on account of the importance of the task entrusted to him, in bringing news of the coming of both Jesus and John and in securing Mary's consent to be the vessel that enables the Son of God to come into the world for the salvation of man. In addition to his role of archangel, Gabriel is also said to belong to the order of cherubim, one of three choirs in the highest sphere of celestial beings (see Chapter Two). We have also seen (in Luke 1:19), by his own account, that Gabriel stands 'in the presence of God'. And The Book of Enoch (which enjoys canonical status in Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Churches, and which the canonical Book ofJude quotes as prophecy) also makes it clear that both Gabriel and Michael are archangels. Gabriel's very name means 'God is my strength'. In 1 Enoch, Gabriel is tasked with destroying the Nephilim (the offspring of the rogue angels and human women). Gabriel is described as 'one of the holy angels, who is over Paradise and the serpents and the Cherubim' .13 1 Enoch later tells us of seeing Gabriel in heaven, along with Michael, Raphael, and the angel Phanuel (sometimes conflated with Uriel) where Gabriel is 'set over all the powers' .14 There is little doubt from this account that Gabriel takes high rank and is pre-eminent among almost all other angels. In Jewish writings, it is Gabriel who rescued the three holy men (Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, given the Chaldean names Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) from the furnace (although some sources credit Michael). 15 Likewise, Gabriel is often identified with the man-God-angel w ho wrestled with Jacob at Peniel (although others have also been put forward in this role of ' dark antagonist ', including angels, Michael, Uriel, M etatron, Samael and Chamuel/Camael).16 Islam recognises the angel Gabriel as Jibril (or Djibril) of the ' 140 pairs of wings' who dictated the Qur 'an to Muhammad. 17 The name Gabriel is of Chaldean origin (Assyrian adherents of the Chaldean Catholic Church, which originates from the Church in the East known as the Nestorian Church) and was unknown to the Jews prior to the Babylonian Captivity (of about 597 to 538 BC) . Gabriel's name is missing from the original listing of 11 9 angels of the

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Parsees. 18 Bamberger's Fallen Angels cites a Babylonian legend in which Gabriel once fell into disgrace for not obeying a command exactly as given, and remained 'for a while outside the heavenly Curtain'. 19 During this period, the 'guardian angel of Persia', Dobiel, was said to have acted as a proxy for Gabriel.20 While Gabriel is not specifically named as one of the angels sounding a series of trumpet blasts (in Revelation 8-11 ), we do learn, at the beginning of Revelation 8, that seven trumpets are given to the seven angels who stand before God (in which we have already noted Gabriel is one). John Wycliffe's De Ecclesice Dominio, of 1382, identifies Gabriel as a trumpeter and Milton later picks up the idea in his Paradise Lost. According to Milton, Gabriel is also chief of the angelic guard placed over Paradise:21 Betwixt these rocky pillars Gabriel sat Chief of the Angelic guards, awaiting night

Alastair Fowler notes (in accordance with Hebrew tradition) that Gabriel here is one of 'four archangels ruling the world' and an 'ambassador rather than a warrior... but associated with Mars in Jewish and cabbalistic traditions convenient for Milton's scenario of spiritual war' .22

Visual art In Fra Filippo Lippi' s Annunciation, of the mid- l 5th century, we find the Virgin Mary visited by the Archangel Gabriel in a carefully designed architectural setting. The picture is divided into an open garden in front of an enclosed garden on the left and the interior of a building, w hich contains Mary, on the right. 23 This may be seen as symbolising the device of hortus conclusus (or 'enclosed garden')- that as a virgin she is closed and inviolate but to be the 'mother of God's son she is open and submissively available in her inmost self, heart and soul' .24 An appropriate biblical r eference is found in the Song of Solomon: 25 A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a garden locked, a fountain sealed.

The hand of God (centre top) reaches down both delivering and pointing to the dove that flutter s just above Mary's lap, close to the centre of the scene. John Drury cites Leo Steinberg in helping us to an understanding of the picture: 26

38

Chapter Four Of all Christian mysteries none demanded more tact in the telling ... to shield an unsearchable secret from too diligent investigation. Accordingly, in traditional exegesis, inquisitiveness was deflected, and the sensuous imagination was disoriented, by citing successively the types of the Virgin's conception prefigured in the Old Testament: her womb, it was said, was bedewed like Gideon's fleece; enkindled like the burning bush seen by Moses; budded without cultivation like Aaron's rod, and so forth ... But painters must make decisions which more modest Christians are spared; and it is remarkable to see Fra Filippo Lippi ... emerge as the keenest in seeking to visualize what previously had been veiled and misted in figures of speech.

Fig. 4-4 Fra Filippo Lippi, The AnnunciaJion, ea. mid-1450s, © The National Gallery, London See Colour Plate Section

The fruit of this mystical exchange will be the incarnate God and subject of Christian devotion. Lippi is masterful in showing us both Mary's 'perpetual virginity' and Mary as willing partner in the exchange between the human and the divine in the epic scheme of salvation. All of this is balanced to wondrous effect. The head of Gabriel on the left and Mary on the right are contained within the central square, with Mary's body contained in the triangle formed in the construction of the golden section, on which the picture is based, with the front part of Gabriel's body in the mirror-image triangle of the section. The panel is as beautifully balanced pictorially as it is exquisitely painted with rich and inventive theological interpretation. As John Drury puts it, it is a 'profound description of seeing at its purest and most dedicated' .27 Fig. 4-5 Fra Filippo Lippi, The Annunciation (detail), ea. mid-1450s, © The National Gallery, London See Colour Plate Section

As in Fra Filippo Lippi's A nnunciation, artists tend to show Gabriel carrying a lily (Mary's attribute), and often also a scroll and a sceptre. In Orthodox Christian icons Gabriel typically wears blue (the recognised colour for cherubim rather than seraphim, who wear red) or white garments (but in later western Renaissance depictions, also red) and holds a lily r eceived from the Theotokos (God-bearer, i.e. mother of God), or a spear in his right hand and often a mirror made of jasper, with the letter X (the first letter of Christ, Xpurr:oc;, in Gr eek) in his left hand. Whereas Michael typically carries a sword and shield and a date-tree branch, and often also a spear, as well as a white banner with a scarlet cross and tends to wear r ed

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(the colour usually associated with the order of seraphim, rather than cherubim). Michael's role in such representations is to suppress those at enmity with Heaven and the Church, while Gabriel's is to announce mankind's salvation. The American artist Henry Ossawa Tanner, who had moved to Paris in 1891, was known for his paintings of biblical themes. His painting Daniel in the Lions' Den was accepted into the 1896 Salon and his Annunciation of 1898 captures the intensity of the moment when Gabriel appears to Mary, with the angel represented simply as a brilliant column of light. Fig. 4-6 Henry Ossawa Tanner, The Annunciation, 1898, Philadelphia Museum of Art See Colour Plate Section

Gabriel is not only known as the angel of the Annunciation but is also associated with the Resurrection, as seen in Titian's panel of the archangel in theAveroldi Polyptych. Fig. 4-7 Titian, Polyptych of The Resurrection (A veroldi Polyptych), top-left panel detail of the Archangel Gabriel, 1520-22, Santi N azaro e Celso, Brescia, northern Italy See Colour Plate Section

Jophiel Jophiel, or Iofiel, whose name means 'the beauty of God', is one of the seven angels of the Presence often grouped with: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Chamuel and Zadkiel.28 He is also called Iophiel and it seems erroneously conflated with Zophiel ('the watchman, or spy, of God'). Consequently, there is a tangle of conflicting references to him, depending on the source. The Judeo-Christian consensus is that he resides in the seventh Heaven, with God and the three heavenly orders of seraphim, cherubim and thrones, presided over by the Angel Cassiel (or possibly Michael). Despite not being m entioned in the biblical canon, Jophiel is r ecognised in Anglican and Episcopal traditions as an angel of wisdom, understanding and judgement and is often referred to as the patron of artists and illumination. Richard Webster informs us that he 'loves beauty and encourages all forms of creativity' .29 The Zohar (a foundation ofKabbalah) describes Zophiel (rather than Jophiel) as a great angel chief in charge of 53 legions. Zophiel is one of two standard bearers (along with Zadkie[) who

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follow directly behind Archangel Michael, the leader of the militant angelic host, in battle. According to Jewish legend, J ophie l is a strong candidate for the angel who bars the way to The Tree of Life with flaming sword, following the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden for eating from The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Webster and Clara Clement, additionally name Jophiel as the teacher of Shem, Ham and Japheth, the three sons ofN oah. 30 He is also said to be a companion ofMetatron. Cornelius Agrippa connects Iofiel (i.e. Jophiel) to Saturn, as the planet's ruler, while others make reference to Iofiel as the ' intelligence of the planet Jupiter' .31 The 17th century German Jesuit scholar, Athanasius Kircher, names Jophiel as 'Angelus pulchritudinis', the Angel of Beauty. 32 While, according to Robert Ambelain, the 20th century French essayist, Jophiel is in charge of the cherubim, particularly the angels of the Shemhamphorasch (a Tannaitic term describing the hidden name of God in Kabbalah, see Glossary). In literature, Milton describes Zophiel as 'of cherubim the swiftest wing'. 33 ... back with speediest sail Zophiel, of cherubim the swiftest wing, Came flying, and in mid-air aloud thus cried. Arm, warriors, arm for fi ght, the foe at hand, Whom fled we thought, will save us long pursuit This day, fear not his flight; so thick a cloud He comes, and settled in his face I see Sad resolution and secure: let each His adamantine coat gird well, and each F it well his helm, gripe fast his orbed shield, Born even or high, for this day will pour down, IfI conjecture aught, no drizzling shower, But rattling storm of arrows barbed with fire.

Alastair Fowler comments on Zophiel in his notes, the ' Spy [or, Watchman] of God', that R. H. West (Milton and the Angels, 1955) abandoned his search for a source among a tangle of 'mistranslations and mistransliterations ' in Agrippa and Fludd. 34 F owler adds that ' Iophiel', is 'easy to mistake' for ' Zophiel ', and this was common in occultist sources (e.g. Adam McLean, The M agical Calendar, 1994). The angel Zophiel appears in the Zohar as the assistant of Archangel Michael.3 5 While Jophiel and the variant names I ofiel and Iophiel r efer it seems to the same angel, it would appear that Zophiel is an erroneous conflation with our subject angel, or indeed archangel.

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Visual art In the engraving from a plate made by the draughtsman and engraver Crispijn de Passe the Elder, we see so-called Archangel Jophiel holding a flaming sword and a scourge with three cords. A scene from the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden is described in the background. Fig. 4-8 Crispijn de Passe the Elder, The Archangel Jophiel, engraving with etching, plate created ea. 1590-1637, ©Trustees of the British Museum, London See Colour Plate Section

Lucifer/Satan Lucifer is often mythologized as an archangel in heaven before being cast down to earth (when he became known as Satan or the devil), the name Lucifer equating to 'morning star', 'shining one', or 'light-bearer/bringer'. Both Tertullian and St. Augustine identified him with the plummeting star in Isaiah and he is also associated with the planet Venus (i.e. 'the morning/evening star'). In Isaiah, the Septuagint renders the Hebrew word 1?7'0 as 'Erump6p°'; (heosphoros) in Greek, literally 'bringer of the dawn'. The King James Version of the Bible renders the proper name Lucifer (since abandoned in modern translations of Isaiah, in favour of, 'morning star', 'Day star', 'shining one', or 'shining star').36 12 How art thou fallen from heaven, 0 Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

The reading here, equating Lucifer to the fallen angel Satan, may also be considered a straight reference to the king of Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar II)37 The Latin Vulgate uses the lower case lucifer (i.e. not a proper name) five times (Isaiah 14:12, 2 Peter 1:19, Job 11:17 and 38:32, and Psalms 110:3), typically to mean 'morning star' or 'light of the morning' (i.e. the dawn). The Latin word lucifer is also occasionally applied to others (including John the Baptist and Jesus himself). For example, the proclamation of the Exultet, sung in churches at the Easter Vigil before the Paschal Candle, makes reference to lucifer, as a title appropriate to Christ.38

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Chapter Four Flarnmas eius lucifer matutinus inveniat: Ille, inquam, lucifer, qui nescit occasum: Christus Filius tuus, qui, regressus ab inferis, humano generi serenus illlixit, et vivit et regnat in si:cula s;ecul6rum. Amen

The Latin translates to English as (current version): May the Morning Star which never sets [or, 'who knows no setting'] find this flame still burning: Christ, that Morning Star, who came back from the dead, and shed his peaceful light on all mankind, your Son, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen

The image of a morning star falling from the sky has parallels in ancient Canaanite mythology (Attar attempted to occupy the throne of Ba 'al and, failing in his attempt, descended to rule the underworld). This may stem from an earlier myth about a warrior god Helal attempting to overthrow the Canaanite god El. In Hermann Gunkel's reconstruction, Helal was forced to descend to the depths after attempting to rise higher than all other celestial divinities and is imaged as the bright morning star failing to reach the highest point in the sky before being outshone by the rising sun. 39 However, the Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible concludes that the closest parallels with Isaiah's description of the King of Babylon, as a fallen morning star cast down from heaven, are to be found not in any obscure Canaanite, or other myths, but in the traditional ideas of the Jewish people, echoed in the biblical account of the fall of Adam and Eve, cast out of Eden for wishing to be as God.40 And also, in the description (in Psalm 82) of the ' gods' and 'sons of the Most High ', destined to die and fall. This Jewish tradition has echoes in Jewish pseudepigrapha, such as The Second Book of Enoch (2 Enoch, also known as the Old Bulgarian , or Slavonic Enoch, or The Book of the Secrets ofEnoch). The name Lucifer was later applied to Satan by church fathers, including St. Jerome in the fourth century. The name Satan can also be seen as more of a designation or office than a proper name, meaning adversary. The idea here is that Satan is at liberty to test humans (for example, in The Book of Job ) and indeed is divinely charged to do so, albeit within the limits set by God. For example, in David Bentley Hart's recent translation of the New Testament diabolos (6uif3oJcor.;) becomes the literal designation 'Slanderer'

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rather than the Anglicised Persian word 'devil'. 41 In Jewish literature Satan was chief of the seraphim (and also of the powers/authorities) and while seraphim were usually pictured as six-winged, Satan has appeared as 12winged, as a sign of his enhanced status. Gregory the Great wrote on the hierarchical orders of angels in his Moralia and Homilae xl In Evangelia (see Chapter Two for more on the angelic hierarchies). Gregory says of Satan 'he wore all of them [i.e. the angels] as a garment, transcending all in glory and knowledge'. 42 Question 63 of the first part (Prima Pars) of St. Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologiae, concerns itself with 'sin in the angels' and is divided into nine articles. In his reply to article 7 (which considers whether the highest angel among those who sinned was the highest of all), Aquinas refers to Pseudo-Dionysius (chapters 6 and 7 of De Coelesti Hierarchia) that the order of cherubim is below the order of seraphim and concludes that 'the first angel who sinned' (i.e. Satan) was a cherub rather than a seraph, the argument being that cherubim are derived from knowledge, which is compatible with mortal sin, while seraphim are derived from charity which is incompatible with mortal sin. St. Thomas picks up on St. Gregory's assertion that Satan was in fact set 'over all the angelic hosts, he surpassed them all in glory' ,43 but questions this assumption, pointing out that in Ezekiel Satan is addressed as a cherub and that since (as Pseudo-Dionysius has it) the cherubim are of an order of angels lower than seraphim, then Satan was not supreme among all angels. 44 St. Thomas goes on to argue: 45 The greater the angel, the greater his inclination towards God, and consequently the less likelihood of his failing to reach God; whence one may infer that the angel who sinned, far from being the greatest, was one of the least.

The Second Book of Enoch (2 Enoch 31:4) tells us that Satan was formerly known as Satanail and in 2 Enoch 29, Satanail is hurled from heaven along with his band of rebel angels 'and he was flying in the air continuously above the bottomless' .46 While in Revelation 12 we are told: 47 7

And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Her e then we learn of war in heaven between the good angels, led by Archangel Michael, against those led by 'the dragon', identified as the devil

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(or Satan), who are defeated and thrown down to the earth. The Catholic Encyclopedia clarifies that this 'great conflict at the end of time' reflects the battle in heaven at the beginning of time. 48 And The Jewish Encyclopedia tells us that the 'Lucifer myth was transferred to Satan in the pre-Christian century' ,49 in other words by the first century BC, citing the Hebrew text The Life ofAdam and Eve (known in its Greek version as The Apocalypse ofMoses) and the Slavonic Enoch (2 Enoch). The Dead Sea Scrolls also tell of war in heaven. The so-called War Scroll (The War of the Sons of Light against the Sons ofDarkness) identifies Michael as the 'prince oflight' and prophesizes that he will fight in heaven against the angels of darkness led by Belial (often equated with Satan), while the 'Sons of Light' fight the 'Sons of Darkness' on earth. During the last of seven battles described in the scroll Michael will come to help the 'Sons of Light' to the final victory. 50 In Persian and Arabic lore, the devil is known as Iblis (or Eblis), and before his fall as the angel Azazel. He is expelled from heaven for refusing to bow before Adam (a creature of dust/dirt)---cf. 3 Enoch in which all of the angels prostrate themselves before Enoch (an early descendant of Adam). 51 Iblis is turned from an angel (a creature of light) into a jinn (a creature of fire, in Islamic tradition) when expelled from heaven and swears to take revenge by turning humans away from God. A variation of this account, in Islamic mystical tradition, interprets Iblis's disobedience as an act of love for God, obeying the law that only God should be worshipped and that to bow to Adam would have been an act of idolatry. Thus, he preferred to remain true to God's own law and accept the consequences of his banishment. 52 In literature, Milton called Lucifer the angel of sinful pride in Paradise Lost, where Satan is chief of the rebels and ' archangel ruined' 53 and in Paradise Regained, where he is the 'Thief of Paradise' .54 In Paradise Lost, Lucifer leads a rebellion against God before the Fall of Man. A third of the angels, including pagan spirits such as Maloch and Belial, are hurled from Heaven. Other names representing Satan or subordinates (here as the fallen counterpart of Lucifer) include: M astema, Beliar (or Belie[), Duma, Gadreel, Azazel, Sammael, and the angel ofEdom.5 5

Visual art W illiam Blake and Gustave Dore made images of Lucifer for their separate illustrations of Dante, and Spenser 's Lucifer, in An Hymne of Heavenly Love, is 'The brightest Angell, euen [even] the Child of light/Drew millions more against their God to fight' .56

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In the visual arts, the war in heaven has been depicted by many noteworthy artists, both in painting and in sculpture (including works by Peter Paul Rubens and Jacob Epstein). In Alexandre Cabanel's mid-19th century, The Fallen Angel, part of the Musee F abre collection, we see a naked and vengeful Satan cast down to earth from the very throne of God, with an agitated angelic host circling above him. The painting today is considered a late-Romantic masterpiece, inspired by Milton, but at the time the work disturbed the Academy in Paris, due to its subject matter (and apparently also due to its execution), from which it was rejected. The expelled angel clasps his hands together and attempts to hide his face, although his mood is defiant. His pride may have been damaged but he is bent on retribution. Fig. 4-9 Alexandre Cabanel, The Fallen Ange~ 1847, Musee Fabre, Montpellier See Colour Plate Section

In William Blake's watercolour at the Victoria and Albert Museum we see the iconic image of Satan rousing the Rebel Angels to mutiny against Heaven. Fig. 4-10 William Blake, Satan Arousing the Rebel Angels, watercolour painted 1808, ©Victoria and Albert Museum, London See Colour Plate Section

Metatron In Judaic traditionMetatron has been called the 'king of angels', ' prince of the divine face, or presence', 'chancellor of Heaven ', 'angel of the covenant', 'chief of the ministering angels' and 'the lesser YHWH' and is charged with the 'sustenance ofmankind' .57 Despite not being mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, reference is made to him in a variety of mystical texts in rabbinic literature. He appears in several passages of the Talmud and in Jewish folklore he is among the highest, if not the highest, of the angelic hier archs outside of holy scripture and serves as ascr ibe or 'r ecording angel' in Heaven. He is identified as a prince, a servant, or as an angel who serves in the presence of God. In the Jerusalem Targum (or Targum Yerushalmi) as well as Ascensio Isaice (Ascension of Isaiah), a pseudepigraphal JewishChristian text composed in the early centuries AD, he is conflated with Archangel Michael. However, he is especially associated with the patriarch Enoch, after his bodily ascent to Heaven and transformation into the angel (Genesis 5:24 is often cited: 'Enoch walked with God; then he was no more,

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because God took him'). 58 He is also described as a guardian of heavenly secrets, as God's mediator with man, as 'the archetype of man', and as one 'whose name is like that of his master'. 59 In the Talmud and Targum, Metatron is the link between the human and the divine, while The Book of Parables (in 1 Enoch) presents Enoch and 'the son of man' as earthly and heavenly counterparts (cf. the Prayer of Joseph, in which Jacob is depicted as an angel). The Book ofDaniel talks of seemingly related characters in the Ancient ofDays (usually associated with the Eternal Son) and 'one like a man'. 60 13

As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being [one like a man] coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One [the Ancient ofDays] and was presented before him.

The reference has been interpreted as an angel with human appearance. The Septuagint reads that the son of man came as the Ancient of Days and this conflation into a single figure reflects a widespread rabbinic tradition that God appears as both an old man and a youth. 61 Identification of Metatron with Enoch is not explicitly made in the Talmud, although it does reference a 'prince of the world' who was young but now is old. To complicate things further there also seems to be two versions of Metatron, one of six letters (11i~~i'.j) and one of seven (J1i~~'i'.j). 62 The former may be the transformed Enoch, the latter the primordial Metatron (an emanationspecifically the tenth and last emanation-of the 'Cause of Causes ', in Kabbalist tradition). TheMerkabah text (or so-called Chariot writing, earlyJewish mysticism from about 100 BC through the early centuries AD), Re 'uyot Yehezke l (The Visions of Ezekie [) has Metatron seated in the third Heaven and identifies him with the Ancient of Days mentioned in Daniel 7. 63 Nathaniel Deutsch comments that this identification is 'provocative' for the reasons that the Ancient of Days in Daniel (Daniel 7:9-10) appears to be a title for God and not a subordinate being, and that in addition to the Ancient ofDays, Metatron appears to bear a resemblance to the 'son of man' of Daniel 7:13-14. 64 As Deutsch concludes, 'As both an angelified human being and a lesser Yahweh, Metatron stands midway between God and humanity' .65 David Halperin, in exploring a connection between Metatron and Moses (rather than Enoch) in his Faces of the Chariot, makes a similar observation when stating, 'As Metatron is a lesser Yahweh, so he is a greater Moses ', or more exactly, a Moses 'gone a step farther'. 66

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Metatron has been variously identified as the unnamed man-angel that wrestled with Jacob at Peniel (in Genesis 32:22-32), as the watcher [or lion] 'upon a watch-tower' (oflsaiah 21:8), and as the angel in Exodus that God sends before His people to guide them, 'I am going to send an angel in front of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared'. 67 When invoked as a pillar of fire his face is 'more dazzling than the sun', as the angel that led the people of Israel through the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt, when he is also described as a heavenly priest. The Zohar calls Metatron 'the Youth', a title also used in 3 Enoch, where it appears to mean something like 'servant'. Indeed, he has been identified with the 'suffering servant' I 'man of sorrows' oflsaiah 53 (more usually equated with Christ). He has been called the 'Liberating Angel' and the Shekinah (the glory of the divine presence). It has been claimed that he is the twin brother, or alternatively the half-brother, ofthe angel Sandalphon and with the possible exception of Anafiel ('the branch of God', the angel that carried Enoch to Heaven in the first place) is said to be the tallest angel in heaven. (The Zohar calculates his size as 'equal to the breath of the whole world', which in rabbinic lore was the size of Adam before he sinned.) Metatron is said to reside in the seventh Heaven (the dwelling place of God), with the seraphim, cherubim and thrones. Gershom Scholem, the 20th century German-born Israeli philosopher and historian, argues that Metatron's character has been influenced by two streams of thought--one which linked Metatron with Enoch and a second that fused different obscure entities and mythic motifs. Scholem argues that this second tradition was originally separate but later became fused with the Enoch tradition. 68 Scholem theorizes that the two Hebrew spellings of Metatron's name (see above) are representative of these two separate traditions. In his view, the second Metatron is linked to Yahoel (seen as a substitute for the Ineffable Name). Schol em also links Y ahoel with Michael. In 2 Enoch, Enoch is assigned titles commonly used by Metatron such as 'the Youth', 'the prince ofthe Presence' and 'the prince ofthe World', while in 3 Enoch, Metatron is called the 'lesser YHWH' . The second chapter of the Tractate Hagigah describes Elishah ben Abuyah (a rabbi and Jewish authority born in Jerusalem sometime before 70 AD), also calledAcher (inN, 'other ', as he became apostate), in paradise and observes Metatron seated in the presence of G od (a prohibited action) . Elishah ben Abuyah concluded that Metatron must be a deity himself and exclaimed: 'Ther e are indeed two power s in Heaven! ' The rabbis explain that Metatron had permission to sit because of his function as the heavenly scribe and the Talmud states, it is proven that Metatron could not be a

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second deity by the fact that he received 60 ' strokes with fiery rods' to demonstrate that he was not a god, but an angel, and could be punished. 69 In 3 Enoch, or the Sefer Hekhalot (Book ofPalaces), Enoch' s transformation into the angel Metatron is described, in which Enoch's flesh was turned to flame, his veins to fire, his eye-lashes to flashes of lightning and his eyeballs to flaming torches. God placed him on a throne next to the throne of glory and gave him the name Metatron. 70 According to one particular legend he was transformed into a fiery angel with 36 wings and countless eyes.71 It is speculated that the name Metatron may have been made up of two Greek words for after and throne µs•a 8p6vos (meta-thronos), taken together as 'one who serves behind the throne' or 'one who occupies the throne next to the throne of glory'. However, Scholem sees 'no merit' in 'this widely repeated etymology' .72

Visual art Images of the Ancient of Days were developed by iconographers in manuscripts dating from the 11 th century. Typically, these images included the inscription 'Jesus Christ Ancient ofDays'. It was later declared by the Russian Orthodox Church, at the Great Synod of Moscow in 1667, that the Ancient of Days equated to the Son and not the Father. This makes any suggestion that the Angel (or Archangel) Metatron is in any way connected with this motif indeed 'provocative' (see above). Nonetheless, elements of the scribe or servant of Heaven and that of the 'lesser YHWH' and Yahoel, as a substitute for the Ineffable Name, are all also recognised as the attributes of Metatron. Fig. 4-11 The A ncient ofDays, a 14th century fresco from Ubisi, Georgia See Colour Plate Section

As previously noted, Metatron is also a candidate for the angel who wrestled Jacob at Peniel (other candidates include the archangels Gabriel, Michael and Chamuel, as well as the possibility of a full-blown theophany) . Gauguin reimagines this epic and iconic biblical event in his, The Vision After the Sermon, painted in 1888, which may be viewed at the National Gallery of Scotland, in Edinburgh. Fig. 4-12 Paul Gauguin, The Vision After the Sermon, 1888, the National Gallery of Scotland, E dinburgh See Colour Plate Section

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Michael Like Gabriel and Raphael, Michael is recognised as an archangel in all of the Abrahamic religions and is also a saint in Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran traditions. Indeed, he is the only angel in the accepted canon of holy scripture to be specifically designated as such. His name means, 'who is like God?' (the implied answer being nobody), sometimes misleadingly translated as, the quite different, 'he who is like [or looks like] God'. Michael derives originally from Chaldean angelic lore, in which he is venerated almost as a god himself. His mystery name is Sabbathiel and in Islamic writings he is called Mika 'il. He is variously cited as chief of the order of Virtues (a title also claimed for the archangel Raphael), chief of Archangels, Prince of the Presence, angel ofrepentance, righteousness, mercy and sanctification, ruler of the fourth Heaven, angelic prince of Israel, guardian of Jacob and conqueror of Satan. 73 Michael appears in the Old Testament Book of Daniel (written around 167 to 164 BC, during the persecution of the Jews by the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes), as the dedicated protector of the Jewish people and he occupies a prominent place in Jewish liturgy as an advocate, despite a rabbinical prohibition against appealing to angels as intermediaries between man and God. 74 At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book.

In Christianity, Michael leads the armies of the Lord of Hosts, in the New Testament's Book ofR evelation, against Satan's forces during the war in Heaven and he is specifically referred to as an archangel in The Epistle of Jude, where he is seen to be in dispute with the devil over the body of Moses. In Revelation, Michael defeats Satan who, along with the other fallen angels, is hurled from Heaven to earth, where Satan continues to lead the world astray.75 (See Alexandre Cabanel's late-Romantic depiction of The Fallen Angel, discussed earlier in this chapter.) 7

And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

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A reference to an 'archangel' also appears in 1 Thessalonians. The angel, who heralds the second coming of Christ is not named but is often associated with Michael, although also with other potential archangels. 76 For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's tnunpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

Michael is then also assumed to be the angel at the centre of the action blowing the 'last trumpet' in 1 Corinthians 15:52.77 52

in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, atthe last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

According to Jewish tradition Michael acted as an advocate for Israel and had to fight other nations and particularly the angel Samael (Israel's accuser). Michael's enmity with Samael stems from the Jewish mystical legend that when Samael was thrown down from heaven, he grabbed hold of the wings of Michael attempting to bring the angel down with him, but God intervened to save Michael. 78 In the Qur'an, Michael (Mika 'il) is one of two archangels mentioned, together with Jibril (Gabriel). Michael, is often depicted with a set of balances, or scales, weighing the souls of the dead and in Jude, it is Michael who argues over the body of Moses with the devil, 'when the archangel Michael contended with the devil and disputed about the body of Moses, he did not dare to bring a condemnation of slander [or, blasphemy] against him, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you! ' 79 It is supposed that the author of Jude is referring to an apocryphal book that contained this account and Jewish legend tells of Michael assisting four other 'great angels' (Gabriel Uriel, Raphael and Metatron) in the burial of Moses. In mystical and occult writings Michael has been equated with the Godhead (Holy Spirit, Logos/Son and God the Father) as well as (like Metatron) the Ancient of Days, more properly identified with the eternal Son. In 3 Baruch (a pseudepigraphal first century text, not included in the biblical canon) Michael 'holds the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven', which traditionally applies more appropriately to St. Peter. Michael is located, according to the earliest traditions in Muslim lore, in the seventh Heaven 'on the borders of the Full Sea, crowded with an innumerable array of angels'. 80 Among The Dead Sea Scrolls there is one titled the War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons ofDarkness, in which Michael is called the 'prince of light' and leads the angels of Heaven against the angels of darkness under

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the command of the demon Belial. 81 Christian sanctuaries to Michael appeared in the 4t1i century, as he was first seen as a healing angel, but over time he came to be seen more as a protector and the leader of heaven's militant forces. The Roman Catholic prayer to St. Michael asks for the faithful to be defended by the saint: 82 Saint Michael Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, 0 Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen

St. Bonaventure believed Michael to be prince of the seraphim, the first of the nine angelic orders outlined by Pseudo-Dionysius (see Chapter Two) , but St. Thomas Aquinas, after both St. Gregory and Pseudo-Dionysius, places the Archangels above only the lowest choir of the Angels. And yet he adds, 'Even inferior angels exercise the office of the superior, as they share in their gifts, and they are executors of the superiors' power'. 83 In literature, Michael figures prominently in Dante and Milton, and in the opening line of Yeats' poem The Rose of Peace, Michael is styled as 'leader of God's host'. 84

Visual art Archangel Michael is venerated as a saint and is typically depicted as a warrior in full armour, with an unsheathed sword and shield (often bearing the Latin inscription Quis ut Deus, 'who [is] like God?') and often shown bearing a scarlet cross against a white banner. Usually he has wings but sometimes not and is typically depicted dispassionately trampling Satan in the form of a serpent or dragon (a forerunner of the figure of St. George). (Note that the Latin word draco means both serpent and dragon.) Fig. 4-13 Hans Memling, Last Judgement Triptych (central panel), 1466-1473, National Museum, Gdansk See Colour Plate Section

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Michael, is also often depicted as the Angel of the LastJudgement, with a set of balances or scales, weighing the souls of the dead (see Hans Memling's central panel from the Last Judgement Triptych in the colour plates section) and sometimes also with a trumpet, consistent with his role of heralding the Last Judgement. This role has parallels with the GraecoRoman myth of Hermes-Mercury (with his winged helmet and sandals) who guides the dead to the underworld and weighs their souls in the balance of the scales. Michael's reported dispute with the devil over the body of Moses (see above) also comes to mind here. Fig. 4-14 Luca Giordano, Archangel Michael Hurls the Rebellious Angels into the Abyss, ea. 1666 Kunsthlstorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria See Colour Plate Section

We see Michael trampling the fallen angel, Satan, in the 17th century late-Baroque painting by Luca Giordano, which is typical of its type, showing the archangel hurling the rebellious angels into the abyss. Such depictions were common in the Baroque. Rubens had earlier painted several such types (see St Michael expelling Lucifer and the Rebel Angels, ofl 622, for example). The subject was popular during the Counter-Reformation throughout Catholic Europe and used in the 17th century to represent the Catholic Church, in the guise of St. Michael, fighting against Protestantism. Whereas Gabriel, as the Archangel of the Annunciation, brings news of the Virgin birth of the Son of God, and Man, to Mary and the world, it falls to Michael to announce Mary's approaching death, recorded in such paintings as Fra Filippo Lippi' s central predella panel, showing the Legends of the Madonna (Uffizi, Florence), of the Pala Barbadori (Louvre, Paris) of 1438, and Duccio's earlier, Announcement of the death of the Virgin, ea. 1310). Fig. 4-15 Icon of St. Michael, Byzantine & Christian Museum, 14th century, Athens See Colour Plate Section

Raguel Raguel ('friend of God') is an archangel of Judaic and Christian traditions and one of the seven holy angels who watch, mentioned in The Book ofEnoch (the earliest reference to the seven) 'who takes vengeance on the world of the luminaries' .85 This is taken to mean that he is responsible

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for bringing other angels to account when it is necessary to do so (i.e. those who have transgressed God's laws) and accordingly he is referred to as the archangel of justice, fairness, harmony, vengeance and redemption. These duties have remained constant across Jewish and Christian traditions, Raguel's purpose is to keep reprobate angels and demons in check. He has been known to destroy wicked spirits and cast fallen angels into Hell (Gehenna in the Hebrew Old Testament and Tartarus in the Greek New Testament). The irony here is that Raguel (great angel, or archangel, that he is so styled) was himself reprobated at a church council in Rome (in 745), along with other prominent angels (including Uriel). Pope Zachary, it seems, was responsible for unearthing that 'Raguhel' (so spelt) is a demon who 'passed himself off as a saint' .86 Raguel is called an angel of earth and a guard of the second (or fourth) Heaven. According to 2 Enoch, Raguel (as Raguil or Rasuil) is the angel who transported Enoch to-and-fro between Heaven and earth while Enoch was still in the flesh (a task also credited to the angels Anafiel and Sariel). 87

Visual art The French 18th and 19th century painter Pierre-Paul Prud'hon shows influences of both Neo-classicism and Romanticism in his work and was himself an early influence on Gericault. Prud'hon's allegorical painting in the Louvre sees Justice accompanied by an angel of 'divine vengeance' pursuing crime, which would seem an appropriate composition for our subject angel. Fig. 4-16 Pierre-Paul Prud'hon, Justice and Divine Vengeance Pursuing Crime, 1808, Louvre, Paris See Colour Plate Section

Prud'hon himself pictured his angel as Milton's Urie!, 'gliding through the even/On a sunbeam, swift as a shooting star'. 88

Raphael The angel Raphael, whose name means 'It is God who heals' , is the archangel assigned to directing the healing power of God in Christianity, Judaism and Islam. The name is of Chaldean origin (Assyrian adherents of the Chaldean Catholic Church, which originates from the church in the East known as the Nestorian Church). The angel was originally called Labbie!

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and, according to legend, was renamed after siding with God on the vexed issue of the creation of mankind. Raphael helps in the healing process of individuals (both physically and emotionally), primarily by assisting mortal healers in their efforts to treat the sick. According to angelic lore, the archangel can help to reduce addictions and cravings and help to heal injuries and illnesses, through the contrition of the subject. Raphael is also a patron of the sick, the blind, nurses and physicians, as well as of travellers and providential meetings. He is often associated with the image of an entwined serpent (a particular type of non-venomous snake was used in healing rituals in the ancient world) and thus connected to the Greek god Asclepius (or A sklepios) a deity associated with healing and medicine, whose symbol is the single serpent-entwined rod (or staff), still seen in the context of modern medical care and treatment. Note, for example, the relief stone carving seen at either side of the entrance of the fa9ade of the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh. Fig. 4-17 The Rod (or Staff) of the Greek god Asclepius (or Asklepios), seen at either side of the entrance of the fal,'.ade of the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh, photo courtesy of Dr. Sally-Anne Huxtable See Colour Plate Section

Raphael is identified as one of the three angels that appeared to Abraham in the oak grove of Mamre (along with fellow archangels Michael and Gabriel) in The Book of Genesis and features in the non-canonical Book of Enoch, together with Gabriel, Michael and Uriel. Raphael is a venerated angel in Roman Catholic, Greek and Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican traditions and, like Gabriel and Michael, enjoys saint status. The B ook of Tobit was initially included in both Jewish and Christian canons, but r emoved from the Jewish canon in late antiquity and rej ected by Protestant r eformers in the 16th century. As mentioned, in the canon of the New Testament, only Gabriel and the Archangel Michael are named, but Raphael is associated with the angel who visits the pool of Bethzatha (or Bethesda) mentioned at the beginning of John 5. 89 2

Now in Jerusalem by the Sh eep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Bethzatha, w hich has five porticoes. 3 In these lay many invalids blind, lame, and paralyse d waiting for the stirring of the water; 4 for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and stirred up the water; whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was m ade well from whatever disease that person had.

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It is assumed that this 'angel of the Lord' is Raphael, due to his association with the healing power of God. Raphael features in The Book of Tobit, where he first appears disguised in human form (calledAzanah) and subsequently becomes the travelling companion of Tobit's son, Tobiah (or Tobias). The angel eventually makes himself known by naming himself, at the end of their journey together, after revealing his mission and power to support healing: 90 14

' God sent me to heal you and Sarah your daughter-in-law. 15 I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lord'.

When they fall face down terrified before the angel, Raphael exhorts them: 92 17 'Do not be afraid; peace be with you. Bless God for evermore. 18 As for me, when I was with you, I was not acting on my own will, but by the will of God. Bless him each and every day ; sing his praises.

In the Hebrew Bible, Raphael is identified as one of the three angels who appeared to Abraham in the oak grove of Mamre, in Hebron. The three angels were each commanded to carry out a specific mission-Michael to tell Sarah she would give birth to Isaac; Gabriel to destroy Sodom; and Raphael to save Lot and to heal Abraham from the pain of his recent circumcision (he had not been circumcised earlier in life, not until after his covenant with God, at the age of 99). In 1 Enoch, Raphael is referred to as one of 'the holy angels who watch' and who is ' over the spirits ofmen ',93 is a guide in sheol (the underworld) 94 and is described as one of 'four presences ... who is set over all the diseases and all the wounds of the children ofmen ' .95 In addition to his primary role as the angel of healing, Raphael is also the angel of science and knowledge, of prayer, love, joy and light. He is variously described as, the chief of the order of Virtues (also attributed to Michael), ruling prince of the second Heaven, ruler of the Sun, guardian of The Tree of Life, and one of the six angels of repentance.96 In Muslim tradition, Raphael is the fourth major angel, known as Israfil (the 'Burning One'). In Islamic eschatology, Israfil is traditionally also a trumpeter, with a trumpet poised at his lips ready to announce the Day of Resurrection, when God so commands (cf. Revelation 8:2, 'And I saw the seven angels who stand befor e God, and seven trumpets were given to them '). Raphael is said to belong to at least four of the celestial orders (or

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choirs) in Christian tradition: Seraphim, Cherubim, Dominations (Dominions) and Powers and is elsewhere referred to as chief of the order of Virtues. According to the 15th century German Benedictine abbot and occultist, Johannes Trithemius ofSponheim, Raphael is one of the seven angels of the Apocalypse. 97 He is also numbered among the 10 holy sefirot ofKabbalah (as one of the creative forces or emanations that intervene between the infinite and unknowable God and the created world). One legend from Jewish mystical tradition (Sefer Noah) 98 claims it was Raphael who handed a book of medicine to Noah, after the Flood, which is associated with the Sefer Raziel (The Book of the Angel Raziel), a grimoire given by the Angel Raziel to Adam and revealed to Noah immediately before the Flood, to be passed down to subsequent generations. 99 In literature, Raphael is one of many angels that feature in Milton's Paradise Lost, in which he is assigned by God to warn Adam of the sin of eating from The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and is described as one of the seven angels of the Presence and as a six-winged seraph, 'A seraph winged; six wings he wore, to shade/His lineaments divine' .100 William Blake also refers to the seven angels of the Presence in his Milton, while Longfellow refers to Raphael as the 'angel of the sun'.

Visual art In the National Gallery painting, from the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio, Raphael, in the guise of Tobias's travelling companion, instructs Tobias to extract the heart, liver and gall from a large fish from the river Tigris that had tried to swallow Tobias's foot. The extracted organs are held in the small box carried by the angel. The angel instructs Tobias to burn the fish's heart and liver to ward off the demon Asmodeus that has killed seven of Sarah's husbands on their wedding night, while Tobias is to anoint his father's eyes with the fish gall, as a cure for his blindness' Smear the gall of the fish on his eyes; the medicine will make the white films shrink and peel off from his eyes, and your father will r egain his sight'. 101 Raphael makes this miracle possible through Tobit's only son Tobias, the task of the angel being to point the way to contrition. The gall of the fish here is appropriately an antidote to Tobit's bitterness, after being struck blind. It is speculated that both Verrocchio and the young Leonardo, who worked in Verrocchio's studio as an apprentice, contributed to different parts of the painting.

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Fig. 4-18 Workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio, Tobias and the Angel, ea. 14701475, ©The National Gallery, London See Colour Plate Section

In The Book of Tobit, not content with seeing the demon Asmodeus repelled by the odour of the burning fish organs, Raphael pursues the demon through the air to the remotest parts Egypt where the angel binds the demon 'hand and foot'. As a particular adversary of demons and the devil, Raphael was revered in Catholic Europe as a special protector of sailors. On a comer of the Doge's Palace in Venice there is a relief sculpture of Raphael holding a scroll on which is written 'Efficia fretum quietum' ('Keep the gulf quiet').

Remiel/RamieI Ramzel ('the thunder of God'), or Remiel (the same angel), is an angel, or archangel, of Judaic and Christian traditions and the last of the seven holy angels mentioned in The Book ofEnoch, ' one of the holy angels, whom God set over those who rise',102 taken to mean, 'rise from the dead on the last day'. This is the angel who, in The Apocalypse ofBaruch, provides Baruch with an interpretation of his vision and who destroys the army of the Sennacherib. It would seem that he is conflated withJeremiel and also with Uriel, especially in versions of The Book ofEsdras. He is also mentioned in 2 Baruch where he presides over 'true visions' .103 And while I was pondering these and similar things, behold, Ramie!, the malak [angel] who is set over true visions, was sent to me ...

It would appear that the angel is both a fallen angel and among the seven holy angels who watch. In 1 Enoch 6:7-8, we are given the names of the angels who were the ' chiefs of tens' (19 are mentioned in chapter 6, but Azazel is additionally named in chapter 8, making 20 'chiefs' and 200 apostate angels in all). These angels descended to the summit of Mount Hermon, in the days of Jared, to take human wives and teach forbidden knowledge to mankind. Rfuniel appears as the sixth 'chief of ten' here: 104 7

And these are the names of their leaders: Semiazaz, their leader, Arakiba, Ramee l, Kokabiel, Tamie!, Ramie~ Dane!, Ezeqeel, Baraqij al, Asael, Armar6s, Batarel, Ananel, Zaqiel, Samsapeel, Satarel, TUrel, J6mjael, Sariel. 8 These are their chiefs of tens.

Despite being implicated as one of the leaders of the apostates, Ramzel!Remiel is styled as the angel of hope. He is the chief of thunder (also

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attributed to the archangel Uriel) and responsible for guiding souls to their appointed place on the last day (as is the angel Zechanpuryu). 105 In literature, in the Sibylline Oracles (which survives in a 6th or 7th century Greek version) Ramiel is one of five angels who 'lead the souls of men to judgement', the others being Arakiel, Uriel Samiel andAzael. 106 But when the immortal God's eternal angels Arakiel, Ramie!, Urie!, Samiel, And Azael, they that know how many evils Anyone did before, shall from dark gloom Then lead to judgement all the souls of men Before the judgement-seat of the great God Immortal

These names of the angels differ from those found in The Book ofEnoch, where we find Michael, Gabriel, Sur:fan and Ury·an (the Greek fragment has Michael, Uriel, Raphael and Gabriel) and in chapter 20: Uriel Raphael, Raguel, Michael Saraqael, Gabriel andRemiel. Ramiel also appears in Milton's Paradise Lost, together with Ariel and Arioc. He is overcome by the good angel Abdiel on the first day of fighting in Heaven. Thus, to Milton, Ramiel is a fallen angel. 107 Nor stood unmindful Abdiel to annoy The atheist crew, but with redoubled blow Ariel, and Arioc, and the violence Of Ramie! scorched and blasted overthrew.

Davidson comments that Milton scholars (Keightley and Baldwin among them) long believed that Milton invented the angel Ramiel (and others) in his epic poem, until the names of such angels came to light in early apocryphal and Talmudic sources that Milton himself was obviously familiar with. 108

Saraq ael/Zerachiel Saraqael, also known as Zerachiel (and sometimes probably erroneously conflated with the angel Sariel), is an angel from Judaic and Christian tradition, mentioned in The Book of Enoch as one of the seven who watch, after Uriel Raphael, Raguel and Michael and before Gabriel andRemiel, as 'one of the holy angels, who is set over the spirits, who sin in the spirit' 109 The angel Sariel is mentioned earlier in the same book110 as

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a fallen watcher, one of the 'chiefs often' who descended to the summit of Mount Hermon to take human wives and teach forbidden knowledge to mankind. Sariel specifically taught men about the lunar calendar, after his descent he is found teaching man about 'the course of the moon', a forbidden subject. 111 Additionally, Origen identified Sariel as one of seven angels who are primordial powers. However, this angel is perhaps not correctly connected to our subject angel here. On the other hand, Zerachiel is usually deemed to be the same angel as Saraqael and thus one of the seven holy angels. In 1 Enoch and 4 Esdras he is one who keeps watch, which would place him with the Grigori of Jewish angelic lore (a superior order of angels who occupy the second and fifth Heavens, depending on whether they are holy or unholy angels). The Grigori are said to resemble men in appearance but 'are taller than giants and eternally silent' .112 Zerachiel/Saraqael is styled as an angel of healing and as the presiding angel of the sun (similar titles to those of Raphael), prince of ministering angels (those who watch over mortals), and the angel of children (as Sarakiel/Saraqael), particularly children of parents who have sinned (and are, according to such logic, at enhanced risk of falling into sin themselves).

Uriel Uriel (from the Hebrew meaning, 'God is my light') is an archangel of both Christian and post-Exilic rabbinic traditions and non-canonical lore. Uriel is also sometimes conflated, or confused, with the angel Phanuel ('Tum to God', or 'Face of God'), although The Book of Enoch makes a clear distinction between them, as separate angels. Th e angels m entioned in the older books of the Hebrew Bible tend to b e referred to without names and of the sev en archangels in the angelology ofpost-Exilic Judaism only tw o, M ichael and Gabriel, are named ther e (see The Book of Daniel, one of the youngest books). The motto of the University of Ox ford, Dominus illuminatio mea ('Th e Lord, my light', if est is appended, 'Th e Lord is my light') is a literal translation into Latin of Uriel 's name. Uriel is the fourth named angel in Christian Gnostics and, as noted, often connected with Phanuel. In 1 Enoch, Phanuel (rather than Uriel) is the name given to the fourth angel who stands b efore God (after Michael, Raphael and Gabriel), as the angel 'who is set over the r ep entance unto hope of those that inherit eternal life' ,113 this despite Uriel bein g named ear her in the book as one of the seven holy angels who watch. Uriel (rather than Phanu el) appears in The Second Book of Esdras (or 2 Esdras, called 4 Esdras in the Appendix to the Vulgate), in which h e is sent by God to announce the

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approach of the Last Judgement. The prophet Ezra asks God a series of questions and Uriel is sent by God to instruct him. According to the Revelation ofEsdras, the nine angels that will rule at the end of the world are, Michael Gabriel Uriel, Raphael, Gabuthelon, Beburous, Zebuleon, Aker and Arphugitonos. The latter five are not mentioned in any other known apocryphal or apocalyptic work. Additionally, the apocryphal Questions of St Bartholomew (which is possibly related to the lost Gospel of Bartholomew, mentioned by St. Jerome in the prologue to his Commentary on Matthew) , which survives in Greek, Latin and Old Church Slavonic manuscripts, tells us that Uriel was the fourth (or fifth, according to variant manuscripts) angel to be created-'for when God made the heavens, he took a handful of fire and formed me first [Belair/Satan] ... next Michael the chief captain of the hosts that are above, Gabriel third, Uriel fourth, Raphael fifth, Nathanael sixth, and other angels of whom I cannot tell the names' .114 In Christian apocryphal writing Uriel undertakes a number of assignments, including rescuing the young John the Baptist from the 'massacre of the innocents', ordered by Herod, and carrying John and his mother St. Elizabeth to join the Holy Family after their flight into Egypt. (Related hagiographical stories of the childhood of St. John and Jesus are found in The Golden Legend. 115) Uriel is often referred to as the 'angel of repentance' and usually associated with the cherubim. He is often linked with the angel (or one of the angels) who stand at the East of Eden with a fiery sword, guarding thewayto The Tree ofLife. In the Apocalypse ofPeter (a second century Christian text) he appears as the angel of repentance and is r epresented as being 'as pitiless as any demon' . In The Life ofAdam and Eve (a Jewish apocryphal collection of writings also known as The Apocalypse ofMoses), Uriel is regarded as the spirit of the third chapter of Genesis and one of the angels who helped to bury Adam and Abel. 116 In m edieval Jewish mystical tradition, Uriel is the angel of poetry and regarded as a patron of the arts, and one of the holy se.firot of Kabbalah. He is also credited with bringing alchemy 'which is of divine origin' to earth. 117 He is associated with the ' angel of the Lord' and the destroyer of the hosts (some 185,000) of the Assyrian King Sennacherib 118 During the P lague of Egypt and the Passover, Uriel is also linked with the angel ('of death') who checked the doors for lambs ' blood. He holds the key to the Pit during end times and led Abraham to the west, out of Ur. Uriel is usually identified as a cherub (but also on occasion as a seraph), as the flame of God, an angel of the divine Presence, overseer of Tartarus (the dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked, of classical Greek mythology) and the Archangel of Salvation.

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Anglicans and the Coptic Christians of Ethiopia and Eritrea venerate Uriel as a saint and as an archangel. However, at a Church Council in Rome, of 745, Pope Zachary, intending to clarify the Church's teaching on the subject of angels and curb a tendency toward angel worship, condemned obsession with angelic intervention and angelolatry. This synod struck many angels' names from the list of those eligible for veneration in the Church of Rome, including Uriel. A later Council of Aachen, in 789, also excluded him. Only the archangels mentioned in the recognised Catholic canon of scripture, namely Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, were legitimate subjects of veneration for Catholics. Uriel's title as an 'angel of the Presence' is taken to mean 'of the shekinah' (of the divine presence or dwelling place of God). The Book of Enoch, makes frequent mention ofUriel. He is the angel who watches over thunder and terror. In 1 Enoch (chapter 9, The Book of the Watchers) four angels are mentioned by name: 'Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel looked down from heaven' (some versions have a fifth angel, Suryal, or Suriel).11 9 As noted, in chapter 40 Phanuel (rather than Uriel) is the name given to the fourth angel of the 'Lord of Spirits' (after Michael, Raphael and Gabriel).12° The names and function of seven angels who stand before God are also rehearsed. Those angels are, 'Uriel, one of the holy angels, who is over the world and over Tartarus' and also Raphael,, Raguel, Michael, Saraqael, Gabriel andRemiel. 121 The Book ofthe Watchers (the earliest part of The Book ofEnoch, written in about 300 BC) tells us that Uriel, Raphael and Gabriel were present before God to testify on behalf of mankind. They ask for divine intervention during the reign of the fallen watchers. These fallen angels are those who took human women, producing half-angel, halfhuman offspring called nephilim (said to be an abomination before God). Uriel is also responsible for warning Noah of the impending Flood. 122 1 Then said the Most High, the Holy and Great One spake, and sent Urie! to the son ofLamech, and said to him: 2 ' [Go to Noah and] tell him in my name "Hide thyselfl", and reveal to him the end that is approaching: that the whole earth will be destroyed, and a deluge is about to come upon the whole earth, and will destroy all that is on it. 3 And now instruct him that he may escape and his seed may be preserved for all the generations of the world'.

After judgement has been brought upon the nephilim and the fallen ones (including the twin leaders S amyaza and Azazel), their fates are discussed: 123 1 And Urie! said to me: 'Here shall stand the angels who have connected themselves with women, and their spirits, assuming many different forms,

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Uriel then acts as a guide for Enoch for the rest of The Book of Watchers and continues in this role for the remainder of the sequence. In Thomas Heywood's Hierarchy of Blessed Angels (1635), Uriel is described as an angel of the earth. Heywood's list comprised the angels of the four winds: Uriel (South), Michael (East), Raphael (West) and Gabriel (North)-see also Albrecht Dl.irer's woodcut, The Four Angels of the Winds in this connection. Uriel is also listed as an angel of the four winds in the medieval Jewish Book of the Angel Raziel, which identifies him as Usiel (Uzzie f) , although this may instead refer to another fallen watcher angel. Uriel is one of the angels of the seven planets (Mars) in Longfellow's lyric poem The Golden Legend and is also listed as such in Benjamin Camfield's l 7th century work, A Theological Discourse ofAngels. 124

Uriel takes a leading role in Book III of Milton's Paradise Lost. In charge of the orb of the Sun he serves as the 'eyes of God', but unwittingly steers Satan toward the newly created earth. Milton describes him as 'regent of the sun' and the 'sharpest sighted spirit of all in heaven'. 125 He is also responsible, together with Raphael, for defeating Adrammelech (an ancient Semitic god, mentioned briefly in The Book of Kings). In Ralph Waldo Emerson's poem Uriel, the angel is regarded as a young god in Paradise, who upsets the celestial hierarchies by proclaiming the heretical doctrines of relativism and eternal return. In music, Uriel (tenor) is one of three angelic narrators in Haydn's Creation, also featuring Gabriel (soprano) and Raphael (bass).

Visual art In the visual arts, Uriel is often portrayed carrying a book, or a papyrus scroll, representing wisdom. He typically appears in connection with the young St. John the Baptist and in paintings featuring the extended Holy F amily, such as Leonardo ' s depictions of the Virgin of the Rocks (see National Gallery and Louvre versions), in which the young St. John and his mother St. Elizabeth are led by Uriel to be reunited with the Holy Family after their Flight into Egypt. The 14th century artist known only as the Master of the Life ofSt. John the Baptist, painted various episodes from the life of St. John. (See the depiction of the apocryphal encounter between St.

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John and the Angel Uriel on the Mount of Penitence, Fig. 4-19 in the colour plates section.) Such hagiographical accounts of the childhood of St. John and Jesus are found in Jacobus de Voragine's The Golden Legend, compiled in about 1260, which became an extremely popular source of information, providing artists with a wealth of material as inspiration for their work. Fig. 4-19 Master of the Life of St. John the Baptist, The Encounter between John the Baptist and the Angel Urie! on the Mount of Penitence, ea. 1330-1340, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC See Colour Plate Section

In the 16th century, Uriel apparently appeared to the Sicilian friar Antonio Lo Duca, instructing him to build a church. The friar reported the vision to Pope Pius IV, who commissioned Michelangelo to build the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, at the Esedra Plaza in Rome. In the traditions and hagiography of the Anglican church, Uriel is recognised as an archangel. He is the patron saint of the sacrament of Confirmation as well as of poetry and the arts. In Episcopal churches especially Uriel is regarded as the keeper of beauty and light and in iconography he is shown holding in his right hand a Greek Ionic column, which symbolizes perfection in aesthetics and man-made beauty . Fig. 4-20 Leonardo Da Vinci, Virgin of the Rocks/Vergine de/le Rocce, 14831486, Louvre, Paris See Colour Plate Section

In 1483 the Confrat ernity of the Immaculat e Conception commissioned Leonardo da Vinci to paint the Blessed Virgin Mary and Christ Child as p art of an altarpiece for its chapel in the church of San Fr ancesco Grande in M ilan. The result (Leonardo 's Virgin of the R ocks) was one of the early Italian mast erpieces to make u se of oil paint, already being u sed in n orthern Europe. The angel on the r ight of the comp osition is associated with Uriel, lookin g out at the viewer while pointing in exaggerat ed fashion at the infant St. John the B aptist, who in turn looks toward the Christ child, by whom he is b eing blessed. This forms the central dynamic focal point of the painting . In Christian apocryphal writin gs, such as The Golden Legend (compiled by Jacobus de Voragine in about 1260), Ur iel is the angel assigned to protect and carry John and h is mother St. Elizabeth into Egypt, to be reunited w ith the Holy Family. The infants Jesus and John are also the subj ect of several p aintin gs by Raphael, u sually without attendant angels, and Leonardo's

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depictions of such scenes (both this one and the version in London's National Gallery) are rare examples in which the Angel Uriel is included.

Zadkiel Zadkiel (sometimes also called Hesediel), is included here as one of the seven angels who stand in God's presence, along with: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Chamuel and Jophiel. Zadkiel's name means 'the righteousness of God' and accordingly he is the archangel of mercy and benevolence and the patron of those who forgive. Zadkiel is named as one of the nine rulers of Heaven and in Jewish mysticism, as well as western ritual magic, Zadkiel is associated with the planet Jupiter (and named as such in Camfield's Theological Discourse of Angels), as the ruler of the planet's sign (other angels also contest this office). His position in the sefirot-the 10 attributes or emanations of Kabbalah-is fourth, which corresponds to mercy/kindness. Variants of Zadkiel's name include: Tzadkiel, Zedekiel, Zidekiel and Zadakiel and, according to Joshua Trachtenberg, Zadkiel is another form of Sachiel. 126 Rabbinical tradition considers him to be the' Angel of Mercy' and he is identified as belonging to the angelic order of Hashmallim (equated with the Christian order Dominations) and is considered by some sources to be chief of that order (other sources cite Hashmal or Zacharael in that capacity). InMassekhetAzilut(orMaseketAzilut, an anonymous kabbalistic work of the early-14th century) Zadkiel is referenced as the joint-chief (with Gabriel) of the order of Shinanim. As the Angel ofMercy, some accounts assert that Zadkiel is the unnamed 'Angel of the Lord' who, in the biblical episode of the Akedah, intervenes to prevent Abraham from sacrificing his son Isaac (or Abraham's other son Ishmael in certain alternative Islamic traditions). 127 w Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am. ' 12 He said, 'Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me. ' 13 And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt-offering instead of his son.

The inference of 'only son' here being only 'legitimate' son, since Isaac had an older half-brother in Ishmael. The association with God's only son, is also evident. While Zadkiel has been credited in this role, alternate texts credit Michael or Tadhiel, or some other angel, as the one who is sent to

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take this decisive action of intervention, while the 'Angel of the Lord' has also been interpreted as a straightforward theophany. Another ofZadkiel's duties is thathe is charged with being one of two standard bearers who follow directly behind Archangel Michael, the leader of the militant angelic host, in battle.

Visual art As noted, as the Angel of Mercy, Zadkiel is often associated with the unnamed 'angel of the Lord' who stays Abraham's hand in the very act of sacrificing his son Isaac, and consequently is often shown either with the attribute of a sacrificial knife, or rather in the act of physically preventing Abraham from using the knife on his son. Fig. 4-21 Rembrandt, Abraham and Isaac (oil on canvas), 1634, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia See Colour Plate Section

In the catalogue marking the 2014-15 National Gallery exhibition, Rembrandt: The Late Works, Gregor Weber, of the Rijksmuseum, reflects that a painter is only able to portray a single moment, but the advantage of this is that the painter does have the option of choosing the moment, one that 'embodies a crucial change in the course of events'. 128 In applying this to the Old Testament episode of the binding of Isaac, Rembrandt chooses the intervention of the angel as the significant moment of optimum dramatic intensity, in his painting of1635 (now in St. Petersburg, see Fig. 4-21 in the colour plate section). The choosing of this moment is, we might conclude, a conventional choice, covered by a host of artists and illustrators, including notable examples from the likes of Caravaggio, Tiepolo and Rubens, but Rembrandt's treatment here is particularly powerful. To add to the personal poignancy, he painted this in the same year that his first son was born and died. We see Abraham shielding his son's face with one hand as the descending angel seizes the wrist of his other hand as he is about to strike. The light source seems to come from the angel itself, illuminating Abraham's upturned face and his son's body. Rembrandt returned to the theme ofthis painting in an etching and drypoint of 1655, in which Abraham again holds the knife ready in one hand while covering Isaac's eyes with the other. As before, the angel arrives in the nick of time grabbing hold of both of Abraham's arms thus restraining him from the deed. As Weber comments on this etching, 'there can only be a brief moment of transition in which the

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intervention of the angel changes the fate of the protagonists from one of misfortune to one of good fortune'. 129 But, while relieved by the outcome, we are also reminded of the darker context voiced by Aaron Rosen who comments, 'at the core of the story lies a terrible divine command, and a horrifying human willingness to execute it'. 130 One explanation of the biblical episode is that it serves as a repudiation of the Near Eastern practice of human and, more specifically, of child sacrifice, but Rosen counters this by citing Jon Levenson: 'Were the purpose of the Aqedah to prohibit child sacrifice and to replace it with animal offerings, would it not be passing strange that God so richly rewards Abraham for his willingness to do precisely what the text has come to forbid' .131 Rosen's point here, albeit challenging, is not necessarily a negative one. He points instead to a shared heritage (even if an ambivalent one) for Jews, Christians and Muslims, as a potential 'critical stimulus for interreligious dialogue', triggered by such images. Fig. 4-22 Rembrandt, Abraham's Sacrifice (etching and drypoint), 1655, The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge See Colour Plate Section

Rembrandt was a particular inspiration for Marc Chagall132 (at least at first glance a quite different sort of artist), both share a general earthy treatment of their subjects, not least in their portrayal of angels. In Chagall 's depiction it ambiguously appears that the urgency of the intervening angel has come too late, with the apparently lifeless (and even bloodied) body of his son stretched across the sacrificial pyre. The painting's title, Abraham Slaying Isaac, serves only to add to the ambiguity. Fig. 4-23 Marc Chagall, A braham Slaying I saac (det ail), ea. mid-1960s, Musee du Message Biblique, Nice, France See Colour Plate Section

*** Notes 1) 2) 3) 4)

Tobit 12:1 5,NRSVA Revelation 8:2, NRSVA The Book of Enoch ( 1 Enoch)20:1-8, Ed. R.H. Charles, 2006, p l 3 Several lists of the 'Seven Archangels', ascribed to various sources and authorities (including l Enoch, 3 Enoch, Christian Gnostics, Geonic Lore, and the likes of Gregory the Great and Pseudo-Dionysius, etc.) are found in Gustav

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Davidson'sADictionary ofAngels, 1971, pp 338-339. In the instance ofPseudoDionysius, we should note that he only mentions the angels Michael and Gabriel in passing in his De Coelesti Hierarchia (The Celestial Hierarchy) and elsewhere, in the body of his collected work, tends to refer to named angels as angels rather than as archangels. 5) Gustav Davidson, A Dictionary ofAngels, 1971, p80, cites a footnote in ch.10 ofEliphas Levi's The History ofMagic 6) J. C. J. Metford, Dictionary of Christian Lore and Legend, 1983, p64 7) Pseudo-Dionysius, The Complete Works, from section on De Coelesti Hierarchia (On the Celestial Hierarchy) 181D, trans. Coiro Luibheid, forward & notes Paul Rorem, 1987, p159 8) Pascale Parente, The Angels: In Catholic Teaching and Tradition, 2013, p89 9) Luke 22: 42-46, NRSVA 10) Luke 1:11-13,NRSVA 11) Luke 1:19-20,NRSVA 12) Luke 1:30-35,NRSVA 13) 1 Enoch, op.cit., 20:7, p13 14) Ibid. 40:9, p25 15) Davidson 1971, op.cit., pl 19 16) Ibid. p119 17) Ibid. pl 17 18) Ibid. pl 19 19) Bernard J. Bamberger, Fallen Angels, 1952, see part 5, ch.16 'Talmud and Midrash' (incl. 'The Frailty of Angels'), p109 20) Ibid. p 109 21) John Milton, Paradise Lost, Ed. Alastair Fowler, 2007, bk. IV, lines 549-550, p253 22) Ibid. see footnotes p253 23) Stephen Miller, The Word made Visible in the Painted Image , 2016, pp 47-48, for my further discussion on Fra Filippo Lippi' sAnnunciation 24) John Drury, P ainting the Word, 2010, p48 25) Song of Solomon 4: 12, NRS VA 26) Drury, op.cit. , p50. Drury cites Leo Steinberg, '"How Shall This Be?" Reflections on Filippo Lippi ' s Annunciation in London ', A rtibus et Historiae, 1987 27) Ibid. p5 1 28) See particularly the group that Davidson, op.cit., attributes to Pseudo-Dionysius, in his Appendix, 1971 , p3 38 29) Richard Webster, A ngels f or Beginners, see eh. 4, 201 7 30) Ibid. See also Davidson 1971 , op.cit., pl 50, who cites Clara Erskine Clement, A ngels inArt, 1898 31) Davidson 197 1, op.cit., p1 50 32) Athanasius Kircher, Oedipus Aegyptiacus 33) Milton, Paradise Lost, op.cit., bk. VI, lines 534-546, pp 365-366 34) Ibid. See footnote, p365 35) Ibid. See footnote and ref. to the Zohar (Numbers l 54a), p366

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36) Isaiah 14:12-15, KJV 37) Re The King James Version of Isaiah 14, note that while it is considered an error by many (including the likes of Calvin and Luther) to equate this reference with Satan/Lucifer, rather than attribute it directly to Nebuchadnezzar, others believe it refers to both Nebuchadnezzar and Lucifer/Satan 3 8) From the proclamation of the Exultet, sung in Latin in churches at the Easter Vigil before the Paschal Candle: Flammas eius lucifer matutinus inveniat: flle, inquam, lucifer, qui nescit occasum: Christus Filius tuus, qui, regressus ah inferis, humrino generi serenus illU:xit, et vivit et regnat in srkcula saxul6rum. Amen 39) Hermann Gunkel (orig. pub. in German in 1895), Creation & Chaos in the Primeval Era and the Eschaton, 2006, pp 89-90. ' .. .it is even more definitely certain that we are dealing with a native myth' 40) James Dunn & John Rogerson (Eds.), Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible, 2003,p5ll 41) David Bentley Hart, The New Testament: A Translation, 2017, see Intro. p xix 42) Gregory the Great, seeHomilae xl InEvangelia (Forty Homilies on the Gospels), II, homily 24, PL 76, 1250; cf. Moralia XXXII, 23, PL 76, 664 43) Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, vol. 9, 'Angels' , Ed. Kenelm Foster, cites Gregory the Great, I, q63, article 7, 2006, p271 44) Ibid. p269 45) Ibid. p271 46) 2 Enoch 29:4 47) Revelation 12:7-9, NR.SVA 48) See Frederick Holweck' s article 'St. Michael the Archangel', 1911, The Catholic Encyclopedia 49) See Kaufmann Kohler's article 'Lucifer', 1906, The Jewish Ency clopedia 50) Menahem Mansoor, The Dead Sea Scrolls, 1983 51) 3 Enoch 4:9 52) Evelyn Dorothy Oliver and James Lewis, Angels A to Z, second edition 2008, pp 193 -1 94 53) Milton, P aradise Lost, op.cit., bk. I, line 593, p97 54) Milton, Paradise Regained, bk IV, line 604 55) D avidson 197 1, op.cit., p261 56) Edmund Spenser, The Shorter Poems , Ed. Richard A. McCabe, 1999, 'An Hymne of Heavenly Love', lines 83 -84, pp 472-480 57) D avidson 197 1, op. cit., pl 92 58) Genesis 5:24, NR.SVA 59) Encyclop aedia Britannica, ' Metatron' entry 60) D aniel 7:1 3, NRSVA 61) N athaniel D eutsch, Guardians of the Gate: A ngelic Vice -Regency in the Late A ntiquity, 1999, p46 62) Ibid. Guardians of the Gate, 1999, talks of Metatron as divine man (pp 28-34) and as divine angel (pp 35-47) 63) Ibid. See especially eh. 3 (pp 27-4 7) 'In praise ofM etatron', p45 64) Ibid. pp 45-46

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65) Ibid. p4 7 66) David Halperin, Faces ofthe Chariot, 1988, p426 67) Exodus 23:20, NR.SVA 68) Andrei Orlov, The Enoch-Metatron Tradition, 2005 69) The Journal of Jewish Studies, vols. 34-35 70) Gershom Schol em, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, 1961, p67, from 3 Enoch 71) Oliver and Lewis, op.cit., p248 72) Gershom Scholem, Jewish Gnosticism, Merkahah Mysticism and Talmudic Tradition, 2015,p91 73) Davidson 1971, op.cit., pl93 74) Daniel 12:1, NR.SVA 75) Revelation 12:7-9, NR.SVA 76) l Thessalonians 4:16, NR.SVA 77) l Corinthians 15:52, .NRSVA 78) Midrash of Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer, xxvi 79) Jude 9, NR.SVA. The Epistle of Jude refers to Michael in dispute with the devil over the body of Moses: 'when the archangel Michael contended with the devil and disputed about the body of Moses, he did not dare to bring a condemnation of slander [or, blasphemy] against him, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!"' It is supposed that this refers to an apocryphal book that contained this account. The early Christian scholar and theologian, Origen mentions the book, The Assumption ofMoses, as extant in his time. That book, now lost, was assumed to be the source of the account in Jude. 80) Encyclopaedia a/Religion and Ethics, vol. 4, Ed. James Hastings, 'Demons and Spirits', 1911, p616 81) Davidson 1971, op.cit., pl94 82) Roman Catholic prayer to St. Michael 83) Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica , Ed. Anthony Uy!, I, ql 13, article 3, reply to obj. 3, 2018, p502 84) W. B. Yeats, The Collected Poems, ' The R ose of Peace' , 2008, pp 28-2 9 85) l Enoch 20:4, op.cit., pl3 86) Davidson 197 1, op.cit., p238 87) Ibid. 88) Milton, Paradise Lost, op.cit., bk. IV, lines 555-556, p253 89) John 5:2-4, NR.SVA 90) Tobit 12: 14-1 5,.NRSVA 91) Note: Of the seven archangels which appear in the angelology ofpost-Exilic Judaism only Gabriel, Michael and Raphael are mentioned in holy scripture. The others, according to The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch 20: 1-8), the earliest reference to the seven, are: Urie/, Raguel, Saraqael (or Zerachiel) andRemiel (or Jeremiel): '1 And these are the names of the holy angels who watch. 2 Uriel, one of the holy angels, who is over the world and over Tartarus. 3 Raphael, one of the holy angels, who is over the spirits of men. 4 Raguel, one of the holy angels who takes vengeance on the world of the luminaries. 5 Michael, one of the holy angels, to wit, he that is set over the best part of mankind and over chaos. 6

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Saraqael, one of the holy angels, who is set over the spirits, who sin in the spirit. one of the holy angels, who is over Paradise and the serpents and the Cherubim. 8 Remiel, one of the holy angels, whom God set over those who rise'. 92) Tobit 12: 17-18, l\/RSVA 93) 1 Enoch, op.cit., 20:1 & 20:3, pl3 94) Ibid. 22:1-14, pp 14-16 95) Ibid. 40:8-9, p25 96) Davidson 1971, op.cit., p240 97) Ibid. 98) Sefer Noah, translated from Hebrew texts pub. by Adolph Jellinek, 193 8: https ://pages. uncc. edu/j ohn-re eves/research-projects/medieval-j ewishpseudepigrapha/jellineks-sefer-noah/ 99) Ibid. 100) Milton, Paradise Lost, op.cit., bk V, lines 277-278, p298 101) Tobit 11:8,l\/RSVA 102) 1 Enoch, op.cit., 20:8, pl3 103) 2 Baruch 55:3 104) 1 Enoch, op.cit., 6:7-8, p4 105) Davidson 1971,op.cit.,p239 106) The Sibylline Oracles, trans. Milton S. Terry, bk II, lines 264-270, 1899, pp 46-47 107) Milton, Paradise Lost, op.cit., bk VI, lines 369-372, p357 108) Davidson 1971,op.cit.,p240 109) 1 Enoch, op.cit., 20:6, pl3 110) Ibid. 6:7, p4 111) Ibid. 8:3, p5 112) Davidson 1971,op.cit.,pp 126-127 113) 1 Enoch, op.cit., 40:9, p25 114) M. R. James, The Apocryphal New Testament, 1924, Bartholomew 4:25-28, The Questions of Bartholomew, which is possibly related to the lost Gospel of Bartholomew, mentioned by St. Jerome (who probably in turn depended upon Origen), in the prologue ofhis Commentary on Matthew. TnBartholomew 4:25 the angel Belair (Satan) is compelled to reveal the order in which the angels were created to Bartholomew. Tn 4:28 he names himself first, 'for when God made the heavens, he took a handful of fire and formed me first ... next Michael the chief captain ofthe hosts that are above, Gabriel third, Urie! fourth, Raphael fifth, Nathanael sixth, and other angels of whom I cannot tell the names ' . [Jerusalem MS. , 'Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Urie!, Xathanael, and other 6,000 angels'. Lat. 1, 'Michael the honour of power, third Raphael, fourth Gabriel, and other seven' . Lat. 2, 'Raphael third, Gabriel fourth, Urie! fifth, Zathael sixth ... '] 115) Jacobus de Voragine, The Golden Legend: Readings on the Saints, with intro. by Eamon Duffy, 2012 116) James Hastings, Dictionary of the Bible, revised by F. C. Grant and H. H. Rowley, 1963 7 Gabrie~

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117) Davidson 1971, op.cit., p298. Davidson cites Francis Barrett's, The Magus, 1801 118) See 2 Kings 19:35 & 2 Maccabees 15:22 119) 1 Enoch, op.cit., 9:1, p5 120) Ibid. 40:9, p25 121) Ibid. 20:2 & 20:3-8, p13 122) Ibid. 10: 1-3, p 1-3, p6 123) Ibid. 19:1-2, p13 124) Benjamin Camfield, A Theological Discourse ofAngels, 1678 125) Milton ,PL, op.cit., bk. III, lines 690-691, p211 126) Davidson 1971, op.cit., p324. Davidson cites Joshua Trachtenberg, Jewish Magic and Superstition, 1939 127) Genesis 22:10-13, NRSVA 128) Gregor I. M. Weber, Rembrandt: The Late Works, see eh. 'Reconciliation' pp 253-269 129) Ibid. p253 130) Aaron Rosen, see eh. 1, 'Picturing Abraham' from Rosen's forthcoming monograph, The Hospitality of Images 131) Jon D. Levenson, Inheriting Abraham: The Legacy of the Patriarch in Judaism, Christianity & Islam, 2012, p84 132) For more on Rembrandt's importance to Chagall, see: Aaron Rosen, Imagining Jewish Art: Encounters with the Masters in Chagall, Guston, and Kita), 2009, pp 23-24

Chapter One

Fig. 1-1 William Blake, When the Mornin?, Stars San?, To?,ether, pen & ink and water colour over traces of graphite, ea. 1804-1807, The Morgan Library and Museum, New York

Chapter Two

Fig. 2-1 Giotto di Bondone, Stigmatisation ofSt. Francis, from Scenes from the Life ofSt. Francis, fresco, 1325, Bardi Chapel, Santa Croce, Florence

Fig. 2-2 Francesco Botticini, Assumption of the Virgin, 1475-76, © The National Gallery, London, photo Lucy Miller

Chapter Three

Fig. 3-1 William Blake, Jacob 's Dream, pen & ink and water colour, ea. 1805, ©Trustees of the British Museum, London

Fig. 3-2A Persian miniature ofParadise, from The History ofMuhammad, Bibliotheque nationale de France, Paris

Fig. 3-3 The Flammarion engraving, first documented appearance in Camille Flammarion' s volume L'atmosphere: meteorolo;;ie populaire (The Atmosphere: Popular Meteorology), 1888

Chapter Four

Fig. 4-1 Francesco Botticini, Michael with Archangels Raphael and Gabriel, 1470, © The Uffizi Gallery, Florence

Fig. 4-2 Giovanni Bellini, The Agony in the Garden, ea. 1465, © The National Gallery, London

Fig. 4-3 Rembrandt, The Agony in the Garden (etching and drypoint), ca.1652, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Fig. 4-4 Fra Filippo Lippi, The Annunciation, ea. mid-l 450s, © The National Gallery, London

Fig. 4-5 Fra Filippo Lippi, The Annunciation (detail of the Archangel Gabriel), ea. mid-1450s, ©The National Gallery, London

Fig. 4-6 Henry Ossawa Tanner, The Annunciation, 1898, Philadelphia Museum of Art

Fig. 4-7 Titian, Polyptych of The Resurrection (,4.veroldi Polyptych), detail of the Archangel Gabriel, 1520-1522, Santi Nazaro e Celso, Brescia, northern Italy

Fig 4-8 Crispijn de Passe the Elder, The A rchanKel J ophiel, engraving with etching, plate created 1590-1637, © Trustees of the British Museum, London

F ig. 4-9 Alexandre Cabanel, The Fallen Angel, 1847, Musee Fabre, Montpellier

Fig . 4-1 0 W illiam Blake, Satan Arousing the Rebel Angels, watercolour painted 1808, © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Fig. 4-11 The Ancient ofDays, a 14th century fresco from Ubisi, Georgia

Fig. 4-12 Paul Gauguin, The Vision After the Sermon, 1888, the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Fig. 4-13 Hans Memling, Last Judgement Triptych (central panel), 1466-1473, National Museum, Gdailsk

Fig. 4-14 Luca Giordano, Archangel Michael Hurls the Rebellious Angels into the Abyss, ea. 1666 Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria

Fig. 4-15 Icon ofSt Michael, Byzantine & Christian Museum, l 4th centruy, Athens

Fig. 4-16 Pierre-Paul Prud'hon, Justice and Divine Vengeance Pursuing Crime, 1808, Louvre, Paris

Fig. 4-17 The Rod (or Staff) of the Greek god Asclepius (or Asklepios), seen at either side of the entrance of the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh (photo courtesy of Dr. Sally-Anne Huxtable)

Fig. 4-lSWork.shop ofAnd.readel Verrocchio, Tobias and the Angel, ea. 14701475, ©The National Gallery, London

Fig. 4-19 Master of the Life of St. John the Baptist, The Encounter between John the Baptist and the Angel Urie/ on the Mount ofPenitence, ea. 1330-40, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

Fig. 4-20 Leonardo Da Vinci, Virgin of/he Rocks, 1483-1486, Louvre, Paris

Fig. 4-21 Rembrandt, Abraham and Isaac (oil on canvas), 1634, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia

Fig. 4-22 Rembrandt, Abraham's Sacrifice (etching and drypoint), 1655, The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

Fig. 4-23 Marc Chagall,Ahraham S1a.vin~ Isaac (detail), ea. mid-1960s, Musee du Message Biblique, Nice, France

Chapter Five

Fig. 5-1 Albrecht Diller, Four Angels holding back the w inds and the Marking of the Elect, 1498, ©Trustees of the British Museum, London

Fig. 5-2 Alessandro Botticelli, The Mystical Nativity, ea. 1500-1 501, © The National Galleiy, London, photo Lucy Miller

Fig. 5-3 Carved relief from the Palace of Sargon II, 722-705 BC, featuring a fourwinged spirit from the Assyrian palace at Khorsabad

Fig. 5-4 Winged Victory ofSamothrace, also called the Mke of Samothrace, ea. 220-185 BC, Louvre, Paris

Chapter Six

Fig. 6-1 Frans Floris, The Fall ofthe Rebel A ngels (the surviving middle panel), 1554, Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp

Chapter Seven

Fig. 7-1 Anonymous, God the Geometerffhe Creation of the World, folio 1 verso of a Bible moralisee (moralised Bible), Paris, ea. 1220-1230, (photo credit: Wikipedia)

Chapter Eight

Fig. 8-1 Caravaggio, The Inspiration of Saint Matthew, 1602, Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome

CHAPTER FIVE OTHER ANGELS

Now that we have had a closer look at some of the knmvn and assumed archangels we turn in this chapter to the rump of the identified remainder. Angels are found in Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Many sources and authorities are reticent about naming individual angels, who are, more often as not, described by a title or role rather than by a given name. In a sixth century homily, Pope Gregory the Great tells us: 1 ... 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.

Gregory had read Augustine, who had also asserted that, '"Angel" is the name of their office, not of their nature. 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'" .2 In similar vein, Francis Barrett tells us in The Magus (also known as The Celestial Intelligencer, a l 9th century grimoire and source for the study of the occult and ceremonial magic, derived from older sources):3 Many and different are the names of good and bad spirits; but their proper and true names, as those of the stars, are known to God alone, who only numbers the multitude of stars, and calls them by their names, whereof none can be known by us but by divine revelation; very few are expressed to us in sacred writ.

Barrett continues ' ... names for the most part are put upon them from their works, signifying some certain office or effect' .4 ... of this kind are the names of those angels, Raziel, Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Haniel, which is as much as to say the vision of God, the virtue of God, the strength of God, the medicine of God, the glory of God. In like manner, in the offices of evil demons are read their names, viz. a player, a deceiver, a dreamer, afornicator, and many such like.

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However, this doesn't prevent Barrett from ascribing names to as many angels as he can, from a wide variety of mainly Hebrew sources. He names the seven rulers of the planets and signs, 5 ... over Saturn, Zaphiel; over Jupiter, Zadkiel; over Mars, Camael; over the Sun, Raphael; over Venus, Haniel; over Mercury, Michael ; over the M oon, Gabriel.

These, according to The Magus, are also the names of the seven spirits 'which always stand before the face of God'. Barrett also names 'four princes of the angels' who rule over the four winds and the four parts of the world (see also the Albrecht Dlirer woodcut, Four Angels holding back the winds and the Marking of the Elect, of 1498, in The British Museum, London): 6 Michael is placed over the east-wind, Raphael over the west, Gabriel over the north, Nariel, who by some is called Ariel, is over the south. There are also assigned to the elements these, viz. to the air Cherub, to the water Tharsis, to the earthAriel, to the fire Seraph. Fig. 5-1 Albrecht Diirer, Four Angels holding back the winds and the Marking ofthe Elect, 1498, ©Trustees of the British Museum, London See Colour Plate Section

Twenty-eight angels are additionally named, who 'rule in the twentyeight mansions of the moon': Geniel, Enediel, AnixieL A zarieL Gabriel, Dirachiel, Scheliel, AmnedieL Barbiel, Ardefiel, Neciel, Abdizuel, Jazeriel, Ergediel, Atliel, AzerueL Adriel, Egibiel, Amutiel, Kyriel, Bethnael, GelieL RequieL AbrinaeL Agiel, Tagriel, Atheniel and Amnixiel.7 Book 2 of The Magus also cites a 'special treatise', written by Trithemius, the 15th century Benedictine abbot of Sponheim, naming those angels with jurisdiction over the star signs: 8 Over the twelve signs are set these, viz. over A ries,Malahidael; over Taurus , Asmodel; over Gemini, Ambriel; over Cancer, Muriel; over Leo, Verchiel; over Virgo , Hamaliel; over Libra, Zuriel; over Scorpio, Barchiel; over Sagittarius, Advachiel; over Capr icorn, Hanael; over A quarius, Cambiel; over P isces, Barchiel.

Of these Barrett attests that they are the same 12 angels (or 11 , note Barchiel referenced twice) referred to at the end of The Book ofRevelation . Alessandro Botticelli's Mystical Nativity, in London's National Gallery, r eferences the 12 angels of The Book of Revelation. It is Botticelli's only

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signed work and has very unusual iconography for a Nativity scene. The Greek inscription at the top translates as: ' This picture I, Alessandro, painted at the end of the year 1500, in the troubles ofItaly, in the half-time after the time, during the faljilment of the eleventh [chapter] ofJohn, in the second woe of the Apocalypse, in the loosing ofthe devil for three and a half years. Afterward he shall be chained according to the twelfth, and we shall see him [trodden down?] as in this picture'. 9 Botticelli believed he was living during the Tribulation, due to the political upheavals of the time, and is here attempting to use scripture to foretell the new millennium (painted as it was at the very beginning of the 16th century10). Botticelli's work was influenced by the Dominican monk and preacher Savonarola, as is evident in a number of his other later paintings. Fig. 5-2 Alessandro Botticelli, The Mystical Nativity, ea. 1500-1501, © The National Gallery, London, photo Lucy Miller See Colour Plate Section

The painting uses the medieval convention of showing the Holy family on a larger scale than the other figures and their surroundings. The Blessed Virgin Mary is not only the largest figure but she is kneeling on the highest point of the landscape, and her left eye forms the exact centre of the painting. Botticelli gives us a scene of joy and celebration, of earthly and heavenly delight, with angels dancing above the roof at the top of the painting. There are also dark premonitions in the painting. The helpless Christ child rests on a sheet that evokes the shroud in which his body will one day be wrapped, while the cave behind the makeshift stable calls to m ind his tomb. The 12 angels at the top, dressed in the colours of faith, hope and charity (white, green and red), dance in a circle holding olive branches, and above them heaven opens in a great golden dome. The unique mystical qualities or 'privileges of the Virgin Mary' are revealed- she is ' mother of God', ' the immaculate conception', 'perpetual virgin', 'possessed of divine gr ace', 'the commencement of the world's salvation', etc. The Latin words on the angels' ribbons correspond to 12 such 'privileges' of the Virgin. At the bottom of the painting three angels embrace three men, seeming to raise them up from the ground. They hold scrolls which proclaim in Latin, ' On earth peace to m en of goodwill ' . Small devils in the foreground flee to holes in the ground, some impaled on their own weapons.11

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Ancient forerunners of angels It would perhaps be appropriate at this point to take a moment to establish some pre-Christian context for supernatural beings and protective spirits from ancient religions in the centuries before the common era. The 'winged man' is seen as the chayot (or hayyoth, a class of heavenly being and living creature, identified with the cherubim) in Ezekiel, and also in Reve lation. 12 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with a face like a human face, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle.

Protective or guardian spirits, such four-winged cherubim-type beings (as opposed to the six-winged seraphim of Isaiah 6:!-3) were very familiar to the traditions of the Ancient East, especially at the thresholds of temples and royal palaces. Each of Ezekiel's cherubim have four faces, that of a man, a lion, a cherub (alternately an ox), and an eagle. However, their overall human appearance sets them apart from the lamassu (protective deity with a human head, the body of a bull or lion, bird wings, and occasionally a scorpion tail), or the ugallu ('great lions'), or the urmahlilu ('lion man') of Babylonian and Assyrian tradition. Ashurbanipal's North Palace in Nineveh, Iraq, was protected by such magical figures carved on stone panels lining the walls. While these were distinct from representation of humans the protective genii are a class of supernatural being who identify closely with Old Testament descriptions ofman-angels. This type of winged spirit, guarded the city gates (such as the city of Khorsabad). They also blessed those who passed by it with water sprinkled from a pine cone. Fig. 5-3 Carved relief fro m the Palace of Sar gon II, 722-705 BC, featuring a four-win ged spirit from t he Assyria n pala ce at Khorsabad See Colour Plate Section

Such four-winged spirits were common in Mesopotamian art, as personal protectors of ancient Assyrian kings and their royal palaces and temples. Indeed, apart from their wings and their invariable presence at important thresholds, there was very little to differentiate such spirits from kings (i.e. men), or for that matter gods. Indeed, as Gareth Brereton tells us, 'Assyrian kings were perceived to be the earthly representatives of the gods' .13 Indeed the name Ashurbanipal (the grandson of Sennacherib), who came to the throne of Assyria in 669 BC, is translated as something like 'Ashur is the creator of the heir'. 14 With certain justification, it would

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appear, Ashurbanipal could assert that his claim to the throne had been divinely preordained. Religion was close to the life of the Assyrians, and their gods were an integral part of everyday life, Ashur being the supreme deity, their 'king of the gods' and their father. Winged spirits, with the appearance of a man, are a recurring motif in the iconography of Assyrian sculpture. These genii have been interpreted as antediluvian sages or apkallu inAkkadian tradition, or abgal in Sumerian tradition, beings closely associated with the god Enki (the Sumerian god of water and creation), later known as Ea in Akkadian and Babylonian mythology. During the antediluvian age tradition has it that humanity was covered by the great flood, during which time the earth's inhabitants were purified and roamed the earth as invisible genii. There are also other references to the apkallu as purified humans that were sent to Apsu (or Abzu), the underground sweet water realm of Enki, by Marduk the ruler god (a late-generation god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon). The genii were shown with several different attributes or symbols of their office. They are seen carrying a small quadruped, possibly a fawn or gazelle, which has been interpreted as being a representation of what in Judaic tradition would be a 'scapegoat'. This sacrificial creature may have been used to contain the spirit of an exorcised demon and cast out, thus demonstrating the supernatural power of the genii in respect of the protection of the king and his people. Other interpretations of this symbol emphasise its association with abundance, the winged spirit bearing the fawn, representing evidence of the kingdom's abundance. Other depictions of such genii commonly show them holding a pine cone and what appears to be a pail. These two attributes are commonly associated with the Sacred Tree or Tree ofLife, also typically shown in such depictions. Interpretations of such depictions see the genii tending to and fertilizing the tree. Other interpretations ascribe these symbols directly to the cult of Ashur (the East Semitic god, already mentioned, and supreme deity of the Assyrian pantheon in Mesopotamian religion)-the sun symbolising Shamash (the sun god) and the tree symbolising Ashur himself. Thus, the genii protecting the tree represent the supernatural forces that the Assyrians believed were protecting the whole earth and specifically the Assyrian Empire. As we have noted, winged genii co-existed with a number of other mythological hybrids (such as the lamassu, ugallu and urmahlilu) in the early Iron Age art of Assyria and Asia Minor. They influenced Archaic Greece during its ' orientalizing period' (from about the eighth century BC), resulting in the hybrid creatures of Greek mythology such as the chimera, the griffin, winged-Pegasus, and the winged man Talas (or Talus). The orientalizing period had its origin in Iron Age Crete, where winged figures, clearly

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inspired by Assyrian prototypes, are found engraved on bronze bowls and other artefacts. The Etruscans were another profoundly religious people of antiquity. They believed in the immutable course of divine will, at times revealed to humans by supernatural beings, and thought it was man's duty to discover and follow the will of the gods. Many Etruscan divinities were not conceived as having human form until foreign influences (mainly Greek) came to affect Etruscan religious thought. Later the major Etruscan gods were often named and had attributes adapted from Greek gods, which in turn had associations with certain Assyrian and Sumerian traditions. The large number of votive offerings from Etruria show the religious character of the people and the link between religion and the practical necessities of human existence, such as medicine. A votive statuette of the winged female demon Vanth (Etruscan 425-400 BC), holding snakes, can be seen in the British Museum. Many depictions of 'winged victory' are evident in the Hellenistic period of Greek art including the most famous of all, on view at the Louvre Museum in Paris (see Fig. 5-4 in the colour plates section). This backdrop of ancient world imagery, of unseen deities and protective winged spirits, helped to inform the representation of biblical and apocryphal descriptions of bodiless angels. Under the great monotheistic religions, polytheistic deities were downgraded from gods or demi-gods to creatures and sub-deities and protective spirits to angels and guardian angels, existing to serve the one God. Zoroastrian tradition recognises various classes of spiritual beings besides the supreme being (A hura Mazda): the Amesha Spentas are emanations of Ahura Mazda, associated with aspects of the divine creation. Yazatas and Fravashis (or so-called guardian angels) are other classes of angel. Zoroastrians choose a patron angel for their protection and throughout their lives observe prayers dedicated to that angel. The writer of The Book of Daniel was the first biblical author to ascribe given names to angels and thus endow them with an individual identity. Essenism came into existence in the Second Temple period with a highly developed angelology, knowledge of which was confined to Essenes. The Sadducees, on the other hand, disputed the very existence of angels.15 Apocryphal and pseudepigraphal Talmudic and Midrashic works were extravagant in enlarging on such themes and these were further added to by mystical and Kabbalistic literature. The Jewish Encyclopedia notes that the Judaic intellect is little inclined to systematization, and that a systematic angelology was impossible anyway, given the vast number of haggadists,

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who lived and taught at different times and places, under 'a manifold variety of circumstances' .16 In this regard it is difficult to distinguish between Palestinians and Babylonians, between the Tannaim and the Amoraim; for descriptions of heaven varied according to the exegetic needs of the homily and the social condition of the audience.

Scholars handled the material according to their individual inclinations. As a consequence, it is impossible to fix the boundaries between the speculations of scholars and popular notions, between individual and general views, or between transient and permanent ideas. If these traditions did not originate with the people, they were transmitted to them by the scholars, who were held in 'undisputed popular esteem' 17 and thus came to form part of popular belief. Since the Bible was interpreted only in the light of tradition, haggadic teachings are just as important to the Jewish community for the understanding of its religion as the Bible itself. Although only Michael and Gabriel are mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible, certain angels took on particular significance and developed separate personalities and roles in Judaic tradition. Metatron is considered one of the highest (if not the highest) of the angels, in Merkabah and Kabbalist traditions. He is mentioned in the Talmud and figures prominently in an assortment of mystical texts. Michael, as we have noted, is also looked upon particularly fondly, as an advocate for Israel (see Daniel 10:13). Likewise, Gabriel is mentioned in The Book ofDaniel (see Daniel 8:15-1 7) and also in Talmud and Merkabah texts. Other angels from an extra-biblical tradition include R aphael, Uriel and Jophiel ('the beauty of God' ), who holds a flaming sword and guards The Tree of Life at the gate of Eden, punishing those who transgress against God (see Chapter Four for a more detailed account of these angels/archangels). Sandalphon ('bringing together ') is another important angel who battles with Samael and thus brings mankind together, while Samael ('the venom of God') is associated with the angel of death, or M alach HaMavet. According to Kabbalah, there are four worlds of which ours is the last~the world of action (Assiyah) . Angels exist in the worlds above as a function or emanation of God, sent to achieve an action in the world. After an angel has completed its task, it effectively ceases to exist in Kabbalistic understanding, the angel can be said to exist only as the task itself. The Golden Dawn (Aurora Aurea, which describes H ermetic Qabalah, a western esoteric tradition drawing on Jewish Kabbalah) tells of 10 archangels: Metatron, Raziel Tzaphkiel, Tzadkiel, Khamael Raphael Uriel Michael Gabriel and Sandalphon, each commanding

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one of the 10 choirs of angels (of Kabbalah hierarchy): hayot ha kodesh (holy liv ing ones), ophanim (wheels), erelim (brav e ones), hashmallim (glowing/amber ones), seraphim (burning ones), malakim (messengers, angels), elohim (godly beings), bene elohim (sons of elohim), chernbim, and ishim (man-like beings), and corresponding to one of the 10 sefirot: Keter, Chokmah, Binah, Chesed, Gevurah, Tipheret Netzach, Hod, Yesod and Malkuth. This closely corresponds to traditional Jewish angelic methodology. Later Christians inherited Jewish understandings of angels. In early Christianity the angel was characterized as a messenger of God. Later came identification of individual angelic messengers. Then, in the space of little more than two centuries (from the third to the fifth) the image of angels took on definite characteristics, both in theology and in art. By the late fourth 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 what could be seen in a sense as physical bodies, while others maintained that they were entirely spiritual, or immaterial (see Chapter One). Most theologians had proposed that angels were not themselves divine but on the lev el of immaterial beings (i.e. creatures) and subordinate to the Holy Trinity. The resolution of such dispute included the development of doctrine about angels. As a consequence, angels are represented throughout the Bible as spiritual/immaterial beings, intermediate between God and man. The Fourth Lateran Council of 1215 declared plainly that the angels w ere created beings. The Council's decree Firmiter credimus (issued 'against the Albigensis') declared that angels were created and that man (i.e. humans) was cr eated after them. Th e First Vatican Council of 1869 repeated this declaration in its Dei Filius, the 'D ogmatic constitution on the Catholic faith ' . In Islamic tradition, angels feature in the Qur 'an and Hadith. They are often entrusted w ith sp ecific tasks to p erform, by God . Belief in angels remains one of six articles of faith in Islam and yet no dogmatic angelology exists in Islamic tradition. D espite this, scholars had discussed the role of angels from the specific canonical events in which they feature. Named angels in Islamic tradition include, Jib rail (the chief archangel, Gabriel), M ikail (Mich ael), Sarafie l (also known as Israfil), who w ill sound the trumpet from a holy rock in Jerusalem to announce the Day of Resurrection (along w ith Jibrail Mikail andlzra 'il, h e is one of four Islamic archangels) . Azrael (obscure etymology) is the 'angel of death' . Darda 'il travels the earth searching out assemblies where p eople r emember God's name. Kiraman and Katibin are the two angels who record a person's good and

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bad deeds. Munkar and Nakir, are angels who interrogate the dead over questions of faith, and the angel Ruman makes each person write down their deeds. 18 Ridwan is the angel in charge of maintaining Jannah (Paradise), while the angel who has charge of hell is Malik. Harut and Marut, appeared as angelic visitors, performing deeds of magic to test the Babylonians, while warning them not to imitate them. And Mu 'aqqibat are a class of guardian angels who keep people from death until their decreed time. According to Islamic tradition, angels are made of light, are beautiful, and have wingsalthough the shape and form of the wings is not specified. In Islamic art angels appear mainly in narrative scenes in the Persian Mughal and Ottoman traditions. They have wings, often multi-coloured and often also floating scarves, drawing from Chinese Buddhist art. They are not very common, however, and typically appear in illustrations to biographical accounts of the life of the prophet Muhammad, which are themselves rare. There are a few studies of angels by themselves, especially from Safavid Persia. In Islam, God rejects depictions of angels as female in several verses of the Qur'an, with the ominous warning that He will question those who make such depiction. Concerning the appearance of angels, the conception grew that while they are something of a superhuman and spiritual class of creature, they may also assume human form as a sort of disguise. Gradually, and especially in post-biblical times, they became bodied in a form corresponding to the nature of the mission to be fulfilled-more often than not this would be in human form. They bear drawn swords or other weapons and ride horsesone carries an ink-horn (or writing case) by his side. 19 An awe-striking angel is witnessed by David in 1 Chronicles 21:1 6,30, as 'standing between earth and heaven, and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem ' . In The Book ofDaniel (probably written in about 165 BC), reference is made to an angel,20 ...clothed in linen, with a belt of gold fr om Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like beryl, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam ofburnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the roar of a multitude.

Angels are portrayed as powerful and dreadful, endowed with wisdom and with knowledge of earthly events, emphatic in their actions, holy, but not infallible, for they have been known to strive against each other and God has to make peace between them. However, when their duties are not punitive, angels are typically gracious to humans in the service of God. Biblical passages to support these several claims are: Psalms 103:20, 'Bless

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the LORD, 0 you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, obedient to his spoken word'; Psalms 78:25, 'Mortals ate of the bread of angels; he sent them food in abundance'; 2 Samuel I 4:I 7, ' ... my lord the king is like the angel of God, discerning good and evil'; 2 Samuel I4:20, ' ...my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God to know all things that are on the earth'; Zechariah I4:5, 'Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him'; Job 4:I8, 'Even in his servants he puts no trust, and his angels he charges with error';Job 25:2, 'Dominion and fear are with God; he makes peace in his high heaven'. Although the older writings usually mention a single 'angel of the Lord', embassies to men also comprise several messengers. As noted, angels are referred to in connection with their particular mission, for example, 'the angel who has redeemed', 'the angel that destroyed', 'messenger of the covenant', etc. and also, 'a band of angels of evil'. Genesis 48: I 6, 'the angel who has redeemed me from all harm'; Job 33:23, 'Then, ifthere should be for one of them an angel, a mediator, one of a thousand, one who declares a person upright'; 2 Samuel 24:I 6, 'But when the angel stretched out his hand towards Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented concerning the evil, and said to the angel who was bringing destruction among the people, 'It is enough; now stay your hand'; Malachi 3:I, 'The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight-indeed, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts'; Isaiah 63:9, 'in all their distress. It was no messenger or angel but his presence that saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them'; Psalms 78:49, 'He let loose on them his fierce anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels'. Distinction may be made among the heavenly host between cherubim, seraphim, hayyot ('living creatures'), of anim ('wh eels'), and arelim (the m eaning of which term is uncertain). God is described as riding on the cherubim and as 'the Lord of hosts, who dwelleth between the cherubim ', w hile the ch erubim also gu ard the way to The Tree of Life. I Samuel 4:4, 'the ark of the coven ant of the LORD of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim'; Genesis 3:24, 'He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden h e placed the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to gu ard the way to the tree of life' . Th e seraphim are described in Isaiah 6:2 as h aving six w ings, ' Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six w ings: with two they covered their faces, and w ith two they covered their feet, and with two they flew', and Ezekiel describes the hayy ot (the Judaic equivalent of Christian cherubim).21

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5 In the middle of it was something like four living creatures. This was their appearance: they were of human form. 6 Each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calfs foot; and they sparkled like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: 9 their wings touched one another; each of them moved straight ahead, without turning as they moved. 10 As for the appearance of their faces: the four had the face of a human being, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and the face of an eagle; 11 such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies. 12 Each moved straight ahead; wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went.

And also, the ofanim, the heavenly beings who carry the throne of God.22 15

As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them. 16 As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl; and the four had the same form, their construction being something like a wheel within a wheel. 17 When they moved, they moved in any of the four directions without veering as they moved. 18 Their rims were tall and awesome, for the rims of all four were full of eyes all round. 19 When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them; and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. 20 Wherever the spirit would go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them; for the spirit ofthe living creatures was in the wheels. 2 1 When they moved, the others moved; when they stopped, the others stopped; and when they rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

In summary, we can say that angels appear to man as the agents of God's will. They reveal themselves to individuals as well as to nations, in order to announce events affecting them, for good or ill. Angels foretold the birth of Isaac, to Abraham, and also foretold to Abraham the destruction of Sodom. Guardian angels are mentioned, but not at first (as was later the case) as personal guardian spirits of individuals. God sends an angel to protect the people after their exodus from Egypt, to lead them to the promised land, and to destroy hostile tribes in their way, as in Exodus 23:20, 'I am going to send an angel in front of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared '; and in Numbers 20: 16, ' ...when we cried to the LORD, he heard our voice, and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt'. In 1 Kings 19:5, an angel brings Elijah meat and drink, 'Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, "Get up and eat", and as God watched over Jacob, so is every pious person protected by an angel that cares for him

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in all his ways'; Psalms 34: 7, 'The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them'; Psalms 91 :11, 'For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways'. There are also militant angels, one of which in a single night destroyed the whole Assyrian army, of some 185,000 men, 2 Kings 19:35, 'That very night the angel of the LORD set out and struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians; when morning dawned, they were all dead bodies'. In Ezekiel 30:9, messengers go forth from God in ships, 'to terrify the unsuspecting Ethiopians'; and the enemy is scattered before the angel like chaff in Psalms 35:5-6, 'Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them on. Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them'. Despite angels being generally gracious to man, avenging angels are mentioned, such those in Psalms 78:49. Angels also glorify God, hence the term 'glorifying angels', as in Psalms 103:20, 'Bless the LORD, 0 you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, obedient to his spoken word'; in Psalms 148:2, 'Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!'; and in Isaiah 6:3, 'And one called to another and said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory' . They constitute God's court, sitting in council with him, 1 Kings 22: 19, 'I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, with all the host of heaven standing beside him to the right and to the left of him' ; and in Job 1:6, 'the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them'. Hence, they are called '[His] council or assembly of the holy ones',23 5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, 0 LORD, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones. 6 For who in the skies can be compared to the LoRD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LoRD, 7 a God feared in the council of the holy ones, great and awesome above all that are around him? 8 0 LORD God ofhosts.

They accompany God as His attendants when He appears to man, as in Deuteronomy 33 :2, 'With him were myriads of holy ones; at his right, a host of his own' ; and J ob 38:7, 'when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for j oy' . This concept was developed after the Exile and in Zechariah angels are delegated to go back and forth upon the earth, in order to find out and report what is taking place .24 'These are the four winds of heaven going out, after presenting themselves before the LORD of all the earth. 6 The chariot with the black horses goes towards the north country, the white ones go towards the west country, and the dappled ones go towards the south country' . 7 When the steeds came out,

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they were impatient to get off and patrol the earth. And he said, ' Go, patrol the earth. ' So they patrolled the earth.

In the prophetic books angels also appear as representatives of the prophetic spirit, and bring to the prophets God's word. Thus, the prophet Haggai was called God's messenger and the name Malachi means 'messenger' or 'angel'. In the New Testament Jesus is assisted by a number of ministering angels. According to Matthew 4:11 , after Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness, 'Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him'. As we have earlier noted, in Luke 22:43 an angel comforts Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, ' Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength' (see Chapter Four, regarding the angel Chamuel). In Matthew 28:5 an angel speaks at the empty tomb, following the resurrection of Jesus, 'the angel said to the women, do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified', and the stone of the tomb itself was, we are told, rolled back by angels.

On the origin of angels, the Bible is of no great help, although Job 38:7 clearly indicates that the angels preceded the creation of mankind. Earlier biblical writings did not speculate about them-they simply regarded them, in their relations to man, as God's agents. Consequently, they were not individualised or named and in Judges 13:18, 'Why do you ask my name? It is too wonderful', the angel, when questioned, refuses to give his name. In Daniel, however, as we have seen, Michael and Gabriel are identified. Michael is Israel's representative in heaven, where other nations-the Persians, for instance- were also represented by angelic princes. Before The Book of Daniel, Zechariah had graded the angels, according to rank, but did not name them. The notion of the ' seven eyes' in Zechariah 4:10, ' These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth ', may have been influenced by representation of the seven archangels and also possibly by the Parsee seven amshaspands, the seven 'bright and glorious ones', also referred to in Zoroastrianism as Amesha Spenta (a special class of immortal entity). Fig. 5-4 Winged Victory of Samothrace, also called the Nike of Samothrace, ea. 220-185 BC, Louvre, Paris See Colour Plate Section

Angels have featured widely in the visual arts of Europe and the Middle East and were popular in Byzantine art, in mosaics and icons. Artists found

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inspiration from Greek figures, such as the Winged Victory ofSamothrace, also called the Nike of Samothrace. They also drew from imperial iconography, such as that of court eunuchs that performed ceremonial functions and served as trusted messengers and ambassadors, rising to positions of authority. Many of them came from the Caucasus, having light eyes, hair and skin, as well as the 'comely features and fine bodies', desired by slave traders. As officials, eunuchs would typically wear a white tunic decorated with gold. 25 In her paper, Painting the Bodiless: Angels and Eunuchs in Byzantine Art and Culture, Amelia Brown states that Byzantine artists 'drew, consciously or not, on this iconography of the court eunuch' .26 Daniel 10:5-6 (referenced above) describes an angel as clothed in linen and girt with gold. Angels, especially the Archangel Michael, who were depicted as military-style instruments of God, came to be shown wearing Late Antique military uniform. This could be the military-style dress, of tunic, breastplate and pteruges, but also often the specific dress of the bodyguard/eunuch of the Byzantine Empire, of a long tunic and lorus (a long and narrow, gold and jewelled, pallium), restricted to the Imperial family and their closest guards, and restricted in Byzantine icons to archangels. During the medieval period angels, especially archangels and those of particular significance, were often clothed in brilliant colours, while the junior ranks are often seen in plain white. Early Renaissance painters such as Fra Angelico, in Italy, and Jan van Eyck, in northern Europe, painted angels with multi-coloured wings (see Fra Angelico's San Marco Annunciation and Jan van Eyck's Annunciation in Washington's National Gallery of Art, as examples). Depictions of angels came to combine medieval notions of beauty with feminine ideals of grace and beauty, and in the late- 19th century artists created a distinct Victorian angel, appearing in paintings and stained-glass windows (such as the William Morris angel on the front cover). While angels are typically presented as reassuring, inspiring, meditative and beautiful images, they are also depicted in their more terrifying aspect, particularly those that are confined to heavenly roles, as six-winged creatures of pure flame (seraphim), or as disturbing unanthropomorphic contraptions (ofanim/wheels). Whether as reassuring or awe-inspiring images they are portrayed as more or less androgynous spiritual creatures that do not eat (despite pretending to do so on occasion) or excrete, although when the situation demands they can take on a palpable, invariably masculine, presence. The idea that angels could be female had not been considered prior to the 19th century. In theological terms angels are imagined as genderless (despite legends of 'the watchers' being attracted to, and apparently copulating with, human women). The early church opted to

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depict angels as young men, but since they are defined as pure spirits and were by their nature asomato, or bodiless, the lack of a defined form allowed artists a generous license for creativity. Daniel 8: 15 describes the angel as having 'the appearance of a man' and in Daniel 9:21 the angel is referred to as 'the man Gabriel' , while the only scriptural reference to the possibility of female angels is found in the 'seventh vision' of Zechariah: 21 9 Then I looked up and saw two women coming forward. The wind was in their wings; they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and sky.

Such anthropomorphic descriptions of angels are consistent with previous descriptions in Genesis. In a General Audience (August 1986), entitled' Angels participate in the history of salvation', Pope John Paul II asserted: 28 The angels have no 'body' (even if, in particular circumstances, they reveal themselves under visible forms because of their mission for the good of people). Therefore, they are not subject to the laws of corruptibility which are common to the material world.

As we have seen here, however, in painting and sculpture, as well as in reception history, angels (albeit bodiless) are invariably depicted as palpable forms, typically young male humans, albeit androgynous versions of such. While cherubim and seraphim have wings in the Bible, no messenger angel is mentioned as having wings, which doesn't stop them being seen in a tradition of winged messenger in the visual arts. The earliest known Christian image of an angel, is in the Cubicolo dell ' Ann unziazione, in the Catacomb of Priscilla (mid-third century), and is without wings. In that same period, representations of angels on sarcophagi, lamps and reliquaries are also shown without wings. The earliest known representation, in Christian tradition, of angels with wings is on the 'Prince' s Sarcophagus', attributed to the time of Theodosius I (379-395 AD), discovered near Istanbul in the 1930s. From that time forward, Christian art has typically r epresented angels with wings. F our- and six-winged angels, drawn from the higher grades of angels (cherub im and seraphim) are usually shown only in a heavenly context, as opposed to performing tasks on earth. These often appear in the pendentives of church domes. Prior to the Judeo-Christian tradition, in the Greek world the goddess Nike and the gods E ros and Thanatos were also depicted in human-like form with wings, and as we have seen protective winged spirits, indistinguishable from humans apart from their wings, were also evident in Mesopotamian art.

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Notes 1) Gregory the Great (ea. 540-604), excerpt from A Homily on the Go.spels, Homily 32, 8-9: PL 76, 1250-1251, from the Roman Catholic Office of Readings for 'The Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael ', on September 29. See also, Forry Gospel Homilies, trans. David Hurst, 1990 2) Augustine ofHippo, Enarrationes inPsalmos (Enarrations on the Psalms), 103, 1, 15: PL, 37, 1348, see St. Augustine on the Psalms, 2012. Also cited in Catechism ofthe Catholic Church, part 1, section 2, eh. 1, art. 1, para 5 'Heaven and Earth', 'The Angels', 'Who are they?' 3) Francis Barrett, TheMagus, or Celestial Intelligencer, bk. 2, part 1, 'Cabalistical Magic', eh. XI, ' Of the Names of the Spirits, and their various Imposition; and of the Spirits that are set over the Stars, Signs, Comers of the Heavens, and the Elements', p56 4) Ibid. pp 56-57 5) Ibid. p57 6) Ibid. p58 7) Ibid. p58 8) Ibid. p57 9) Ronald Lightbown, Sandro Botticelli: Life and Work, 1989, p251 10) Ibid. p248, Lightbown tells us that the Mystical Nativiry was painted in, 'the last days of the Florentine year 1500', which ended (in our modern calendar) on March 24, 1501 11) Ibid. For a comprehensive analysis of Botticelli's Mystical Nativiry see Lightbown, 1989, pp 248-253 12) Revelation 4:7, NRSVA 13) Gareth Brereton, I am Ashurbanipal king of the world, king of Assyria, The British Museum exhibition catalogue, 2018, pl 0 14) Ibid. pl 0 15) Jewish Encyclopedia, 'Angelology' entry, by Ludwig Blau and Kaufmann Kohler, see section 2, 'Talmudical andMidrashic Literature', unedited full text, 1906 16) Ibid. See section 2, ' Talmudical and Midrashic Literature' l 7) Ibid section 2, 'Talmudical and Midrashic Literature', sub-section 'Development of Angelology' 18) Muhammedanische Eschatologie, Ed. By Maurice Wolff, 1872, p69, p l 66 19) Biblical references: Numbers 22:23, 'The donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand ... ', J oshua 5: 13, Ezekiel 9:2, Zechariah 1:8-9, ' In the night I saw a man riding on a red horse ! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen ; and behind him were re d, sorrel, and white horses ... The angel who talked with me said to m e, ' I will show you what they are .. . ', etc. 20) Daniel l 0:5-6, NRSVA 21) Ezekiel 1:5-1 2,NRSVA 22) Ezekiel 1:15-21, NRSVA 23) Psalms 89:5-8, NRSVA

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24) Zechariah 6: 5-7, NRSVA 25) Amelia Brown, in her paper, 'Painting the Bodiless: Angels and Eunuchs in Byzantine Art and Culture', University of Queensland, 2007, p2 (paper given at, 'Sexualities: Bodies, Desires, Practices', 4th Global Conference, 2007) 26) Ibid. pl 27) Zechariah 5:9, NRSVA 28) Pope John Paul II, L 'Osservatore Romano, 'Catechesis on the Angels', a General Audience titled, 'Angels Participate in the History of Salvation', August 6, 1986

CHAPTER SIX FALLEN ANGELS

In the New Testament Jesus says, 'I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning' .1 This 'fall' is commonly presented in the context of the free choice of those created spirits who have radically and irrevocably rejected God and his kingdom and attempted to subvert salvation and the very order of creation. In The Book ofJob, we are given an example of how Satan seeks to generate rebellion in those who suffer. He tests Job by inflicting 'loathsome sores ... from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head'. 2 The Fourth Lateran Council ( ofl 215) resolved that the devil (Satan), and the other demons, were created good by God but became evil by their own will. We read in Jude: ' ... the angels who did not keep their own position, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains in deepest darkness for the judgement of the great day' .3 Similarly, in The Second Letter of St Peter, we hear of 'angels who have sinned' and whom God 'did not spare ... but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of deepest darkness to be kept until the judgement'. 4 If God does not forgive the sin of these angels, it seems it is because they remain in their sin. In The Gospel of John, we read, 'He [the devil] ... does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies'. 5 Satan has rejected the truth that he knew about God, thus his fall from grace is all the greater. In this condition of falsehood, Satan, according to St. John, is one who would destroy the life that God had made for humans and angels alike. The author of The Book of Wisdom writes: ' ...but through the devil's envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his company experience it'. 6 It is not without cause that in the liturgy of baptism we are asked to renounce the devil and all his empty promises. In scripture we find various indications of the influence of the devil on man and on the dispositions of his spirit (and body). In the Bible, Satan is called the 'prince' or 'ruler' of the world (see John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11, etc.), and even 'the god of this world' (2 Corinthians 4:4). We also find other names that describe his r elationship with man: 'Beelzebul' or 'Behal', 'unclean spirit', 'tempter', 'evil one', 'antichrist' (1John4:3), and so on. He is compared to a 'lion' (1Peter5:8), to a 'dragon' (in Revelation), and to a 'serpent' (Genesis 3). He is given the

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name ' devil', from the Greek 6tapciAA£1v (diaballein) , hence diabolos, which means 'to cause destruction, to divide, to calumniate, to deceive'. 7 According to scripture, especially the New Testament, the dominion and the influence of Satan, and of the other evil spirits, embraces the entire world. In Revelation 12 we are told that the rebel host numbered a third of the angels in heaven. 8 1

A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars ... 3 Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth ... 7

And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

According to legend, the rebel angels fell for nine days (see Budge, Amulets and Talismans, 1961). Their number was estimated to have been 13 3,306, 668 (according to the tabulation of a Cardinal Bishop of Tusculum, reaffirmed by Alphonso de Spina in the 15th century). We can only wonder at the extraordinary precision of such a number! The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch) speaks of the more manageable number of some 200 apostates and names the 19 (or 20) 'chiefs often' as: 9 7

. . . Semiazaz, their le ader, Arakiba, Rameel, Kokabiel, Tamie!, Ramie!, Dane!, Ezeqeel, Baraqijal, Asael, Armaros, Batare l, Ananel, Zaqiel, Samsapeel, Satarel, Tfuel, JOmjael, SarieJ.

Nineteen are mentioned here in chapter 6, but Azazel is additionally identified in chapter 8 (making 20 'chiefs' and an implied 200 apostate angels in all). These angels were among those who descended to the summit of Mount Hermon, in the days of Jared, to take human wives and to teach forbidden knowledge to mankind. Ramrez appears as the sixth ' chief of ten' (see Chapter Four), as both a fallen angel and one of the seven holy angels (or archangels) who watch, ' one of the holy angels, whom God set over those who rise',10 which is taken to mean, ' rise from the dead on the last day ' .

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Louis Ginzberg gives the 'chiefs' as: Shemhazai (Semyaza), Arrnaros, Barakel, Kawkabel (Kokabelj, Ezekeel, Arakiel, Samsaweel and Seriel, a few of which, allowing for alternate spellings, correspond to those mentioned above, in 1 Enoch.11 Gustav Davidson lists over 100 (in his A Dictionary of Angels) in alphabetical order, from Abbadona (once of the order of seraphim) to Zavebe , and in which Lucifer and Satan receive separate listings (at numbers 57 and 83 respectively) with the accompanying note that they are 'often, but erroneously' identified with each other. 12 These fallen angels are drawn from the Enoch listings and supplemented from other rabbinic, apocryphal and secular sources. In most such sources, the leader of the rebel forces is Satan, but in certain alternative apocryphal texts the role of 'leader' is variously ascribed to: Mastema, Beliar (or Belie!), Azazel, Belzebub, Sammael (or Samael), etc., all of which are usually accepted as either alternative names for the devil, or subordinates of the devil. William Auvergne, bishop of Paris (1228-1249), in his De Universo, held that of the nine orders of angels a 'tenth part' (as opposed to the usually cited 'third') fell, from each of the orders of angels-as Cardinal Robert Pullus (a 12t1i century English Roman Catholic theologian) also claimedand that in their fallen state they retained their relative rank. Opposed to this contention, another proposal (apparently backed by papal authority) holds that only the angels of the 1011i [sic] order fell. 13 It is ambiguous as to which of the commonly accepted nine orders this might be (however, note that in the Clementine Liturgy of the Mass, there are 11 orders of celestial beings, rather than nine, the 1ot1i of which is the choir of 'Angels', the Angels also being the ninth and last order of the more commonly accepted hierarchy). The cause of Satan's downfall has usually been attributed to the sin of pride, or of envy, or of ambition (or any combination of these). And yet another explanation draws on Genesis 6, wher e the 'sons of God' (typically, although not universally, taken to mean 'angels'), saw the daughter s of men and 'took w ives for themselves of all that they chose' .14 The notion of the ' fallen angel' is even more evident in the New Testament. Old Testament angels, as previously noted, tend not to be given per sonal names, and are not necessarily referred to as angels at all, but rather are given offices, or titles, according to the role they are undertaking at the time. In The Book of Job, for example, the God-appointed angel is ha-satan (m eaning 'the adversary', a 'devil's advocate' if you like), which is the title of an office rather than of a given name.

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In the period immediately preceding the composition of the New Testament, some sects of Judaism, together with several Christian Church Fathers, identified the 'sons of God' mentioned in Genesis as fallen angels, implicated in the notion of an unholy union between angels and human women producing the so-called nephilim. 15 4

The N ephilim were on the earth in those days and also afterwards when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown.

After the third century, rabbinic Judaism and Christian authorities came to reject this notion of angels interfering in human history. Christianity shifted the origin of fallen angels to the beginning of history. Accordingly, fallen angels became identified with angels who were led by Satan in rebellion against God and became equated w ith demons. \Vhile Islam also incorporates the concept of fallen angels, some reject the concept, emphasising only the piety of angels. Mention of angels who figuratively 'fell' to Mount Hermon is found mostly in The Book ofEnoch, but also in Genesis 6, while Daniel 4 refers to heavenly beings called 'Watchers'. In 1 Enoch these Watchers 'fell' as a consequence of their attraction to human females. 2 Enoch refers to the same beings described in 1 Enoch, but as Grigori (from the Greek transcription). Angels Semfazaz (Shemyaza/Semjaza) andAzazel are credited with inciting other angels to join them and in 1 Enoch, Azazel primarily (although with several other angels also) is blamed for teaching the forbidden arts to humans: 16 1 And Azazel taught men to m ake swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals [of the earth] and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all colouring tinctures. 2 And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. 3 Semjaza taught enchantments, and root-cuttings, Arma ros the resolving of enchantments, Baraqijal, [taught] astrology, Kokabel the constellations, Ezeqeel the knowledge of the clouds, [Araqiel the signs of the earth, Shamsiel the signs of the sun], andSariel the course of the moon.

In chapter 10 we hear of the judgement on Azazel when the Lord sends Raphael to bind the rogue angel in the desert of DUdael, leaving him to await his eventual fate.17

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4

And again the Lord said to Raphael: 'Bind Azazel hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness: andmake an opening in the desert, which is in Dfulael, and cast him therein. 5 And place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness, and let him abide there for ever, and cover his face that he may not see light. 6 And on the day of the great judgement he shall be cast into the fire.

Enoch gives Azazel forewarning of his terrible and seemingly inescapable fate: 18 1

And Enoch went and said: 'Azazel, thou shalt have no peace: a severe sentence has gone forth against thee to put thee in bonds: 2 And thou shalt not have toleration nor request [mercy] granted to thee, because of the unrighteousness that thou hast taught, and because of all the works of godlessness and unrighteousness and sin which thou hast shown to men'.

Treating the origin of evil as something supernatural, by shifting the sinfulness of mankind to the instruction of rebel angels, is peculiar to The Book of Enoch and not found in later Jewish or Christian theology. In 2 Enoch 29:3 we read how 'Satanail was hurled from the height together with his angels'. The text refers to the Grigori, 'who with their prince Satanail rejected the Lord of light'. Chapter 29 refers to the second day of creation (before the creation of human beings), when: 19 One from out the order of angels [or archangels, according to some versions] ... conceived an impossible thought, to place his throne higher than the clouds above the earth, that he might become equal in rank to [God's] power. And threw him out from the height with his angels, and he was flying in the air continuously above the bottomless.

The Book ofJ ubilees, which was well known to early Christians (now considered canonical by only Ethiopian Orthodox Christians and Jews), also r efers to 'the Watchers', who are among the angels cr eated on the first day. However, unlike 1 Enoch, the Watchers are commanded by God to descend to earth to instruct humanity. It is only after they fornicated with human 'wives' that they transgressed the laws of God. In chapter 10 an angel called M astema (see above) asks God to spare some of the demons, so he might, with their assistance, tempt mankind and lead them into sin: 20 ' Lord, Creator, let some of them rem ain before m e, and let them harken to my voice, and do all that I shall say unto them ; for if some of them are not left to me, I shall not be able to execute the power of my will on the sons of men; for these are for corruption and leading astray before my judgment, for great is the wickedness of the sons of men' .

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Unlike 1 Enoch, despite the existence of supernatural evil being affirmed, evil is not introduced by the fallen. Furthermore, the fallen angels and demons have no power independent from God, but only act with his permission. In some rabbinic writings, the 'evil inclination' is attributed to Samael, who is in charge of several accuser angels, but nonetheless subordinate to God. Origen and other Christian writers linked the fallen morning star of Isaiah 14:12 to Jesus' statement in Luke 10:18 that 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven' and also to the fall of Satan in Revelation 12. In Latin-speaking Christianity, the Latin word 'lucifer', as employed in the Vulgate (in the late-4th century) gave rise to Lucifer as a proper name (in the King James Version, for example). In addition to Revelation (already discussed), both 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 1:6 refer to angels who have sinned against God and await punishment on Judgement Day. Christianity stuck to the Enochian writings as a working model at least until the third century. Many Church Fathers such as Irenaeus, Justin Martyr and Clement of Alexandria, accepted the 'sons of God' in Genesis as fallen angels. Irenaeus referred to fallen angels as apostates, who will be punished by an everlasting fire, and Justin Martyr writes:21 The wicked Angels who will share in Satan's fate are the angels who sinned with women before the Flood, who, far from being locked away from doing further mischief, are none other than the troublesome Principalities and Powers of the Deutero-Pauline Epistles and-believe it or not-they are also the Gods of the Pagans. And!. .. the grubby little parasitic Demons of the Gospels.

Justin Martyr associated these fallen angels with Pagan deities (see also Genesis 6:4, above). He also held them responsible for Christian persecution during the first Christian centuries.22 In addition, Tertullian and Origen referred to fallen angels as 'teachers of Astrology' . However, by the third century Christians began to r ej ect the Enochian line and the ' sons of God' became instead identified with descendants of Seth who had been seduced by women descended from Cain. The cause of evil shifted from superior powers to humans themselves. From the expulsion of Satan and his angels from heaven to the original sin of Adam and Eve. For St. Augustine the rebellion of angels was a result of the God-given freedom of choice. The obedient angels are endowed with grace, giving them a deeper understanding of God's nature and the order of the cosmos. Illuminated by God-given grace they became incapable of feeling any desire to sin. The other angels, however, were not blessed with grace, thus they r emained capable of sin. Eastern Orthodox Christians identify fallen angels

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with spiritual beings who rebelled against God. As in Catholicism, fallen angels tempt and incite people into sin. Only the Ethiopian Church accepts 1 Enoch and The Book of Jubilees as canonical and thus subscribes to the version of events related there. The Eastern Orthodox Church takes the line that sin did not originate in Adam's transgression alone, but also from Satan and the other fallen angels (and demons). These together continue to cause sin and corruption on earth. Protestantism, on the other hand, tends to reject the angelology established by Catholicism, from the standpoint that it is neither useful nor necessary to know. Martin Luther' s sermons on the angels recount the exploits of the fallen angels but are not interested in the technicalities of angelic hierarchy. While Satan and his fallen angels are responsible for the many ills in the world, Luther emphasised that the power of the good angels exceeds those of the fallen ones. The concept of fallen angels is also acknowledged in Islam. According to Umm al-Kitab (a work from the late eighth century), Azazel boasted himself to be superior to God until he was thrown into lower celestial spheres and finally to earth. The Qur'an also recounts the fall of Iblis, that when God commanded the angels to prostrate themselves before man, Iblis refused. When God asks for the reason for his refusal Iblis boasts himself superior to Adam, because he is made of fire (whereas Adam is made of dirt). Iblis is expelled from heaven and in the early Meccan period (i.e. before the migration of the Islamic prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina) appears as a degraded angel.

The Magus tells us that certain named angels, such as the 'four princes of the angels ' Michael Raphael, Gabriel and Nariel/Ariel, rule over 'many legions'. In the same manner the four ' most potent kings' of the fallen angels are: 'Urieus, king of the east; Amaymon, king of the south; Paymon, king of the west; Egin, king of the north' . Francis Barrett tells us that in Hebrew tradition these are known, perhaps 'more rightly' as, Samuel Azazel, Azael and M ahazuel, 'under whom m any others rule as princes of legions and rulers' . Also, we are told, six demons of ancient Greece (called Telchines and Alastores): A cteus, Megalezius, Ormenus, Lycus, Nicon and M imon, bear ill-will to men and, 23 ...take up water out of the river Styx with their hands, sprinkle it upon the earth, whence foll ow calamities, plagues, and famines.

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Visual art In visual art depictions of the rebel angels, either being expelled from heaven at the beginning of history or being fought against at the end of history, God is often seen on a throne within a mandorla (an almond-shaped frame formed by the intersection of two discs, called a vesica piscis, see Glossary), with the rebel Angels falling out of heaven and into a hellmouth. The mandorla was also commonly used to frame the figure of Christ in Majesty in early-Medieval and Romanesque art and also in the Byzantine art of the period. Archangel Michael, referred to as 'the army of God' is depicted as the main opponent of the devil and his cohorts and is typically seen with a flaming sword, usual when portraying celestial beings of the orders of seraphim or cherubim, in either attacking or guarding capacities.

The 16th century Flemish artist, Frans Floris, painted The Fall of the Rebel Angels, which survives as the middle panel of a triptych, originally for the Church of Our Lady in Antwerp, commissioned by the Fencers' Guild of Antwerp. Both of the side wings of the triptych were damaged and lost in the iconoclastic ravages of 1566. The oil painting on panel is based on The Book ofRevelation, in which Michael, with flaming sword in hand, and the attendant good angels are fighting the seven-headed dragon and his legions. In a small detail, the woman dressed with the sun and crowned with twelve stars, usually identified with the Blessed Virgin Mary, can be seen. The good angels are tasked with defending her from the threat of the dragon and leading her child from harm's way (top left). Fig. 6-1 F rans Floris, The Fallo/the Rebel Angels (the surviving middle panel), 1554, Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antw erp See Colour Plate Section

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Notes 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)

Luke 10 : 1 8,~SVA Job 2: 5 -7 , ~SVA Jude 6, ~SVA

2 Peter 2:4, ~SVA John 8:44, NRSVA Wisdom 2:24, ~SVA Pope John Paul II, L 'Osservatore Rom ano, 'Catechesis on the Angels', a General Audience titled, T h e Fall of the Rebellious Ange ls', August 13, 1986

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8) Revelation 12:1; 3-4; 7-9, NR.SVA 9) The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch) 6:7, Ed. R. H. Charles, 2006, p4 10) Ibid. 20:8, p13 11) Louis Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews, vol. I, 1954, 1994, p125 12) Gustav Davidson, A Dictionary ofAngels, 1971, pp 352-353 13) Ibid. pl 12 14) Genesis 6:2, NR.SVA 15) Genesis 6:4, NR.SVA 16) The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch), 2006, op.cit., 8:1-3, p5 17) Ibid. 10:4-6, p6 18) Ibid. 13: 1-2, p8 19) 2 Enoch, see eh. 29 20) The Book ofJubilees, 10:8 21) Henry Ansgar Kelly on Justin Martyr, Satan: A Biography, 2006, pl 77 22) Annette Yoshiko Reed, Fallen Angels and the History of Judaism and Christianity: The Reception ofEnochic Literature, 2005, pl 62 23) Francis Barrett, The Magus, or Celestial Intelligencer, bk. 2, part 1, 'Cabalistical Magic', eh. XI, 'Of the Names of the Spirits, and their various Imposition; and of the Spirits that are set over the Stars, Signs, Comers of the Heavens, and the Elements ', 1801 , see pp 55-58

CHAPTER SEVEN CONTEMPORARY REFERENCES TO ANGELS IN POPULAR LITERATURE, FILM AND TELEVISION

Our modern-day fascination with angels and the supernatural has found new forms of expression. Such are not only celebrated in religious and metaphysical capacities in the art and culture of the past and present, but inhabit the shrines of the present-day entertainment industry in our popular literature, film and television. Philip Pullman is one such author who taps into this rich seam of imaginative curiosity, introducing us to an array of angels, spirits, witches and other supernatural beings, derived from a liberal mixture of sources. The epic His Dark Materials trilogy (1995-2000) is to be followed by another trilogy, The Book of Dust, the first instalment of which has been published as La Belle Sauvage (2017). The books are based in an alternative Oxford and the central character Lyra Belacqua (a 12-year-old girl at the outset of the trilogy)-named after a minor character in Dante 's Purgatorio, who must wait in Ante-Purgatory for as long as he negligently delayed his repentance on earth (i.e. for his mortal lifetime)1-journeys to several other parallel worlds in the course of the unfolding of the saga. The books are, in part, a retelling and inversion of Milton's Paradise Lost (from which Pullman takes his title, 'His dark materials to create more worlds'). 2 Unlike Milton, Pullman here commends humanity for its rebellion against divine order, seen as humanity's most tragic failing by Milton. Pullman had earlier proposed to name the series The Golden Compasses, also a reference to Paradise Lost, 'He took the golden compasses, prepared/In God's eternal store, to circumscribe!fhis universe, and all created things ',3 denoting the set of compasses, or dividers, used to establish and set the bounds of creation. (See God the Geometer in the colour plate section.) Fig. 7-1 Anonymous, God the Geometer/The Creation of the World, folio 1 verso of a Bible moralisee, Paris, ea. 1220-1230 See Colour Plate Section

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In Pullman's created world two groups of angels exist, those faithful to The Authority (the first angel to be created), such as Metatron (who features in The Amber Spyglass, the final part of the trilogy) and those who rebelled, under the angelXaphania, such as Balthamos and Baruch (two gay angels who first appear in The Subtle Knife, the second book of the trilogy). In his creation of this latter pair Pullman satirizes what he considers to be the repressive nature of the institutional aspects of religion and the Church, represented by his Magisterium, an autocratic body analogous to the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. Xaphania is an ancient female angel, allied with Lord Asriel (Lyra's supposed uncle but real father) in the war against The Authority, and the first to discover that this first angel had deceived the other angels about his assumed status as the original creator. Xaphania is banished and becomes the leader of the rebel angels, who intervene in human evolution to give mankind the gift of consciousness. Hence the rebellion, in Lyra's world, was not led by Satan, but by a female angel (and a pair of gay angels) who recognised that a false god and tyrant had been lying. Pullman's spin on the nature of rebellion aligns itself with Gnostic tradition, in which the governing celestial powers were far from benevolent beings sympathetic to the plight of an earthbound humans. In such accounts the material cosmos is presented as the defective creation of inferior gods (the archons or 'rulers' who reign in the planetary spheres), presided over by a wicked or incompetent demiurge (often identified with the God of the Old Testament), who either out of ignorance or envy claims to be the one true God. In The Amber Spyglass (the third part of the His Dark Materials trilogy) Balthamos explains the true nature of The Authority.4 The Authority, God, the Creator, the Lord, Yahweh, El, Adonai, the King, the Father, the Almighty those were all names he gave himself. He was never the creator. He was an angel like ourselves the first angel, true, the most powerful, but he was forme d of Dust as we are ... The first angels condensed out of Dust, and the Authority was the first of all. He told those who came after him that he had created them, but it was a lie.

While The Authority was the first angel to emer ge, he was far from the all-powerful and infallible deity he had attempted to pass himself off as. The Authority dies of his own frailty when Will and Lyra free him from his confinement, dissolving into nothing, ' a mystery dissolving in mystery' .5 The first part of Pullman' s trilogy (Northern Lights) was made into the film The Golden Compass (2007), a much anticipated but rather non-descript big-budget film with a star-studded cast, including Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig.

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The concept of angels and spirits, guardian or otherwise, who help humans here on earth has been a common enough theme in cinema. Films in the 1940s and 1950s included, Here Comes Mr. Jordon (1941, in which a boxer, played by Robert Montgomery, is mistakenly taken to Heaven some fifty years before his time and consequently allowed to return to earth in the borrowed body of a recently deceased person); It's a Wonderful Life (1946, starring James Stewart and Henry Travers, as the angel Clarence); A Matter of Life and Death (also 1946, in which a World War II pilot, played by David Niven, attempts to cheat death); The Bishop's Wife (1947, in which Carey Grant is cast as the angel Dudley), For Heaven's Sake (1950, with Clifton Webb as the angel 'Slim' Charles), Angels in the Outfield (1951, a film about baseball and angels, starring Paul Douglas and Janet Leigh), Forever Darling (1956, with Lucille Ball and James Mason, as her guardian angel in the guise of her favourite film star), etc. These films adopted a rather light-hearted tone and played fast and loose with any semblance of religious or theological integrity, but such treatments have turned both deeper and darker in recent decades. Der Himmel iiber Berlin (The Heaven Over Berlin), known in its English distribution as Wings of Desire, is a 1987 film directed by Wim Wenders and co-written with Peter Handke. It is set in Berlin and confronts themes of human despair and historical consequences such as the effects of the Holocaust, but is ultimately about the nature and beauty of life and the expression of it. It features a number of invisible (to all but children and other angels) immortal angels, but concentrates on the angels Damiel and Cassiel (who knew Berlin before it was a city, and before people populated it). These angels watch and listen to the thoughts of the human inhabitants of Berlin, including a pregnant woman on her way to the hospital, a young prostitute, a broken man who feels betrayed by his wife. The angels' raison d'etre is, as voiced by C assiel (played by Otto Sander), to 'assemble, testify, [and] preserve' reality. Even though the city is densely populated, many of the people are isolated, suffering a loss of identity, or estranged from their loved ones. Dam iel (Bruno Ganz) falls in love with a beautiful lonely trapeze artist, Marion, played by Solveig Dommartin. The angel makes a choice to become mortal so that he can experience the sensory pleasures of human existence-from the enjoyment of food and drink to the touch of a loved one. Peter Falk (playing himself and also referenced in the guise of his best-known screen character, Columbo) is the only human who openly greets Damiel while he is still an angel. At a coffee stand, Falk extends his hand to the angel, with the words, 'I can't see you, but I know you're here', without explaining how he knows the unknowable (it later transpires that Falk was once an angel himself!).

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Inspired, in part, by the poetry of Rilke and by Berlin art, depicting angels (such as Friedrich Drake's 27-foot winged sculpture atop the Berlin Victory Column, used by Wenders as a gathering place and vantage spot for his angels), the film was shot in both colour and a sepia-toned monochrome---the former to show the human view of the world and the latter to show the world as seen by the angels. The film was a critical success, winning a number of awards, including Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival, with critics interpreting it as a statement of the importance of cinema in conveying political, religious and secular themes. It was followed by a sequel, Faraway, So Close.I in 1993, again directed by Wenders in which Otto Sander, Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin and Peter Falk reprise their former roles and are joined in the cast by Nastassja Kinski, as the female angel Raphaella, and Willem Dafoe (Emit Flesti, an enigmatic character revealed as Time Itself). Like Falk, ex-Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and American rock musician Lou Reed also appear as themselves. The film is again set in Berlin but this time after the fall of the Wall. Damiel, now human, has married the trapeze artist Marion and they have a young daughter Doria. The angel Cassie! (Sander) intervenes to save another young girl from plummeting to her death, but in the act of saving her becomes human, as it is necessary for him to physically catch the child. The film explores the theme of separate spiritual and material realities that while quite different are also together integrated in the world-the angels having become devoted to the human lives they engage with. The first film, Wings of Desire, suffered an inevitable Hollywood reshaping in a 1998 remake, and pale reflection, set in Los Angeles rather than Berlin, called City of Angels, starring Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan. The rather overblown and incoherent Constantine, a 2005 film directed by Francis Lawrence, is loosely based on the Hellhlazer comic book series. It stars Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz and features an ambiguously androgynous Tilda Swinton as the Archangel Gabriel. The film portrays John Constantine (Reeves), who has the ability to perceive and communicate with angels and demons in their true form. He seeks salvation from eternal damnation for a suicide attempt in his youth. Constantine exorcises demons back to Hell to earn favour with Heaven, but Gabriel is unmoved by his efforts. The archangel falls from favour her/himself, losing God's protection and becomes mortal. The Aqjustment Bureau is a 2011 romantic thriller, written and directed by George Nolfi, based on the Philip K. Dick short story Aqjustment Team. The film explores the apparent contradiction of free will and determinismwhether humans are truly able to make the big decisions in their lives, or

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simply have the appearance of doing so, guided by divine providence and assisted by angelic messengers and guardians. The film stars Matt Damon (Congressman David Norris) and Emily Blunt (Elise Sellas, an up and coming contemporary dancer) and features Terence Stamp as Thompson, one of the Adjustment Bureau's chiefs (an archangel of sorts). The film tells the story of a US congressman who discovers that what appear to be chance events in his life are controlled by a network of, for want of a better term, angels (described as 'case workers') who make sure that lives progress according to an over-arching 'Plan' devised by 'the Chairman' (who does not appear in the film). David and Elise are not supposed to start up and develop a relationship, as being together will supposedly ruin both of their lives (David as a future senator and eventually perhaps US President, and Elise as a world-famous dancer and choreographer) and change the future (apparently for the worse) for countless others. They are threatened with the option of their memories being wiped and 'reset' should they seek to defy the separate courses set out for them. Harry Mitchell (a junior angel/case worker), played by Anthony Mackie, intercedes on behalf of the couple who finally earn a revised 'blank' Plan, left to them to make up themselves, based on their commitment to each other.

Supernatural is a long-running US television series (now in its 14th season), which follows the incredible (in the literal sense of the word) exploits of two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, who hunt demons, ghosts and other supernatural beings with the help of their angel friend Castiel, and hindered by the likes of the king of hell, Crowley, as well as Lucifer and an assortment of other renegade angels and demons. In Darren Aronofsky's inevitably controversial 2014 film Noah (cowritten with Ari Handel), Russell Crowe plays Noah, supported by a starstudded cast, including Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, Ray Winstone and Sir Anthony Hopkins. A group of fallen angels ('Watchers') , an unlikely troupe including Samyaza, Rameel, Og and M agog (represented by the respective voices of Nick Nolte, Kevin Durand, Frank Langella and Mark Margolis), appear as earthbound creatures of animated rock, confined to Earth for helping Adam and Eve and their descendants following their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. The Watchers decide to help Noah and his family build the Ark and subsequently help him to defend it from Tubalcain (Ray Winstone), who had killed Noah's father Lamech years before, and his army of followers. The Watcher s are redeemed through their selfsacrifice to Noah's cause and are taken back to the Creator, in their original celestial form (as creatures of light) on completion of this service.

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The film attracted controversy for its lack of racial diversity and was also criticised by some Christian groups for its uninhibited use of noncanonical material (such as The Book ofEnoch). However, it was generally favourably received by the Jewish orthodox community as being in a tradition of Jewish Midrash and was hailed (with certain reservations as to its entertainment value) as ' a valuable film, especially for our times' , 6 by orthodox Jewish leader Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. The Guardian newspaper was less generous in its appraisal, summing the film up as 'quite simply, godaw ful', in the review, 'Noah: an unholy mess drowning in unbiblical detail' .7 The film was banned in a number of Muslim countries for contradicting the teachings of Islam and also banned in China. Despite this it grossed some $362 million worldwide from a budget of about $130 million. While the 2016 film A Dark Song did not enjoy the budget of films like Noah or Constantine, it is nonetheless a powerful piece of geme filmmaking, immersing itself in the complex world of invoking angels (and demons) through ritual purification and explores natural feelings of retribution due to sudden loss, leading to a hard-won final request and blessing for the power of forgiveness. Written and directed by Liam Gavin on his directorial debut, the film stars Catherine Walker (as Sophia Howard) and Steve Oram (as Joseph Solomon). A determined young woman, who has lost her seven year-old son and is focussed on seeking vengeance on the perpetrators of his abduction, hires a reluctant, bad-tempered and dysfunctional occultist (not her first choice) and together they engage in several months of punishing preparation, at a remote Welsh mansion, to invoke a rite derived from The Book ofAbramelin (a book of sacred magic) ,8 to call up an angel of retribution and thus grant Sophia's mission for vengeance. The intense and harrowing piece plays out to a redemptive denouement for Sophia, and is enhanced in tone and mood by the cinematography of Cathal Watter s and the score of Ray Harman. The supernatural thriller Requiem is a British television drama series in similar vein, created by Kris Mrksa and directed by Mahalia Belo, first broadcast in 2018. M atilda Grey (played by Lydia Wilson), an accomplished cellist, returns to a small Welsh v illage, following her mother 's suicide, in the hope of resolving unanswered questions about her identity and events in her past, and how this relates to a child's disappearance some tw o decades earlier. M atilda is either losing her mind or very real, albeit otherworldly, forces of an angelic or demonic nature are, at M atilda's instigation, taking hold, in this dark psychological horror.

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Comedic elements have not been entirely discarded in latter day reimaginings aimed at a contemporary taste for darker themes. The novel, Good Omens, subtitled, The Nice and Accurate Prophecies ofAgnes Nutter, Witch, was the collaboration in 1990 of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, now made into a six-part television series of the same name. The book and series feature the angel Aziraphale (a guardian of the East gate of Eden, played by Michael Sheen) and the loose-living and demonic Crowley (David Tennant), who in his original guise of the serpent 'Crawley' had tempted Eve to eat from The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Against the odds, over passing millennia, the pair have become almost grudgingly fond of each other and share a mutual enjoyment of their respective lifestyles. Intelligence that end times will soon descend on humanity, bringing with it an abrupt end to this comfortable set up is consequently most unwelcome. They resolve to stop an escalation of events by keeping an eye on the Antichrist (destined to be the son of a prominent American diplomat stationed in Britain) and to ensure he grows up in a way that means he can never decide between good and evil, thereby postponing the end of the world. A complication is that no one knows where the Antichrist is, due to a mix up following the birth. The child believed to be the Antichrist is in fact a normal 11-year-old boy, named Warlock, while the real Antichrist, Adam Young, a 'charismatic and slightly otherworldly boy' grows up with another family in a sleepy Oxfordshire village, quite oblivious of his powers as the son of Satan. As the accurate (yet so highly specific as to be useless) prophecies of Agnes Nutter, a 17th century witch, come to pass, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse assemble: War (a female war correspondent), Death (a biker), Famine (a dietician and fastfood tycoon), and Pollution (a young man- Pestilence having retired after the discovery of penicillin). Aziraphale and Crowley j oin forces to stop the Horsemen from triggering a nuclear war and bringing about the apocalypse and final judgement.

*** Notes 1) Dante, The Divine Com edy, trans. by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, with illus. by Gustave Dore, 2008, see Purgatorio, canto IV, lines 121-1 35, pp 292-293 2) John Milton, Paradise Lost, Ed. Alastair Fowler, 2007, bk. II, line 916, p 155 3) Ibid. bk. VII, lines 225-227, pp 402-403 4) Philip Pullman, The Amber Spyglass , 2001, pp 33-34 5) Ibid. p432

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6) Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, in an interview with Jordon Hoffman, The Times of Israel, 'Hollywood Noah is kosher, says celebrity rabbi', 27 March 2014 7) Alex von Tunzelmann, The Guardian, 'Noah: an unholy mess drowning in unbiblical detail', 10 April 2014 8) The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage published in 1900, translated by Samuel Mathers from a French document (earlier German manuscripts exist). It recounts the story of an Egyptian mage, Abramelin, who apparently taught a system of ceremonial magic to Abraham of Worms, for him to copy and pass down. Internally the text dates itself to 1458, although the earliest of the manuscripts is J 7th century. Authorship, originally ascribed to the pseudonymous Abraham of Worms, has more recently been attributed (albeit contested) to the l 4th century German-Iewish Talmudist, Rabbi Yaakov Moelin (Jacob ben Moses ha Levi Moelin), in a later English translation of the grimoire by the German esoteric scholar Georg Dehn and Steven Guth. Georg Dehn, The Book of Abramelin: A New Translation, trans. Steven Guth, 2006 (see Bibliography)

CHAPTER EIGHT MORE THINGS IN HEAVEN AND EARTH

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, reminds us that in the Nicene Creed, we say that we believe in a God who creates 'heaven and earth and... all things visible and invisible [seen and unseen)' .1 Williams directs us to this phrase at the beginning of the Creed as a helpful reminder that there is more to creation than we can conveniently get our heads around and make manageable. In the first of six General Audiences on angels in 1986 Pope John Paul said ofmank.ind. 2 We know that man enjoys a unique position within the sphere of creation: by his body he belongs to the visible world, while by his spiritual soul which vivifies the body, he is as it were on the boundary between the visible and invisible creation.

This invisible world is home to the angels, who-as purely spiritual beings-are not kindred to the visible world, even though present and working in it they constitute 'a world apart' .3 Thus humans and angels inhabit very different parts of reality. A similar idea occurs in the sixteenth sura (Surat an-Nahl) of the Qur'an, which says that God has made creatures for purposes that have to do with our welfare and creatures about whose purpose we have no idea about at all. Thus, the world is not simply what we can call to order and manage for ourselves, but rather as Williams affirms, 'there are unfathomable dimensions to it, hidden realities, hidden connections'.4 He goes on to speak of angels as ' mysterious agents of God's purpose, who belong to a different order of being', 5 and describes them as a powerful symbol for those dimensions of the cosmos about which we have no real idea.6 Round the com er of our vision things are going on in the universe, glorious and wonderful things, of which we know nothing.

W illiams encourages us that it is worth thinking of angels as, at the very least, 'a sort of shorthand description of everything that's "round the corner" of our perception and understanding in the universe'.7 While we are inclined to sentimentalise, trivialise or dismiss altogether the pivotal role that angels

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play in our world and in the history of salvation, in scripture they are revealed as quite a different kettle of fish to those enshrined in popular imagination. The angels oflsaiah and Ezekiel, for example, are,8 ... often rather terrifying beings occasionally sweeping across the field of our vision; they do God strange services that we don't fully see; they provide a steady backdrop in the universe of praise and worship. They are great 'beasts' , 'living creatures', flying serpents burning with flames, carrying the chariot of God, filling the Temple in Jerusalem with bellows of adoration, echoing to one another like whales in the ocean.

They occasionally appear to us in human form to pass on a message from the Almighty, or to help put into place an action in the world of God's will, but something in the exchange tells those caught up in it that this is a moment of clarity and of intense significance, in the sobering recognition that they are confronted by an angel, albeit in familiar human guise. St. Augustine of Hippo sums up the attitude and approach we might best take toward angels, 'We honour them out of charity [i.e. love] not out of servitude' .9 In other words, while we should acknowledge, show gratitude, and indeed honour, out of love, our heavenly cousins for interceding on behalf of humans for our salvation, we should neither worship nor serve them. Despite being of an ostensibly higher nature, angels are nonetheless creatures, like ourselves, and thus should not be the object of adoration and worship. Latria is a theological term of adoration, derived from the Greek. It originally meant 'the state of a hired servant' and hence relates to service and is used especially to mean 'divine service' by Plato. Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions use it to mean adoration directed to God alone (i.e. the Holy Trinity)- devotion to the Holy Trinity held to be above all other forms of worship. Writing in the early-5th century Augustine defined Latria as, 'Latria .. ea dicitur servitus quae pertinet ad colendum Deum' ('That which in Greek is called latreia, then, is called servitus in Latin, but it is the service by which we worship God'). 10 Latria is sacrificial in character and may be offered only to God. Other non-sacrificial degrees ofreverence are offered respectively to the saints (dulia) and to the Blessed Virgin Mary (hyp erdulia). Hyperdulia relates to the special veneration given to the Virgin as Theotokos (Greek = God-bearer), due to her unique role in the mystery of Redemption, her gifts of gr ace from God, and her preeminence among the saints. Dulia (appropriate to the saints, and angels that are also saints, such as Michael and Gabriel) and hyperdulia (appropriate to the Blessed Virgin Mary) r elate to veneration rather than adoration-it is only God that should legitimately be adored. 11 Thus, according to Christian rule, we serve and adore God and venerate his angels and saints. Origen of

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Alexandria, writing in the third century, explains the necessary distinction between the divine worship we pay to God alone and the honour and veneration that we pay to the angels. 12 Then this knowledge, making known to us their [the angels] nature, and the offices to which they are severally appointed, will not permit us to pray with confidence to any other than to the Supreme God, who is sufficient for all things, and that through our Saviour the Son of God, who is the Word, and Wisdom, and Truth, and everything else which the writings of God's prophets and the apostles of Jesus entitle Him. And it is enough to secure that the holy angels of God be propitious to us, and that they do all things on our behalf, that our disposition of mind towards God should imitate ...

Eusebius, a follower of Origen, wrote: 'We have learned to recognise them [the angels] and to honour them according to their rank, reserving to God alone ... the homage of adoration' .13 Once the angelology of PseudoDionysius found acceptance among Christian scholars, from about the sixth century onwards, the cult of angels became firmly established in the Church, as we have seen, and the systematic treatment of angels by St. Thomas Aquinas, the 'angelic doctor', in the 13th century, represents a continuation and enhancement of this tradition. We have also seen that a second tradition drew upon extensive angelic lore, rather than direct holy scripture, derived from pseudepigraphal writings (such as The Book ofEnoch) and hagiographic literature (such as Jacobus de Voragine's The Golden Legend). Indeed, the Church has professed angels as spiritual beings through the NiceneConstantinopolitan Creed, confirmed at the Fourth Lateran Council (of 1215) and repeated by the First Vatican Council (1869-70) in the context of the doctrine on creation:14 God at the beginning of time created from nothing both cr eatures together, the spiritual and the corporeal, that is, the angelic and the earthly, and thus He created human nature as having both, since it is made up of spirit and body.

Thus, God created both r ealities, the spiritual and the corporeal, the angelic and the earthly, and moreover the creation of these realities was done with a view to the creation of man (made of both of these realities, spirit and matter). The leading monotheistic religions recognise not only the existence of angels but also certain distinctive characteristics of their nature. They are immortal spiritual/non-material beings. Angels do not have a body, as we know it (even if, in particular circumstances they reveal themselves in visible form in their capacity as messengers and heralds). Therefore, the different monotheistic religions separately state they are not subject to the

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laws of corruptibility, common to the material world. Referring to the condition of the angels, Jesus said in the Gospels that those who are risen in His name, 'cannot die any more, because they are like angels and are children ofGod'. 15 As Pope John Paul II elucidates. 16 As creatures of a spiritual nature, the angels are endowed with intellect and free will, like man [i.e. human beings], but in a degree superior to them, even if this is always finite because of the limit which is inherent in every creature. The angels are therefore personal beings and, as such, are also 'in the image and likeness' of God.

We have seen in our preceding chapters that angels are not only personal beings that may have given names rather than simply descriptive titles (such as, Angel of the Lord, Angel ofRetribution, etc.), but are also collectively grouped into orders (such as seraphim, cherubim, principalities, and what have you), with a distinction also made between angels and archangels. These divisions, while almost certainly a rather crude and simplistic reflection of the manifold reality of celestial specialisation in the heavenly ranks, correspond to their status and to the tasks entrusted to them. St. Thomas Aquinas, in taking up where Pseudo-Dionysius left off, looked to investigate angels more deeply, with regard to the capacities and activities that are appropriate to their condition. While, to modem sensibilities, this might seem to be a somewhat fruitless (even irrelevant) task, based on scant, uncertain and unreliable 'knowledge', Pope John Paul insists: 17 Man nurtures the conviction that it is he (and not the angels) who is at the centre of the divine revelation in Christ, man and God. It is precisely the religious encounter with the world of the purely spiritual beings that becomes valuable as a revelation of his own being not only as body but also as spirit, and of his belonging to a design of salvation that is truly great and efficacious within a community of personal beings who serve the providential design of God for man and with man.

And as Rowan Williams points out-those who raise an eyebrow at the idea of taking angels seriously should reflect that anything that puts our own human destiny more clearly into perspective is hardly a waste of time, especially so in this 'obsessional and addictive age, where we are so tempted to think that if it's nothing to do with me it isn't significant' .18 Jesus tells us in the Gospels (Matthew 18: 10) that the angels always see the face of the Father in heaven and to see the face of the Father in this way is the highest manifestation of the adoration of God. According to what has

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been revealed to us, the angels who participate in the life of the Trinity and the light of glory are also called to play their part in the history of human salvation, as decreed by divine providence. The Letter to the Hebrews asks, 'Are not all angels [or ministering spirits] spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?' .19 We learn from this that the task of the holy angels is to protect people and to be solicitous for their salvation. Similar expression is found in Psalm 91: 'For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone' .20 Angels are also allocated the role of witness in the last divine judgement, in respect of the fate of those who have either acknowledged or denied Christ: 21 8

And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; 9 but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.

And in The Book ofRevelation: 22 5 ...you will be clothed like them [i.e. the few good people in Sardis] in white robes, and I will not blot your name out of the book of life; I will confess your name before my Father and before his angels.

These passages hand a decisive and significant role to the angels-if 'the angels of God' take some part in the judgement of man and the outcome of salvation history, then it would stand to reason that they are deeply and richly invested in human life. Such participation seems to be accentuated in the eschatological discourse, in which the angels appear in the definitive coming of Christ at the end ofhistory.23 31 And

he w ill send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The Acts ofthe Apostles also bear witness to the solicitude of the angels for the salvation of mankind. An 'angel of the Lord' liberated the apostles from prison (see Acts 5:18-20and1 2:5-10). An ' angel of God' guided the activity of Peter with regard to the centurion Cornelius, the first pagan to be converted (see Acts 10:3-8), and an 'angel of the Lord' also led Philip on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza (Acts 8:26-29). Angels taking such personal inter est in the lives of humans has led to the belief in per sonal or guardian angels. Fr. Pascale Parente wrote that nothing r eminded man more vividly of his spiritual nature and of, ' his glorious destiny in Heaven' , than the unseen heavenly escort given to him during our

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earthly pilgrimage. Fr. Parente maintained that angels constantly surround the souls of the faithful in their charge, protecting both our spiritual and corporeal life, while defending our immortal souls from the 'seduction of the world'. He wrote, 'They often shield us from sudden dangers that threaten our life, or come to our rescue when some harm has befallen us'. 24 The most important duty of a guardian angel is that of helping man in the work of saving his immortal soul. 'They become intermediaries between God and man, as they lay our needs and fears before Him, offering God our desires and our prayers, and in return they bring us His grace and His gifts' .25 Our guardian angels then pray both for us and with us, and they offer our prayers, our suffering and our good desires before the throne of God. The tradition that has built up around guardian angels persuades us that they will not rest until able to introduce a soul to Paradise, where it can share with that soul the blessed vision of God and join the hymn of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord of Heaven. The Catholic Church has adopted the following excerpt from a sermon by the 12th century abbot, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, for its lessons of the Breviary, used in the Liturgy of the Hours (Roman Office of Readings) for the 'memorial of the Guardian Angels'.26 He has given his angels charge over you to guard you in all your ways. Let them thank the Lord for his mercy; his wonderful works are for the children of men. Let them give thanks and say among the nations, the Lord has done great things for them. 0 Lord, what is man that you have made yourself known to him, or why do you incline your heart to him? And you do incline your heart to him; you show him your care and your concern. Finally, you send your only Son and the grace of your Spirit, and promise him a vision of your countenance. And so, that nothing in heaven should be wanting in your concern for us, you send those blessed spirits to serve us, assigning them as our guardians and our teachers.

He has given his angels charge over you to guard you in all your weys. These words should fill you with respect, inspire devotion and instil confidence; respect for the presence of angels, devotion because of their loving service, and confidence because of their protection. And so the angels are here; they are at your side, they are with you, present on your behalf They are here to protect you and to serve you. But even if it is God who has given them this charge, we must nonetheless be grateful to them for the great love with which they obey and come to help us in our great need. So let us be devoted and grateful to such great protectors; let us return their love and honour them as much as we can and should. Yet all our love and

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honour must go to him, for it is from him that they receive all that makes them worthy of our love and respect. We should then, my brothers, show our affection for the angels, for one day they will be our co-heirs just as here below they are our guardians and trustees appointed and set over us by the Father. We are God's children although it does not seem so, because we are still but small children under guardians and trustees, and for the present little better than slaves. Even though we are children and have a long, a very long and dangerous way to go, with such protectors what have we to fear? They who keep us in all our ways cannot be overpowered or led astray, much less lead us astray. They are loyal, prudent, powerful. Why then are we afraid? We have only to follow them, stay close to them, and we shall dwell under the protection of God's heaven.

Through their intercession, their guidance, assurances, and their help, their duty and ultimately their disarming devotion to us, angels can help humans to achieve much more than if we were left to our own devices. By helping us to turn from a selfish life to a life lived in God, all of our vanities, our struggle for attention, our fixation on our own standing in the world, all of that falls away. The mission of God's messengers is to serve God, but in so doing to serve us also. God so loved us that he gave his only son, who is without sin, as a ransom for our sin. The angels, as our tutors and fellow creatures, help us to see something of the overflowing, unconditional and inexhaustible love that God has for us all. Angels too are better for their interaction with us. They have learnt to act with great diligence and humility toward us (contrary to those who refused to show such humility and consequently fell) and strive to teach us to do likewise with those we have responsibilities to ourselves. Fig. 8-1 C aravaggio, The Inspiration of Saint Matthew, 1602, Contarelli Chapel, Sa n Luigi dei Francesi, Rome See Colour Plate Section

The visual arts have celebrated this relationship, helped us to see angels with fresh eyes, as allies and benefactors, as friends and guides, as heavenly counterparts, and as fellow creatures bound up in the mystery of creation. In such celebration is a recognition that our own creative essence springs eternally from God. If we try to rationalise all of this away, we miss out on something vital 'to do with the exuberance and extravagance of the work of God' , as Williams puts it, who has made this universe not simply as a theatre

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for humankind to work out its agenda, but as 'an overwhelming abundance of variety and strangeness'.27 I have set myself the task in this study to map out the traditions and associated lore and legends surrounding angels in the major monotheistic religions over the past two millennia, or so, and to relate that to human expression in the visual arts. \Vhile making no conscious attempt to evangelise, it has also hopefully been apparent that I am writing this as a Christian. And yet finally, whatever our separate beliefs (including nonbelief), and to whatever traditions and denominations we owe our various allegiances, perhaps a healthy majority of us could agree with the words delivered by Hamlet that 'there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy'. 28 For some (not just Horatio, but for material science and indeed any finite philosophy), angels number among such 'things', ridiculed, ignored or undreamt of. For others (including the theologians and explorers of the metaphysical extensions to the world) angels are a shining and energetic reality, a beacon at once set on a distant horizon before us, and yet also on call at our shoulder and at our side, to light our way through this world and to call us home--a reality that is honoured and celebrated in the dialogue that is provoked and engendered through an engagement with the visual art here contained.

*** Notes 1) Rowan Williams, Tokens of Trust, 2007, p49 2) Pope John Paul II, L 'Osservator e Romano, 'Catechesis on the Angels ', a General Audience titled, 'Creator of all things, seen and unseen', July 9, 1986 3) Ibid. July 9, 1986 4) W illiams 2007, op.cit., p49 5) Ibid. p50 6) Ibid. p50 7) Ibid. p52 8) Ibid. p5 l 9) Augustine of Hippo, De Ver a Religione (On True Religion ), 55 . 110; PL 34: 170. See Augustine: Earlier Writings, trans . by John H. S. Burleigh, 1953. See also John Davenant,A Tr eatise on Justification, vol. 2, 1846, p314 10) Augustine, D e Civitate Dei contra P aganos (The City of God against the Pagans), bk. X, eh. I. See City of God, trans. by Henry Bettenson, 2003 . Also, The City of God against the P agans, Ed. R. W . Dyson, 1998 11) See my entry on ' Latria' for ful l discussion in, Encyclop edia of the Bible and its Reception, vol. 15, 201 7, pp 924-926

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12) Origen, Contra Celsum (Against Celsus) bk. V, eh. 5 13) Eusebius, Praeparatio Evangelica (Preparation/or the Gospel), bk. VII, eh. 15 14) Constitution Dei Filius, the incipit of the dogmatic constitution of the First Vatican Council of the Catholic Faith, Constitution De Fide Catholica, DS 3002 15) Luke 20:36, NRSVA 16) Pope John Paul II, L 'Osservatore Romano, 'Catechesis on the Angels', a General Audience titled, 'Angels Participate in the History of Salvation', August 6, 1986 17) Ibid. August 6, 1986 18) Williams 2007, op.cit., p52 19) Hebrews 1:14,NRSVA 20) Psalms 91:11-12, NRSVA 21) Luke 12:8-9, NRSVA 22) Revelation 3:5,NRSVA 23) Matthew 24:31, NRSVA 24) Pascale Parente, The Angels: in Catholic Teaching and Tradition, 2013, p1 39 25) Ibid. p139 26) Bernard ofClairvaux, Senno XII, inpsalmum Qui habitat, 3. 6-8: Opera omnia 27) Williams 2007, op.cit., p52 28) William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, act 1, sc. 5, lines 166-167, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, 1980, p892

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Adiaphora In Christianity adiaphora is used to mean something that is inessential (or debatable) but not forbidden. It may be described as something neither commanded nor forbidden in scripture, or matters not regarded as essential to either faith or liturgy, but nevertheless permissible for Christians, or allowed in church. The altarpiece itself was considered to be adiaphora in canon law. Thus, while the altarpiece required an altar, the altar did not require an altarpiece. (See also 'Altarpiece' entry.) Aeons In Platonism, Neoplatonism and Gnosticism, aeons exist as a pre-cosmic community of divine beings, generated in eternity by a divine Father, often expressed as an emanation, or phase, of the supreme deity. Such beings are of an ideal, noumenal, or supersensible world. Aeons bear a number of similarities to Judaeo-Christian angels, including the performance of roles as servants and emanations of God. They exist as beings of light. Certain Gnostic angels, such as Armozel, are also aeons. (See 'Pleroma' entry.) Alastores A class of supernatural beings (ancient Greece), associated with avenging spirits or demons. We are told that a certain six such demons: Acteus, Megalezius, Ormenus, Lycus, Nicon and Mimon, bear ill-will to men. A story is told in Athens that the alastores would sprinkle sea water on grain crops so they would not grow. Another, that they would take up water from the river Styx with their hands and sprinkle it on the earth, 'whence follow calamities, plagues, and famines' (Francis Barrett, The Magus). (See Chapter Six, see also 'Telchines' entry.) Altar It is probable that the word 'altar' derives from the Latin adolere ('to bum'), while the Hebrew word mizbe 'ah, translates to 'a place of slaughter, or sacrifice'. The Christian altar is typically made of stone (see 1 Peter 2:4

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where Christ is called 'a living stone'), but also of wood, being a symbol of the table of the Last Supper, used for the celebration of the Eucharist. Altarpiece A painting, sculpture, relief, or other decorative addition to an altar, representing a religious subject and displayed behind the altar of a church. Considered to be adiaphora in canon law. (See 'Adiaphora'). Amesha Spentas The literal meaning is 'immortal (which is) holy'. Zoroastrian tradition recognises various classes of spiritual beings besides the supreme being (Ahura Mazda): the Amesha Spentas are emanations of Ahura Mazda and a special class of immortal entity associated with aspects of the divine creation. Yazatas and Fravashis (or so-called guardian angels) are other classes of angel. The seven amshaspands, the seven 'bright and glorious ones', are referred to in Zoroastrianism as 'Amesha Spenta'. Angels The Angels, or Mal'akhim (Hebrew), are the lowest order of the celestial hierarchy, the most commonly recognised, and the likeliest to engage and interact with humans. They are the celestial beings most concerned with the affairs of living things. The primary function of the angels is that they are sent as messengers and heralds to mankind and also as guides in the paths of righteousness to our eventual salvation. They complete the final tier of the 'heavenly intelligences' and, according to P seudo-Dionysius, among all of the heavenly beings it is, 'they that possess the final quality of being an angel' . Aqedah The Hebrew word for 'binding' and the common designation for Genesis 22:1-19, in which God tests Abraham by commanding him to offer his son Isaac as a sacr ifice (burnt offering). After Isaac has been bound to a prepared altar the ' angel of the Lord' arrives in the nick of time to stay Abraham's hand as he is about to slay his son. A r am caught in a thicket is sacrificed in Isaac 's place. The episode has been the focus of much commentary in Jewish, Christian and Muslim religions, and is addressed by modern scholarship. Christian scholars have often focused on parallels between the binding ofisaac and the crucifixion of Jesus. The Qur'an does not mention the name of the one who is bound and Muslim scholars, until at least the

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12th century, disputed the identity of the intended offering, some saying it was Isaac, others arguing it was Abraham's other son Ishmael.

Archangels

The word Archangel means chiefangel and derives from the Greek archein, meaning to be first in rank or power; and angelos, which means messenger or envoy. Only archangels Michael and Gabriel are mentioned by name in the New Testament and Gabriel is not specifically referred to as an archangel anywhere in the biblical canon, although it is assumed that he is. The term only ever appears in the singular and only as a specific reference to Michael, which some have taken to mean that Michael is in fact the only Archangel. Irrespective of this, Raphael is referred to as an archangel in The Book of Tobit, but while the book is recognised as canonical by Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and some Anglican denominations, Jews and Protestants do not recognise it as scripture and its general status is deuterocanonical (of the second canon). Raphael states he is one of the seven angels 'who stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lord', and it is widely accepted that Michael and Gabriel are two of the other six. Uriel ('the Light of God') is also considered to be an archangel and one of the seven (see Chapter Four). It is also possible to make a distinction between grchangel (lower-case) and Archangel (initial upper-case). While the former can denote the secondlowest choir (arch-angels in the sense of being above only the lowest order of 'Angel '), the latter may denote the highest of all the angels (in the sense of the Archangel who is above all other angels and celestial beings of any order). Michael is usually considered to be the highest of all, even including the seven angels of the presence (of which he is one) and consequently the seraph (of the highest order of seraphim) andArchangel (highest individual) over all. Archons

In Gnostic tradition the archons, or 'rulers', are celestial beings that r eign in the planetary spheres. Asomato

The condition of being bodiless, i.e. without flesh or material substance. The Ayios Asomato (the body-less saint) refers to the archangel St. Michael. The term is also applied to plants not derived from somatic cells and lacking permanent tissue.

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Cherubim

Cherubim (singular, cherub, not to be confused with the chubby wingedhuman infants or putti of the visual arts) are described in Ezekiel and according to traditional Christian iconography they have four faces (man, ox, lion and eagle, also adopted as the symbols of the four Evangelists, together known as a tetramorph). They have four conjoined wings covered with eyes. They guard the way to The Throne ofGod and to The Tree ofLife in the Garden of Eden. Cherubim are mentioned in Genesis (guarding The Tree of Life with flaming sword); Exodus 25:17-22 (in connection with the Ark of the Covenant); 2 Chronicles 3:7 (in connection with Solomon's building of the Temple); 1 Kings 6:23-29 (in connection with temple furnishings); Ezekiel 1O; and Ezekiel 28: 14. (See also Chapter Two.) Demi urge

In Gnostic tradition the demiurge is the chief archon. The demiurge is typically portrayed as either a wicked or incompetent 'world-maker' (often identified with the God of the Old Testament), who either out of ignorance or envy claims to be the one true God. Dominions (or Dominations, or Lordships)

The dominions, or dominations, mentioned in Ephesians and Colossians, also translated from the Greek as lordships, regulate the duties of lower angels. It is extremely rare for the angelic lords to make themselves physically manifest to humans. The dominions are believed to look like divinely beautiful humans, often depicted with a pair of feathered wings, in line with the popular representation of angels, but they m ay be distinguished from other groups by the habit of wielding orbs oflight, attached to sceptres, or to the pommels of their swords. ( See Chap ter Two.) Dulia

Dulia is a non-sacrificial degr ee of reverence, offered to the saints, as opposed to Latria, which is sacrificial in character and offered only to God (i.e. the Holy Trinity). Hyperdulia is specific reverence appropriate to the Blessed Virgin Mary. (See also entries on 'Hyperdulia' and 'Latria' .) Empyrean

Is the place of the highest heaven occupied by the element of fire (or aether in Aristotle's natural philosophy). In Christian tradition it is the dwelling

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place of God and of celestial beings that are so pure they are made of light. It is the source of all creation and where Dante finally visits God in Dante' s Paradiso. Erinyes (or Furies) In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Erinyes-derived from the Greek erino or ereunao (to hunt up or persecute), or from the Arcadian erinuo (state of anger)-or Furies, were three goddesses, sometimes referred to as 'infernal goddesses', of vengeance and retribution who punished men for crimes against the natural order. Tisiphone (or Tilphousia),Megaera andAlecto (or Alekto), arenamed in Virgil and Dante. They were also called the ' daughters of the night', but specifically were the daughters of Uranus and Gaea. A victim seeking justice could call down the curse of the Furies. Their wrath manifested itself on the criminal as tormenting madness, illness or disease. The wrath of the Erinyes could only be placated with ritual purification and the completion of some task assigned for atonement. They were usually depicted as winged with whips, their bodies entwined with poisonous serpents. (See also entries for 'Alastores' and 'Telchines' .) Gehenna

Gehenna equates with Sheol as the name for Hell in the Hebrew Old Testament. Genii Seen in Mesopotamian art, the protective genii are a class of supernatural being who identify with Old Testament descriptions of man-angels. This type of four-winged spirit guarded city gates (such as the city ofKhorsabad). It blessed all those who passed by it with water sprinkled from a pine cone. Such spirits were the personal protectors of ancient Assyrian kings and their royal palaces and temples. Grigori The Grigori of Jewish angelic lore is a superior order of angels who occupy the second and fifth Heavens, depending on whether they are holy or unholy. The Grigori are said to resemble men in appearance but are taller than giants and eternally silent.

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Hagiography

From the Greek ha!;iOf;rapha, meaning holy writing. A term used to refer to stories about the lives and acts of the saints. One extremely popular latemedieval source of such writings was The Golden Lefiend, a collection of hagiographies-compiled in the second half of the 13t1i century by the Dominican Archbishop of Genoa, Jacobus de Voragine-which served as a standard source book for every Renaissance painting with a hagiological theme. Much setting and symbolism was derived from such sources in Renaissance depictions of the lives of the saints. Hagiography constitutes an important literary geme in relation to the early Christian church, providing both historical information together with inspirational stories and legend. Harpyiai (or Harpies)

In Greco-Roman classical mythology the Harpyiai (or Harpies) were the spirits of sudden, sharp gusts of wind. In Homer's Odyssey they were winds that carried people away. They were known as the hounds of Zeus and were despatched by the gods to snatch away people and things from the earth. Sudden, mysterious disappearances were often attributed to the Harpyiai. The presence of Harpies also as tomb figures makes it possible that they were also conceived as ghosts or spirits and they were connected with the powers of the underworld. They were usually depicted as winged women, sometimes with ugly faces, or with the lower bodies of birds. Hashmallim

The hashmallim , of Jewish tradition, are equated with the Christian angelic order of dominions (or dominations). (See Chapter Two.) Hayyoth

In Jewish Merkabah (so-called 'chariot mysticism') tradition, the hayyoth are heavenly 'living' creatures, a class of angel, corresponding to the cherubim of Christian angelology. Heimarmene

In Gnostic tradition, the 'iron law of fate' by which the world is guided.

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Hortus conclusus

A Latin term, meaning 'enclosed garden'. The depiction of such a garden in Christian art from the Middle Ages onwards is intended to suggest purity, particularly in relation to the Virgin Mary. It is in fact both an emblematic attribute and title of the Virgin in Medieval and Renaissance art and poetry, from about 1400. The garden is typically shown as walled, implying impenetrability. It is also a genre of actual garden that was enclosed both symbolically and physically. The idea of the enclosed garden is also associated with the Garden of Eden of the Old Testament. Fra Filippo Lippi's Annunciation (discussed in Chapter Four) is an example of hortus conclusus, depicting an open garden in front of an enclosed garden, on the left, and the interior of a building, which contains Mary, on the right. As a virgin she is closed and inviolate, but to be the mother of God's son she is open and submissively available. The fruit of Lippi's mystical exchange will be the incarnate God and subject of Christian devotion. Hyperdulia

Hyperdulia is a non-sacrificial degree of reverence, offered to the Blessed Virgin Mary, as opposed to Latria, which is sacrificial in character and offered only to God (i.e. the Holy Trinity). (See also entries on 'Dulia' and 'Latria'.) Icon

Usually a small panel painting, of Christ, the Virgin, or the saints (including angels that are also saints). An icon differs from western devotional images in that icons are venerated as holy themselves and veneration is paid to them as prototypes of the figures they represent. Such veneration is associated with idolatry and fear of this led to icons being forbidden at various stages throughout the 'iconoclastic controversies' . (See ' Iconoclasm ' .) Iconoclasm

The destruction of religious icons for religious or political motives. Those who take part in or support iconoclasm are called iconoclasts. The ' iconoclastic controversies' of the eighth and ninth centuries wer e a dispute over the use of such images. The Iconoclasts objected to icon worship, while others insisted on the symbolic nature of images and on the dignity of created matter. In the early church, the making and veneration of portraits of Christ and the saints were consistently opposed. Nevertheless, the use of icons gained steadily in popularity, especially in the eastern provinces of the

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Roman Empire. Opposition to this was particularly strong in Asia Minor. By the sixth century there had developed a clear Christian belief in the intercession of saints. This was influenced by a concept of a hierarchy of sanctity, with the Holy Trinity at the top, followed by the Virgin Mary (Meter Theou , 'Mother of God'), the saints, holy men, spiritual elders and the rest of humanity. At an ecumenical council at Nicaea, in 787, iconoclasm was condemned and the use of images re-established. The Iconoclasts regained power in 814 after Leo V's accession and the use of icons was again forbidden at a Council (in 815). A second Iconoclast period ended with the death of the Emperor Theophilus in 842. In 843 his widow finally restored icon veneration; an event still celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Feast of Orthodoxy. Jinn Jinn are supernatural creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian and later Islamic mythology and theology. They exist in pagan beliefs and have been integrated into Islam. Scholarship generally distinguishes between angels, jinn and demons (shayaffn) as three different types of spiritual entities. Jinn are distinguished from demons in that they can be both good or evil, while genuine demons are necessarily evil. In Islamic tradition, lblis (the devil) is turned from an an;?el (a creature of light) into a jinn (a creature of fire), when expelled from heaven.

Lamassu A protective deity of Babylonian and Assyrian tradition. They are depicted as hybrids, with a human head, the body of a bull or lion, bird wings, and occasionally a scorpion tail. The representation of a winged animal with a human head is common to the Near East and first recorded in Ebla in about 3000 BC. Latria Used particularly in Eastern Orthodox and R oman Catholic traditions as a theological term of adoration, derived from the Greek. It originally meant 'the state of a hired servant' and hence relates to service and is used especially to m ean 'divine service' by P lato. Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions use it to mean adoration directed to God alone (i.e. the Holy Trinity)~devotion to the Holy Trinity held to be above all other forms of worship. Writing in the early-5th century Augustine defined Latria as, 'Latria ... ea dicitur servitus quae pertinet ad colendum De um' ('That which in Greek is called latreia, then, is called servitus in Latin, but it is the service

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by which we worship God'). Latria is sacrificial in character and may be offered only to God. Other non-sacrificial degrees of reverence are offered respectively to the saints (dulia) and to the Blessed Virgin Mary (hyperdulia). Hyperdulia relates to the special veneration given to the Virgin as Theotokos (Greek = God-bearer), due to her unique role in the mystery of Redemption, her gifts of grace from God, and her pre-eminence among the saints. Dulia (appropriate to the saints, and angels that are also saints, such as Michael and Gabriel) and hyperdulia (appropriate to the Blessed Virgin Mary) relate to veneration rather than adoration-it is only God that should legitimately be adored. Thus, according to Christian rule, we serve and adore God and venerate his angels and saints. Eusebius, a follower ofOrigen, wrote: 'We have learned to recognise them [the angels] and to honour them according to their rank, reserving to God alone ... the homage of adoration'. Mandorla

A mandorla is an almond-shaped aureola, or frame, formed by the intersection of two discs, called a vesica piscis. It surrounds an entire body (as opposed to a halo, encircling only the head) and is commonly used with the figure of Christ in Majesty, for example, in early medieval, Romanesque and Byzantine art. (See 'Vesica piscis' entry.) Nephilim

The offspring of the 'sons of God' (usually interpreted as angels) and the ' daughters of men', before the Flood, according to Genesis 6:1-4. Loosely translated as ' giants ', but usually left untranslated. The near identical Hebrew nefilim literally means 'the fallen ones ' (translated into Greek as peptokotes). Ofanim (or Ophanim)

The 'wheels' seen in Ezekiel's vision of the chariot, interpreted as a class of celestial being or angel in Jewish tradition. ( See 'Thrones/Elders' entry.) Pleroma

In Gnostic tradition, a divine plenitude, or r egion, of light in which a precosmic community of divine beings called aeons abide. The lowest regions of the Pleroma are closest to darkness, which is the physical world. (See also 'Aeons' entry.)

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Glossary of Terms

Pnemna

The ancient Greek word for breath, or spirit in a religious context, as opposed to the body (soma) and soul (psyche). Polyptych

A multi-panelled altarpiece. Usually a painting divided into sections or panels. Polyptychs typically display one central panel that is the largest. Other panels are called side panels or 'wings'. This form of altarpiece was most commonly created by painters in the late-Medieval, International Gothic and early-Renaissance periods. The pala d'altare gradually came to supersede the polyptych as the dominant type of altarpiece from the second quarter of the 15th century. Powers (or Authorities)

The powers, or authorities, from the Greek exousiai, are the order of warrior angels, tasked with opposing evil spirits, especially those that make use of matter in the universe. Their role is to prevent such sprits from doing as much harm in the world as would otherwise be the case. The powers/ authorities are typically occupied with casting and chaining evil spirits to places of confinement or detention, which is somewhat ironic, as Lucifer/ Satan is often associated with this order (before his fall from grace). They are usually represented as soldiers wearing armour and equipped with defensive and offensive armour and weapons, such as shields, swords, spears or chains. The primary duty of this order is to supervise the movements of the heavenly bodies and to ensure that the order of the cosmos is maintained. The authorities are the bearers of conscience and the keepers of history. It falls to them to oversee the distribution of power among mankind. It is believed by some that no power has ever 'fallen', although others believe that Satan was in fact the chief of the powers before his fall from grace. St. Paul, in his Letter to the Ephesians, warns us of the struggle against ' spiritual forces of evil ' (rather than against the enemies of flesh and blood) and the need to put on 'the whole armour of God'. (See Chapter Two.) Predella panels

The Italian term predella refers to the platform or step on which the altar stands. In painting it typically refers to a sequence of smaller narrative painted panels that run across the base of an altarpiece, showing events r elating to the life of the featured character in the main part of the altarpiece

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(usually a saint, the Virgin Mary, or Jesus Christ). Due to many original altarpieces being sawn into pieces or broken up at some stage in their past it is not unusual to see predella panels isolated from their original altarpiece in museums and galleries around the world. Principalities (or Princedoms, or Rulers) The principalities (archai), also translated as princedoms and rnlers, are the angels that guide and protect nations, or groups of peoples, for example the Catholic Church. The principalities preside over the ranks ofthe third sphere of angels and charge them with fulfilling divine ministry. There are some who administer and some who assist. The principalities are depicted as wearing a crown and carrying a sceptre. Their duty is also said to be to carry out the orders given to them by the higher sphere angels and bequeath blessings to the material world. Their task is to oversee groups of people. They are the educators and guardians of earth. They are said to inspire living beings to strive for creativity in the arts and sciences, in particular. (See Chapter Two.) Psyche The soul, as opposed to the body (soma) and spirit (pneuma). Sefirot (or Sephirot/Sephiroth) Sefirot (sefira, singular) is a term in Kabbalist (esoteric Jewish mysticism) tradition, meaning 'emanations'. There are 10 attributes (or emanations) in Kabbalah through which Ein Sof (the Infinite) reveals Itself. The concept first appeared in the Sefe r Yetzira ('Book of Creation' ), the oldest known Hebrew text on cosmology/magic. Each se.fira refers to an aspect of God the Cr eator. They are: keter 'elyon (supreme crown), halhma (wisdom), bina (intelligence), hesed (love), ;;evura (might), tif 'eret (beauty), netzah (eternity), hod (majesty), yesod (foundation) and malkhut (kingdom/ kingship). Seraphim Seraphim (singular seraph) is literally translated as the 'burning ones'. In the Hebrew Bible seraph is inter estingly also a synonym for serpent. Mentioned in Isaiah, seraphim are assumed to be the highest rank of angel and serve in the very pr esence of the Lord God before His throne. They continually shout and sing God 's praises and are typically described as six-

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winged fiery beings-two wings covering their faces and two covering their feet, leaving two to fly with. (See Chapter Two.) Shekinah Hebrew word for 'dwelling' or 'settling ', meaning the glory of the divine presence, or dwelling place, of the divine presence of God. The term is seen in rabbinic literature and is used in place of God where anthropomorphic expressions were not regarded as proper. The word speaks of God's dwelling either in the Tabernacle or among the people of Israel. Sheol The underworld, a place of darkness and stillness to which the dead go, cut off from life and from God. Shades (rephaim ), devoid of strength and personality inhabit the region. Equated with Gehenna in the Talmud and Hades in Greek tradition. Shemhamphorasch

Shemhamphorasch (several variant spellings) is a Tannaitic term describing the explicit hidden name of God in Jewish and Christian discourses and in Kabbalah. It is composed of either 4, 12, 22, 42, or 72 letters (or triads of letters). Soma The body, as opposed to the soul (psyche), and spirit (pneuma). Tartar us

Tartarus is the name for Hell in the Greek New Testament. Telchines In Greek mythology, the Telchines (Tdxivc~) were the original inhabitants of the island of Rhodes. They were reputed metallurgists and skilled metal workers and blacksmiths. They made Poseidon his trident and Cronus a sickle and were entrusted with the upbringing of Poseidon and in one account nine of the Telchines (known as the Curetes) wer e selected to raise Zeus in Crete. They were often associated with the Furies, or Erinyes, the Greeks refer to the Telchines as supernatural, while ancient Roman writers viewed them as particularly malicious and m alevolent. They were believed to bring about hailstorms, snow and rain at will, to assume any shape, and

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to use magic for malignant purposes. They were said to produce a mixture of sulphur and water from the river Styx which killed animals and plants. Names of individual Telchines include: Mylas, Atabyrius, Antaeus, MeJ?alesius, Hormenus, Lycus, Nicon, Simon, Chryson, Arfi)Jron and Chalcon. They were eventually destroyed (killed or scattered) by the gods (Zeus and Poseidon, or Apollo). (See Chapter Six, see also 'Alastores' and 'Erinyes' entries.) Theotokos

A title of the Blessed Virgin Mary, used especially in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, meaning 'God-bearer', or 'mother of God'. The title has been used since the third century in the Syriac tradition. Thrones (or Elders)

Thrones (or elders) are a class of celestial being mentioned in the New Testament. They represent God's justice and have the throne as their symbol. The Thrones are sometimes associated with the ophanim (or wheels) of Jewish angelic hierarchy. The appearance of a beryl-coloured wheel-within-a-wheel mechanism, with rims covered with eyes is described in Ezekiel and their movement appears to be closely connected with the movements of the cherubim. Christian rather than Jewish theologians tend to describe the thrones as elders (rather than as wheels), who listen to the will of God and present the prayers of men. The 24 elder men in The Book of Revelation are usually thought to be included in this order of spiritual entity. (See Chapter Two. Also see 'Ofanim' entry.) Ugallu

Of Babylonian and Assyrian tradition, Akkadian, meaning 'big beast'. A storm demon with the head of a lion, the body of a man and the feet of a bird. They are commonly portrayed in the second and first millennia BC and personify moments of divine intervention in human life. (See also 'Urmahlilu' and 'Lamassu' entries.) Urmahlilu

OfBabylonian and Assyrian tradition, a 'lion man', a lion-man hybrid. Seen as a protective spirit. (See also 'Ugallu' and 'Lamassu' entries.)

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Glossary of Terms

V esica piscis

Literally meaning 'the bladder of a fish' , a vesica piscis is a mathematical shape (appearing in the first proposition ofEuclid's Elements) formed at the intersection of two disks of the same radius, when the centre of each disk is on the perimeter of the other. In Italian the name for the shape is a mandorla ('almond'). (See 'Mandorla' entry.) Virtues (or Powers, or Strongholds)

The virtues are those angelic ministries through which signs and miracles are made in the world. The term is linked to the attribute of 'might', from the Greek root dynamis. In Ephesians the use of virtue and power appears virtually synonymous. (See Chapter Two.)

***

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Milton, John 2007. Paradise Lost, Ed. Alastair Fowler (London and New York: Pearson Longman, 2007) Morris, Leon 1987, 2009. Revelation (Illinois & Nottingham: Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, IVP Academic, 2009) Nethersole, Scott 2011. Devotion by Design: Italian Altarpieces before 1500 (London: National Gallery Company Limited, 2011) Ogden, Daniel 2002. Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds: A Sourcebook (Oxford: Oxford University Press 2002) Oliver, Evelyn Dorothy & Lewis, James R. 2008. Angels A to Z (Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 2008) Origen 1953, 1980. Origen Contra Celsum (Against Celsus), trans. with intro. and notes by Henry Chadwick (Cambridge, London and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1980) Orlov, Andrei A. 2005. The Enoch-Metatron Tradition (Mohr Siebeck, 2005) Osborne, Harold (Ed.) 1993. The Oxford Companion to Art (Oxford & New York: Oxford University/Clarendon Press, 1993) Parente, Pascale 1994, 2013. The Angels: In Catholic Teaching and Tradition (Charlotte, North Carolina: Tan Books, 2013) Pope John Paul II 1986. L 'Osservatore Romano, 'Catechesis on the Angels', a General Audience, August 1986 Pseudo-Dionysius 1987. The Complete Works, translated by Colm Luibheid, forward & notes Paul Rorem (New York and Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1987) Pullman, Philip 2001. The Amber Spyglass (London and New York: Scholastic Press, 2001) Purce Revard, Stella 1980. The War in Heaven: Paradise Lost and the Tradition of Satan's R ebellion (Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1980) Reed, Annette Yoshiko 2005. Fallen Ange ls and the History ofJ udaism and Christianity: The Recep tion of Enochic Literature (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005) Rosen, Aaron 2009. Imagining J ewish Art: Encounters with the Masters in Chagall, Guston, and Kitaj (Oxford and New York: Legenda/Modern Humanities Research Association & Routledge, 2009) Rubin, Patricia Lee 2007. Images and Identity in Fifteenth-Century Florence (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007) Schneider, Steven Jay 2011. 1001 Movies you must see before you die (London: Cassell Illustrated, 2011)

138

Bibliography

Scholem, Gershom 1961. Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism (New York: Schoken Books, 1961) - . 1965, 2015. Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism and Talmudic Tradition (New York: The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 2015) Schumacher, Lydia 2011. Divine Illumination (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011) Shakespeare, William 1980. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, the Cambridge text estab. by John Dover Wilson for the Cambridge University Press (London: Octopus Books Limited, 1980) Sowerby, Richard 2016. Angels in Early Medieval England, Oxford Theology and Monographs series (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016) Spenser, Edmund 1999. The Shorter Poems, Ed. Richard A. McCabe (London and New York: Penguin Books, 1999) Steinberg, Leo 1996. The Sexuality of Christ in Renaissance Art and in Modem Oblivion (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1996) Terry, Milton S. (translated from the Greek into English blank verse) 1899. The Sibylline Oracles (New York: Eaton & Mains, 1899) Vasari, Giorgio 1998. The Lives of the Artists, trans. Julia Conaway Bondanella & Peter Bondanella (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1998) Voragine, Jacobus de 1993, 2012. The Golden Legend: Readings on the Saints, with intro. by Eamon Duffy (Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2012) Webster, Richard 2017. Angels f or Beginners (Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications, 2017) Williams, Jane 2006. Angels, with illustrations by Linda Baker Smith (Oxford: Lion Hudson, 2006) Williams, Rowan 2005. Grace and Necessity: R eflections on Art and Love (London: Continuum/Morehouse, 2005) - . 2007. Tokens of Trust (Norwich: Canterbury Press, 2007) - . 2004. Interpretation: A J ournal ofBible and Theology, 'Augustine and the Psalms', vol. 58, no. 1, pp 17-27 ( Sage Journals, 2004) Yeats, W. B. 1996. The Collected Poems of W B. Yeats, Ed. Richard J. Finneran (New York: Scribner Poetry, 1996) Zuffi, Stefano (translated from Italian to English by Rosanna M. Giammanco Frongia) 2005. Angels and Demons in Art, (Hong Kong: J. Paul Getty Trust, 2005)

The Book of Angels: Seen and Unseen

139

Bible references from:

Holy Bible, New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised, Cambridge Univ. Press, 1995 Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press The New Testament: A Translation, translated by David Bentley Hart, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2017

INDEX

A Aaron, 26, 3 8 Abbadona, 93 Abdiel, 58 Abdizuel, 74 Abrinael, 74 Abraham, 26 f., 54 f, 60, 64 ff, 83 f, 120 f., 136 Abrahamic, 5, 23, 35, 49 Acteus, 97, 119 Adiaphora, 119 f. Adrammelech, 62 Adriel, 74 Advachiel, 74 Aeons, 28, 119, 127 Agiel, 74 Ahura Mazda, 78, 120 Akkadian, 30, 77, 131 Aker, 60 Altar, 25, 35, 119 f., 128 Altarpiece, 63, 119 f., 128 f., 135, 137 Alastores, 97, 119, 123, 131 Amaymon, 97 A mbriel, 74 Amesha Spentas, 78, 120 Amnediel, 74 Amnixiel, 74 Amshaspands, 85, 120 Amutiel, 74 Anafiel, 47, 53 Anabel, 24 Ananel, 57, 92 Ancient Greece, 1, 27, 77, 97, 120, 123, 128 Ancient of Days, 15, 46, 48, 50 Anixiel, 74 Annunciation, 35 ff., 52, 67, 86, 125 Antaeus, 131 Aqedah, 66, 120

Aquinas, Thomas, 1 f., 10 f., 14, 21 , 43, 51, 68 f., 111f,133 works by: Summa Theologiae, 10 f., 21, 43, 68 f., 133 Arabian, 27, 44, 126 Ariikiba, 57, 92 Arakiel, 58, 93 Araqiel, 94 Archangel, 2, 5, 9 f., 12, 18 ff., eh. 4 pp 31-71, 73, 79 f., 85 f., 88, 92, 95, 98, 104 f., 112, 121, 135 Archon, 9, 28, 102, 121 f. Ardefiel, 74 Argyron, 131 Ariel, 58, 74, 97 Arioc, 58 Aristotle, 27, 122 Ark of the Covenant, 14, 82, 122 Armar6s, 57, 92 ff. Armozel, 119 Arphugitonos, 60 Asael, 57, 92 Asclepius [or Asklepios], 54 Ashur, 76 f. Ashurbanipal, 76 f , 88, 134 Asmodel, 74 Asmodeus, 56 f. Asomato, 87, 121 , Assyrian, 36, 53, 60, 76 ff. , 84, 123, 126, 13 1 Atabyrius, 13 1 Atheniel, 74 Atliel, 74 Augustine of Hippo, 41 , 73, 88, 96, 110, 116, 126,133, 138 works by: Enarrationes in P salmos (Enarrations on the Psalms), 88, 133

142 De VeraReligione (On True Religion), 116 De Civitate Dei contra P aganos (The City ofGod against the Pagans), 116, 133 Authorities [or Powers], 9 f, 12, 16 ff., 43, 128 Auvergne, William, 93 Azael, 58, 97 Azariel, 74 Azazel, 44, 57, 61, 92 f., 94 f, 97 Azeruel, 74 Aziraphale, 107 Azrael, 27, 80 B Babylonian, 24 f., 29, 36 f., 76 f, 79, 81, 126, 131 Balthamos, 102 Barakel, 93 Baraqijal, 57, 92, 94 Barbie!, 74 Barchiel, 74 Baruch, 26, 50, 57, 102 Batarel, 57, 92 Beburous, 60 Beelzebul, 91 Belia!, 44, 51, 91 Beliar, 44, 93 Bellini, Giovanni, 34 works by: The A gony in the Garden, 34 (also see Colour Plates) Bene elohim, 10, 80 Bethnael, 74 Blake, William, 3, 15, 23, 44 f , 56 works by: When the Morning Stars Sang Together, 3 (also see Colour Plates) Jacob 's Dr eam, 23 (also see Colour Plates) Satan Arousing the Rebel Angels, 45 (also see Colour Plates)

Index Botticelli, Alessandro, 74 f, 88, 136 works by: The Mystical Nativity, 75 (also see Colour Plates) Botticini, Francesco, 20, 32 f works by: Assumption of the Virgin, 20 (also see Colour Plates) Michael withArchangels Raphael and Gabriel, 32 (also see Colour Plates) Byzantine, 34, 52, 85 f., 89, 98, 127, 134

c Cabanel, Alexandre, 45, 49 works by: The Fallen Angel, 45 (also see Colour Plates) Camael for Chamuell, 32 f , 36, 74 Cambiel, 74 Caravaggio, 65, 115 works by: The Inspiration ofSaint Matthew , 115 (also see Colour Plates) Cassie!, 24, 39, 103 f Castiel, 105 Chagall, Marc, 66, 71, 137 works by: Abraham Slaying Isaac (detail), 66 (also see Colour Plates) Chalcon, 131 Chamuel [or Camael], 32 ff , 36, 39, 48, 64, 85 Cherubiel, 10 Cherubim, 33, 36, 38 ff. , 43, 4 7, 56, 60, 70, 76, 80, 82, 87,98, 11 2, 122, 124, 13 1 Christianity, 1, 3, 7, 10, 12, 14, 16, 24 f , 27 ff. , 32 ff. , 36, 38 f , 45, 49, 51 ff , 56 ff. , 63 f, 67 f , 71, 73, 80, 82, 87, 94 ff. , 106, 110 f , 11 6, 119 f , 122, 124 ff. , 130 f

Chryson, 131

The Book of Angels: Seen and Unseen Council of Aachen/ Aix-la-Chapelle (789), 34, 61 Council, First Vatican (1869-70), 80, 111, 117 Council, Fourth Lateran (1215), 80, 91, 111 Council ofNicaea (787), 126 Council of Rome (745), 53 Crispijn de Passe the Elder, 41 works by: The Archangel Jophiel, 41 (also see Colour Plates) Crowley, 105, 107 D Dane!, 57, 92 Damiel, 103 f. Dalquiel, 24 Dante, 25,44, 51 , 101 , 107, 123, 134 Darda'il, 80 Demiurge, 28, 102, 122 Dionysius the Areopagite, 10, 12 Dirachiel, 74 Dobie!, 37 Dominations [or Dominions/Lordships], 10, 16 f, 33, 56,64, 122, 124 Dominican, 75, 124 D ominions [or D ominations/Lordships], 5 f , 10 f , 12, 16 f , 33, 56, 122, 124 D ore, Gustave, 44, 107, 134 Drury, John, 37 f , 67, 134 Duccio di Buoninsegna, 52

Announcement ofthe death of the Virgin, 52 Dulia, 110, 122, 125, 127 Duma, 44 Dtirer, Albrecht, 62, 74 w orks by : Four Angels holding back the winds and the Marking of the Elect, 74 (also see Colour Plates)

143

E Elohim, 10, 80 Egibiel, 74 Egin, 97 Empyrean,27,29, 122 Enediel, 74 Enoch, 11, 24 f., 27, 44 ff., 53, 62, 95 f Erelim, 10, 80 Ergediel, 74 Erinyes [or Furies], 123, 130 f. Etruscan, 78 Eucharist, 120 Ezeqeel [or Ezekeel], 57, 92 f.

F Flammarion, Camille, 28 f. Floris, Frans, 98 works by: The Fall qf the Rebel Anf{els, 98 (also see Colour Plates) Fowler, Alastair, 37, 40, 67, 107, 137 works by: John Milton, Paradise Lost, 67, 107 Fra Angelico, 86 works by: San M arco A nnunciation, 86 Fra Filippo Lippi, 37 f , 52, 67, 125 works by: A nnunciation, 37 f. , 67, 125 (also see Colour Plates) Legends of the M adonna, 52 Fravashis, 78, 120 Furies for Erinyes], 123, 130

G Gabriel, 9 f , 19, 24, 31 ff., eh. 4 pp 35-39, 48 ff. , 52, 54 f. , 58 ff , 64, 67, 69 f., 73 f. , 79 f , 85, 87 f., 97, 104, 11 0, 121, 127 Gabuthelon, 60 Gadreel, 44

144 Gauguin, Paul, 88 works by: The Vision After the Sermon, 88 (also see Colour Plates) Geliel, 74 Genie!, 74 Genii, 76 f, 123 Gilgamesh, 26, 29, 136 Giordano, Luca, 52 works by: Archangel Michael Hurls the Rebellious Angels into the Abyss, 52 (also see Colour Plates) Giotto, 14 works by: Stigmatisation ofSt. Francis, from Scenes from the Life of St. Francis, 14 (also see Colour Plates) Gnosticism, 28 f , 59, 66, 69, 102, 119, 121f,124, 127, 13 8 God, 3 ff., 9, 11 ff. , 23 ff., 31 ff. , 35 f , 64, 66, 70, 73 ff., 78 ff., 91 ff. , 101f. , 104, 109 ff. , 119 ff. The Father, 4, 28, 34, 50, 101, 112 f., 115, 119 The Son, 4, 6, 11, 3 5 ff., 42, 46, 4 ~50 , 5~ Ill, 113 ff. The Holy Spirit, 5, 35, 50, 114 Invisible, 6, 11 Visible, 6, 11 , 67, 136 Creator, 3 ff., 10 f. , 23, 56, 60, 80, 91, 95, 101 f., 105, 109, 111 , 11 6, 125, 129 Gothic, 128 International Gothic, 128 Grigori, 59, 94 f., 123 Gunkel, Hermann, 42, 68, 135 H H adith, 80 Hagiography, 60, 63, 111 , 124 H amaliel, 74 R anae!, 74 Haniel, 73 f. ,

Index Harpies [or Harpyiai], 124 Hart, David Bentley, 28 ff. , 42, 68, 135, 139 works by: The Beauty of the Infinite, 135 Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and its Fashionable Enemies, 29 f., 135 The New Testament: A Translation, 68, 135, 139 Harut, 81 I,Iashmal, 10 Hashmallim, 10, 64, 80, 124 Hayot ha kodesh, I 0, 80 Heimarmene, 28, 124 Reial, 42 Hierotheus, 12 Hinduism, 23 Hofuiel, 10 Hormenus, 131 Hortus conclusus, 37, 125 Hyperdulia, 110, 122, 125, 127 I Iblis [or Eblis], 44, 97, 126 Icon, 38, 48, 52, 85 f. , 98, 125 f. Iconoclasm, 98, 125 f Incarnation, 4 Isaac, 26, 55, 64 ff. , 83 , 120 f. Ishim, 10, 80 Ishmael, 64, 12 1 Islamic, 1, 24, 26 f. , 44, 49, 55, 64, 80 f, 97, 126 Israfil, 55, 80 Izra' il, 80 J Jacob, 23, 25, 26, 29, 33, 35 f., 46 ff. , 83 Jagniel, 24 Jazeriel, 74 Jehoel, 10 Jeremiel, 32, 57, 69

The Book of Angels: Seen and Unseen Jesus Christ, l, 4, 11, 20, 26 f, 32 ff. , 41,48, 60,63 f , 85, 91 , 96, 111 ff, 129 Jibril [or Djibril), 36, 50 Jinn, 44, 126 John of Damascus, 3, 5 ff., 136 J6mjael, 57, 92 Jophiel, 32 f, eh. 4 pp39-41 , 64, 79 Judaic, 45, 52, 57 f, 77 ff., 82

K Kabbalah, 33, 39 f , 56, 60, 64, 79 f., 129 f Katibin, 80 Khamael, 79 Kiraman, 80 Kokabel [or Kokabiel/K.awkabel], 57, 93 f Kyriel, 74 L

Labbie!, 53 Lamassu, 76 f, 126, 131 Latria, 110, 116, 122, 125 ff, 136 Leonardo da Vinci, 62 f , 136 works by: Virgin of the Rocks/Vergine delle Rocce, 62 f (also see Colour Plates) Longfellow, Henry W adsworth, 56, 62, 107, 134 Lordships for Dominions/Dominations], l 0, 17, 122 Lucifer, 9, 14, 17, 32, eh. 4 pp 4 145, 68, 93, 96, 105, 128, 136 Lycus, 97, 11 9, 131 M Magog, 105 Mahazuel, 97 Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon), 10 Malahidael, 74 Malakim (Mal'akhim), 4, 10, 20, 57, 80, 120

145

Malik, 81 Marut, 81 Mandorla, 98, 127, 132 Mastema, 44, 93, 95 Memling, Hans, 51 f works by: Last Judgement Triptych (central panel), 51 f (also see Colour Plates) Metatron, 11 , 32, 36, 40, eh. 4 pp 45-48, 50, 68 f, 79, l 02, 137 Megalesius, 131 Me galezius, 97, 119 Mesopotamian, lf, 26 f, 30, 76 f , 87, 123 Michael, 9f, 14, 19 f, 24 f, 31 ff, 36, 3 8 ff., 43 ff. , eh. 4 pp 49-52, 54 f , 58 f., 60 ff, 64 f., 67 ff , 73 f , 79 f, 85 f, 88, 92, 97 f, 110, 121, 127, 135 Michelangelo Buonarroti, 63 Midrash, 67, 69, 78, 88, 106, 133 f Mika'il, 49 f Milton, John, 37, 40, 44 f , 51, 53, 56, 58, 62, 67 ff., 101, 107, 137 works by: Paradise Lost, 37, 44, 56, 58, 62, 67 ff, 101, 107, 137 Paradise Regained, 44, 68 Mimon, 97, 11 9 Moloch, 44 Moses, 26 f , 31, 38, 46, 49 f , 52, 69 Mu'aqqibat, 81 Muhammad, 27, 36, 81, 97 Munkar, 81 Muriel, 74 Muslim, 50, 55, 66, 106, 120 Mylas, 131 N Nariel, 74, 97 Nakir, 81 Neciel, 74 Neoplatonism , 10, 28, 11 9 Nephilim, 36, 61, 94, 127

146 Nicon, 97, 119, 131 Nike, 85 ff., 0 Ofaniel, 10 Ofanim [or Ophanim], 10, 25, 82 f., 86, 127, 131 Og, 105 Ophanim [orOfanim], 10, 15, 25, 80, 127, 131 Origen, 59, 69 f., 96, 110 f., 117, 127,137 Ormenus, 97, 119 Orthodox, 3, 5, 7, 19, 25, 29, 31, 36, 38, 48 f., 54, 95 ff., 106, 110, 121, 126, 131, 136

Index Principalities [or Princedoms/Rulers], 5, 10, 12, 14, 18 f., 28, 33' 96, 112, 129 Prud'hon, Pierre-Paul, 53 works by: Justice and Divine Vengeance Pursuing Crime, 53 (also see Colour Plates) Pseudo-Dionysius, 1 f., 10 ff., 16, 18, 20 f., 33, 43, 51, 66 f., 111 f., 120, 137 Psyche, 28, 128 ff. Pullus, Cardinal Robert, 93

Q Qur'an, 27, 36, 50, 80 f., 97, 109, 120

p

Pala, 52, 128 Paymon, 97 Persian, 25, 27, 43 f., 81, 85 Phanuel, 36, 59, 61 Plato, 110, 126 Platonism, 119 Pleroma, 28, 119, 127 Plotinus, 28 Pneuma, 28, 128 ff. Polyptych, 39, 128 Pope, 10, 34, 53, 61 , 63 , 73 , 87, 89, 98, 109, 112, 116 f. , 137 Pope Clement ofRome, 10 Pope Gregory the Great, 43, 51, 66, 68, 73, 88, 135 Pope John Paul II, 87, 89, 98, 109, 112, 116 f. , 137 Pope Pius IV, 63 Pope Zachary, 34, 53, 61 Powers [angelic/cosmic], 4 ff., 11 , 14, 16 ff. , 36, 47, 59, 101 f. Powers [or Authorities l, 5, 9 f. , 17 f. , 33, 43, 56, 128 Powers [or Virtues/Strongholds] , 10, 12, 16 ff., 132 Princedoms [or Principalities/Rulers], 18 f. , 129

R Rabacyel, 24 Raguel, 32, eh. 4 pp 52-53, 58, 61, 69 RameeI, 57, 92 Rameel, 105 Ramie!, eh. 4 pp 57-58, 92 Raphael (artist), 63 Raphael (angel), 10, 19, 24, 31 f., 36, 39, 49 f., eh. 4 pp 53-57, 58 ff., 69 f. , 73 f. , 79, 88, 94 f. , 121 Raphaella, 104 Raziel, 56, 62, 73 , 79 Reformation, 52 Rembrandt, 34, 65 f. , 71 , 134 works by: The Agony in the Garden, 34 (also see Colour Plates) Abraham and Isaac , 65 (also see Colour Plates) Abraham's Sacrifice, 66 (also see Colour Plates) Remiel, 32, eh. 4 pp 57-58, 61, 69 Renaissance, 29, 38, 86, 124 f. 128, 135, 138 Requiel, 74 Ridwan, 81

The Book of Angels: Seen and Unseen Roman Catholic Church, 49, 51, 54, 69, 8~93, 10~ II~ 126 Theology, 93, 126 Tradition, 49, 51 , 54, 69, 110, 126 Rubens, Peter Paul, 45, 52, 65 Rulers [or Principalities/Princedoms], 6, II , 18 f., 24, 28, 64, 74, 97, 102, 121 , 129 Ruman, 81

s Sabath, 24 Sabbathiel, 49 Sabriel, 10 Samael [or Sammael], 36, 50, 79, 93, 96 Samiel, 58 Sammael ror Samaell, 44, 93 Samsapeel [or Samsaweel], 57, 92 f. Samuel, 97 Samyaza, 61, 105 Sandalphon, 24, 47, 79 Sarafiel [or Israfil], 80 Saraqael [or Zerachiel], 32, eh. 4 pp 58-59, 61, 69 f., Sariel, 57, 92, 94 Satan, 9, 14, 17 f., eh. 4 pp 41-45, 49, 51 f., 60, 62, 68, 70, 84, 9 1 ff., 96 f., 99, 102, 107, 128, 136 f. Satanail, 43, 95 Satarel, 57, 92 Scheliel, 74 Scholem, Gershom, 47 f., 69, 138 works by: Major Trends in Je wish Mysticism, 69, 138 Jewish Gnosticism, M erkabah Mysticism and Talmudic Tradition, 69, 138 Sefirot [or Sephirot/Sephiroth], 33, 56, 60,64, 80, 129 Semiazaz [or Shemyaza/Semjaza], 57, 92, 94

147

Semjaza [or Semiazaz/Shemyaza], 94 Sennacherib, 57, 60, 76 Seraphim, 5, 9 f., 12 ff. , 20, 25, 32, 38 f. , 43, 47, 51 , 56, 76, 80, 82, 86 f., 93, 98, 112, 121, 129 Serie!, 93 Shakespeare, William, 11 7, 13 8 Shamayim, 24, 26 Shamash, 27, 30, 77 Shamsiel, 94 Shemhamphorasch, 40, 130 Shemhazai, 93 Shemuel, 10 Shemyaza [or Semiazaz/Semjaza], 94 Shekinah, 47, 61, 130 Simon, 131 Soma, 28, 128 ff. Spenser, Edmund, 44, 68, 138 St. Ambrose, 10 St. Bernard of Clairvau:x, 114, 11 7, 134 St. Bonaventure, 51 St. Gregory the Great (see Pope Gregory I), 43, 51 , 66, 68, 73, 88, 135 St. Gregory ofNazianzus (the Theologian), 4, 7 St. Jerome, I 0, 42, 60, 70 St. John the Baptist, 26 f. , 35, 41, 60, 62 f. St. John of Damascus, 3, 5 ff., 136 St. John the Evangelist, 54, 69, 91, 98 St. Justin Martyr, 96, 99 St. Luke, 5, 31, 34 ff. , 67, 85, 96, 98, 117 St. Mark, 7, 34 St. Matthew, 34 f. , 60, 70, 85, 11 2, 11 5, 11 7 St. Paul, 5 f., 12, 24, 128 Steinberg, Leo, 37, 67, 138 Strongholds ror V irtues/Powers l, 17' 132 Sumerian, 26, 30, 77 f.

148 Suryal [or Suriel], 61

T Tagriel, 74 Talmud, 25, 45 ff, 58, 67, 69, 78 f., 88, 108, 130, 133, 134, 13 8 Tam1e1, 57, 92 Tanakh, 26 Tanner, Henry Ossawa, 39 works by: The Annunciation, 3 9 (also see Colour Plates) Targum, 45 f. Tarshish, 10 Telchines, 97, 119, 123, 130 f. Tertullian, 41, 96 Theotokos, 12, 38, 110, 127, 131 Throne of God/of Mercy/of Glory, 14, 25, 45, 48, 83 f., 98, 114, 122, 129 Thrones, 6, 10 ff, 39, 47, 127, 131 Tiepolo, 65 Titian, 39, 135 works by: Polyptych of The Resurrection (AveroldiPolyptych), 39 Torah, 10 Tree of Life, 14, 24, 26, 33, 40, 55, 60, 77, 79, 82, 122 Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, 40, 56, I 07 Trithemius of Sponheim, 56, 74 Tfuel, 57, 92 Tzadkiel, 64, 79 Tzaphkiel, 79

u Ugallu, 76 f., 131 Urie!, 19, 31f., 36, 39, 50, 53 f., 57 f. , eh. 4 pp 59-64, 69 f. , 79, 121 Urieus, 97 Urmahlilu, 76 f., 131 Uzziel, 10

Index

v Vanth, 78 Verchiel, 74 Verrocchio, Andrea de!, 56 f. works by: Tobias and the Angel, 57 Vesica piscis, 98, 127, 132 Virgin Mary, 20, 35 ff., 52, 63, 75, 98, 110, 122, 125 ff., 129, 131 Mother of God (Meter Theou/Theotokos), 12, 37 f., 75, 110, 125 f., 131 Virtues [or Powers/Strongholds], 5, 9 f., 17' 49, 55 f., 132 Voragine, Jacobus, 63, 70, 111, 124, 136, 138 works by: The Golden Legend, 60, 63, 70, 111, 124, 136, 138

w Williams, Rowan, 109, 112, 115 ff., 138 works by: Grace andNecessity, 138 TokensofTrust, 116, 138 Witness, 1, 81, 113

x Xaphania, 102 Xathanael, 70 y Yazatas, 78, 120

z Zachariel, 24 Zachiel, 24 Zadkiel, 32, 39, eh. 4 pp 64-66 Zaphiel, 74 Zaq1el, 57, 92 Zathael, 70 Zavebe, 93 Zebu!, 24 Zebuleon, 60 Zechanpuryu, 58

The Book of Angels: Seen and Unseen Zedekiel, 10, 64 Zephaniel, 10 Zerachiel [or Saraqael], 32, 58 f, 69

149

Zoroastrianism, 1, 73, 78, 85, 120 Zuriel, 74