The word angel derives from the Greek word "angelos", which means "messenger". Angels are most widely known as divine or heavenly beings, and the messengers of God. But what exactly is an angel?
What are Angels?
Angels are divine spiritual beings, said to have been created by God to guide and protect humans, and act as a bridge between Heaven and Earth. Angels are said to emanate from the divine source and link people to God.
In the book Table Talk, Martin Luther says, "An angel is a spiritual being created by God, without a body, for the service of Christendom and the Church."
However, angels, or beings similar to angels, can be found in different faiths and cultures around the world, not just that of Christianity. These include Shinto, Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic faiths.
According to beliefs such as new age, angels exist on a different plane or vibrational frequency, which is why they cannot be seen most of the time. Angels have been seen, heard or experienced by many, however, for the tales of angelic sightings and interventions are plentiful across the world.
Angels are purposefully created spiritual beings; therefore humans who have passed over cannot become angels. The only exceptions to this are the Archangels Sandalphon, who was originally the human prophet Elijah, and Archangel Metatron, who was the human Enoch. However, there are stories of angels spending time as humans, such as the original fallen angels, who acquired human form and took human wives.
Angelic Hierarchy
Angels are divided into a hierarchy of three spheres, encompassing nine choirs of angels.
- Sphere 1: Contains the angels closest to God, who serve as His heavenly counsellors. They are the seraphim, who are the highest order, followed by the cherubim and the thrones.
- Sphere 2: Contains the angels who act as heavenly governors. These are the dominions, the virtues, and the powers.
- Sphere 3: Contains the angels who act as heavenly messengers. These are the angels who oversee and interact with humans. They are the principalities, the archangels, and the angels, with the latter being the most connected to the physical world.
The New Testament only mentions seven categories of angel, missing out cherubim and seraphim, but the Old Testament contains all nine.
What are Archangels?
Archangels are the eighth choir of angels in the angelic hierarchy, in charge of overseeing the choir of angels as well as humanity.
The most well known of the archangels are Michael, often depicted with his flaming sword and Gabriel, who delivered the news of the impending birth of Jesus to Mary. Along with the healing archangels Raphael and Uriel, they make up the four most commonly mentioned archangels and are said to be those with particular guardianship over the planet Earth.
The most important archangels are said to number seven. They always include Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel, but the other three vary from source to source and can include Chamuel, Zadkiel, Jophiel, Sandalphon, Metatron, Raguel and Ariel.
According to The Third Book of Enoch, each archangel is attended by a myriad of 496,000 angels, where a myriad refers to a vast number of angels, sometimes said to be around ten thousand.
What are Guardian Angels?
Everyone is said to have at least one guardian angel, which is assigned to a person from birth. The ninth choir of angels is responsible for all manner of things, and guardian angels are one aspect of that. A famous quote from Saint Augustine states, "Every visible thing in this world is put in charge of an angel."
Guardian angels are in charge of humans, and it is these angels that people speak of in angelic experience stories, where people believe that their guardian angel has intervened in their life to prevent them from dying before their time, or being harmed.
What Do Angels Look Like?
Descriptions of angels go back as far as documented texts do. There are all manner of angels described, but the one that has become commonplace is that of a human form with wings and a halo.
Some say that angels now appear like this so that humans recognize them when they see them. However, it is not known whether angels truly have wings or not. Some religious sources quote them as winged, while others, such as passages from the Bible (including the angels who delivered news of the resurrection of Jesus) are described merely as men. Some believe that the light and heavenly energy surrounding angels is mistaken for wings. As for halos, they are more of an artist interpretation that began in the fourth century. Angels are surrounded by an aura of light, and this was depicted as a “halo” in the renaissance paintings of angels.
Religious texts such as the Bible, the Koran and the Book of Enoch have numerous descriptive accounts of angels. Many are said to be huge, standing as tall as the heavens. Archangel Gabriel is said to have 140 wings, while Archangel Metatron has 36 pairs of wings and 365,000 eyes!
Humans have been fascinated and in awe of angels for centuries, and with a growing interest in new age and psychic experiences, angels are in the forefront of spiritual culture.
Sources:
Davidson, Gustav. A Dictionary of Angels. The Free Press, 1971
McKinney, Donald. Celtic Angels. Hodder and Stoughton, 2005
Newcomb, Jacky. An Angel Treasury. Element, 2004
Whichello Brown, Denise. A Comprehensive Guide to Angel Therapy. Silverdale Books, 2001
Louise Heyden - Louise Heyden is a writer, artist, work at home mum, sound technician and former school Library Manager.
Join the Conversation