Angels 101- All about Angels

The Guardian Angel

2009-07-15T06:25:00.000-07:00

A guardian Angel is an Angel who is said to to look after a particular person from birth to death. The concept of the guardian angel is belived by scholars to have emerged from ancient babylonian religion. Many faiths teach that each individual has a guardian spirit or angel who watches over them. In Islam there are believed to be two such angels, one on either shoulder. In many branches of Christianity it is believed that at birth everyone is given a guardian angel to whom they can turn in times of stress or temptation.

You may be skeptic about the idea, but at times things happen which make us wonder if guardian angels really do exist. There have been many reading materials and people’s testimonials when it comes to this idea. If you are interested in finding out more about it, you can start your search on the web to gather basic things that you need to know.

You will be in for a surprise once you have searched for this topic because you will be presented with many cases and proofs that they do really exist. It is believed that this kind of angel is a spiritual being that is assigned on each individual to be their guide and to assist and comfort them in times of problems and trouble. There have been various books and movies that tackled the topic. Up to this day, it is still unknown if every person has several angels or if an angel looks after several people. Whatever the truth is and whether you believe in the concept or not, this is still part of life that is mysterious yet amazing.

One's idea about this may vary, depending on the influences of various factors. These include how the media portrays this kind of being, personal experiences, other people's stories about them and a lot more.

Basic Ideas

To answer some of your basic questions about angels, here are some information about this kind of being according to popular beliefs and what have already been written. It was said that their purpose is to be there when people face the junctures of their lives. Angels come and intercept the hurdles that you are faced with and help you lead a smooth life from thereon. They help you in the process to alleviate whatever it is that you are going through. It doesn't exactly mean that they will get all your burdens and you will no longer have any problems because you have an angel guiding you.

Just the mere though of having a spiritual guide can already lift up other people's heavy hearts. There are even some testimonials that prove how some people gain extra strength in times of accidents and troubles and how they are able to do things way beyond their capacity. And these are all being attributed to these people's thoughts that angels are with them at dire times when they need an ally.

Its Origins

Since the 400s, there have been refinements as to the start and theology of angels as well as the tutelary spirits. For the eastern and western churches, they believe that these kinds of angels abide by whatever God tells them to do. They are being given assignment by God as to whom will they protect and guide. These angels present prayers attributed to the people whom they are protecting and they tell them to God. There is actually a memorial for the guardian angels that is being celebrated on October 2 that is included on the calendar of saints of the Roman Catholic Church.

This kind of belief that angels watch among people has been around since the Ancient Greek philosophy. It was then said that God sends spiritual beings to watch over each person that God has created.

All these facts and statements prove that you don't necessarily have to believe concepts like guardian angel but you will eventually understand and appreciate the idea when the time comes that you have felt their existence.

Angels And Religion

2009-07-10T06:16:00.000-07:00

For so many years up till the present, the existence or not of angels has been a hotly debated topic whereas in different scriptures of different religions, angels have always been mentioned. They are commonly identified to be messengers of God. Their existence has been recorded ever since the Greek and Mesopotamian civilizations. These winged creatures with time were no longer only regarded as messengers but also as protectors and guardians of humans.
Angels have been perceived, described and named in different ways by different religions. Even so, they all seem to be unified in one school of thought, which is, that angels exist to enrich the spirituality and lives of people.
Islam
Muslims have archangels that they believe in: Archangel Gabriel who delivered the message of the Qu’ran to Muhammad, Archangel Michael who is said to be responsible for rain, thunder and rewards to good people on Earth, Archangel Raphael who’s responsibility is to announce the arrival of Judgement Day, and the Angel of Death who separates the body and the soul on the time of death.
Latter Day Saints (Mormons)
Latter-Day Saints accept that angels are for real. That they are here to be a messengers and at the same time make sure that the work of the Lord is followed and implemented on Earth. Angels are prominently mentioned in the Doctrine and Covenants which play a major role in Mormon belief.
Latter-day Saints believe that angels actually participate in daily tasks. They are not only supernatural beings who appear from time to time, but they also exist along with the people.

Christianity
According to Christian belief, angels were created by God long before he started creating the universe and mankind. Christians belief that angels are messengers that act on matters that are very important such as the annunciation of Mary and the resurrection of Christ. They serve as guardians, protectors and helpers of God.
Angels in the bible frequently appear as human beings as opposed to the common image of them being cute babies with wings. In Bible accuonts, angels during the annunciation of Mary were described by the shepherds as adults. While, on Christ’s tomb, the women met two men and informed them of the resurrection of Christ. They are often said to be bathed with light which makes it difficult to look at them directly and define their exact features.
There are also some Christian traditions citing that we are assigned to our guardian angels at birth, also, some believe that those who die after living a righteous life would become angels in the afterlife, but there is nothing mentioned in the Bible about this.
Judaism
As in Christianity, Hebrews describe angels to be the messengers of God. Not only are they messengers but also, they implement God’s will. All angels owe their existence to God since they were created by God.
They do not always necessarily appear human like. The Jews also believe that angels can sit, walk, speak Hebrew and fly. The Hebrew Bible frequently mentions the angels in its books

Hinduism
Hindus take what cannot be seen as a very serious and important matter. They would believe that every tree or river crossing is a home for spirits. In India, they have what we would call deva or devata, they are referred to as the “shining one” of locals. Hindi scriptures would say that there are about 33 million devas in existence.
For Hindu, the Divinity and the spirituality behind these angels are more important that the angels themselves. They would believe that devas are only manifestations of a higher and supreme being.
These are the views of various religous groups worldwide concerning angels. As can be seen, there are a lot of striking similiarities among the religons.

Islamic Concept of the Genie

2009-07-10T01:41:00.000-07:00

We may all be familiar with the term "Genie" from popular tv shows such as Alladin which is from the Arabian Nights where the genie is a jolly spirit who emerges when an old lamp is rubbed and grants the person who rubs the lamp any three wishes. The word, Genie an English corruption of the Arabic word Jinni which in Islamic folklore and Mythology is said to be a magic spirit or demon on a lower rank than an angel. The original jinn was called Iblis, who was cast out by Allah for refusing to worship Adam, the first man.
Genies are said to be made up of either fire or air and can appear as humans or animals. Genies can be found in air,flame rocks, trees and many other places and may either be good or evil.Unlike the Angels in Christianity, Genies are very human like with human needs such as the need to reproduce and they can also die after living an extraordinarily long lifespan. Genies occur either as male or female, the male called jinni and the female, jinniyah with the plural form being jinn.Jinn, although being demons have the choice of being good or evil, the good kind being beautiful and the bad, ugly. both kinds were potrayed in the animated alladin movie.
Jinn are said to be the spirits responsible for disease, accidents and other calamities as they are vengeful spirits who ensure that they punish humans for any wrong done them either intentionally or unintentionally.
Humans at times can become the masters of the Jinn with proper knowledge of their characters, temperaments and so on.

Angels in Islam

2009-07-07T06:09:00.000-07:00

It might be shocking to know that angels aren't exactly unique to the Christian religion. Islam and Judaism share the same roots as Christianity and those roots have some pretty noticeable appearances by angels. Islam's angels, however, are significantly different from their Christian and Jewish counterparts.
Information on Muslim angelic tradition is really scarce. This is because, unlike Christian and Jewish religious scholars, Islamic theologians do not consider the study of angels as an important topic. In their opinion, if the Qu'ran does not directly talk about a particular subject, there's no point studying it.
There are, of course, several angels named in Islamic tradition, each accorded their duties by God. Some of them are actually quite familiar. Jibril is Gabriel, transliterated to Arabic, of course. His job is to be God's voice to his prophets. Jibril delivered the Qu'ran in its entirety to the prophet Muhammad and this has made him a pretty honored angel.Another familiar angel is Mikaaiyl or Michael as we know him.
Instead of being Heaven's general, in Islamic parlance, he is the angel of mercy, dispenser of rain and also in charge of the just reward of virtuous people (a long way from the demon slayer of Christian tradition). The name Israfil sounds unfamiliar, but just take out that initial "Is" and you get Raphael. He's got the honor of blowing his trumpet that ends the world on Judgement Day.
Of course, there are some original angels among the bunch named in the Qu'ran and in the Hadith, the oral stories about Muhammad. Probably the most famous is Malak al Maut, the Angel of Death, though popular tradition calls him Azrael, which is strange considering he isn't even named in the Qu'ran. His job, if it isn't obvious enough from his title, is essentially to take the souls of people at death to be judged. Other angels mentioned in the Qu'ran are Maalik, the guardian of Hell, and Ridwan, the keeper of Heaven. Note that Maalik is not a fallen angel. Islamic tradition states that angels cannot fall because since they do not have free will, they cannot rebel. Maalik's there because Allah wants him to make sure that no one escapes. He stays there with nineteen other angels to make sure that sinners receive their well-deserved punishment. Kiraamun and Kaatibeen double-team to record all the good and bad deeds a person has done, while another pair, Munkar and Nakir interview them in the afterlife about it.
As is typical of angel imagery, most Islamic sources describe angels by their wings. Two to four wings is the usual count, but Gabriel and Michael are said to have thousands of wings sprouting from their back, signifying their power and position. Not all Muslim angels though are human like, 70 thousand headed angels are said to sing praises to Allah in Heaven.
All in all, you can see how differently Islam views its angels. There's a certain familiarity in names and description that we can almost recognize, but also, there's a telling difference.

All About Angels

2009-07-06T06:03:00.000-07:00

At one point or the other, we must have heard a thing or two about angels from various sources.Angels are an integral part of the christian and islamic faith.They are reported to be the guardians who help us weigh things and choose the right path hence, avoiding disasters . Another school of thought also says that angels go both ways – the good and the bad which is also documented biblically. There are even depictions of angels( representing our good and bad sides) sitting on both sides of the human conscience giving advice and influencing the way we think.
Inspite of this, angels have mostly been depicted as the good and kind beings that help us along the way, sometimes being pictured in artworks as small cuddly ones, the cherubs, that do harmless mischief. Angels are also sometimes represented as having the trademark large wings, white robes and halo.
The modern word angel comes from the old French word angele and the old English term engel. These words are said to mean messenger. In the bible, angels act as go betweens. They spread the message of God and enforce His will on the earth. The very first biblical figure that made a direct reference to them is Daniel who referred to the angels by their names. He particularly had a scene with Angel Gabriel.
The earliest documented depiction of an angel was in the catacomb of Priscilla, which has been in existence since the third century. The angel there does not however have wings. There were also angels found on sarchophagi, lamps and reliquaries. One of the most famous example is the Angel in the Sacrifice of Isaac picture in the sarcophagus of Junius Bassus.
With time however, angels eventually where represented with wings. In 1930, a sarcophagus in Istanbul was discovered to have an image of an angel with wings. The time frame for the sarcophagus was set to the time of Theodosius I. According to John Chrysostom, the addition of wings to their image is a symbolism of the heights they can reach and the sublimity of their existence.
The most famous of the angels is Angel Gabriel, who is believed to be the leader of all the angels. He is classified as an archangel, which is the top of the hierarchy. He has been mentioned several times in the bible and is believed to be even the one who delivered the Koran to the prophet Muhammad.
Another famous angel is Raphael, who is said to be the healer. He helps sick people and is generally called upon to help those with terminal illnesses and grave wounds.
Angel Barchiel on the other hand is the Angel for the month of February. He is actually not an angel of love but is dubbed as the bringer of hope for mankind.
Angel Michael on the other hand is often depicted as the warrior, defending the heavens from demons. He has a military cloak on and has a profile that is symmetrically perfect.
There is also Metatron, who is very popular in Judaism. This angel is mentioned in Merkabah and Kabbalist texts and beliefs and is considered to be the highest in rank. He is also mentioned in the Talmud.
There are also many other angels mentioned in various instances.
Pete

Are angels real?

2009-06-21T05:52:00.000-07:00

There has been a long-standing debate about the existence of angels divided between those who believe angels are real and those who believe they are just a product of imagination and religious folklore.
Oftentimes, we think angels as messengers from God, the bringers of news either good or bad. Belief in the existence of Angels is not peculiar to Christianity alone, they come up in Hindu religion, among the latter day saints and also in islam. Traces of belief in Angels can be traced as early as the Assyrian and Mesopotamian civilizations.
Traces of angel belief were also identified in ancient Greece and in Persia. Angels in these civilizations wher represented with different names, for instance, with the Vikings, they were the Valkyries, Hindus call them Apsaras and in Africa they were called Orisha.
In Christian religion, angels are depicted as spirits who come to the earth to protect humans from danger and temptation. As protectors, these angels were often referred to as guardian angels. Every person is said to have their own guardian angel. This Christian belief has been in existence as far back as the fifth century.
Angels have served inspiration for different artists and have long been the subject of different art forms. They are usually depicted with joy, beauty, and peace. Their reasons for being with humans is said to be to redeem, uplift faith and trust. There are a lot people testifying to angels helping out in dealing with pain and guilt.
People would often visualise Angels as Humans with bird wings who usually have the sweet smell of flowers accompanying them along with the tolling sounds of bells, chimes and trumpets. People who have testified to seeing angels would see light around the figure and would feel intense good emotions like love, warmness, peacefulness and sense of being. ``Angels, as they appeared in most art forms are depicted as cute, chubby babies with wings or the spirits of dead relatives and friends. But in the Bible towards Revelation, angels are depicted as adults with wings. Angles do not appear completely like this, according to some testimonials, because of the brightness that surrounds the angles, you would also see the glimpse of the face, arms, or legs. Actually in the Bible, the angels in Jesus tomb were described as two men. During the annunciation of Mary, the angels were also human beings without wings. There are a few exceptions though, saying angels are not winged creatures.
Are all angels good?
Not all of the angels are good, there are fallen angels which people believe to be demons. This came from the bible in the old testament where that there were we are told that angels were cast of from heaven for developing lustful inclinations towards women on earth, marrying and giving birth so about one-third of the angels were sent down to Earth.
For some angels are referred to be products of and conjured by the imagination. Some would believe that we turn into these supernatural beings to explain the things that are difficult to explain and understand. Nowadays, angels are described to be ordinary people who perform extraordinary, random acts kindness to people. There are a lot of people testifying to mysterious strangers helping people in time of need, offers kind words who then, after changing the course of other people’s lives, disappear suddenly.
This long ongoing debate about the existence of angels is not going to be resolved anytime soon. The world and our life is just wonderful and mysterious the possibilities are endless. But everybody seems to agree on one point though, we need more angels, whether there are divine or among us humans.

Angels: Faithful Messengers in Different Faiths

2009-06-19T05:40:00.000-07:00

Angels: Faithful Messengers in Different Faiths
There's a lot of angel imagery hanging around in out modern world. Angels on greeting cards, commercials, movies, and television shows. Some of them are really hokey and reaching for it, but some are actually pretty good depictions of them. There are some depictions that actually push the limits of what some consider as appropriate, Supernatural's rather uncaring Castiel for one. There's actually some pretty good reasons for departing from what most people see as angels being Micheal Langdon-like figures of cheap salvation.
Let's be pretty clear: angels aren't exactly unique to the Christian faith. Christianity is based on Judaism and it also shares roots with Islam. Angels have been mentioned in the Bible's Old Testament and the Hebrew Faith is pretty much based on the Old Testament, with the prophet Daniel having the honor of being the person who has the most dealings with them; although they were briefly mentioned in the stories of Jacob and Lot.
Elohim is what the Jews called angels and they're actually what early Christians based their belief in angels on. Popular angels Gabriel, Raphael and Michael have their roots in Jewish literature. It's pretty safe to say that the early Christians, the core group of which were converted Jews, co-opted quite a bit of this imagery into their own beliefs.
Christianity, the faith most associated with angels, has angels a-pleny. Some theologians believe that some were actually made up out of the blue to correspond with a particular idea or theme, but nonetheless, most Christians still believe in them. The New Testament pretty much has a whole army of them marching through - announcing Christ's birth to Mary, Joseph, and random shepherds, angels at Christ's tomb on his resurrection and various other tales where they helped apostles escape imprisonment.
Christianity, with its large and early dominance, also has the honor of having a multitude of depictions of angels ranging from mosaics to stained-glass to sculpture. Even today's modern icons of angels are pretty much Christian-based - who can forget Micheal Langdon's classic Highway to Heaven and the more recent Touched by an Angel starring Roma Downey.
Not to be outdone, Islam has its own share of angelic beings - they are a cousin faith to Christianity after all and actually have a surprising similarity in angelic beliefs. One of the six basic beliefs in Islam is the belief in angels or Malaekah, which pretty much means if you don't believe in them then your faith isn't exactly up to snuff. We can see also see the appearance of the popular trio of angels: Gabriel as Jibril, Michael as Mikaaiyl, and Raphael as Israfil. However, angels in Islam are viewed pretty differently - all angels have no free will and were created expressly to serve God.
Zoroastrianism and the Bahá'í faith also share a belief in angels, although Zoroastrianism's belief probably developed around the same time as that of Judaism's. The ancient faith had a dozen angel-like figures who were representatives of Mazda, the Supreme God, though they were more like his limbs rather than his creations.
Bahá'í is a fairly new religion and combines several belief systems into one, emphasizing that all faiths had a similar underlying component: the love of God. It's no wonder that it managed to gain angel figures - though these are people who have been totally embraced by God that they have overcome their human frailties and now are more spirit than human.
As you can see, angels aren't just a Christian monopoly. They can be seen in so many faiths and sizes. So you'll always be sure that an angel's got your back :-)

How the Media Affects People's Views about Angels

2009-06-17T05:19:00.000-07:00

The media plays a great role in forming people's minds and in influencing their beliefs. You may have been introduced to angels through various media forms such as movies, tv shows, books and various websites on the internet that tackle this topic.
The extent to which minds can be influenced by how the media portray these spiritual beings can be compared to how advertising works wonders. If you own a company or you have a product that you want people to know about, you will rely on various advertising mediums in order to successfully relay your message to the buying public. Your main goal is to make them believe so that they will buy from you. This way, your business will prosper and you will stay in the industry longer. Through advertising, people become aware about certain products that they can well in fact live without. But through the wonders that commercials presented various products, the appeal becomes too tempting to be able to resist. You may be able to hold back and decide not to buy the product. But the company will only level up on their schemes to make you want to get hold of what they are advertising about.
Instant Hit
Due to the fact that the media have utilized the concept of these spiritual beings to the fullest and it keeps on doing so, this means that people are really interested to know more about them. If the idea is not selling, the media will stop using the concept. But as you can see, until now, these spiritual beings are still being used on movies, television shows and even on advertising gimmicks, whether on broadcast or print.
The concept is really simple if you will think about it. You no longer need to dig deep about its theories and origins to be able to believe about their existence. All you have to do is open your eyes to the wonderful things happening around you, especially at times when you least expect wondrous things to occur.
Simple Idea
It all boils down to this. Angels are assigned by God to each person to guide and protect them. Your guardian angel is responsible in reporting how you have been and offer prayers on your behalf. They are always looking at you. Your parents were right all along. If you will only be good, you will definitely make your guardian angle happy and proud of you.
It was during the 5th century on the Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite that Christianity developed the concept of tutelary angels as well as their order and hierarchy. The concept and ideas that surround these spiritual beings had undergone refinements and changes since the 400s. October 2 was set by the Roman Catholic Church as the memorial for the guardian angels according to the calendar of saints.
Your Own Beliefs
As you grow old, you will develop your own beliefs with regards to this topic. You may even experience some things similar to those that you see on mainstream media that will make you want to know more about it and believe that these beings were those that you have encountered. You may even die without really believing that they are true.
Different people will be influenced in various ways by the different views that are being fed by the media and other outlet that try to present the concept of angels.

Angels and Their Ranks/ Hierachy

2009-06-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

Angels are creatures that we have become fascinated with for centuries. The word angel comes from the words engel and angele which are old English and Old French terms respectively. Both mean messengers. This perhaps came from the fact that angels act as messengers of God. Remember that time when an angel appeared to Mary and said that she will be having a baby?
Angels are peppered all through out the bible. The very first person who called angels by a name was Daniel. There is also mention of angels in the Talmud and in other religious texts besides the Christian Bible.
Angels have their own hierarchy.The first is the seraphim, which is said to be the caretakers of God’s throne. The word seraphim in itself means “the burning ones” because they are literally always heated up with love and support for God. The seraphims have six wings. One pair on their faces and the other pairs they use to fly.
The next in line are the cherubs, which are the guardians of the lights and the stars. These angels are often depicted as small and cuddly but the truth is cherubs have other images. They can be a man, an ox, a lion and lastly an eagle. The face of the ox is however said to be their true form.
Next in the tier are the Elders or the Thrones. They are also knows as Erelim or Ophanim, which are angels that were mentioned in the New Testament’s Colossians. They are considered to be the symbols of God’s justice and authority and have also been mentioned in the last chapter in the bible, the Revelation.
On another level are the Dominions. In some sectors, they are also called as Hashmallim. They are the ones tasked to regulate the duties of lower angels. Among all the other angels, they are the only ones with scepters that have orbs on top. They wield these scepters or use their swords. They also have a pair of light feathery wings and are extremely perfect in appearance. In fact, it is the Dominions whose images are often the image from which most angel depictions are base on.
The virtues on the other hand are the next in line. Their primary duty is to supervise the actions of nature and heavenly bodies so that disasters can be averted. They ensure that everything in nature are in order. The term virtue is actually derived from the Greek term dunamis which translates directly to Virtue. The next group is the Powers which are the guardians of people’s conscience. They are perhaps the ones always being depicted as advisors to people when they are on a crossroad. They are also responsible for distributing the power for humankind. They are also warrior angels who defend the heaven and God. No power has ever fallen from grace but according to legends, Satan was a former power angel who fell to hell.
The principalities are another rank of angels who are often depicted as wearing crowns and carrying scepters. They carry out the orders that are given by the other angels in higher ranks as well as to oversee groups of people. They are also said to inspire people to do things for the arts and the Sciences.

Surprising Facts About Angels

2009-06-13T04:38:00.000-07:00

Angels are about the most disputed topic discussed in religion, In the books of the bible, from Genesis down to revelation, Angels are mentioned over 300 times. This is also obtainable in various other religious manuscripts and secular literature which contain stories about the existence of angels.
In the Christian Bible, angels are said to be messengers for God and also his son, Jesus Christ. Reading through the bible, here are some amazing things I learnt about Angels.
In the book if Acts, the scriptures vividly describe that no prison or physical restraint can detain an angel, many instances of which angels have appeared to many Christian followers like Peter and Paul, among others, who were freed by angels from confinement in prison.
Angels also care for and communicate with soldiers and members of the military. This is evidenced in scripture where it was identified that the very first Gentile convert was a military officer according to Acts chapter 10 : 3 - 4, "About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in to him, and said to him, ‘Cornelius!’ and fixing his gaze upon him and being much alarmed, he said, ‘What is it, Lord?’ And he said to him, ‘Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God "
Angels are tasked to keep watch and safeguard little children. Jesus Christ fondly spoke of children being under the care of the angels.
The scriptures also declare that angels are subject to Jesus Christ as the Supreme Commander, thus, angels cannot perform the works of the Holy Spirit nor can they grant forgiveness of man’s sins, as stated in I Peter chapter 3: 21 - 22.
A great multitude of angels descended on Mt. Sinai, the place where the prophet Moses received the tablet bearing the laws god wanted to bring to His people the Israelites, which had reference to the scriptures where the psalmist declared "Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks, at the mountain which God has desired for His abode? Surely, the Lord will dwell there forever. The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness" (Psalm 68:16,17)
Angels also live in constant communion with God, who continually praise and worship Him. "And Zacharias said to the angel, ‘How shall I know this for certain? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years,’ And the angel answered and said to him, ‘I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God: and I have been sent to speak to you, and to bring to you this good news." (Luke 1:18,19)
Jesus Christ often spoke both of angels and heaven and one good example can be found in the book of John chapter 1: 50, 51, "Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.’ And He said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you shall see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
These are just some of the amazing facts I could find about angels, if you find the time to read through the Bible, you may be surprised to discover a lot more amazing facts about angels that you may have ever imagined.

Knowing Your Angels (Angelogy)

2009-06-11T02:23:00.000-07:00

Angels are a popular topic in modern culture. A lot of this popularity comes from popular culture: images of kindly messengers running around helping the underprivileged and giving those who've been through dark times a chance at redemption. This image isn't exactly a new one. The Bible has had quite a few angel tales in it. Everyone knows the story of Virgin Mary and there's an entire book, Tobias to be specific, in the Catholic Old Testament where an angel pretty much sets up a guy for marriage.

But still all those Bible stories are kind of sparse compared to the whole field of literature and study that has sprung up around them. After all, the idea of angels has been around since the Old Testament and quite a few scholars, starting from Jewish tradition in the Biblical times, have taken up the opportunity to study this field of theology, calling it angelology. It might all seem odd, but they're all pretty passionate about this stuff and it shows in the large amounts of stuff they have managed to come up with from the ancient times onwards. There are actually some pretty active angelologists around.

Of course, since angels are kind of hard to find on the ground, much of their ideas of angels come from the Bible and more fanciful sources like the Apocrypha, technically non-official books of the bible, along with more mystical sources like the Kabbala. All of those sources are mixed in with personal theories, assumptions and a few choice bits of folklore. It all seems a bit of a mish-mash of ideas, but like fine wine, the development of angelic theory has pretty much settled down through the ages to a definitive set of beliefs.

Medieval Christian theologians pretty much set down the definitive angelic hierarchy. Since they were pretty much enamored by the number three, the holy number of the trinity, these theologians divided the angels into three spheres, basing most of their beliefs from New Testament books like Ephesians and Colossians. Each sphere was then divided into another three sets. The first sphere is composed of the angels seen in the Old Testament: the Seraphim, Cherubim and the Thrones.

These angels worked to guard God's divine throne. The next sphere were governors of the heaven, making sure everything ran smoothly. They are divided into the Dominions, the Virtues, and the Powers. Finally, the last sphere dealt the most with humans, delivering messages to them and guarding them against demons: the Principalities, Archangels, and just plain Angels.

General divisions like these helped systematize the theology behind angels. It was all very serious business back then. Both the Fourth Lateran Council and the First Vatican Council each had definite things to say about angels based on the research of angelologists. Even then, study did not stop of course.Shifting on individual angels, especially the named ones in the Bible were another part of angelology.

The popular belief in seven Archangels is pretty much one of the results of these studies. The archangels, according to angelologists, were charged with the protection of nationes. Also, each had a specific name that could be used to invoke their protection: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Raguel, Zerachiel and Remiel. Occult imagery has co-opted some of these ideas and usually use them in magical rituals of protection.

As you can see, the study of angels can be pretty complicated. A lot of work has been put into it through the years and it's become part of modern mythology. Angels aren't just winged fellows with harps and all of this is proves that.