Angel

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For other uses, see Angel (disambiguation).
"Angelology" redirects here. For the novel, see Angelology (novel).

Schutzengel (English: "Guardian Angel") by Bernhard Plockhorst depicts a guardian

angel watching over two children.
An angel is a primarily spiritual being found in various religions. In Abrahamic
religions and Zoroastrianism, angels are often depicted as benevolent celestial
beings who act as intermediaries between God or Heaven and Earth, or as guardian
spirits or a guiding influence.[1][2]Other roles of angels include protecting and guiding
human beings, and carrying out God's tasks. [3] The term "angel" has also been
diversed to various notions of spirits or figures found in many other religious
traditions. The theological study of angels is known as "angelology".
In art, angels are often depicted as humanoids with bird-like wings (which are
symbolic for at least most angels) on their back, a halo, robes and various forms of
glowing light.[4]
Contents
[hide]

1Etymology

2Judaism
o

2.1Jewish angelic hierarchy

2.2Individual angels

3Christianity
o

3.1Interaction with angels

3.2The New Church

3.3Latter Day Saints

4Islam

5Hermetic Qabalah

6Sikhism

7Bah' Faith

8Zoroastrianism

9Neoplatonism

10Theosophy

11Brahma Kumaris

12In art

13See also

14References

15Further reading

16External links

Etymology[edit]
The word angel (pronounced /en.dl/) in English is a blend of Old
English engel (with a hard g) and Old French angele.[5] Both derive from Late
Latin angelus "messenger", which in turn was borrowed from Late
Greek ngelos. According to R. S. P. Beekes, ngelos itself may be "an
Oriental loan, like ['Persian mounted courier']." [6] The word's earliest form
is Mycenaean a-ke-ro attested in Linear B syllabic script.[7][8]
The ngelos is the default Septuagint's translation of the Biblical
Hebrew term malkh denoting simply "messenger" without specifying its nature. In
the Latin Vulgate, however, the meaning becomes bifurcated:
when malkh or ngelos is supposed to denote a human messenger, words
like nuntius or legatus are applied. If the word refers to some supernatural being,
the word angelus appears. Such differentiation has been taken over by later
vernacular translations of the Bible, early Christian and Jewish exegetes and
eventually modern scholars.[9]
Judaism[edit]
Main article: Angels in Judaism

Three angels hosted by Abraham,Ludovico Carracci (15551619), Bologna,

Pinacoteca Nazionale.
The Torah uses the (Hebrew) terms ( mal'kk 'lhm; messenger of God),
( mal'kk YHWH; messenger of the Lord), ( bn 'lhm; sons of
God) and ( haqqdkm; the holy ones) to refer to beings traditionally
interpreted as angels. Later texts use other terms, such as ( h'elynm; the
upper ones).
The term ( mal'kk) is also used in other books of the Tanakh. Depending on the
context, the Hebrew word may refer to a human messenger or to a supernatural
messenger. A human messenger might be a prophet or priest, such as Malachi, "my
messenger"; the Greek superscription in the Septuagint translation states the Book
of Malachi was written "by the hand of his messenger" anglu. Examples of
a supernatural messenger[10] are the "Malak YHWH," who is either a messenger from
God,[11] an aspect of God (such as theLogos),[12] or God himself as the messenger
(the "theophanic angel.")[10][13]
Scholar Michael D. Coogan notes that it is only in the late books that the terms
"come to mean the benevolent semi divine beings familiar from later mythology and
art."[14] Daniel is the first biblical figure to refer to individual angels by name,
[15]
mentioning Gabriel (God's primary messenger) in Daniel 9:21 and Michael (the
holy fighter) in Daniel 10:13. These angels are part of Daniel's apocalyptic visions
and are an important part of all apocalyptic literature. [14] Coogan explains the
development of this concept of angels: "In the postexilic period, with the
development of explicit monotheism, these divine beingsthe 'sons of God' who
were members of the Divine Councilwere in effect demoted to what are now
known as 'angels', understood as beings created by God, but immortal and thus
superior to humans."[14] This conception of angels is best understood in contrast
to demons and is often thought to be "influenced by the ancient Persian religious
tradition of Zoroastrianism, which viewed the world as a battleground between

forces of good and forces of evil, between light and darkness." [14] One of these
is hn, a figure depicted in (among other places) the Book of Job.
Philo of Alexandria identifies the angel with the Logos inasmuch as the angel is the
immaterial voice of God. The angel is something different from God Himself, but is
conceived as God's instrument.[16]
In post-Biblical Judaism, certain angels took on particular significance and
developed unique personalities and roles. Though these archangels were believed
to rank among theheavenly host, no systematic hierarchy ever
developed. Metatron is considered one of the highest of the angels
in Merkabah and Kabbalist mysticism and often serves as a scribe; he is briefly
mentioned in the Talmud[17] and figures prominently in Merkabah mystical texts.
Michael, who serves as a warrior[18] and advocate for Israel (Daniel 10:13), is looked
upon particularly fondly.[19] Gabriel is mentioned in the Book of Daniel (Daniel 8:15
17) and briefly in the Talmud, [20] as well as in many Merkabah mystical texts. There
is no evidence in Judaism for the worship of angels, but there is evidence for
the invocation and sometimes even conjuration of angels.[15]
Medieval Jewish philosopher Maimonides explained his view of angels in his Guide
for the Perplexed II:4 and II
... This leads Aristotle in turn to the demonstrated fact that God, glory and majesty
to Him, does not do things by direct contact. God burns things by means of fire; fire
is moved by the motion of the sphere; the sphere is moved by means of a
disembodied intellect, these intellects being the 'angels which are near to Him',
through whose mediation the spheres [planets] move ... thus totally disembodied
minds exist which emanate from God and are the intermediaries between God and
all the bodies [objects] here in this world.
Guide for the Perplexed II:4, Maimonides
According to Kabalah, there are four worlds and our world is the last world: the
world of action (Assiyah). Angels exist in the worlds above as a 'task' of God. They
are an extension of God to produce effects in this world. After an angel has
completed its task, it ceases to exist. The angel is in effect the task. This is derived
from the book of Genesiswhen Abraham meets with three angels and Lot meets
with two. The task of one of the angels was to inform Abraham of his coming child.
The other two were to save Lot and to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.[15]

One of Melozzo's musician (seraphim) angels from the Basilica dei Santi Apostoli,
now in the sacristy of St. Peter's Basilica
Jewish angelic hierarchy[edit]
Main article: Jewish angelic hierarchy
Maimonides, in his Yad ha-Chazakah: Yesodei ha-Torah, counts ten ranks of angels in
the Jewish angelic hierarchy, beginning from the highest:
Ran
k

Angel

Notes

Chayot Ha
Kodesh

See Book of Ezekiel chs. 1 and 10

Ophanim

See Ezekiel chs. 1 and 10

Erelim

See Book of Isaiah 33:7

Hashmallim

See Ezekiel 1:4

Seraphim

See Isaiah 6

Malakim

Messengers, angels

Elohim

"Godly beings"

Bene Elohim

"Sons of Godly beings"

Cherubim

See Talmud Hagigah

10

Ishim

"manlike beings", see Book of Genesis 18:2, Book of

Daniel 10:5

Individual angels[edit]

From the Jewish Encyclopedia, entry "Angelology".[15]

Michael (archangel) (translation: who is like God?), kindness of God, and

stands up for the children of mankind

Gabriel (archangel) (translation: God is my strength), performs acts of justice

and power

(Only these two angels are mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible; the rest are
from extra-biblical tradition.)

Jophiel (translation: Beauty of God), expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden
of Eden holding a flaming sword and punishes those who transgress against
God.

Raphael (archangel) (translation: It is God who heals), God's healing force

Uriel (archangel) (translation: God is my light), leads us to destiny

Samael (archangel) (translation: Venom of God), angel of deathsee

also Malach HaMavet (translation: the angel of death)

Sandalphon (archangel) (translation: bringing together), battles Samael and

brings mankind together

Christianity[edit]
Main article: Christian angelic hierarchy

The Archangel Michael wears a late Roman military cloak and cuirass in this 17thcentury depiction by Guido Reni
Later Christians inherited Jewish understandings of angels, which in turn may have
been partly inherited from the Egyptians. [21] In the early stage, the Christian concept

of an angel characterized the angel as a messenger of God. Later came

identification of individual angelic messengers: Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Uriel,
and Lucifer. Then, in the space of little more than two centuries (from the 3rd to the
5th) the image of angels took on definite characteristics both in theology and in art.
[22]

According to St Augustine, " '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'."[23] Basilian Father Thomas Rosica says, "Angels are very important, because
they provide people with an articulation of the conviction that God is intimately
involved in human life."[24]
By the late 4th 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 physical bodies, [25]while some maintained that they were
entirely spiritual. Some theologians had proposed that angels were not divine but on
the level of immaterial beings subordinate to the Trinity. The resolution of this
Trinitarian dispute included the development of doctrine about angels. [26]
The angels are represented throughout the Christian Bible as spiritual beings
intermediate between God and men: "You have made him [man] a little less than
the angels ..." (Psalms 8:4-5). The Bible describes the function of angels as
"messengers" but does not indicate when the creation of angels occurred.
[27]
Christians believe that angels are created beings, based on (Psalms 148:25; Colossians 1:16): "praise ye Him, all His angels: praise ye Him, all His hosts ... for
He spoke and they were made. He commanded and they were created ...".
The Fourth Lateran Council (1215) declared that the angels were created beings.
The Council's decree Firmiter credimus (issued against theAlbigenses) declared both
that angels were created and that men were created after them. The First Vatican
Council (1869) repeated this declaration in Dei Filius, the "Dogmatic constitution on
the Catholic faith".
Thomas Aquinas (13th century) relates angels to Aristotle's metaphysics in
his Summa contra Gentiles,[28] Summa Theologica,[29] and in De substantiis
separatis,[30] a treatise on angelology. Although angels have greater knowledge than
men, they are not omniscient, as Matthew 24:36 points out.[31]
Interaction with angels[edit]

An angel comforting Jesus, by Carl Heinrich Bloch, 18651890.

Forget not to show love unto strangers: for thereby some have entertain

The New Testament includes many interactions and conversations between angels
and humans. For instance, three separate cases of angelic interaction deal with the
births of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. In Luke 1:11, an angel appears
to Zechariah to inform him that he will have a child despite his old age, thus
proclaiming the birth of John the Baptist. In Luke 1:26 the Archangel Gabriel visits
the Virgin Mary in the Annunciation to foretell the birth of Jesus Christ. Angels then
proclaim the birth of Jesus in the Adoration of the shepherds in Luke 2:10.[32]
According to Matthew 4:11, after Jesus spent 40 days in the desert, "...the devil left
him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him." In Luke 22:43 an angel
comforts Jesus Christ during the Agony in the Garden.[33] In Matthew 28:5 an angel
speaks at the empty tomb, following the Resurrection of Jesus and the rolling back
of the stone by angels.[32]
In 1851 Pope Pius IX approved the Chaplet of Saint Michael based on the 1751
reported private revelation from archangel Michael to theCarmelite nun Antonia
d'Astonac.[34] In a biography of Saint Gemma Galgani written by Venerable
Germanus Ruoppolo, Galgani stated that she had spoken with her guardian angel.
Pope John Paul II emphasized the role of angels in Catholic teachings in his 1986
address titled "Angels Participate In History Of Salvation", in which he suggested
that modern mentality should come to see the importance of angels. [35]
According to the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the
Sacraments, "The practice of assigning names to the Holy Angels should be
discouraged, except in the cases of Gabriel, Raphael and Michael whose names are
contained in Holy Scripture."[36]
The New Church[edit]

In the New Church, there is extensive information provided concerning angels and
the spiritual world in which they dwell from many years of spiritual experiences
recounted in the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. All angels are in human form
with a spiritual body, and are not just minds without form. [37] There are different
orders of angels according to the three heavens, [38] and each angel dwells in one of
innumerable societies of angels. Such a society of angels can appear as one angel
as a whole.[39] All angels originate from the human race, and there is not one angel
in heaven who first did not live in a material body. [40] Moreover, all children who die
not only enter heaven but eventually become angels. [41] The life of angels is that of
usefulness, and their functions are so many that they cannot be enumerated.
However each angel will enter a service according to the use that they had
performed in their earthly life.[42] Names of angels, such as Michael, Gabriel, and
Raphael, signify a particular angelic function rather than an individual being. [43]While
living in one's body an individual has conjunction with heaven through the angels,
[44]
and with each person, there are at least two evil spirits and two angels.
[45]
Temptation or pains of conscience originates from a conflict between evil spirits
and angels.[46] Due to man's sinful nature it is dangerous to have open direct
communication with angels[47]and can only be seen when one's spiritual sight has
been opened.[48] Thus from moment to moment angels attempt to lead each person
to what is good tacitly using the person's own thoughts. [49]
Latter Day Saints[edit]

Temple statue of theAngel Moroni, Bern,Switzerland

Adherents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) view
angels as the messengers of God. They are sent to mankind to deliver messages,
minister to humanity, teach doctrines of salvation, call mankind to repentance,
give priesthood keys, save individuals in perilous times, and guide humankind. [50]

Paradiso Illustration by Gustave Dor.

Paradise (Paradiso)

The Divine Comedy Illustration by Gustave Dor.

Latter Day Saints believe that angels either are the spirits of humans who are
deceased or who have yet to be born, or are humans who have
beenresurrected or translated and have physical bodies of flesh and bones, [51] and
accordingly Joseph Smith taught that "there are no angels who minister to this earth
but those that do belong or have belonged to it." [52] As such, Latter Day Saints also
believe that Adam, the first man, was and is now the archangel Michael,[53][54][55] and
that Gabriel lived on the earth as Noah.[51] Likewise the Angel Moroni first lived in
a pre-Columbian American civilization as the 5th-century prophet-warrior
named Moroni.
Joseph Smith, Jr. described his first angelic encounter thus: [56]
"While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a light appearing in my
room, which continued to increase until the room was lighter than at noonday, when
immediately a personage appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his feet
did not touch the floor.
He had on a loose robe of most exquisite whiteness. It was a whiteness beyond
anything earthly I had ever seen; nor do I believe that any earthly thing could be
made to appear so exceedingly white and brilliant ...
Not only was his robe exceedingly white, but his whole person was glorious beyond
description, and his countenance truly like lightning. The room was exceedingly
light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person. When I first looked
upon him, I was afraid; but the fear soon left me."
Most angelic visitations in the early Latter Day Saint movement were witnessed by
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, who both claimed (prior to the establishment of
the church in 1830) to have been visited by the prophet Moroni, John the Baptist,
and the apostles Peter,James, and John. Later, after the dedication of the Kirtland
Temple, Smith and Cowdery claimed to have been visited by Jesus, and
subsequently by Moses, Elias, and Elijah.[57]
People who claimed to have received a visit by an angel include the other two of
the Three Witnesses: David Whitmer and Martin Harris. Many other Latter Day
Saints, both in the early and modern church, have claimed to have seen angels,
though Smith posited that, except in extenuating circumstances such as
the restoration, mortals teach mortals, spirits teach spirits, and resurrected beings
teach other resurrected beings.[58]
Islam[edit]

Depiction of an angel in Shia

Main article: Islamic view of angels
Angels (Arabic: , Malikah) are mentioned many times in
the Qur'an and Hadith. Islam is clear on the nature of angels in that they are
messengers of God. They have no free will, and can do only what God orders them
to do.[59] An example of a task they carry out is that of testing individuals by
granting them abundant wealth and curing their illness. [60] Believing in angels is one
of the six Articles of Faithin Islam.
Some examples of angels in Islam:

Jibrail: the archangel Gabriel (Jibra'il or Jibril) is an archangel who serves as a

messenger from God.

Michael (archangel): or Mikail, the angel of nature.

Israfil (Arabic: , translit. Isrfl, Alternate Spelling: Israfel or Seraphim,

Meaning: The Burning One [61] ), is the angel of the trumpet in Islam,
[62]
though unnamed in the Qur'an. Along with Mikhail, Jibrail and Izra'il, he is
one of the four Islamic archangels.[61] Israfil will blow the trumpet from a holy
rock in Jerusalem to announce the Day of Resurrection. [63] The trumpet is
constantly poised at his lips, ready to be blown when God so orders.

Darda'il: the angels who travel in the earth searching out assemblies where
people remember God's name.

Azrael is Azraa-eel or Izrail: the Angel of Death. No authentic reference

of this in Quran or Hadeeth. Only referenced as angel of death or .

Kiraman Katibin: the two angels who record a person's good and bad deeds.

Mu'aqqibat: a class of guardian angels who keep people from death until its
decreed time.

Munkar and Nakir: the angels who test the faith of the dead in their graves.
They ask the soul of the dead person questions. If the person fails the
questions, the angels make the man suffer until the Day of Judgement. If the
soul passes the questions, he will have a pleasant time in the grave until the
Day of Judgement.

Ridwan: the angel in charge of maintaining Jannat or Paradise.

Maalik: the angel who keeps or guards hellfire.

Harut and Marut (Arabic: ) are two angels mentioned in the

second Surah of the Qur'an, who were sent down to test the people
at Babel or Babylon by performing deeds of magic. (Sura Al-Baqara, verse
102.) The Qur'an indicates that although they warned the Babylonians not to
imitate them or do as they were doing, some members of their audience
failed to obey and became sorcerers, thus damning their own souls.

Hermetic Qabalah[edit]
See also: Hermetic Qabalah
According to the Kabbalah as described by the Golden Dawn there are
ten archangels, each commanding one of the choir of angels and corresponding to
one of the Sephirot. It is similar to the Jewish angelic hierarchy.
Ra
nk

Choir of
Angels

Translation

Archang
el

Sephir
ah

Hayot Ha
Kodesh

Holy Living Ones

Metatron

Keter

Ophanim

Wheels

Raziel

Chokm
ah

Erelim

Brave ones[64]

Tzaphkiel Binah

Hashmallim

Glowing ones, Amber ones[65]

Tzadkiel

Chesed

Seraphim

Burning Ones

Khamael

Gevura
h

Malakim

Messengers, angels

Raphael

Tiphere
t

Elohim

Godly Beings

Uriel

Netzac

h
8

Bene Elohim

Sons of Elohim

Michael

Hod

Cherubim

[66]

Gabriel

Yesod

10

Ishim

Men (man-like beings, phonetically

similar to "fires")

Sandalph
on

Malkut
h

Sikhism[edit]

This section improperly uses one or more religious

texts as primary sources without referring to secondary sources
that critically analyze them. Please help improve this article by adding
references to reliable secondary sources, with multiple points of
view. (November 2010)
The poetry of the holy scripture of the Sikhs the Sri Guru Granth Sahib
figuratively mentions a messenger or angel of death, sometimes as Yam (
"Yam") and sometimes as Azrael ( "Ajraeel"):


The Messenger of Death will not touch you; in this way, you shall cross over the
terrifying world-ocean, carrying others across with you.
Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Siree Raag, First Mehl, p. 22. [67]

Azraa-eel, the Messenger of Death, is the friend of the human being who has Your
support, Lord.
Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Tilang, Fifth Mehl, Third House, p. 724. [68]
In a similar vein, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib talks of a figurative Chitar (
) and
Gupat (

):

Chitar and Gupat, the recording angels of the conscious and the unconscious, write
the accounts of all mortal beings, / but they cannot even see the Lord's humble
devotees.
Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Aasaa, Fifth Mehl, Panch-Pada, p. 393. [69]
However, Sikhism has never had a literal system of angels, preferring guidance
without explicit appeal to supernatural orders or beings.
Bah' Faith[edit]

In his Book of Certitude Bah'u'llh, founder of the Bah' Faith, describes angels as
people who "have consumed, with the fire of the love of God, all human traits and
limitations", and have "clothed themselves" with angelic attributes and have
become "endowed with the attributes of the spiritual". 'Abdu'l-Bah describes
angels as the "confirmations of God and His celestial powers" and as "blessed
beings who have severed all ties with this nether world" and "been released from
the chains of self", and "revealers of God's abounding grace". The Bah' writings
also refer to the Concourse on High, an angelic host, and the Maid of Heaven of
Bah'u'llh's vision.[70]
Zoroastrianism[edit]
Main article: Zoroastrian angelology
In Zoroastrianism there are different angel-like figures. For example, each person
has one guardian angel, called Fravashi. They patronize human beings and other
creatures, and also manifest God's energy. The Amesha Spentas have often been
regarded as angels, although there is no direct reference to them conveying
messages,[71] but are rather emanations of Ahura Mazda ("Wise Lord", God); they
initially appeared in an abstract fashion and then later became personalized,
associated with diverse aspects of the divine creation. [72]
Neoplatonism[edit]
In the commentaries of Proclus (4th century, under Christian rule) on
the Timaeus of Plato, Proclus uses the terminology of "angelic" (aggelikos) and
"angel" (aggelos) in relation to metaphysical beings. According to Aristotle, just as
there is a First Mover,[73] so, too, must there be spiritual secondary movers. [74]
Theosophy[edit]
See also: Theosophical Society
In the teachings of the Theosophical Society, Devas are regarded as living either in
the atmospheres of the planets of the solar system (Planetary Angels) or inside
the Sun (Solar Angels) and they help to guide the operation of the processes
of nature such as the process of evolution and the growth of plants; their
appearance is reputedly like colored flames about the size of a human. It is believed
by Theosophists that devas can be observed when the third eye is activated. Some
(but not most) devas originally incarnated ashuman beings.[75]
It is believed by Theosophists that nature
spirits, elementals (gnomes, undines, sylphs, and salamanders), and fairies can be
also be observed when the third eye is activated.[76]It is maintained by Theosophists
that these less evolutionarily developed beings have never been previously
incarnated as humans; they are regarded as being on a separate line of spiritual
evolution called the "deva evolution"; eventually, as their souls advance as
they reincarnate, it is believed they will incarnate as devas. [77]
It is asserted by Theosophists that all of the above-mentioned beings
possess etheric bodies that are composed of etheric matter, a type of matter finer

and more pure that is composed of smaller particles than ordinary physical plane
matter.[77]
Brahma Kumaris[edit]
The Brahma Kumaris uses the term "angel" to refer to a perfect, or complete state
of the human being, which they believe can be attained through a connection with
God.[78][79]
In art[edit]
Main article: Angels in art

12th-century icon of the ArchangelsMichael and Gabriel wearing the lorosof the
Imperial guards.
In an address during a General Audience of 6 August 1986, entitled "Angels
participate in the history of salvation", Pope John Paul II explained that "[T]he angels
have no 'body' (even if, in particular circumstances, they reveal themselves under
visible forms because of their mission for the good of people)." [35] Angels are
however often depicted in painting and sculpture as male humans. Christian art
perhaps reflects the descriptions in Revelation 4:68 of the Four Living
Creatures (Greek: ) and the descriptions in the Hebrew Bible
of cherubim and seraphim (the chayot in Ezekiel's Merkabah vision and the
Seraphim of Isaiah). However, while cherubim and seraphim have wings in the
Bible, no angel is mentioned as having wings. [80] The earliest known Christian image
of an angelin theCubicolo dell'Annunziazione in the Catacomb of Priscilla (mid-3rd
century)is without wings. In that same period, representations of angels
on sarcophagi, lamps and reliquaries also show them without wings,[81] as for
example the angel in the Sacrifice of Isaac scene in the Sarcophagus of Junius
Bassus (although the side view of the Sarcophagus shows winged angelic figures).

The earliest known representation of angels with wings is on the "Prince's

Sarcophagus", discovered in the 1930s at Sarigzel, nearIstanbul, and attributed to
the time of Theodosius I (379395).[82] From that period on, Christian art has
represented angels mostly with wings, as in the cycle of mosaics in the Basilica of
Saint Mary Major (432440).[83] Four- and six-winged angels, drawn from the higher
grades of angels (especially cherubim and seraphim) and often showing only their
faces and wings, are derived from Persian art and are usually shown only
in heavenly contexts, as opposed to performing tasks on earth. They often appear in
the pendentives of church domesor semi-domes. Prior to the Judeo-Christian
tradition, in the Greek world the goddess Nike and the gods Eros and Thanatos were
also depicted in human-like form with wings.
Saint John Chrysostom explained the significance of angels' wings:
They manifest a nature's sublimity. That is why Gabriel is represented with wings.
Not that angels have wings, but that you may know that they leave the heights and
the most elevated dwelling to approach human nature. Accordingly, the wings
attributed to these powers have no other meaning than to indicate the sublimity of
their nature.[84]
Angels are typically depicted in Mormon art as having no wings based on a quote
from Joseph Smith ("An angel of God never has wings"). [85]
In terms of their clothing, angels, especially the Archangel Michael, were depicted
as military-style agents of God and came to be shown wearing Late Antique military
uniform. This uniform could be the normal military dress, with a tunic to about the
knees, an armour breastplate and pteruges, but was often the specific dress of the
bodyguard of theByzantine Emperor, with a long tunic and the loros, the long gold
and jewelled pallium restricted to the Imperial family and their closest guards. The
basic military dress was shown in Western art into the Baroque period and beyond
(see Reni picture above), and up to the present day in Eastern Orthodox icons.
Other angels came to be conventionally depicted in long robes, and in the later
Middle Ages they often wear the vestments of a deacon, a cope over a dalmatic;
this costume was used especially for Gabriel inAnnunciation scenesfor example
the Annunciation in Washington by Jan van Eyck.