![]() ![]() In Zoroastrian belief, Vohu Manah, known as the "good mind," one of the holy immortals called Amesha Spentas, appeared to Zarathushtra and unveiled the true nature of God and his covenant with humanity. This emphasis on the role of angels as messengers aligns with the influence of Zoroastrianism. However, angels, being capable of taking on human form, serve as intermediaries between heaven and earth, revealing the divine plan, will, and law. As a result, humans have become estranged and no longer comprehend their relationship with their creator or the purpose of their existence. In the traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the separation between God and humanity is believed to have occurred due to the sin and fall of mankind. In Zoroastrianism, this divide originated from the primordial clash among the gods, leaving humanity stranded in an unfamiliar world. The primary role of angels is to bridge the cosmic divide that separates God and humanity. Heaven represents the celestial realm inhabited by God and his angels, while earth symbolizes the material world of humanity. Judaism adopted the Zoroastrian concept of dividing the universe into three realms: heaven, earth, and hell. He is referred to as the "Lord of Hosts," and his warrior angels engage in battle against the forces of evil led by Satan, who gradually assumes the characteristics of the archfiend, Angra Mainyu. Similar to Ahura Mazda, the God of the Old Testament, Yahveh, is surrounded by a host of angelic beings. These, in turn, influenced subsequent Jewish, Christian, and Islamic beliefs. The Zoroastrian legend of the cosmic clash between Ahura Mazda, the benevolent deity, and Angra Mainyu, the hostile deity, along with their armies of angels and demons, had a profound impact on the angelology and demonology found in Hebrew scriptures and the Apocrypha. The notion of angels was first introduced in the Zoroastrianism faith. Such differentiation has been taken over by later vernacular translations of the Bible, early Christian and Jewish exegetes and eventually modern scholars. If the word refers to some supernatural being, the word angelus appears. In the Latin Vulgate, this meaning becomes bifurcated: when malʼākh or ángelos is supposed to denote a human messenger, words like nuntius or legatus are applied. ![]() The rendering of " ángelos" is the Septuagint's default translation of the Biblical Hebrew term malʼākh, denoting simply "messenger" without connoting its nature. Beekes, ángelos itself may be "an Oriental loan, like ἄγγαρος ( ángaros, 'Persian mounted courier')." Τhe word's earliest form is Mycenaean a-ke-ro, attested in Linear B syllabic script. Both of these derive from Late Latin angelus, which in turn was borrowed from Late Greek ἄγγελος angelos (literally "messenger"). The word angel arrives in modern English from Old English engel (with a hard g) and the Old French angele. ![]() They are often identified in Christian artwork with bird wings, halos, and divine light. The Wounded Angel, Hugo Simberg, 1903, voted Finland's "national painting" in 2006Īngels in art are usually shaped like humans of extraordinary beauty, though this is not always the case-sometimes, they can be portrayed in a frightening, inhuman manner. Those expelled from Heaven are called fallen angels, distinct from the heavenly host. Some angels have specific names (such as Gabriel or Michael) or titles (such as seraph or archangel). Abrahamic religions describe angelic hierarchies, which vary by religion and sect. ![]() Other roles include protectors and guides for humans, such as guardian angels, and servants of God. In various theistic religious traditions, an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.Ībrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Jacob Wrestling with the Angel, by Gustave Doré in 1855 Schutzengel (English: "Guardian Angel") by Bernhard Plockhorst depicts a guardian angel watching over two children. The Archangel Michael wears a Roman military cloak and cuirass in this 17th-century depiction by Guido Reni. ![]()
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