The word angel comes from the Greek word "angelos", meaning "messenger", and was first derived from the Zoroastrian Amesha Spenta, an auxiliary god created by the main god Ahurah Mazda, a total of 7. Transformed into a god-created in Christianity. They are God's servants, responsible for communicating God's will to humanity, guarding heaven, protecting believers, and fulfilling the other tasks God has entrusted to them. Early churches had a fierce debate over whether angels belonged to one of the Christian doctrines, and St. Paul was one of the representatives of the opposition to angel worship, but in 325 AD, the Council of Nicea formally incorporated angels into the doctrine.
There are many opinions about the number of angels, ranging from a few to hundreds of millions, and some people believe that there is a distinction between types, functions, and ranks between angels. One of the most influential methods of distinction that has survived is the classification proposed by the Syrian Dionysius (who is also known as "pseudo-Dionysius" to distinguish himself from the biblical figure of the same name) in the Celestial Hierarchy around 500 AD. He divided the angels into three levels, each of which was divided into three grades, from top to bottom: the first level: six-winged angel, wisdom angel, and seat angel; the second level: the main angel, the force angel, and the energy angel; and the third level: the power angel, the archangel, and the angel.
【Angel】
The six-winged angel (Seraphim) is the highest-ranking angel, and they are made of love, light, and fire (is this the earliest "glowing with love"?). ), hence the name "Blazing Angel". They don't do any facts, their only task is to keep singing the praises of God. According to Isaiah chapter 6 verses 1-2, they hung above God's throne, covering their faces with two wings, their feet with two wings, and both wings for flight. The Second Book of Enoch says that the six-winged angel also had four faces.
The angel of wisdom (Cherubim) represents the wisdom of God. The earliest angel mentioned in the Bible, God expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, fearing that they would return to steal the fruit of the Tree of Life, and placed the Angel of Wisdom and the sword that turned and flared on all sides on the road to the Tree of Life on the east side of the Garden of Eden. The Book of Exodus also mentions that the angels of wisdom were carved on the Ark of the Covenant, which shows that the function of such angels is to guard certain things. Angel of Wisdom also held the position of historical official. Gabriel was their commander (Gabriel).
【Six-winged Angel】
Thrones/Ofanim Ezekiel chapter 1 verses 13-19 describe the throne angel as having four faces (human, eagle, lion, and cow's face), four wings, and a wheel next to each face, with eyes on it, burning with fire, emitting lightning, and moving as quickly as electricity. According to Jewish legend, bishops become angels when they ascend to heaven. Raphael was the leader of this type of angel.
The above three types of angels will never be involved in the affairs of reality, they are the embodiment of mysterious ideas. It is only when it comes to specific work starting with dominions. Their task is to assign and coordinate the functions of all the subordinate angels. The leader of this type of angel was Raguel.
The functions of powers are mainly in terms of virtue, and they are the embodiment of "excellence" and "excellence", and they will give the good people the courage and strength to overcome danger. Its leader is Michael.
The Virtues, the army of angels, are responsible for guarding heaven against the onslaught of the devil and maintaining peace in the world. Their leader was Chamael/Kamael/Canael.
[Seat angel, the painter obviously does not know how to draw angels and wheels together, so deal with them separately]
Principalities, guardians of the Church, the state, and the kingship. Many of the angels of power were transformed from foreign gods, such as Nisroch, a god worshipped by the Assyrians, whose image is the head of the eagle, and is considered to be one of the leaders of the angels of power. The other leader was Yanar, one of the seven angels of God's creation.
Archangel (Archangel) may have represented the high-ranking angels among the angels, but later due to the mythical layers of creation, seven more levels of angels were added to it, and they were reduced to low-level angels. Salvation is the fact that several angels, although at the level of archangels, lead higher angels.
The book of Revelation speaks of seven archangels, but does not list their genders. The three recognized candidates were Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, and the remaining four candidates were Uriel, Ragel, Laguire, Rajel, Chajel, Remille,, Euphil, Ursil, Midalen and Charlie. Islam recognizes only four archangels, of which only Michael and Raphael are given names.
【Michael】
The most famous of all the angels is Michael, whose name means "God-like", also known as the "Angel of Justice", "the Angel of Repentance", "the Angel of Mercy", and the "Angel of Sanctification". He is an angel recognized by Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the ruler of the power angel and archangel, and one of the archangels. Michael was the most powerful warrior of the angels, and in his artworks is generally depicted as young, fit, wearing armor, holding a sword and fighting demons. Revelation chapter 12 verses 7-9 writes, "There is a battle in heaven. Michael fought with his messengers against the dragons. The dragon also goes to war with its messengers. There is no victory, and there is no place for them in heaven. The great dragon is the ancient serpent, called the devil, also called Satan, who deceives the whole world. It was thrown to the ground, and so were its messengers. The Dead Sea Texts also tell of Michael fighting the demon Pere. Other legends also say that Michael single-handedly wiped out the 185,000-strong army of the Assyrian king Senakiri.
Gabriel in Hell Detective
Gabriel, like Michael, is an angel recognized by the Three Religions, whose name means "power of God", the leader of the angels of wisdom, and one of the archangels. He was often seen as a messenger, and it was he who first informed the Virgin Mary of the good news of her pregnancy. When Muhammad was enlightened, Gabriel descended from heaven to convey to him the Word of God. At the end of the world, gabriel also blew the trumpet and announced the coming of God's judgment. He is also believed to be one of the angels sent by God to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, and one of the angels of death. Gabriel and Michael are also the most frequent angels in films, novels, games, and more.
Raphael is one of the few angels in the Bible with a name and a surname, and his identity is very confused, and he belongs to the six-winged angel, the main angel, and the energy angel, and is also the leader of the angels of wisdom and force. He was able to cure all kinds of diseases, so he was called "the cure of god", and the word rapha itself meant "doctor". He is considered one of the seven archangels.
【Raphael】
Metatron, whose name is not mentioned in the Bible, comes from the book of Enoch. He is the clerk of the celestial realm, responsible for recording everything that happens in the world. At the same time, Milanda is also the head of the Angel of Death, and together with Gabriel, Sameer, and Charlie, he forms the four Angels of Death.
Suriel, meaning "command of God," also has a most well-known name, the Son of Light. The Book of Enoch lists him as one of the seven archangels. He was also known as the "King of Angels", but the name King of Angels had long been used up, Michael, Midaren, Charlie, Lucifer... All have this name.
Lucifer, the famous fallen angel, was originally the king of angels, but because he led many angels against God, he was relegated to the netherworld and became a demon. I will elaborate on his deeds in a later demonic chapter.
bibliography:
Cambridge Dictionary of Christian Theology
James P. R. Louis: The Complete Book of Angels