Angels are heavenly beings who figure prominently in the Bible and hence in Jewish, Christian and Muslim theology. The word angel as used in the Bible is from the Greek angellos which is how the Hebrew word mal'akh (messenger) was translated by the writers of the Septuagint (the source for later Christian translations). They are generally considered as spiritual beings created by God and are intermediate between God and humans*.

The very first angel to appear in the Bible is the cherub who stands guard at the gate of the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve have expelled (as shown the this thirteenth century painting. Two cherubim also guarded the Ark of the Covenant** (Exodus 25). In the fifth or sixth century, the so-called False-Dionysius organized angels into nine Choirs from highest to lowest as: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels and Angels. The first two and the last two are the best known. (The term Angels is also used for the entire phalanx.) Although some, such as Michael and Gabriel have masculine names, they are genderless, neither male nor female. The prophet Daniel is the first to refer to certain angels by name.

Angels fly and thus, although only the Seraphim and Cherubim are explicitly described as having wings, all are often portrayed with them. Many were not recognized as angels by those they visited, and they are often depicted in art as ordinary humans. The first known painting showing them with wings is a twelfth century icon of Michael and Gabriel dressed as imperial guards. The icon on the right shows the angels who visited Abraham before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. They are without wings and Abraham did not know they were angels.(Picture)

Seraphim have six wings, two which cover the face, two the feet and the other two with which they fly. They are guardians, especially of the throne of God.
Cherubim are not the cute little winged baby ‘cherubs' (putti) so prevalent in Renaissance art. They are fully grown and serve as guards, often shown flanking the throne of God. In Revelation they are four winged creatures, the first like a lion, the second like an ox, the third like a man, and the fourth like an eagle. In Middle Eastern art they have been shown with the wings of an eagle. (Pictures showing other composite winged figures are actually depicting the mythical griffin (gryphon) which is used in the Lyric Opera logo above. It has the hindquarters of a lion and the head claws, and wings of an eagle.
Thrones are mentioned by Paul in Colossians 1:16 and relate to the throne of God the Father. They are living symbols of God's justice and authority.
Dominions hold the task of regulating the duties of lower angels. They are also the angels who preside over nations.
Powers are the bearers of conscience and the keepers of history. They are the warrior angels created to be completely loyal to God. Their duty is to oversee the distribution of power among humankind, hence their name.
Principalities are shown wearing a crown and carrying a scepter. Their duty is said to be to carry out the orders given to them by the Dominions, and they are said to inspire living things in many areas of art or science.
Virtues: Their primary duty is to supervise the movements of the heavenly bodies in order to ensure that the cosmos remains in order.

Archangels: The Archangel Michael is the defender of Israel (Daniel 10: 13) and Gabriel, who brought the news of their impending motherhood to Mary and Elizabeth is also mentioned in Daniel 8: 15-17. Rafael and Uriel are two others Archangels. Many sources list even but the names of the other three vary.

In summary, Angels are divine Messengers and guardians. They sometimes foretell future events.

Some also believe in fallen angels, those who have been exiled from Heaven, usually for disobeying God. The best known of these is Lucifer or Satan. It is said that no Power has ever fallen from grace, but another theory states that Satan was the Chief of the Powers before he fell

Islam has no real hierarchy among the angels, but belief in them is one of the six Articles of Faith in Islam, without which there is no faith. The six articles are belief in: God, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and that predestination, both good and evil, comes from God. The angels are headed by Djibril (Gabriel), the one who brought the Koran to Mohammed. He has 1,600 wings of green topaz, and his feet are yellow. Others are Harut, Marut, Malik and Iblis (The counterpart of Satan, the fallen angel. He is made of fire.)

In modern times angels often refer to things which have little or nothing to do with religion. Some non-heavenly "angels" are: Blue Angels, Hell's Angels, theatrical Angels who finance shows, Angel Hair (spaghetti or the spun glass used for decorations), Angel food cake (and Devil's food cake) and, of course, the City of Angels. In the movie of that name, many angels stand on the beach dressed in black. In literature and drama there are Guardian Angels such as those In Hansel and Gretel (the opera but not the Grimm story), Clarence in It's a Wonderful Life, and the TV show Touched by an Angel.

Notes:
* Most believe humans were created separately from angels and are lower than angels. However, Latter Day Saints (Mormons) believe that angels are former human beings or those waiting to be born.

**"And thou shalt make two cherubim of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubim on the two ends thereof. And the cherubim shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony."

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Revised October 2009
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