‘He smiled and said, “Could you give me something to eat? I’ve been on the road two days and have a long way yet to go.”
‘Startled, I thought, “I’m in a hurry.” Then I pondered, “What shall I give him?” There were just two eggs in the fridge. I hurriedly scrambled them, and buttered two slices of bread, and made a nice sandwich. I put greaseproof paper around it and put it in a paper bag. I added hot coffee to a bit of milk and poured it into a thick white mug, and took it all out to him. He smiled and thanked me.
‘Then I turned the lights out and went to join the children in the car. They said, “What took you so long?” I replied, “Why, didn’t you see, I fed that man on the porch.” They said, “What man?”
‘He would have had to pass the car twice to get on the porch. I said, “Let’s go look.” They hopped out of the car, and we all stood a few paces from the car. It wasn’t dark yet. There were no trees, houses or anything to obstruct our view. We could see no one!’
These are but a few of the ways that angels enter our world. No two experiences are ever the same. Yet, we ascribe such experiences to the same agents, angels. What are the factors that have shaped our belief in these beings?
CHAPTER TWO BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH
Spiritual beings who inhabit a plane of existence between the human and the divine – this is an ancient concept familiar to many religions and cultures.
The angel as it is popularly depicted is a crossbreed, descended from the unearthly entities of Babylonian, Persian, Egyptian, Sumerian, and Greek faiths. Its popular image as a heavenly messenger is generally limited to those monotheistic religions that divide the cosmos into Heaven, Earth, and Hell, requiring couriers to shuttle back and forth between the divisions. This particular brand of angel originated in Persia’s Zoroastrian faith and was then handed down to Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
The word angel itself is a mutation of the Greek angelos, a translation of the Persian word ‘angaros,’ or ‘courier.’ The Hebrew term is mal’akh, meaning ‘messenger’ or ‘envoy.’ Even this definition is ambiguous, for ‘messenger’ or ‘envoy’ is used in five different senses in Scripture. It can mean:
1 the Word, given by Cod to the world
2 St. John the Baptist, the precursor of the messiah
3 priests, who act as Cod’s ambassadors to people
4 prophets
5 angels
Generally, the term messenger or envoy is used in Scripture to mean angels. But messenger is only one of their functions, and these enlightened spirits can be found worldwide, throughout history, playing many roles.
HISTORY OF THE ANGEL
We can only guess at the age of the angel. Images of supernatural winged creatures have been found in ancient Mesopotamia and Sumeria. The Assyrians had their karibu (the source of the word ‘cherubim’), which were fierce, winged beasts possessing features both animal and human. The role of the angel as protector can perhaps be traced to these ancestors, which acted as temple guards in Babylon and Sumeria.
The Greeks made a big contribution to angel lore with their gods, such as Hermes, the winged messenger. Hermes is often credited as being the source of archangel Michael. (Many of the Greek gods were molded into angels by the Church in its attempt to convert the pagans.) The Greeks also had daimones, spirits who came in both good and evil forms, the good ones being protectors. Socrates spoke of his daimon, who constantly whispered in his ear. Daimones evolved into ‘demons’ in Christianization, and in the process they lost their good-natured brethren.
The Aryans who came to India and Persia around 2500 B.C. believed in devas (meaning ‘shining ones’), who were deities subordinate to their supreme god, Dyeus. Perhaps it was from them that angels inherited their most salient characteristic – the ability to shine, or radiate light. The ‘el’ suffix so common in angels’ names is understood in several languages to mean ‘shining’ or ‘radiant.’
The devas made their way into the Veda, a collection of early sacred Hindu writings, where they were depicted in a hierarchical (but still polytheistic) arrangement. According the Veda, devas existed in the three worlds – Earth, Heaven and a spiritual realm in between. They were closely aligned with the elements of nature – fire, water, earth and air – which were considered expressions of their existence. Devas of water, for example, were assigned the feminine role of caretakers, or nourishers, of all living things.
Devas also found their way into Zoroastrianism, the religion founded by the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra) in sixth-century Persia. It was through Zoroastrianism that devas evolved into angels. In founding this monotheistic faith, Zoroaster rejected the pantheism of the Hindus and offered instead a single, supreme deity, Ahura Mazda, locked in an eternal struggle against his evil enemy Ahriman. Ahura Mazda is aided in this struggle by the good deeds of humans. He is also aided by seven archangels, the amesha spenta, who are the gods of Babylon and Assyria recycled into more roles more appropriate to a monotheistic religion. They represent the concepts of wisdom, truth, immortality, deserved good luck, piety, salvation, and obedience.
Zoroaster’s brand of angels took hold and was handed down to Judaism, Christianity and finally Islam. Islam’s malaika (again, ‘messengers’) are androgynous beings made of light who act as guardians of humans. Their names and personalities are borrowed from Judeo-Christian angels – for example, Mika’il (Michael) and Djibril (Gabriel).
JUDEO-CHRISTIAN ANGELS
Zoroastrianism was popular during the Hebrews’ captivity in Persia and made its mark on their biblical writings. While their religion did not allow for any gods other than Yahweh, the idea of angelic intermediaries to the Divinity was acceptable and adoptable.
Angels appear as guides to heaven in the Jewish Kabbalah, secret writings containing mystical knowledge that is passed on to those advanced enough to comprehend it. There are also beings called sefirot, which are composed of the energy of God and are known as Grace, Wisdom, Splendour, Understanding, Knowledge, Foundation, Eternity, Power, Beauty, and Crown. They stand together to form a tree – the Tree of Life.
At the top of the tree is the Angel of the Lord, Metatron. He is considered in some accounts to be the greatest of the angels – there is scarcely an angelic duty or function that is not related to him. Metatron also is the representative of God who led the tribes of Israel through the wilderness, and probably is the dark angel who wrestled with Jacob. He is sometimes identified with Satan. In Judaic literature, the principal name of Satan is Samael, which means ‘poison angel.’
The etymology of Metatron is unclear. Possibly, the name itself was intended to be a secret, and may have been produced through a glossolalia-type of altered state of consciousness. Glossolalia is speaking in tongues, and is perhaps best-known for its part in charismatic religions. Metatron is sometimes called the Prince of the Countenance, meaning he is the chief angel of those angels who are privileged to look upon the countenance of God.
Descriptions of him tell of a spirit or pillar of fire with thirty-six pairs of wings and myriad eyes. His face is more dazzling than the sun. He serves as God’s Angel of Death, instructing