Angels are not tied to any religious groups. They belong to people of all religious beliefs and those with no beliefs at all. The Hebrews see angels as ‘beings of love and grace’ and the Jews recorded vast texts in the Old Testament about how the angels helped them in their battle for freedom. The Archangel Gabriel dictated the Koran to Mohammed.
Angel names and roles vary from religion to religion, although nearly all traditions show ‘angel-like’ beings or ‘beings of light’, even if they do not actually call them angels. Most religions see angels as messengers and servants of God, and beings that work in His name.
Some religions represent angels as protectors but others, such as the Judeo-Christian tradition, see angels more as spiritual beings that help you work Athrough your problems, rather than taking the problems away – following the idea of humans being born with ‘free will’ and being sent to earth to learn lessons. In the Garden of Gethsemane, angels appeared to Jesus to give him the strength he needed to endure his death, rather than to save him from death.
A modern interpretation of this would be the story of Martin Luther King Jr, who as a 26-year-old minister with a young wife and baby was called upon to lead the campaign against black segregation in the American South. He was a strong believer in Jesus and his religious teachings, and called for spiritual assistance when he was faced with the full force of personal hatred the Civil Rights movement provoked.
As he prayed ‘I just can’t face it alone!’ King felt a presence with him, and although the presence did not ‘save him’ from his role completely, it did make him realize he was not alone, which made his hardships easier to bear. He felt that he was being assisted by higher beings. Just days later a bomb blasted his house; luckily no one was hurt. Rather than ‘pulling him down’ the incident gave him renewed strength, as he warned his followers not to follow violence with violence.
‘If it wasn’t for that black pastor, there’d be many a man dead tonight!’ a police officer was heard to have said later.
Angels are also very prominent in the Jewish religion. Jewish teaching about angels goes back to the scriptures: the Torah (the first five books of the Bible), the Prophets and the Writings. Genesis chapter 3 mentions the Cherubim guarding the gates of Eden (with their flaming swords) after Adam and Eve are banished. Abraham receives a visit from an angel to tell him that he and Sarah will have a child (Genesis 18), and in another incident, an angel appears to Moses out of the burning bush (Exodus 3:2).
This is just a few of the many excerpts that show angels working on many levels with humans.
Mal’ach is the Hebrew word for ‘angel’. Many believe that the role of the angels is to distance God from man so that God remains invisible and somewhat intangible to us. Angels appear as a sort of high-level ‘entourage’ to God. In Isaiah 6, the angels are to the left and right of God, as he is seated on his heavenly throne. Jewish literature does show angels as having individual personalities, which many other religions might interpret as different attributes and roles rather than ‘personality’ as such.
The ancient Jews wrote the apocryphal literature which featured angels. The work deals with the end of days and is filled with the doings of angels. The literature mentions angels such as Shalgiel (the angel of snow), Ram’amiel (the angel of thunder) and Ra’asiel (angel of earthquakes). Angels are said to have disagreed with God about creating human beings at all. The angels suggested that people would sin against God!
Part of the rabbinical teaching includes two angels who follow people home on Shabbat (the Sabbath) to check that the home is ready. One of these angels is good and one is bad. The angels check that the challah wine is prepared and that the candles are lit, ready for Shabbat.
Angels are prominent in the New Testament, and are mentioned around 165 times! They sometimes take on the appearance of humans to carry out God’s tasks as they often frightened humans with their own appearance. As the shepherds were visited by the angels to proclaim the birth of Jesus, the heavenly host announced ‘do not be afraid’: I imagine they made quite a sight!
Angels were made by God, ‘…things invisible, thrones, powers, rulers and authorities…’ (Colosians 1:16), and they were created before humans. Usually they are unseen but appear in a bodily form only when they have no other choice. The Bible quotes many angels appearing as messengers of God, most famously the archangel Gabriel making the announcement to Mary in Nazareth that she was to give birth to a son and that she was to call him Jesus.
Jesus regularly communicated with angels. He taught that they did not marry and were genderless, and also that they were created by God directly. Jesus taught that angels watch over little children (Matthew 18:10) and guard humankind on earth. He said that at his second coming, the angels would return with him (Matthew 25:31). Angels appeared on a regular basis to the Apostles after the crucifixion of Jesus to help them to keep their faith and to protect them from their enemies.
Angels are shown performing many other roles too, including ministering, encouraging and comforting. An angel appeared to Paul to comfort him during a shipwreck (Acts 27:23) and help give him the strength he needed to come through the hardship.
The New Testament warns against worshipping angels, tempting though it might be. The Book of Hebrews suggests that only Jesus was to be worshipped and that the angels follow Jesus. Even the angels agreed. In Revelation 22:8-9 an angel scolds John for falling down in worship. The angel reminds him ‘…I am a fellow-servant with you…worship God.’
‘Kabbalah’ (the Jewish mystical tradition) translates from the Hebrew word meaning ‘to receive’. Angels are shown to guide humans and help them on their earthly path. One teaching says that an angel walks in front of every human saying the words, ‘make way for the image of the blessed holy one’.
Two thoughts of Kabbalistic mysticism developed, ‘the work of creation’ (ma’aseh bereishit) and ‘the work of the chariot’ (ma’aseh merkabah). One works with the creation or design of the cosmos and the other with how humans should work and approach God. The mystics enlarged on the more ancient traditions of angelic messengers and guides and developed new traditions including many chants and principles relating to angel names. Much of this was sacred information, kept secret, and made difficult to understand.
Archangel Metatron is highlighted in the Jewish ‘Hekhalot’ literature as the leader of the people of Israel. Other angels are popular, including Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel. Each could be called upon as part of a bedtime prayer routine (although not everyone agreed with the praising of angels, feeling that no link to God was required and working with angels in this way would distract from the Creator himself). Belial (or Samiel) was recognized as an evil angel (rather like Satan or Lucifer).
Kabbalists also developed the idea of the Ten Sefirot (Divine Energies). An angel might be directly associated with these (Gabriel with Yesod for example). The belief developed that humans were not as spiritual as angels, but that angels do not have ‘free will’, working only under the direction of God, and each with a specific role or skill.
| ARCHANGEL | ASSOCIATED SEFIRAH (of the Divine Energies) |
| Metatron | Keter (Crown) |
| Raziel | Chochmah (Wisdom) |
| Cassiel | Binah (Understanding) |
| Zadkiel | Chesed (Kindness) |
| Samael | Gevurah (Justice) |
| Michael | Tiferet (Splendour) |
| Anael | Netzach (Victory) |
| Raphael | Hod (Glory) |
| Gabriel | Yesod (Foundation) |
| Sandalphon | Malchut (Kingdom) |
Each person was believed to have a spiritual guardian. Teachings say that angels are created by God, but that it is possible for humans to ascend and become angels (through good works).