Angel (Greek angelos,"messenger"), celestial being believed to be a messenger, or intermediary, between God, or the gods, and humankind. All religions are concerned with the relationship human beings have or may have with the supernatural realm. In ancient Greek religion, in Judaism and Christianity, and in Islam this relationship is thought to involve angels-divine messengers sent to humans to instruct, inform, or command them. An angel can function also as a protective guardian, as a heavenly warrior, and even as a cosmic power. Moreover, the line between a good angel and a bad angel, or demon, is sometimes unclear. Hence, angels can be broadly described as personified powers mediating between the divine and the human. Gabriel, angel of high eminence in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim tradition. He is one of the four most often noted archangels in Judaism and Christianity, the others being Michael, Raphael, and Uriel. Gabriel is the heavenly messenger who appears in order to reveal God's will. In the Old Testament, Gabriel interprets the prophet's vision of the ram and the he-goat (see Daniel 8:15-26) and explains the prediction of the 70 weeks of years (or 490 years) for the duration of the exile from Jerusalem (see Daniel 9:21-27). In the New Testament, he announces to Zacharias the birth of Zacharias's son (see Luke 1:11-20), who is destined to become known as John the Baptist, and to Mary that she is to be the mother of Jesus Christ (see Luke 1:26-31). Among Muslims, Gabriel is believed to be the spirit who revealed the sacred writings to the Prophet Muhammad. Gabriel is the prince of fire and the spirit who presides over thunder and the ripening of fruits. He is an accomplished linguist, having taught Joseph the 70 languages spoken at Babel. In art he is generally represented carrying either a lily, Mary's flower, at the annunciation, or the trumpet he will blow to announce the second coming. Archangel, an angel, or heavenly being, of higher rank than angels. In Jewish and Christian literature, the four best known are Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel. In Islam, it is believed that four archangels guard the throne of Allah. According to Christian tradition, archangels belong to the eighth of nine choirs of angels. Arranged according to their importance, in descending order, these choirs are seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominations, virtues, powers, principalities, archangels, and angels. Michael (archangel) (Hebrew, "who is like God?"), called Saint Michael in the Christian churches, one of the seven archangels in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, presumed to be leader of the angels (see Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1) and guardian angel of Israel. According to the pseudepigraphic Book of Enoch, Michael and his command of faithful troops defeated the rebellious archangel Lucifer and his followers, casting them into Hell. In the Talmud, his relationship to the other angels is compared with that on earth of the high priest to Israel; thus, he is considered the immediate lawgiver to the prophet Moses on Sinai (see Acts 7:38). Michael has been known as the patron of the sick and of grocers, sailors, and soldiers; he is also the patron saint of Germany. In art he appears holding scales or a banner and flourishing a sword against a dragon. Beginning in 1970 Michael's feast day was combined with that of the archangels Gabriel and Raphael on September 29. See Michaelmas. Cherubim, winged celestial beings similar to angels. In ancient Hebrew thought, angels themselves are anthropomorphic, or humanlike, while the cherubim have wings and are zoomorphic, or animal-like. In the developed system of Hebrew angelology, however, the cherubim form one of the nine classes of angels. God placed cherubim at the east side of Eden to prevent human beings from reentering the garden and gaining access to the tree of life (see Genesis 3:24). Cherubim also support or function as God's throne or chariot (see Psalms 80:1; 18:10). Ezekiel's fantastic and detailed descriptions of the cherubim (see Ezekiel 1:4-28; 10:3-22), however idiosyncratic, are largely responsible for their entry into the history of art. Seraphim, mentioned only in Isaiah 6, are similar creatures. Seraphim (Hebrew, "burning ones"), celestial beings referred to in a vision by the Hebrew prophet Isaiah (see Isaiah 6:2-6) in the Old Testament; the highest in the order of angels. Paul, while not denying angelic mediators, vigorously denounced the worship of angels as a substitute for Christ. He urged instead belief in the crucified and risen Christ, in whose person God is incarnate. Faith in Christ, he maintained, delivers believers from the false wisdom of the world and vain observance. The Epistle concludes with an exhortation to imitate Christ in his life of love and joyous service to God and humankind. The Epistle contains a number of well-known passages, including 1:15-20, on the church as the body of Christ, and 2:12-15, on baptism.
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