How do we know some much about the Angels, names, types, history, Jobs etc.

Youngblood.III

In layman terms please, I'm interested in the history and their stories...thanks.

Cen taurus

Mostly from scripture, and the tradition of the Church.
The only ones who names we actually know are Michael, and Gabriel, and Raphael.
There is over 300 references to angels in the Bible.
Angel is the name of their position / function in scripture.
They are spiritual, non-corporeal beings and are messengers from God.
They can be guardians of both people and nations.

If you are really interested, for the most accurate and authoritative account on what we know about angels, you could do a search of the word angel in any online bible and read each entry/chapter. It would be one interesting way to approach scripture.

j80ezgvc3p92xu

Well Christian doctrine tells us everyone has their own guardian angel. I have heard before that you have to nurture that relationship ie. pray for their help/intercession. I do not know where this info comes from, was kind of passed on I suppose.

What always fascinated me was the accounts of angels visible over battlefields, often wearing regalia of the "righteous" nation. I think there are too many accounts to dismiss these stories as a mere propaganda ploy. Off the top of my head, they appeared at Mons (1914) Warsaw (1920) and Beresteczko (16??) .

homer911

Mitchell Jolly Superpower wrote: »

Well Christian doctrine tells us everyone has their own guardian angel.

To be precise, Catholic doctrine/tradition.

Tabnabs

Mitchell Jolly Superpower wrote: »

What always fascinated me was the accounts of angels visible over battlefields, often wearing regalia of the "righteous" nation. I think there are too many accounts to dismiss these stories as a mere propaganda ploy. Off the top of my head, they appeared at Mons (1914) Warsaw (1920) and Beresteczko (16??) .

Actually, that's Valkyries. A completely different culture and religion to christianity.

Of note is the account of Darraðarljóð where 12 Valkyries (six named individually) relate how they will choose the slain at the Battle of Clontarf (see above link for full texts)

Let us now wind the web of war
Where the warrior banners are forging forward
Let his life not be taken;
Only the Valkyries can choose the slain.

Lands will be ruled by new peoples
Who once inhabited outlying headlands.
We pronounce a great king destined to die;
Now an earl is felled by spears.

The men of Ireland will suffer a grief
That will never grow old in the minds of men.
The web is now woven and the battlefield reddened;
The news of disaster will spread through lands.

scriba

Mitchell Jolly Superpower wrote: »

What always fascinated me was the accounts of angels visible over battlefields, often wearing regalia of the "righteous" nation. I think there are too many accounts to dismiss these stories as a mere propaganda ploy. Off the top of my head, they appeared at Mons (1914) Warsaw (1920) and Beresteczko (16??) .

This is a much older tradition, where a sign of God's favour appears over the chosen people: the column of fire in Exodus routing the Pharaoh's troops as the Israelites flee to the Holy Land. A sign appears before Constantine's victory at Milvian bridge; St Colm Cille appears before Oswald's victory over the heathen Anglo-Saxons, bringing Christianity to the north of England in the seventh century. Another sign (column of fire, I think) appears with St Brigit helping the King of Leinster to an unlikely victory. There are countless others, I'm only intimately familiar with up the early medieval period. There's another in the Life of Clovis, I think. I'm sure other posters would have examples from other periods.

Christian exegetes spilled much ink on trying to interpret the nature of these apparitions, ranging from the appearance of God (usually discounted, since God cannot be seen by man, and live, unless for the obvious!) to God's appearance to man through his angels.

Anyway, the motif appears again and again to emphasise the favoured or pure status of one group over another, for the benefit of the favoured group. The examples quoted above are hagiographies, which have a particular agenda which goes beyond an attempt to provide "historical" record.

I think the presence of this motif in any record, historical or otherwise, has at least some propagandistic purpose.

j80ezgvc3p92xu

Tabnabs wrote: »

Actually, that's Valkyries. A completely different culture and religion to christianity.

Of note is the account of Darraðarljóð where 12 Valkyries (six named individually) relate how they will choose the slain at the Battle of Clontarf (see above link for full texts)

Let us now wind the web of war
Where the warrior banners are forging forward
Let his life not be taken;
Only the Valkyries can choose the slain.

Lands will be ruled by new peoples
Who once inhabited outlying headlands.
We pronounce a great king destined to die;
Now an earl is felled by spears.

The men of Ireland will suffer a grief
That will never grow old in the minds of men.
The web is now woven and the battlefield reddened;
The news of disaster will spread through lands.

Nope, angels. You do realise this is the Christianity forum right?

keano_afc

Mitchell Jolly Superpower wrote: »

Well Christian doctrine tells us everyone has their own guardian angel. I have heard before that you have to nurture that relationship ie. pray for their help/intercession. I do not know where this info comes from, was kind of passed on I suppose.

What always fascinated me was the accounts of angels visible over battlefields, often wearing regalia of the "righteous" nation. I think there are too many accounts to dismiss these stories as a mere propaganda ploy. Off the top of my head, they appeared at Mons (1914) Warsaw (1920) and Beresteczko (16??) .

Mitchell Jolly Superpower wrote: »

You do realise this is the Christianity forum right?

martinedwards

the bible names a very few.

the other info we have are eye witness accounts. which have to be treated with caution as some are outlandish claims of impossible miracles and some aren't true.

UB Dude

There is, if you read between the lines, quite a bit of information on our unseen celestial aids. We read in scritpure about the angels of the churches, angels of the nations and races, and we are to presume that they are charged with guarding or fostering the divine destiny of their wards, be they nations or men. We read how the Most Highs rule in the kingdoms of men, how angels appeared [in human and celestial form] at different junctures of human history, to sundry souls and for myriad purposes. In the gospels there's an angel that comforts the Son of Man as he struggled in the Garden, while the Book of Revelation speaks of an angel whose glory filled the whole earth. Reference to celestials can be found in every tradition but the essential thrust of their whole purpose is to foster the spiritual growth and preserve the souls of their trust.

regards
B.

ScumLord

Mitchell Jolly Superpower wrote: »

Well Christian doctrine tells us everyone has their own guardian angel. I have heard before that you have to nurture that relationship ie. pray for their help/intercession. I do not know where this info comes from, was kind of passed on I suppose.

Why would god need other things working for him? Isn't god supposed to be all powerful? Would praying to angels not be a form of idol worship? Shouldn't people be praying directly to god.

silverharp

was checking what the bible said about Angels getting their freak on, they seem to have mellowed with age

Yes, angels (sons of God) love to have sex with the daughters of men

The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. ... The sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. -- Genesis 6:2, 4
And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation ... giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh.... Jude 6-7

And some men find angels sexually irresistible.

And there came two angels to Sodom. ... And they turned in unto him, and entered into his house. ... The men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. -- Genesis 19:1-4

No, angels neither marry nor have sex (not in heaven, anyway).

For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. Mark 12:25

hinault

Lucifer, the Devil, is a (fallen) Archangel.

hinault

Youngblood.III wrote: »

In layman terms please, I'm interested in the history and their stories...thanks.

This is a useful resource

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01476d.htm

pueblo

Cen taurus wrote: »

Mostly from scripture, and the tradition of the Church.
The only ones who names we actually know are Michael, and Gabriel, and Raphael.
There is over 300 references to angels in the Bible.
Angel is the name of their position / function in scripture.
They are spiritual, non-corporeal beings and are messengers from God.
They can be guardians of both people and nations.

If you are really interested, for the most accurate and authoritative account on what we know about angels, you could do a search of the word angel in any online bible and read each entry/chapter. It would be one interesting way to approach scripture.

...there are also many named angels from the Judaic/Christian religions listed here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_angels_in_theology

a postere

pueblo wrote: »

...there are also many named angels from the Judaic/Christian religions listed here

Nope. Those are names from non canonical sources and therefore completely unreliable.