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Spirituality

The evolution of Angels

By T.K. Randall
December 26, 2011 · Comment icon 15 comments

Image Credit: Alfred Pearse
It's a common sight to see an angel on top of a Christmas tree, but where did these beings originate ?
There have been many different forms of angels over the centuries and they weren't always depicted as winged beings bathed in light. At one time angels didn't have a physical form at all and were considered to be disembodied minds, while another variation depicted them as feathered guardians. "There is lots of interesting theology about angels, and in some ways we've kind of lost the knack for that," said John Cavadini, chair of theology at the University of Notre Dame.
In the Bible angels served as envoys of God—angelos being Greek for "messenger. " Other than that, the scriptures leave a lot of room for interpretation.


Source: National Geographic | Comments (15)

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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #6 Posted by DieChecker 14 years ago
Isn't there a class of angels that have the body of a lion type animal with wings and a human head. and then some like a half horse half human. or maybe i just read some weird books. either way there are old paintings and statues of what im talking about. That sounds more like mythical Greek creatures... like Centaurs and Sphinxes Four heads if you're talking about the Messenger of God I'm thinking you are - Horse, Lion, Goat, Man (IIRC) and at least three sets of wings. This might just be added to me grumpy old man status, but I don't like this belief in Angels as being all glowing and human-... [More]
Comment icon #7 Posted by Psycho78 14 years ago
I have had a large number of paranormal experiences in my life, many of them could be interpreted as angel visitations, if one were beholden to such a belief system. I remain unconvinced of anything specific enough to proclaim any facts about the subject, but one story I can relay that falls squarely within this topic is as follows... About 9 years ago, I was riding my bicycle home from work, it was about 10:00pm. I made a stupid decision and rode my bike down a steep path that connects a major road to another, which passes underneath it. The road underneath is the back end of a residential ne... [More]
Comment icon #8 Posted by greywolf 14 years ago
Angels are what they are. Basically they are messengers, and thus take the form most likely to result in the message being heard and obeyed. Im not sure what you mean about people who say they've met angels. I ve never met a person who said their angel looked like one of those flying winged creatures.(and i know quite a few pole who do bleiev they have encounteed and been protected by angels) The two most common forms of appearance angels take are beings of light and human But they can asume any form at all Another very common form is invisible but powerful I know one peraon who was spoken to ... [More]
Comment icon #9 Posted by Timonthy 14 years ago
Calling them beings is a little forward...
Comment icon #10 Posted by papadad 14 years ago
When I was about 7 or 8,I was at the top of a stairway that went down to our living room.I can remember tripping somehow and knowing I was gonna fall down the stairs.I dont know what happened next as I was sitting there at the bottom,kinda bewildered,like what just happened?There wasnt a scratch or any sore spots or anything on me.It was like a magical ride down at the time,but it did happen I knew and it would be best to remain my little secret.Didnt wanna get in trouble for being careless and stupid. Bottom line to me is that I cant say for sure it was a guardian angel,but that,plus about a ... [More]
Comment icon #11 Posted by Timonthy 14 years ago
When I was about 7 or 8,I was at the top of a stairway that went down to our living room.I can remember tripping somehow and knowing I was gonna fall down the stairs.I dont know what happened next as I was sitting there at the bottom,kinda bewildered,like what just happened?There wasnt a scratch or any sore spots or anything on me.It was like a magical ride down at the time,but it did happen I knew and it would be best to remain my little secret.Didnt wanna get in trouble for being careless and stupid. Bottom line to me is that I cant say for sure it was a guardian angel,but that,plus about a ... [More]
Comment icon #12 Posted by Timonthy 14 years ago
When I was about 7 or 8,I was at the top of a stairway that went down to our living room.I can remember tripping somehow and knowing I was gonna fall down the stairs.I dont know what happened next as I was sitting there at the bottom,kinda bewildered,like what just happened?There wasnt a scratch or any sore spots or anything on me.It was like a magical ride down at the time,but it did happen I knew and it would be best to remain my little secret.Didnt wanna get in trouble for being careless and stupid. Bottom line to me is that I cant say for sure it was a guardian angel,but that,plus about a ... [More]
Comment icon #13 Posted by Mr Walker 14 years ago
Calling them beings is a little forward... why? They are sapient, self willed, in control of their own actions, able to communicate with humans able to manipulate their environment as humans do, and existing in both energy and material form. What else would one call them. Do you have a theological problem based, perhaps, on respect for the ideal of an angel, which makes calling them a "being" somewhat belittling to them in your view? Bt then again, I call god mate, as often as father or god, because that's what he is, in his relationship to me.
Comment icon #14 Posted by Swadwa 14 years ago
Of course I didn't read the article thoroughly - who would want too (B.S) but I didn't see it mention the angels of the Old Testament as being described as hideous creatures. – I guess not surprising when most pictures of the imaginary saviour is a white guy with blonde hair.
Comment icon #15 Posted by DigitalDreamer 14 years ago
This article is great! I love learning about mythical creatures!
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