The Dictionary of AngelsThere has long been a great fascination with angels, especially during the Renaissance, when they become a popular topic and artistic image. Much time was spent researching and theorizing about them, and at one point, some churches had to step in because people's devotion and attempts at invoking them became almost like a pagan religion. Today the average person does not know much more about angels than the images in the Bible that have been described, and the stereotypes that have been presented. Being such, I have researched what information I can, and have brought you this dictionary of angels, describing what the angel is guarding of, and, if availible, what his characteristics and behavior is often like.
Akhazriel:Ranked as the "Herald of God", Akhazriel is used to give announcements, declarations, and things of that nature. He was the angel who was dispatched to tell Moses that his prayer to have more time on Earth before his death would not be granted
Armisael: Armisael is supposed to be called on to assist in childbirth. The Talmund says that a woman could ease childbirth by reciting Psalm 20 nine times, but if this didn't work (or the woman couldn't remember all of Psalm 20), then one is to seek Armisael's help next by invoking him.
Azrael: The angel of death in both Islamic and Hebrew legends, he is said to have four-thousand wings, and has an eye and tongue for every human in the world. Whenever one of his eyes blink, someone has just died. Azrael also carries with him a large book that he is forever writing and erasing in. In it, he writes the names of those just born, and erases the names of those who have just died. No doubt doing just that keeps him busy. Azrael has no knowledge before-hand of who is going to die and when, however he learns of this as a leaf carrying the name of doomed falls from a tree at the throne of God. He then knows he is to pay a visit to the person named forty days later. See also Death
Camael: (Also spelled Chamuel,Kemuel,and Camiel) His name meaning "He who sees God", Camael is said to be the leader of the "Angels of Destruction". Supposedly he was one of the angels given the honor of standing in the presence of God. However, he objected to God giving to book of Torah-the first few books of the Old Testament-to Moses, and because of this, God oddly granted Moses permission to destroy him. Now he is viewed as possibly being one of the "Fallen Angels". Before his end, he was in the same order as Gabiel and Michael and served as a mediator between Israel and the Angelic Princes in the 7th Heaven. When invoked, he is said to appears as a fearsome leopard upon a rock.
Cherubs: Short for Cherubim, these great angels are second only to Seraphim in might. They were supposedly spawned from the tears that Michael cried over the sins of mortals, and are the embodiments of God's love and wisdom. Currently the word "cherub" inspires visions of joyful, chubby, almost baby-like winged creatures, though this necessarily may not be the case. This image perhaps comes from the fact that "cherub" and "cupid" are almost synonymous in connotation to many people. The prophet Ezekiel described cherubs as having four wings and four faces and possesing peacock feathers covered with eyes, the latter two symbolizing their awareness and vast knowledge.
Death, the Angel of: One of the greatest known, and feared of all the angels, he is also known as the Grim Reaper, as well as various other names. In the Jewish incarnation he been called Bebriel, Metatron, Samael (or Sammael), Adriel, and Azrael (who is the bringer of death in the Islamic Qu'ran), Hemah, and I hear he has occasionally been called Andrew (though just not on the TV show "Touched By An Angel"). He is sometimes mistaken for being one of the fallen angels, however, he is in fact a servant of God who has been given the task of ending the lives of certain individuals at their appointed times, and to guide them to their place in either Heaven or Hell(though christians often tend to associate this task with the Archangel,Michael). He is often described as being quite disspassionate and unregretfull about his about his work.
Fallen Angels: also known as demons, evil spirits, devils, ect., these are creatures who chose to oppose God, and were thrown out of Heaven by the archangel, Michael, to where they now reside in Gehanna, or Hell. There is much speculation as to how they actually "fell" from grace, and why they are so opposed to God. A wide spread story is that, when God created man he declared him superior to angels. Some of the angels resented this, believing that they were the superior ones (Satan being a chief believer of this). Because of their pride, and unrepentance, they were thrown out of Heaven. Another theory is that God actually granted the angels free wills in that they had the choice of either rejecting or embracing him (their descisions being eternally decisive). Those that chose God had the opportunity to feel the full extent of his love, the ones who rejected were thrown into Hell, where they forever oppose him. However, some stories say that, at Armageddon, some of these "fallen angels" may actually repent and be forgiven.
Michael: Also known as St. Michael, because he was so venerated by the churches, Michael is the Archangel who defeated Satan and threw him into the pits of Hell. He is considered the patron angel of Israel, and is sometimes considered the angel of death (however there is another angel commonly associated with this task, see Death). He appears in the Old Testament occasionaly, and is named in the book of revelations as the one who will lead the forces of God against the forces of Satan at Armagedon. He is supposedly the Angel that helped convert St. Constantine, and also gave St. Joan of Arc the stregnth to save her country. His name has been translated as meaning either "He who is like God" or "Who is like God?", and in Arabic his name is Mika 'il. As far as appearance goes, those who have had life and death experiences have described him as being tall, very muscular and powerful with blonde curly or wavy hair, and piercing blue eyes. Micheal often carrys the souls of the dead up to Heaven, where they will be judged, which is why he is often shown holding a scale in artwork.
Raphael: An archangel of numerous titles (such as Regent of the sun, Angel of Healing, Angel of Science..ect.) whose name means "God has healed". He has appeared in numerous writings , such as the Book of Tobit. He is credited with things such as informing Noah of the flood, and the healing of Jacobs hip after he wrestled with the so called "dark angle" (an angel whose identity is unknown, though a few such as Death have been speculated as this figure). He guards the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden, and acts as a guide to the underworld (a role that sometimes had him wrongly considered a fallen angel). He is said to have a rather cheerful disposition when compared to some of the other angels, and enjoys people being happy and healthy.
Raziel: Often called the "angel of mysteries", Raziel stands at the border of God and his creations and guards the unknown. Supposedly he hears every secret, and writes them in a book called the "Book of the Angel Raziel". This book supposedly contains the keys to the 1,500 mysteries of the universe, as well as all sorts of arcane arts, but the writing is so cryptic, however, that neither the greatest minds, nor any of the angels in Heaven could decipher it without the help of Raziel. Raziel is considered the patron of the first human, Adam, because when he and Eve were expelled from Eden, Raziel took pity on them and gave the book to them, so that they might know the true image and glory of God. When the other angels became wary of this act, they snatched up the book and threw it into the sea. However God, instead of taking the "Prometheus" scenario, actually commanded that it be given back to Adam. The book was eventually passed to both Enoch and King Soloman, but it has since become lost.
Seraphim: (Seraph for short [and for singular]) The beings closet to the throne of God, and the highest ranking choir of angels there is, Seraphim are associated with fire-the flame of God's love-and are said to emmanate such light that neither angels, nor the cherubim can look upon them. The seraphim hold the task of continuously encircling the throne of God chanting "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts, the entire Earth is full of his glory". They posses intense powers of concentration, and a pure love of God, so this task is not as monotonous to them as it would seem. The prophet Enoch described the seraphim as possessing six wings, "...with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew" Isaiah (6:1-3).
Uriel: His name meaning either "Fire of God", or "Angel of Light", Uriel is not mentioned in the scriptures, but is nonetheless a prominant figure in legends and lore, recognized by the church untill it put a stop to "angel worshiping". He holds a number of titles, such as "Regent of the Sun, Prince of the Sun, Angel of Music, and Master of Tartarus" (Angels, A to Z, M. Bunson). Tararus, being of course, Hell. In early writings, (like the ones of St. Peter), Hell was not quite yet the realm of Satan and his demons, and God appointed "punishing angels" control of it, the disspasionate Uriel being their dreaded leader. Uriel is also named as the guardian of the Garden of Eden, standing at the gates with a huge flaming sword, preventing anyone from entering. Supposedly he is very sharp of mind.
One of the ways he sometimes appears is as a great angel at the head of a dying victim. Death then brings his sword to the dying's lips a drips a drop of poison into their mouth, at which point, it's all over for the victim. This could also be where he gets the name "Samael" from, as "Sam" is the Hebrew word for "Poison". In Jewish literature he is often depicted as appearing as a bird with twelve wings, and during the Middle Ages (a time when the Black Death ran rampant) he took up the image of the Grim Reaper, with artists painting an image of a sickle or scythe wielding skeleton, and, occasionally, Death is said to appear as a women. See also Azrael
There has also been questioning by some people as to how evil (like Satan), and the root of it could arise in Heaven, a place deemed so Holy. How could a place of "perfect good" give rise to "evil"?? Well, when you think about it, the angels never actually "earned" their place in Heaven--they were created and put there.
Another reference to seraphim is found in the book of Revelations (4:8), where there are four beasts "full of eyes", and with six wings each, one like a lion, one like an eagle, one like a bull, and a fourth like a man. They continually chant "Holy, Holy is the Lord almighty"
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