Angel Lore In World Cultures

Lucifer , Chief of Angels - In medieval Christian theology the name of the chief of angels who rebelled against God and was cast down into Hell. He is identified with Satan

The Sijil are the angels in charge of the scrolls in heaven until doomsday (Koran 21:104)

Rabbu'l-Nau'- In Eastern philosophy, "Lord of the species". The angels who presides over flora and fauna

Zurah- "Far away". The Bayt al-Ma'mur, 'busy house'. The great mosque in heaven to which, every day, 70,000 newly created angels come to pray

Fravashis- In ancient Persian religion, the Fravashis (singular: Fravartin) are guardian angels or protecting spirits. They guide the souls of the deceased to heaven. Each family or clan has its own spirit, which guards and looks after only them. The Fravashis assisted in the creation of the world and, as riders armed with spears, are the defenders of heaven

Watcher- A heavenly being in the Book of Daniel. In the Apocryphal book of Enoch, they are a race of giants, the children of angels who married human women. God appointed them as his guardians on the frontiers of his universe, one at every level

Ombwiri - They function as guardian angels for a number of tribal groups in central Africa. They are usually identified as ancestor spirits, who take a personal interest in the affairs of their descendants. The Ombwiri can appear in dreams, in visions, during initiatory ceremonies where mildly narcotic herbal preparations are consumed, during illness, or as spontaneous visions. Ombwiri are usually white, like a ghost, and only visible to the initiated. They can inflict illness and misfortune if they wish, or bring well-being , wealth, etc, if they deem it appropriate. They demand the cooperation of their chosen descendant.

Kurabi - Arabic for cherubim (Koran 40:70). They are the highest ranking angels.

Tenshi - Japanese angels. They are not only the messengers of the gods, but also work for the benefit of humans

The Sea of Glass - The area in front of God's throne, shining brightly. Angels stand on it, singing hymns

Israfel - The angel of the trumpet in Islamic eschatology. God created him at the beginning of time, and of all God's creatures, he possesses the most beautiful voice. He will sound the Resurrection Trumpet. He holds this trumpet at his mouth century after century, for at any time God could give him the signal to blow it. At the first blow, all the stars and the mountains will fall down: the world will be destroyed. The second blast will set in motion the resurrection, when all the people will rise from their graves.

Governing Angels of The Days of The Week

Day	Archangel	Angel
Monday	Gabriel	Gabriel
Tuesday	Khamael	Zamael
Wednesday	Michael	Raphael
Thursday	Tzaphiel	Sachiel
Friday	Haniel	Anaell
Saturday	Tzaphiel	Cassie
Sunday	Raphael	Michael

Who Are Our Guardian Angels?

No evil shall befall you, nor shall affliction come near your
tent, for to His Angels God has given command about you, that
they guard you in all your ways. Upon their hands they will
l bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone
- Psalm 91: 10-12


For he shall give his angels charge over thee
to keep thee in all thy ways.
Psalms 91:11


A Guardian Angel is a heavenly spirit assigned by God to watch over each of us during our lives. The doctrine of angels is part of the Catholic and other cultures' religious traditions. The role of the guardian angel is both to guide us to good thoughts, works and words, and to preserve us from evil. Since the 17th century, the Catholic Church has celebrated a feast honoring the Guardian Angels, in October.

God has charged His angels with the ministry of watching and safe-guarding every one of His creatures. Heavenly "Kingdoms" have their angels assigned to them, and men have their angels, to whom religion designates the Holy Guardian Angels. Jesus said in a Gospel about children: "Beware lest ye scandalize any of these little ones, for their angels in heaven see the face of My Father."

In the ancient Persian religion, the Fravashis are guardian angels or protecting spirits. They guide the souls of the deceased to heaven. Each family or clan has its own spirit, which guards and looks after only them. The Fravashis assisted in the creation of the world and, as riders armed with spears, are the defenders of heaven.

Ombwiri are guardian angels for a number of tribal groups in central Africa. They are usually identified as ancestor spirits, who take a personal interest in the affairs of their descendants.

Seraphim

Divine creatures from the Old Testament, associated with the Cherubim, and later taken to be angels. "Seraphim" comes either from the Hebrew verb saraph ('to burn'), or the Hebrew noun saraph (a fiery, flying serpent). Because the term appears several times with reference to the serpents encountered in the wilderness (Num. 21.8, Deut. 8.15; Isa. 14.29; 30.6), it has often been understood to refer to "fiery serpents." It has also often been proposed that the seraphim were serpentine in form and, in some sense, "fiery" creatures or are associated with fire.

It is said that whoever lays eyes on a Seraph would instantly be incinerated, due to the immense brightness of the Seraph. They are described as very tall, with six wings and four heads - one for each of the cardinal directions. One pair of wings are for flying, one for covering their eyes (even they may not look directly at God), and one for covering their feet. They are in the direct presence of God.

In Isaiah's vision in the Temple, he sees Seraphim surrounding the throne of God, singing praise, the "Thrice Holy" hymn (ch 6). In this instance, they are angelic beings. But in the Book of Numbers, seraph-snakes are sent to punish the Israelites. Some of the names of the Seraphim are Metatron, Kemuel, Nathanael, Gabriel, and Lucifer

Cherubim (cherubs)

The Cherubs also have a very special rank among the Angels. Gen. 3:24; Ezek. 10: 1-22

Legend has it that the Cherubim were formed from the tears the Archangel Michael shed over sins. Cherubs are winged creatures who support the throne of God, or act as guardian spirits. They appear in the Bible (the book of Ezekiel) as bearing the throne and chariot of God, and were later conceived as a type of angel. They are also mentioned in Genesis 3:24 as guardians (or protectors) of the Garden of Eden. They were placed at the gates of the Garden to prevent humans from re-entering and gaining access to the Tree of Life. They also formed the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:18-20).

In Jewish and Christian religion they are second in the order of angels, directly after the seraphim. They were usually depicted as angels with four wings and four faces (human, lion, bull and eagle). Artists later made them appear as the chubby, rosy-faced, winged infants as they are known today. They are usually clothed in blue, while the seraphim are clothed in red. They originated from the winged and human-headed bulls of Babylon (also named cherubim), a lesser order of deities, which guarded the gates of the royal palace.

Thrones

Members of the one of nine orders of angels in medieval "angelology", and they are the third most powerful. Thrones are the fastest of the angels and are often depicted as wheel-like beings with many eyes. They are called 'Great Wheels' and 'Many-Eyed Ones'. Their leader is said to be Raphael

Dominion

The fourth of nine orders in the medieval hierarchy of angels, also known as dominitions. These beings regulate the duties of God. It is said that in their heaven, the letters of the holy name of God hang upon their ceiling. Their leaders are given as Zadkiel, Hashmal, Muriel, and Yahriel.

Virtues

Members of the one of nine orders of angels in medieval angelology. They are the fifth in the hierarchy, and are in charge of performing miracles. Also called the 'Brilliant Ones' or the 'Shining Ones'.

The Powers

The sixth of the one of nine orders of angels in medieval angelology. They were supposedly the first of the angels to be created by God, on the second day of creation. Their main purpose is to be on guard against a possible invasion from the legions of Hell into heaven or earth. During the War in Heaven, they suffered the most casualties. Their leader is said to be the archangel, Camael

Principalities

Members of one of nine orders of angels in medieval angelology, and seventh in the hierarchy. Their leaders are Anael, Hamiel, and Nisroch (later one of the fallen angels). Hamiel supposedly took the prophet Enoch up into heaven when he died. Another of the Principalities is Cervill, known as the Prince of Strength, who aided David in his battle against Goliath


Encyclopedia Mythica
A Popular Dictionary of Judaism
Brewer's Book of Myth and Legend.
Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion
Sepher Rezial Hemelach -The Book of the Angel Raziel

Malakim in General

No Fluffy Angels Allowed! Malakim are not just feathery-winged happy "angels" as the Western world would paint them. Malakim can appear in many forms, humanoid and otherwise, and may serve in a number of roles (some of which are not always beneficent). They appear in almost every culture on earth, each of which has given them different names and appearances.

Even individual malakim can cross different cultures, where they have often been given different names. Gabriel is one example of this - that entity is known as Jibril to the Islamic peoples, Gabriel or Gabrial to most Judeo-Christians, and Gavreel to the Ethiopian Jews. In each culture, he holds a subtly different role.

Over the centuries, a handful of Malakim have survived a number of transformations imposed on them by human belief, and absorbed numerous roles or personae. Jewish, Catholic, and Muslim cultures, to name a few, have all added to the history and variety of these entities. Depending on the viewpoint of the observer, they can take on any of these Aspects as well as their own natural form.

Expectation and previous experience always play a role in the viewer's perception. It is sometimes said of supernatural entities that they are 90% expectation and 10% actuality. That is, when a person perceives a supernatural entity, that entity's appearance is 90% based on what the person expects to see, whether because of previous experience, culture, or even the movies. The other 10%... well, that's private to the Malakim themselves. But one might be able to distill the 10% by combining all cultures' accounts and finding common points--for instance, a glowing appearance, some object out to the sides likes wings or arms, and a superior intelligence.

J.M.W. Turner - Angel Standing in a Storm In Judaic lore, Malakim are divided into a number of Tribes, each of which serves a subtly different purpose. Various groups, including the Catholic church and modern-day Kabalists, have divided and ordered these Tribes differently over the centuries. However, most groups agree on several in common (the following is Gregory the Great's classification):

1. * Seraphim
2. * Cherubim
3. * Thrones
4. * Dominations
5. * Pricipalities
6. * Powers
7. * Virtues
8. * Archangels
9. * Angels

The Zohar, in Exodus 43a, lists them as follows:

1. * Malachim
2. * Erelim
3. * Seraphim
4. * Hayyoth
5. * Ophanim
6. * Hamshalim
7. * Elim
8. * Elohim
9. * Bene Elohim
10. * Ishim

As noted, variations do occur. In addition, individual malakim, particularly the greater ones, can be members of more than one tribe. Mikal, for instance, is a member of the Malakim, Seraphim, and Beni Elohim tribes, among others.

DID YOU KNOW:

Angels are mentioned almost 400 times, from beginning to the end of the Bible.

When the word "messenger" appears in the Bible, it refers to a human, and the Bible uses the word "Angels" to describe spiritual beings.

The Book of Revelations is the only book in which the words "Angels" are used to describe humans. Rev. 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14

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