Angel Lore 2

We are all familiar with the big-name angels like Gabriel and Michael, but there’s a whole angelic host with some pretty impressive creds to their name.

But first, a fun fact: God assigns some angels to Hell, just as there are fallen angels hanging out in Heaven ( the Grigori, for example).

A few angelic heavy hitters!

Abaddon:

aka “The Destroyer” or “angel of the bottomless pit”. In Revelation, this is the angel who will bind Satan in Hell for 1,000 years.
Some believe Abaddon is a place, rather than a being.
In the Christian allegorical story Pilgrim’s Progress, he is a demon or a devil
One text claims it was the name God invoked to reign terror upon Egypt in the time of Moses

Anafiel:

“branch of God”
One of the 8 Merkabah angels
Keeps the keys to the heavenly hall
Cheif seal bearer
Told to whip God’s favorite angel 60 times with fire
Took Enoch to heaven

Azzael: (fallen angel)

Leader of the 200 fallen angels
Taught men how to forge a sword
Introduced women to make-up (nice)
Lord of Hell, Seducer of Mankind (not so nice)
Depicted as having 7 serpent-like heads, 14 faces, and 12 wings.
His refusal to worship Adam got him kicked out of heaven

Israel

“striver with God”
Belongs to a prestigious class of angels who surround God’s throne, and may compare with that of seraphim and cherubim

Israfel

aka Sarafiel
Supposedly has 4 wings and is so tall his head touches the pillars of the Divine Throne
Often overcome with tears of grief when he peers down at hell
Islamic folklore contends that he, along with 3 other angels, gathered dust from around the world to create Adam

Nathanael:

“gift of God”
One of the 12 angels of vengeance
Lord over fire
Saved 7 men from fire during the infamous God vs Baal contest

Nuriel:

“of fire”
Lord of hailstorms
Can morph into an eagle
Has spellbinding power
Governs over Virgo
Leader of many legions of angels
Super tall, but not as tall as the Watchers (fallen angels)
Will blow the horn on Judgement Day

Uriel:

“fire of god”
Interprets Ezra’s visions
Watches over thunder and terror
Stands at the gate,fiery sword in hand, to guard the entrance to Eden
One of the angels who helped destroy the army at Sennacherib
Angel of the month of September
Gave the Kabbalah to man

Religious art is one of my “things.” Can’t get enough of it! Which means I’m always perusing the museum shops for art books. Along with all the wonderful photos, this little book contains a wealth of information about religious lore.