The Angel Lailah The angel Lailah or Laylah ( לַיְלָה) is an angel in some interpretations in the Talmud and in some later Jewish mythology. Etymology The name Lailah is the same as the Hebrew word for “night” laylah לילה. The identification of the word “night” as the name of an angel originates with the interpretation of “Rabbi Yochanan” (possibly Yochanan ben Zakkai c. 30...
Are We Alone? Implications of the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life This article is an extensive review of Paul Davies’ book called “Are We Alone? Implications of the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life“. It is a critical analysis of the material that describes, summarizes, and critiques the ideas presented Project Phoenix, launched...
Archangel Uriel Archangel Uriel or Auriel (אוּרִיאֵל ʾŪrīʾēl, “Flame of God” or “El/God is my flame”; Greek: Οὐριήλ Ouriìl; Coptic: Ouriyl; Italian: Uriele; Geʽez and Amharic: ዑራኤል ʿUraʾēl or ዑርኤል ʿUriʾēl) is the name of one of the archangels who is mentioned in the post-exilic rabbinic tradition and in certain Christian traditions. He is well known in the Russian Orthodox tradition (which considers him to be...
Angels are … The word angel arrives from Latin angelus; Greek aggelos; the Hebrew mal’āk̠ ‘ĕlōhîm (“one going” or “one sent”; messenger). Angels are generally supernatural being found in various religions and mythologies. It is used in Hebrew to denote indifferently either a divine or human messenger. The Septuagint renders it by aggelos which also has both...
Who Is An Angel? An angel (Greek: ἄγγελος, ángelos, meaning “messenger”) is a supernatural and ethereal being found in many religions, whose duty is to serve and assist God. Angels typically act as messengers but can perform other tasks such as keeping records of humans’ actions, acting as guardians, announcing God’s decrees,...
What About The Angel Of Death? This article covers the angel of death. Since all angels were created from light, they can be present in any place and in any form simultaneously. They also can perform countless tasks at the same time. Therefore, Azrael can take millions of souls simultaneously...
What Is Heaven? Name and place of heaven The name of Heaven Heaven (Anglo-Saxon heofon, O.S. hevan and himil, originally himin) corresponds to the Gothic himin-s. Both heaven and himil are formed from himin by a regular change of consonants: heaven, by changing m before n into v; and himil, by changing n of the unaccented ending into l. Some derive heaven from the root ham, “to cover” (cf. the Gothic ham-ôn and the...
Shaitan Shaitan or Shayṭān (شَيْطٰان), plural: Shayāṭīn (شياطين; devils or demons), are evil spirits in Islamic belief, inciting humans to sin by whispering to the heart (قَلْب, qalb) via waswasaħ (وَسْوَسَة, “whispering”). As such, they always try to lead humans astray. Although demons are usually spoken of in abstract terms, and more often described by their evil influences only, they are...
Angel Of The Lord The (or an) angel of the LORD (מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה malakh YHWH “messenger of Yahweh”) is an entity appearing repeatedly in the Tanakh (Old Testament) on behalf of God (Yahweh). The term malakh YHWH, which occurs 65 times in the text of the Hebrew Bible, can be translated either as “the angel of...
Divine Wisdom in The Shooting Stars and Meteor Showers Is There a Divine Wisdom in or Does Religion Have Something to Say about the Shooting Stars or Meteor Showers? In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate Assuredly, We have adorned the world’s heaven with lamps, and We have...
Heavenly Host Heavenly host (צבאות sabaoth or tzva’ot, “armies”) refers to the army (Luke 2:13) of angels mentioned both in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, as well as other Jewish and Christian texts The Bible gives several descriptions of angels in military terms, such as their encampment (Genesis 32:1-2), command structure (Psalms 91:11-12; Matt.13:41; Rev.7:2),...
Wahy And Ilham (Revelation And Inspiration) Wahy and Ilham (Revelation and inspiration) are two subjects that have been much discussed in Islamic religious sciences, as well as by Sufis, as they are each an important dimension of effusion and manifestation. The Sufis have mostly recollected Revelation and inspiration when manifestation...
Appointed Time Of Death This article covers appointed time of death and the Angel of Death. Were The Times Of Death Of Those Who Die in A Disaster Destined To Be Simultaneous? The appointed time of death is the end of the predetermined life-span of a living creature. This inevitable...
What Is Munkar And Nakir? Munkar and Nakir (منكر ونكير) (English translation: “The Denied and The Denier”) in Islamic eschatology, are angels who test the faith of the dead in their graves. Description These angels are described as having solid black eyes, having a shoulder span measured in miles, and...
Visions Versus Hallucinations This article covers Visions Versus Hallucinations. A spiritual vision is usually a very pleasant, uplifting experience. People may “see” God, angels, saints, or indescribable light. Such a vision usually brings a new direction to life and leaves the individual with a “lighter” countenance, a greater joy in...
Belief In Angels in The Old Testament This article covers Belief in Angels In The Old Testament. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a...
Demiurge In the Platonic, Neopythagorean, Middle Platonic, and Neoplatonic schools of philosophy, the demiurge is an artisan-like figure responsible for fashioning and maintaining the physical universe. The Gnostics adopted the term “demiurge“. Although a fashioner, the demiurge is not necessarily the same as the creator figure in the monotheistic sense, because the demiurge itself and the...
Prayer To Saint Michael The Prayer to Saint Michael usually refers to one specific Catholic prayer to Michael the Archangel, among the various prayers in existence that are addressed to him. From 1886 to 1964, this prayer was recited after Low Mass in the Catholic Church, although not incorporated into...
The Ways Beings Worship God This article explains how everything in the ways beings worship God. The wise Quran states clearly that everything, from the heavens to the earth, from the stars to flies, from angels to fishes, and from planets to particles, prostrates, worships, praises, and glorifies Almighty God....
Azazel In the Bible, the name Azazel (עֲזָאזֵל ʿAzāʾzēl; عزازيل, ʿAzāzīl) appears in association with the scapegoat rite; the name represents a desolate place where a scapegoat bearing the sins of the Jews during Yom Kippur was sent. During the end of the Second Temple period, his association as a fallen angel responsible for introducing humans to forbidden knowledge emerged due to...