Nephilim The Nephilim (נְפִילִים, nefilim) were the offspring of the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men” before the Deluge, according to Genesis 6:1-4. A similar or identical biblical Hebrew term, read as “Nephilim” by some scholars, or as the word “fallen” by others, appears in Ezekiel 32:27. When people began to multiply...
What Is Kami? This article covers the answer to the question: “What Is Kami?“ Kami (神) are the spirits or phenomena that are worshipped in the religion of Shinto. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, as well as beings and the qualities that these beings express;...
Classes Of Angels Classes of angels: There are angels representing in the inner dimension of existence species of earthly creatures and supervising them Some animals, like honeybees, for example, act under Divine inspiration, although science asserts that all animals are directed by impulses. Science is unable to explain what an...
![A unique Buraq[1] sculpture of Mindanaon Muslims in the Philippines. The sculpture is accompanied with indigenous okir motif.](https://slife.org/wp-content/uploads/Buraq_sculpture_from_Mindanao_Philippines-520x398.jpg)
Buraq Al-Burāq (البُراق al-Burāq “lightning”) is a magical equid in Islamic mythology: a creature from the heavens that transported the prophets. Most notably hadith literature recounts that Buraq carried the Islamic prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Jerusalem and back during the Isra and Mi’raj or ‘Night Journey’. Etymology The Encyclopaedia of Islam,...
Fallen Angel In Abrahamic religions, fallen angels are angels who were expelled from Heaven. The term “fallen angel” appears neither in the Bible nor in other Abrahamic scriptures, but is used of angels who were cast out of heaven or angels who sinned. Such angels are often malevolent towards humanity. The idea of fallen angels derived from Jewish Enochic pseudepigraphy or...
Archangel Gabriel Gabriel (גַּבְרִיאֵל,’Gavri’el “God is my strength“‘, Γαβριήλ, ‘Gabriel’, جبريل, Jibrīl or جبرائيل Jibrāʾīl), in the Abrahamic religions, is an archangel. He was first described in the Hebrew Bible and was subsequently developed by other traditions. In the Hebrew Bible, Gabriel appears to the prophet Daniel, to explain his visions (Daniel 8:15–26, 9:21–27). Gabriel the archangel is also a character...
Archangel Israfil Israfil (إِسْـرَافِـيْـل, Isrāfīl; or Israfel or Rafā’īl) is the angel who blows into the trumpet to signal Qiyamah (the Day of Judgment) and sometimes depicted as the angel of music. Though unnamed in the Quran, he is one of the four Islamic archangels, the others being long with Mikhail, Jibrail and Azrael. It is believed that Israfil will blow the...
Archangel Raphael Raphael (רָפָאֵל, Rāfāʾēl, ‘It is God who heals’, ‘God Heals’, ‘God, Please Heal’; Ραφαήλ, رفائيل or إسرافيل) is an archangel in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Raphael performs all manners of healing according to all Abrahamic religions. Medieval French rabbi, author and Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) commentator Rashi views Raphael as being one...
List Of Angels In Theology his is a list of angels in theology, including both specific angels (e.g. Gabriel) and types of angels (e.g. Seraphim). Note that some overlap is to be expected with the list of theological demons entry since various traditions have different classifications for the spirits they...
Seven Archangels The concept of the Seven Archangels is found in some works of early Jewish literature. Bible The term archangel itself is not found equivalent in the Hebrew Bible, and in the Greek New Testament the term archangel only occurs in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and the Epistle of Jude 1:9, where it is used of...
Hierarchy Of Angels A hierarchy of angels is a belief or tradition found in the angelology of different religions, which holds that there are different levels or ranks of angels. Higher ranks may be asserted to have greater power or authority over lower ranks, and different ranks have differences in...
Amesha Spenta In Zoroastrianism, Amesha Spenta (Avestan) is a class of divine entities literally means “Immortal (which is) holy.” Later Middle Persian variations of the term include the contraction ‘Ameshaspand’ as well as the specifically Zoroastrian ‘Mahraspand’ and ‘Amahraspand’. As the great “divine sparks” Significantly more common than the non-specific meaning of Amesha Spenta (see below) is...
Angels In Zoroastrianism There are different angels in Zoroastrianism. For example, each person has one guardian angel, called Fravashi. They patronize human beings and other creatures and also manifest God’s energy. The Amesha Spentas have often been regarded as angels, although there is no direct reference to them conveying messages, but...
Yazata Yazata (Avestan) is the Avestan language word for a Zoroastrian concept with a wide range of meanings but generally signifying (or used as an epithet of) a divinity. The term literally means “worthy of worship or veneration“, and is thus, in this more general sense, also applied to certain healing plants, primordial creatures, the fravashis of...
Cherub or Cherubim A cherub (cherubim; כְּרוּב kərūv, כְּרוּבִים kərūvîm) is one of the unearthly beings who directly attend to God according to Abrahamic religions. The numerous depictions of cherubim assign to them many different roles; their original duty having been the protection of the Garden of Eden In Jewish angelic hierarchy, cherubim have the ninth (second-lowest)...
Seraph or Seraphim A seraph (“the burning one”; seraphs or seraphim, in the King James Version also seraphims (plural); שָׂרָף śārāf, plural שְׂרָפִים śərāfîm; seraphim and seraphin (plural), also seraphus (-i, m.); σεραφείμ serapheím; مشرفين Musharifin) is a Hebrew-origin word referring to a type of celestial or heavenly being originating in Ancient Judaism. The term plays a role in subsequent Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The singular...
Christian Angelology This article covers Christian Angelology in detail. In Christianity, angels are agents of God, based on angels in Judaism. The most influential Christian angelic hierarchy was that put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in the 4th or 5th century in his book De Coelesti Hierarchia (On the Celestial Hierarchy). During the Middle Ages, many schemes were proposed...
Saint Michael In The Catholic Church This article covers the importance of Saint Michael in The Catholic Church. Saint Michael the Archangel is referenced in the Old Testament and has been part of Christian teachings since the earliest times. In Catholic writings and traditions, he acts as the defender of the Church...
Archangel Michael Saint Michael the Archangel (Mîkhā’ēl, ‘Who is like God?’; Mikhaḗl; Latin: Michahel; Mīkhā’īl) is an archangel in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran traditions, he is called “Saint Michael the Archangel” and “Saint Michael”. In the Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox religions, he is called “Saint...
Guardian Angel A guardian angel is an angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group, kingdom, or country. Belief in guardian angels can be traced throughout all antiquity. The concept of angels that guard over particular people and nationalities played a common role in Ancient Judaism, while a theory of tutelary angels and their...