Angels

Angels are spiritual beings created by God to serve as messengers, worshipers, and agents of divine will across all three Abrahamic traditions. Neither human nor divine, angels inhabit a realm between the earthly and the transcendent, executing God’s commands and mediating between heaven and earth.

Nature and Purpose

Across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, angels share common characteristics:

Spiritual Beings: Angels are created beings of spirit, without physical bodies (though they can manifest in visible form). They were created before humanity and do not reproduce or die.

Servants of God: Their primary function is to worship God and carry out divine commands. Angels have no independent will that contradicts God’s purposes.

Messengers: The word “angel” derives from Greek angelos, meaning “messenger,” corresponding to Hebrew malakh and Arabic malak. Angels frequently deliver divine messages to humans.

Diverse Functions: Beyond message-bearing, angels protect, guide, wage spiritual warfare, worship continuously before God’s throne, and execute divine judgment.

In Judaism

Biblical Foundations

Angels appear throughout Hebrew Scripture performing various roles:

The Angel of the LORD: A mysterious figure who speaks as God Himself, appearing to Hagar (Genesis 16), Abraham (Genesis 22), Moses (Exodus 3), and others. Jewish interpretation varies on whether this is God manifesting or a specially empowered angel.

Protecting Angels: God promises, “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared” (Exodus 23:20).

Angels in Human Form: Angels visited Abraham before Sodom’s destruction (Genesis 18-19), appearing as men yet recognized as divine messengers.

Angels in Visions: The prophets saw angels in celestial visions. Isaiah beheld seraphim worshiping God (Isaiah 6). Ezekiel saw the mysterious cherubim and living creatures (Ezekiel 1, 10). Daniel encountered Gabriel and Michael in apocalyptic visions.

Rabbinic Understanding

Jewish tradition developed extensive angelology:

Hierarchy: Angels organized into various ranks and functions, though less systematized than Christian hierarchies.

Named Angels: Michael (protector of Israel), Gabriel (divine messenger), Raphael (healing angel), and Uriel appear in Jewish texts.

Guardian Angels: The belief that individuals and nations have appointed guardian angels.

Angels and Torah: Rabbinic tradition holds that angels participated in giving the Torah at Sinai and that they study Torah in heaven.

No Worship of Angels: Jewish law strictly forbids worshiping or praying to angels. They are servants, not objects of devotion.

Angels Lack Free Will (in some views): Angels execute God’s will without moral choice, unlike humans who must choose between good and evil.

In Christianity

Biblical Testimony

The New Testament presents angels as active participants in salvation history:

Annunciation: Gabriel announced Jesus’s conception to Mary: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God” (Luke 1:30).

Nativity: Angels proclaimed Jesus’s birth to shepherds: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased” (Luke 2:14).

Ministry to Jesus: Angels ministered to Jesus after his temptation (Matthew 4:11) and strengthened him in Gethsemane (Luke 22:43).

Resurrection: Angels announced Jesus’s resurrection to the women at the tomb (Matthew 28:5-7).

Second Coming: Angels will accompany Christ’s return and gather the elect (Matthew 24:31).

Theological Development

Nature of Angels: Pure spiritual intellects (Aquinas), created good but capable of fall (as with Satan and demons).

Angelic Hierarchy: Pseudo-Dionysius systematized nine orders of angels in three triads:

• First triad (closest to God): Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones
• Second triad: Dominions, Virtues, Powers
• Third triad: Principalities, Archangels, Angels

Guardian Angels: Strong Catholic and Orthodox tradition that each person has a guardian angel. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10).

Worship of God Alone: While angels are honored, worship belongs to God alone. Angels themselves refuse worship (Revelation 19:10).

Angels as Servants: “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14).

Angels and Spiritual Warfare

Angels engage in cosmic battle against demonic forces:

War in Heaven: “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back” (Revelation 12:7).

Protection: Angels guard believers from spiritual attack. Psalm 91:11-12 promises angelic protection, quoted by Satan when tempting Jesus.

Invisible Battle: Paul describes struggle “against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

In Islam

Quranic Teaching

Angels hold a fundamental place in Islamic belief, constituting one of the six articles of faith:

Created from Light: Islamic tradition teaches angels were created from light, as opposed to humans from clay and jinn from fire.

Sinless Obedience: Angels have no free will to disobey God. “They do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded” (Quran 66:6).

Continuous Worship: Angels constantly worship Allah, never tiring or ceasing their praise.

Recording Deeds: Two angels accompany each person, recording their good and bad deeds for the Day of Judgment.

Named Angels

Jibril (Gabriel): The supreme angel who revealed the Quran to Muhammad. “Say, ‘Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel—it is [none but] he who has brought the Qur’an down upon your heart, [O Muhammad], by permission of Allah’” (Quran 2:97).

Mika’il (Michael): Angel of provision and mercy, associated with rainfall and sustenance.

Israfil: The angel who will blow the trumpet to announce the Day of Resurrection.

Azra’il: The Angel of Death who takes souls at their appointed time.

Ridwan: Guardian of Paradise.

Malik: Guardian of Hell.

Angels’ Duties

Bearing the Throne: “Those [angels] who carry the Throne and those around it exalt [Allah] with praise of their Lord” (Quran 40:7).

Messengers: Angels brought revelation to prophets throughout history.

Soldiers of Allah: Angels fought alongside believers at the Battle of Badr (Quran 3:124-125).

Recording Angels: Kiraman Katibin write down every person’s actions.

Testing Angels: Munkar and Nakir question the dead in their graves.

Angelic Appearances

Across traditions, angels appear in various forms:

Glorious Beings: Seraphim with six wings, cherubim with multiple faces, beings of pure light.

Human Form: Angels often appear as men (never women in biblical accounts) to deliver messages or provide aid.

Awesome and Fearful: Angelic appearances often terrify witnesses, leading to the common greeting “Fear not” or “Do not be afraid.”

Countless Numbers: “Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands” (Revelation 5:11).

The Fallen Angels

All three traditions acknowledge fallen angels:

Satan’s Rebellion: The highest angel (Lucifer/Iblis) rebelled against God and was cast down, taking other angels with him.

In Christianity: Satan and demons are fallen angels who wage war against God’s purposes.

In Islam: Iblis refused to bow to Adam, becoming Satan. However, Iblis is often understood as a jinn rather than an angel, since angels cannot disobey.

Watchers: Jewish apocalyptic literature describes angels who fell by lusting after human women (based on Genesis 6:1-4).

Roles and Functions

Worship: Angels’ primary function is continuous worship and glorification of God.

Messengers: Delivering divine communications to prophets and people.

Protectors: Guardian angels shield believers from harm.

Warriors: Spiritual combat against evil forces.

Ministers: Serving believers as “ministering spirits” (Hebrews 1:14).

Executors of Judgment: Carrying out divine punishment and justice.

Guides: Leading souls to their eternal destinations.

Theological Questions

Do Humans Become Angels?

No: In all three traditions, humans and angels are distinct creations. Humans do not become angels after death, nor were angels once human.

Can Angels Sin?

Judaism/Islam: Generally no—angels lack free will to disobey (though the fallen angels are exceptions).

Christianity: Angels were created with free will and some chose rebellion, but those who remained faithful are now confirmed in goodness.

How Many Angels Are There?

All traditions affirm countless angels, beyond human numbering. Islamic tradition sometimes cites specific large numbers, but the emphasis is on their innumerable multitude.

Common Ground and Differences

Shared Beliefs:

• Angels are created spiritual beings
• They serve as God’s messengers and agents
• They worship God continually
• They are more powerful than humans but subordinate to God
• They will play roles in final judgment

Differences:

• Free will: Christianity affirms angelic free will; Islam generally denies it (except for Iblis/Satan, often classified as jinn)
• Hierarchy: Christianity developed more elaborate hierarchies
• Interaction: Degree of direct angelic involvement in human affairs varies
• Gabriel’s role: Especially prominent in Christianity (Annunciation) and Islam (Quranic revelation)

Practical Significance

Belief in angels provides:

Comfort: The assurance of divine protection and care through angelic ministry.

Perspective: Recognition of the spiritual realm beyond physical perception.

Humility: Awareness that creation extends far beyond humanity.

Worship: Joining the angels’ eternal praise of God.

Vigilance: Understanding that spiritual battle is real and ongoing.

Hope: Confidence that God’s purposes will be accomplished through His mighty servants.

Conclusion

Angels occupy a unique space in Abrahamic theology—servants of the divine who mediate between heaven and earth, worship continuously, deliver messages, wage spiritual warfare, and execute God’s will. While theological details differ across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, all three traditions affirm that these spiritual beings reveal God’s glory, accomplish His purposes, and remind humanity that reality extends beyond the visible to encompass a vast unseen realm of spiritual activity.

From Gabriel’s annunciations to Michael’s cosmic warfare, from the seraphim’s “Holy, holy, holy” to the recording angels’ faithful documentation, these messengers of the Most High testify to God’s majesty, His care for creation, and the ultimate triumph of divine purposes over all opposition.