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  1. FeigningSarcasm

    FeigningSarcasm Active Member

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    Angels/ Archangels

    Discussion in 'Research' started by FeigningSarcasm, Aug 28, 2017.

    I was wondering if anyone had some recommendations for detailed, in depth, books/ sites for angel (Christian, Jewish, and Muslim) research. There's a lot of conflicting information out on the web and I'd prefer to draw my information from the same source just to keep the story cohesive.
     
  2. JLT

    JLT Contributor Contributor

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    I know that the hierarchies vary considerably among the religions, but that's as far as my understanding goes. Your best bet would probably to to the official web site of a particular religion, as they have some stake in getting the facts (at least as they see them) straight and are not likely to post anything contrary to their theology.
     
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  3. Clementine_Danger

    Clementine_Danger Active Member

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    Primary sources for this sort of thing are pretty opaque. Angels in Christian tradition are more of a bastardization of several cultural phenomena absorbed into Christianity over the course of centuries, and a lot of what we imagine to be true about angels now are a purely North American invention. There's really no "official" hierarchies in all traditions. Hebrew, Muslim and Christian theology each have their own theology, and you can't lump their understanding of divinity together. That being said:

    The Divine Comedy (all of it, especially Paradiso) was pretty influential in how we see angels and the afterlife in modernity.
    Summa Theologica draws directly from the Bible, although most of it is invention.
    The Lesser Key of Solomon is just a hoot.
    A lot of late medieval and renaissance grimoires deal with demonology, which is intertwined with angelology. Grimorium Verum is decent. De Occulta Philosophia is a trip.

    If you're not looking for primary sources, angelology is a major subcategory of Christian theology, and much has been said about it. The Moody Handbook of Theology is a good starting point, if memory serves. Annotated Bibles can help too. (Turns out angels are surprisingly sarcastic if read in the right tone.)

    I can't help with Hebrew or Muslim traditions though. They're too different for me to confidently talk about.
     
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  4. Sclavus

    Sclavus Active Member

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    "The Encyclopedia of Angels" by Rosemary Guiley. You might find it at your library or through an inter-library loan. The description says, "Richly illustrated with medieval, Renaissance, and contemporary paintings, prints, drawings, and photographs, ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ANGELS contains the history and development of angelologies and the importance of angels to the major religions of the world. The book traces the path of angels across such diverse subjects as mysticism, mythology, folklore, magic, visions of the Virgin Mary, out-of-body experiences, extraterrestrials, psychology, and philosophy."
     
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  5. Domino355

    Domino355 Senior Member

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    You can also read through the Bible in specific chapters in Ezkiel, Jeshayau, and possibly Daniel. That would give you quite a good understanding of how angels were seen in biblical times
     
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  6. FeigningSarcasm

    FeigningSarcasm Active Member

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    Thank you to everyone who replied! I found a lot of helpful information in the recommended sources.

    Rosemary Guiley's is very informative and easy to access!
     
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