by María de Gracia

"The man before his birth, being pure spirit, knows everything, but the moment he sees the light of day, an angel slaps him in the mouth and forgets all the Torah."

(Ver.51a; Me'ilah, 17b; Ta'anit, 11)

Angeology

Angeology is the branch of theology that deals with angels whom it considers superhuman beings that live in heaven and sometimes reveal to man the will of God, in addition to executing his orders. In one way or another, belief in angels appears in the early stages of pre-Christian history and is still very much alive in the spiritual world of both Jews and those who profess religions that arose from Judaism, such as Christianity and Islamism In other peoples and religions of antiquity there is also evidence of the belief in these beings.

According to the Kabbalistic tradition we all have an angel, which is not precisely that of the Guardian, but that it is one of the seventy-two angels of which the Tree of Life is composed. These angels serve God directly and help men to evolve and find the path of their spirituality. The hierarchies of angels are composed of nine choirs of angels each formed by eight faces which adds a total of seventy-two angels. It is about the seventy-two angels of the Kabbalah and are divided into: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Domination, Powers, Virtues, Principalities, Archangels and Angels.

The original name for the angel is simply: messenger, obtained its greatest meaning only through the additional name of God, such as Angel of the Lord, or Angel of God, although there are other denominations that call them Sons of God, los Santos, etc. (Psalms XXIX)

The angels appear to men as a means of power and also by the will of God, and to carry out their requests. The angels are revealed to people, as well as to nations, in order to announce events whether they are good or bad. The Guardian angels are also mentioned, but not the same as the previous ones, but as guardian spirits of the individuals and also of the nations. While all the revelations the angels receive come directly from God, the angel acts as a divine interpreter especially when he has to communicate His commands to men.

Adoptan form of human beings of great beauty and are not, at the same time, recognized as angels; they fly through the air and can become invisible. They are touched and consumed by fire like El as who rode in a car of fire. (Psalms XXIX)

Appear in the flames of the bush. They are pure and bright like the sky, therefore they form in fire and are protected by light. The one who turns the winds and the flames of fire into his messengers . They carry swords or weapons of destruction in their hands and some carry an inkwell. A terrible angel is between the earth and the sky with a sword drawn in his hand . (Ezekiel IX)

San Miguel - Carlo Crivelli, year 1, 476

“An angel dressed in linen, and girdled his body of gold, was like a beryl, and his face looked like lightning, and his eyes like torches of fire, and his arms and feet like the color of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the roar of a crowd. ” (Daniel, X-5).

“Angels are powerful and terrible, they are endowed with the wisdom and knowledge of all earthly events, they are correct in their judgments, but they are not infallible because they fight each other and God has to put peace between them. When their functions are not punitive, angels are beneficial to man. ” (Psalms, CIII: 20)

The number of angels is infinite. Jacob meets a multitude of them and sees the prince of Jehovah's army: "God sits on his throne and the whole army of heaven was beside him, on his right and on his left." (Kings, XXII: 19)

Angels are mentioned in relation to their special missions, such as: "the angel who has redeemed, " "the interpreter, " "the angel who destroyed, " "the messenger of the covenant, " "the angel of his presence, " and "a group of evil angels." However, when the heavenly hosts are considered in their broadest aspect, a distinction can easily be made between cherubs, seraphim, hayyot (living creatures), ofanim (wheels) and arelim (the meaning of that term is not known).

God is described riding on the cherubim and as "the Lord of hosts that dwells among the cherubs." Seraphim, are described by Isaiah (VI: 2), have six wings. The ofanim are heavenly beings that carry the throne of God. In post-biblical times the heavenly hosts were better organized, there were several kinds of angels and each of them belonged to a hierarchy.

“There are military angels, one of them ends in a single night with the entire Assyrian army made up of 185, 000. There are messengers. Others annihilate thousands of people. The angels of "evil" are also personified; those who produce badly, although they are generally considered as beneficial to man. Some accompany God as his assistants when he has to manifest himself to man. ” (Deuteronomy XXXIII: 2)

"The Seven Eyes of the Lord that run from here to there throughout the Earth in order to discover and report everything that happens, and are not identical to the seven archangels or watchmen." (Zechariah IV: 7-10)

In the books of the prophets the angels also appear as representatives of the prophetic spirit and bring the Word of God to the elect. Thus, the prophet Ageo, was called the messenger (angel) of God and it is known that "Malachi" is not a real name, but is a word that means: messenger or angel. In Book I of the Kings, XIII: 18, it is said that an angel carries the divine word to the prophet.

Some traditions maintain that angels already existed before the creation of the world. The biblical writings did not speculate on them, but simply speak of their relations with man as agents of God (Gen. I: 26). Consequently, they are not individualized and when they are interrogated they refuse to give their names. (Judges, XIII: 18).

The names of Michael and Gabriel already appear in the book of the prophet Daniel. Daniel was the first to give them both names and ranks in their hierarchies. Michael is the representative of Israel in heaven where all nations are located. The Persian Empire was already represented by the angelic princes. About 300 years before the Book of Daniel the prophet Zechariah had already classified the angels according to their rank, but not according to their names. The so-called Seven Eyes may have been influenced by the representation of the seven archangels and also by the seven Persian amshaspands. Shortly after the book of Daniel the Essenes appeared with a very developed angeology, although on the other hand the Sadducees always questioned the existence of the angels. In general, however, dominant beliefs about angeology can be collected from the traditions that continued even after the extinction of the Essenes.

Gustave Moreau a Peri 1865

In Persian mythology a Peri is the descendant of a fallen angel who is prohibited from entering the Paradise until he fulfills his penance. In other traditions the peris are described as agents of the devil; although there are also benevolent ones. They are beautiful, have wings and look like fairy creatures that move between angels and evil spirits.

In the biblical accounts there is a tendency to beautify both the angels and their missions on earth, such as when Abraham is about to sacrifice his son Isaac, the angels intercede protesting before the Lord because they consider the act unnatural.

Angels are not allowed to forgive sins. The angels gather around the throne of God with curiosity. Israel has priority . (Midrash CIII)

In addition to the biblical name (angel), the term the higher ones is used in contrast to the lower ones . (Midrash XXV: 14). Through the creation of humanity, God established peace between superiors and inferiors. (Lev. IX). The upper home is made up of families, which means that the angels form the heavenly court and are servants of God in the land below. The angelic hosts are called "exercitus" and the lower-ranking angels are called "galearii" (army servants). " (No. XII: 8)

“The essence of angels is fire and they keep fire; his breath is from a fire that consumes men and none can withstand the sound of their voices. ” (Qty V: 10)

It is said that none of the heavenly hosts sing praises to the Lord twice, but that God hears every day new angels who sing their praises. "Where are they going?" Joshua asked; and they replied: "to the stream of fire from where they emanated." And Joshua asked again: "What is the character of this current?": "It is like the Jordan River, which does not cease to flow by day or night." “And where does the river of fire come from?”: And they answered him: “from the sweat of living beings.” (Daniel VII: 10)

Another theory maintains that angels are made half of fire and half of water and that God makes peace between the opposing elements, that they feed on the rays he sends and that in the light of His face is life ”(Pesik VI: 57.a)

“In three aspects angels resemble demons and in three others humanity. Just as angels have wings, they move from one end of the earth to the other and are premonitory, men eat and drink, spread themselves and die, in these three points men resemble angels and in three others to the animals ”(Hag. XVI: A)

“Angels are generally represented as good and not subject to bad impulses, therefore the Ten Commandments are not applicable to them. They are called saints while men need a double sanctification to deserve the name. Having that character indicates that they show neither hatred nor envy, nor would discord or evil exist between them. However, they need to benefit from each other. ” (Lev. XXI-XXIV: 8)

Angels sometimes appear standing, now in the form of a man or a woman, and now as the wind or as the fire. Of the three angels that appeared to Abraham, one was as a Saracen, another as a Nabatean, and the third as an Arab. Jacob appeared to him as a pastor. An angel assumes the form of Moses in order to be captured by Pharaoh instead of himself and another taking the form of Solomon dethroned him. (Lev. VI - YerSanh II: 20c)

The angel of Death

“Angels come from heaven on horses and with shining weapons. With a sharp scythe that had been prepared since creation. ” "The angels are conceived endowed with wings and are called" birds of the sky. " (Sanh.95: b)

Their bodies are supposed to be like the ones Daniel describes in X: 6. “Its size is diverse. An angel extends from earth to heaven, where the "hayyot" are. Sandalfón occupies a higher place than the rest of his companions and the duration of his trip is five hundred years. ” According to tradition, each angel occupies a third of the world and another tells us that two thousand parasangas (a parasanga measures 6.25 kilometers) are what the hand that goes from heaven to Earth measures. “Angels do not always reveal themselves in all their dimensions, but are visible only to those whom their concerns call them and their messages are heard by no one but by those to whom they are intended” (Taanit 21.a )

Persian Angel - Avesta - Lailat ul Miraj

Although the Bible does not provide any information about the origin of the angels, tradition says that they have been created by God, but not until the second day of Creation in order not to have to say that God would have received assistance in his work and that Michael helped in the firmament of the south, Gabriel in the one of the north and the power of God made the center. Another version tells us that the angels were created on the fifth day. "They were not among the six things whose creation was decided before the world was created (Gen. I: 3)." "God held counsel with the angels when it came to creating man." (Gen. VIII: 5)

“Angels also sit on the Council in the judgment of man to decide their guilt or innocence. If there are nine hundred and ninety-nine votes for condemnation and only one for absolution, God decides in favor of man. The soul announces the affairs of man to the angel; the angel to the cherubs and the cherubs to God. ” (Qty I: 9-Pesik VIII)

The spirits of the elements, as well as the princes of fire, also had their origin in Persia, as is clear from their names. The angels who sporadically accompany men are not the same as guardian angels since some accompany Jacob in the Holy Land and others do when he went abroad. “The accompanying angels are not permanent, but they are temporary, they are companions. Each angel carries on his chest a plaque inscribed with the name of God. ”

(Pesik.XII: 108b). Two angels, one good and one bad, accompanied the man on the return of the synagogue to his house on the eve of Saturday. The souls of the pious are received by three good angels; those of the ungodly for three evil angels who accompany them and bear witness to it. (Shab XVII: 2)

Assyrian Sphinx Pers polis

The destiny of the nations and their celestial princes is closely interwoven. God does not punish any nation; neither He nor even the Messiah until he first punished his guardian angel. (Qty VIII: 14). The hostility of the ancient nations against Israel is reflected in the legend that the seventy princes of the nations bring charges against Israel and then God takes part. Those same angels favored Egypt. God orders Israel's obedience in order to be able to take away the hostility of the angels over that country. (Beshallah, Shirah II)

The seventy nations: each of them had its guardian angel in heaven and Michael, the Guardian Angel of Israel, ranks above the rest. (Deut.XXXII: 8)

Jacob saw in a dream that they go up and down a ladder that reached heaven and it is feared that they always oppress Israel. (Pesik, XXIII, 150b; Exodus XXIV: 10). No names are given, except for Miguel and Samael; The following are mentioned: the princes of Egypt, Babylon, Kingdom of Media (Persia), Yavan (= Greece, therefore also Syria) and Edom (Rome). The latter manifests itself more frequently since world power was given to Rome.

"There are angels of prayer, beneficence and dreams." (Gen.LXXXV). “Often we also find angels of peace or fury; it is known of good and bad angels and more frequently the destructive angels appear whose number is unlimited, and which figuratively represent the infinity of evils and misfortunes that loom over humanity. ” (Shab, 88a; Enoch, LIII)

Destruction of Babylon-symbol of Satan and all evil. "Book of Revelations."

The names of Metatron, Sandalfon and Semalion are of Hebrew tradition. According to the Talmud, the three angels who visited Abraham were Miguel, Gabriel and Rafael.

The closest contact there was with the angels was in ancient Babylon thanks to its system of upper and lower spirits; Rabbinic tradition subsequently confirms: "the names of the angels were brought by the Jews of Babylon." (Yer.RH I: 2). "There are seven angels of God in human form: six to do the work of destruction and the seventh, the celestial scribe, sent to the holy city." (Ezekiel, IX: 2)

However, this angelic tradition, whose extensive knowledge was originally owned by the Essenes, or Hasidim (Josephus, II: 7-8), was also very useful to the Babylonian magicians insofar as it allowed them to control the spiritual forces through the use of specific names of angels when carrying out spells and spells. These practices were applied both by the Babylonians and by the Mazdaist priests of the Persian temples.

In the Book of Tobias, III: 17, the name of the third angel appears, that is: Raphael ("God heals you"), "God has sent me to heal you and Sarah, your daughter. I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels who present the prayers of the saints and from which the glory of the Saint enters and leaves before. ” (Tobias XII: 14-15)

Gabriel cleaning the impurities of Muhammad's heart before taking him to heaven, while the other angels watch. 16th century manuscript, Turkey.

Muhammad touching the hands of the Archangel Gabriel - Siyer-i-Nebi, year 1595 - Topkapi Museum, Istanbul

According to Enoch, XXI, there are seven archangels who watch.

one). Uriel (God is light).

2) Rafael, who is in the spirits of men.

3) Ra'uel, "the terrible", who punishes the world of stars.

4) Michael, who extends over the people of Israel.

5) Sariel (stars), Sakariel, Suriel, found in spirits that seduce sinners.

6) Gabriel, who is in paradise, snakes (seraphim) and cherubs.

7) Jerahmeel (God is merciful) whom God put on the resurrection.

Whether they correspond to the seven Amshaspandas of Persia, or to the seven planetary spirits of Babylon, these seven archangels are repeated in the book of Enoch, XC: 21-22. Miguel (Luecken), the fourth, is probably the boss, the leader of the seven.

Four angels on the Throne

On the other hand, Miguel, Gabriel, Uriel and Fanuel (Peniel) presented themselves as the four angels of the presence of the Lord. After the guards (those who do not sleep).

“I saw on the four sides of the Lord of the spirits four presences (faces) different from those who do not sleep, and I heard the voice of those four presences as they gave glory to the Lord of Glory. The first, Michael, merciful and suffered, blesses the Lord of the spirits for ever and ever. The second, Rafael, who extends over the diseases of the sons of men, blesses the Chosen One and the elect those who will unite the Lord of the spirits. The third, Gabriel, who is in all powers, intercedes on behalf of the inhabitants of the earth, and the fourth, Fanuel (Penuel) who is in repentance and hope of eternal life, prevents accusing demons of the men". Enoch, X: 9-10

"These four are placed near the crystal throne of God, which is surrounded by fire, where there are also seraphim, cherubim and ofanim (wheels)." (Ezekiel, I: 15).

Ofanim

“Those who do not sleep, the protector of the throne, amid a thousand times a thousand and ten thousand times ten thousand the Chief of the days he is with the four. Four angels who stood before the presence of God as leaders of four hosts of angels who glorify the most high that sits in their midst and their names are, Miguel, Uriel, Gabriel and Rafael . (Enoch, XXI: 7-13)

These angels correspond to the four guardian spirits or rulers of the four corners of the earth in Babylonian mythology. On the other hand, the seven kinds of angels are mentioned:

1) the Queribunes 2) the seraphim 3) the Ofanim 4) all the angels of power 5) the principalities 6) the chosen one (Months as), and 7) the (primary) competences of land and water.

Endowed as having seven angelic virtues per month, one more is attributed to him. In the spirit of faith, of wisdom, of patience, of mercy, of judgment, of peace and of goodness glorify by saying: Blessed be, and may the name of the lord of the spirits blessed be for ever and ever. (Enoch, XI: 10)

Something similar to the above is offered by the Testaments of the Patriarchs, T. Levi, III, where the following description of the seven heavens is given:

In the greatest of which inhabits the great Glory in the Holy of Holies and beneath it are the angels of the presence of the Lord who ask the Lord for the loss He and the atonement for the ignorance of the righteous. And in the sky below this one, there are the angels that carry the answers to the angels of the Presence of the Lord and in the sky, next to them, are the thrones and domains in which hymns are offered to God.

In the third heaven are the hosts of the armies organized for the Day of Judgment and to take revenge on the spirits of deceit; and the second heaven has fire, snow and ice also prepared, in addition to all the spirits ready to take action on the Day of Judgment; and the lower sky is bleak, since it is close to the evil of men.

Enoch (Slavic apocryphal)

In this book the celestial hierarchy is even more developed. “Occupied by two angels with the appearance of fire, I see in the third heaven the sun and the stars, in addition to other winged creatures, with the assistance of four hundred angels who take off the crown every night to take it to the Lord and put them on again over the head every morning. ” (Enoch, XXXIII: 6)

In the fourth Heaven he sees the armies of armed angels (for the Judgment), while praising God with songs. In the fifth he sees the Watchers, four orders, grieving for his companions the fallen angels, but still singing, and blowing four trumpets of praise to the Lord. In the sixth Heaven he sees heavenly legions of angels, plus some living beings, and the souls of men, with seven seraphim, seven cherubs and seven creatures with six wings (hayyots) in their midst, and he hears singing with a single voice of an indrescribable beauty while rejoicing before the Lord. And finally in the seventh Heaven: “I saw a great light, and all the hosts of great archangels, incorporeal powers, manors, principalities, domains, cherubs, seraphim, thrones and the watchmen of many eyes (Ofanim), ten soldiers agree at their rank of day and night they ceased to sing: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts, Heaven and earth are full of your glory!"

Hebrew magical texts (Sepher ha-Razim) spells and invocations manual

Some traditional versions have interspersed the eighth heaven, "mazzalot", with the twelve signs of the zodiac; the ninth heaven, "kokabim", the heavenly houses of the twelve signs of the zodiac, and the tenth heaven: "Arabot, where I saw the face of the Lord as the iron burned in the fire that emits sparks; and the great throne of the Lord, which is not made by hands, and the cherubim and seraphim around Him. ”

The seven heavens in the Talmud. (Ps. XVIII: 5).

There are Seven Skies in the Talmud. One on top of the other:

1) Velon (Latin: veil: curtain), which rolls up and down so that the sun enters and rises: "He extends the heavens like a curtain."

2) Raki'a, the place where the sun, moon and stars are fixed.

3) Shehakim, in which are the millstones to grind the manna of the Righteous.

4) Zegul, the upper part of Jerusalem with its temple in which Michael offers the sacrifice on the altar.

5) Ma'on. In which they inhabit the kinds of angels that sing at night and say nothing during the day; they keep the honor of Israel and also serve the Lord in the day.

6) Makon, in which are the treasures of snow and hail, dew chambers, rain and fog behind fire doors.

7) Arabot, where justice and righteousness meet, the treasures of life and blessings, the souls of the righteous and the dew of the resurrection. Here are the Ophanim, the seraphim and the Hajjot, the guardian angels and the throne of glory and upon them is the great King. ”

Maimonides in his "Yad ha-Hazakah, Yesode ha Torah", II, tells ten rows of angels starting with the highest:

1) Hayyot

2) Ofanim

3) Arelim

4) Hashmallin (Hayyot who are sometimes silent and sometimes speak when He has finished speaking)

5) Seraphim

6) Malakim (angels)

7) Elohim (or divine beings)

8) Bene Elohim (children of God)

9) Cherubim (youth flower)

10) Ishim (man-like beings) - (Daniel, X: 5)

The Kabbalists have a different list: (Exodus, 43, the Zohar)

1) Arelim, with Miguel as boss

2) Ishim, with Zephaniah as chief

3) Bene Elohim, with Hofniel as head

4) Malakim, with Uriel as boss

5) Hashmallin, with Hashmal as boss

6) Tarshishim, with Tarsis as Chief

7) Shinanim, with Zadkiel as boss

8) Cherubs with Cherub as chief

9) Ofanim, with Rafael as head

10) Seraphim, with Jehoel as chief

In "The Zohar" the description of the seven heavens with their angelic chiefs and the twelve hierarchies of angels is more complicated than those of other traditions.

In the fourteenth-century Kabalistic treatise entitled: "Masekhet Azilut" (???? ??????) the ten hierarchies of angels are as follows:

1) Seraphim, with Shemuel or Jehoel as chief

2) Ofanim, with Rafael and Ofaniel as bosses

3) Cherubim, with Cherubiel as chief

4) Shinanim, with Zedekiel and Gabriel as bosses

5) Tarshishim with Tarsis and Sabriel as bosses

6) Ishim, with Zephaniel as boss

7) Hashmallim, with Hasmal as boss

8) Malakim, with Uzziel as boss

9) Bene Elohim, with Hofniel as head

10) Arelim, with Miguel as boss

Malachim

These are the ten archangels that were created first and on them is Metatron-Enoch that went from being flesh and blood to the flame of fire .

From the immensity of the armies of heaven we find the following description:

There are twelve mazzalot (signs of the zodiac), each with thirty armies, each army has thirty camps, each camp has thirty legions; Each legion has thirty cohorts, each cohort has thirty bodies, and each body has 365, 000 handfuls of stars entrusted to it. (Matthew XXVI: 53 and Berach, 32b

When Moses went up in the clouds to the sky, Quemuel, the doorman of the First Gate, with twelve thousand angels of destruction under his command, did not want to let him pass, but I succumbed. Upon reaching the second Gate, Hadraniel, who exceeds 600, 000 long parasangas, appeared with his fire darts to hit him, but God interfered. Finally he came to the vicinity of Sandalfón, the angel that rises above the rest of the trip, 500 years, and that if he is on Earth he arrives with his head to the Hajjot. ”

“Standing behind the heavenly chariot weaves crowns for the Most High while all the heavenly hosts sing: Blessed be the glory of Jehovah! Before the fire, even Hadraniel was trembling, but Moses also crossed, the Lord had shielded him. And Moses came to the stream of fire he consumes, even the angels, and God made him pass through it, leaving it unharmed. Then came Galizur, also called Raziel (the Secret of God), or Akraziel (the herald of God). ”

“Finally the troop of the mighty angels that were around the throne of Glory threatened to consume Moses with the breath of their mouths, but Moses reached the throne of Glory, the Lord extended his cloud over him and received the Law to despite the angels protesting. ” (Job, XXVI: 9 - Pesik, XX).

"Fall of the Rebel Angels", year 1, 554 - Frans Floris

Los Angeles Fall

Hebrew angeology does not know the principle of evil, like the Persian Ahriman. Satan is one of the sons of God. This makes the problem of evil something very difficult. The biblical tradition says that the sons of God marry the daughters of men which implies the possibility that angels covet and sin; It was then that the idea of ​​a fall arose, and not only of man, but of pure celestial beings. Babylonian mythology took for granted the existence of evil spirits that worked against God through bad practices of witchcraft, astrology and some occult sciences. "The fallen angels became the protectors of the armies of evil spirits and will therefore help men fall into crime and vice." (Isaiah XIV: 12)

"However, finally, they were subjugated by the power of Heaven and punished by the archangels Rafael and Gabriel, and therefore the knowledge of their names would allow them to be controlled" (Lev. XVI: 10).

There are several versions about the fall of the angels and one of them says that the leader of the rebellion was Azazel and his place of punishment on earth was a neighborhood of Israel.

“The two rebel leaders, taking the oath on Mount Hermon to overthrow the government of the heavens, had ten chiefs with a hundred angels each at their command. But the punishment they receive from Miguel, Gabriel, Rafael and Uriel is not to annihilate them completely. Azael (Azazel) betrayed the secrets of heaven with King Solomon as he did at the time of Enoch. Algunos ángeles fueron posteriormente acusados de traicionar los secretos divinos desde detrás de la cortina y fueron expulsados de sus cargos”.(Enoc, IX:1)

El “Libro de los Jubileos”, o “Génesis pequeño”, II:2, dice lo siguiente:

Los ángeles como instructores

Los ángeles dotados de conocimiento divino aparecen en la literatura apocalíptica, y rabínica, como los maestros de los hombres. Son llamados “susurro de los ángeles”. “Miguel inició a Adán y Seth en los secretos de la creación y enseñó a Adán los secretos de la agricultura. Los ángeles Miguel, Uriel y Raziel iniciaron a Enoc en los misterios del mundo”. (IV:21)

“Rafael impartió a Noé el conocimiento de las hierbas curativas”.”Miguel inició a Abraham en la tradición secreta en hebreo, idioma de la creación, de la revelación, lo que le permitiró estudiar las sagradas escrituras de los primeros padres”. “Los ángeles entienden solo el hebreo, pero Gabriel sabe setenta idiomas, todos los que enseñó a José”. (XII:25)

En otras versiones se dice que fue Zagzagael el que instruyó a los hombres en los setenta idiomas. (Libro de los Jubileos, I-II-III)

Moisés recibió todo su conocimiento de los siguientes ángeles en el Monte Sinaí y también se le enseñó el arte de la curación: Yefehfiah (Belleza Divina) el angel de la Ley. Metatrón (el Príncipe del Rostro) le enseñó el misterio de la Cábala práctica. El ángel Zagzagael (Esplendor Divino) le instruyó en el conocimiento del los misterios de la creación. Uriel enseñó a Esdras los misterios de la vida y Suriel instruyó a Ismael ya Eliseo en las leyes de la higiene.”

Mediar entre Dios y los hombres:

Los ángeles interceden por los hombres que moran en la tierra ante Dios llevando sus oraciones hasta Su Trono. De la misma manera que colocan las oraciones cerca de Dios y las buenas obras de los Justos, también colocan los pecados de los impíos. Ellos anotan todos los hechos y la vida que llevan los hombres. Estos registros, según el Testamento de Abraham, se llaman los “Libros de los Querubines”, ya que son mantenidos por los querubines y los registros de los pecados se leen en la gran Sala del Juicio del mundo inferior, así como también se leen las buenas acciones de las almas.

Los ángeles llevan a Adán a su último lugar de reposo. También asisten al funeral de Abraham y al entierro de Moisés. Los angeles llevan las almas de los Justos al cielo.

Los ngeles acompa an a los muertos en su partida de este mundo: Tres bandas de ngeles del ministerio divino o (mal ake ha-Sharet), o de la paz (HaShalom), acompa an a los Justos. El primer canto: Entrar n en la paz ; y el segundo: descansar n en sus lechos ; y el tercero: el que anda en rectitud . Pero cuando el imp o se aparta, tres bandas de ngeles de la destrucci n (mal ake Habbalah) se describen como que lo acompa an cantando: !No hay paz, dijo mi Dios, para los imp os! . (Isa as LVII:2-21)

A los ngeles que ejecutan el Juicio de Dios se les llama los ngeles del castigo . Su furias y su modo de castigo se describen en el Testamento de Abraham, XI y XII. Lanzan las almas de los malos de un extremo del mundo a otro . Estos ngeles est n bajo la direcci n de los seis o siete arc ngeles: Kezef, Af, Hemah, Mashit, Meshabber, Mekalleh, Ebrah, Zarah y por encima de estos est el Angel de la Muerte . Af y Hemah amenazaban con devorar a Mois sa causa de no haber circundado a su hijo. Dios mantiene a estos ngeles de la destrucci n lejos de s para que no ataquen todos a la vez dando de este modo a la gente la oportunidad de arrepentirse . (Ta anit, II:65 Testamento de Abraham, XVIII-XX)

Los ngeles de los infiernos

Seg n el Apocalipsis de Juan (IX:11) Abaddon es el ngel del Abismo. En el Talmud, Duma es el ngel del silencio, el pr ncipe del mundo inferior a cuyo cargo est n los esp ritus. Seg n el Midrash hay tres pr ncipes colocados en las tres puertas superiores.

1) Kipod (lobo en farsi)

2) Nagrasagiel o Nasragiel, el pr ncipe que muestra a Mois s el mundo inferior y el sufrimiento de los imp os.

3) Nairio Sangha, el mensajero de Ahura Mazda, a cuyo cuidado eran confiadas las almas de los Justos.(Zendavesta, XXIII)

En el Testamento de Abraham, XIII, se mencionan dos arc ngeles que ayudan al juicio de las almas.

1) Dokiel (el que pesa en la balanza) y Puruel (el ngel de fuego despiadado).

En el Midrash Konen se mencionan los siguientes ángeles de castigo para los siete departamentos:

1) Kushiel (el rígido)

2) Lahatiel (llama del fuego)

3) Shoftiel (el juez de Dios)

4) Makatiel (la plaga de Dios)

5) Hutriel (el azote de Dios)

6) Pusiel (Puriel) (la ira de Dios)

La tendencia a individualizar y dar a cada ángel un nombre distinto, además de asignarle un rango o posición particular, creció entre los devotos de la tradición secreta.

“Cada ángel lleva una placa en su corazón en el que su nombre, junto con el nombre de Dios (El) está inscrito”. “El Señor habita en ellos. Ellos no pueden decir tus nombres”. (Jueces, XIII:18)

“Ningún ángel puede llevar a cabo dos mensajes, ni dos ángeles cumplir con un solo mensaje”. “Miguel a la derecha, Uriel a la izquierda, Gabriel en frente y Rafael en la parte trasera del Trono están situados en los cuatro lados del cielo”. (Num. II- Midrash VI)

“En cada fuerza y elemento de la vida se coloca un ángel: uno sobre los vientos, uno sobre el fuego y uno sobre el agua. Enoc, (V:176)

“No hay un pie sobre la tierra que no tenga su estrella angelical (mazzal) en los cielos”, (Gen, X)

Ya en Daniel, X:20-21, prevalece la idea de que cada nación tiene un ángel guardial celestial o príncipe. “Los setenta pastores son los ángeles guardianes de las setenta naciones sobre las que Miguel, como príncipe de Israel, se establece como gobernante. Con estos setenta y un ángeles-príncipes en el mundo, Dios se sienta en el consejo y sostiene el juicio sobre el mundo, y cada ángel defenderá la causa de su nación ante El”.

Hay un angel príncipe muy especial que gobierna el mundo . Un ángel que ha sido identificado en el libro de Tobías como Metatrón. Pero al lado de Metatrón se menciona, en “Maseket Azilut”, como hermano y por encima de él, a Sandalfón, explicado como Sinadelfon (hermano gemelo). Posteriormente la Cábala coloca a Akathriet de poco menos que igual rango que los gemelos Metatrón y Sandalfon; este último de un poco menos rango que Metatrón. (Job, XLI:9).

Invocaciones a los ángeles

Los nombres de los ángeles se convirtieron en el estudio favorito de los esenios, o Hasidim, en vista de las sanaciones mágicas efectuadas utilizando estos nombres, puesto que con del conocimiento exacto del nombre, del ámbito de cada ángel y del poder ejercido por él en ciertos malos espíritus, dependían la eficacia de los conjuros llevados a cabo por magos y hechiceros. En el Testamento de Salomón, siglo I, el Rey es presentado contando sus experiencias en el encuentro con varios demonios a cada uno de los cuales le pide su nombre, así como el nombre del ángel que le puede dominar.

“Cuando Jerusalén estaba sitiada por Nabucodonosor, después de que el héroe de la ciudad, Abika, hubiera caído, Hananeel, tío de Jeremías, conjuró a los ángeles que sembraron el terror en los corazones de los caldeos poniéndolos así en pie de fuga, pero Dios, después de haber decretado la caída de la ciudad, había cambiado los nombres de los ángeles cuando Hananeel invocó el nombre del príncipe del mundo utilizando el Nombre Inefable y levantó a Jerusalén en el aire, pero Dios lo echó de nuevo”. (Yalk.Lam.1001). De acuerdo con otra historia: los principales hombres de la ciudad se habían conjurado a los ángeles del agua y del fuego para rodear la ciudad con muros de fuego y agua, pero Dios cambió los nombres de los ángeles”. (Ibi, 1012)

Destrucción de Jerusalén por Nabucodonosor

Adoración a los ángeles:

La tradición nos dice que se acusaba a los judíos de rendir culto a los ángeles. En Orígenes, (VI:30) podemos leer: “las figuras mágicas en que encontró a los siete ángeles inscritos son como sigue:”

1) Miguel, con la figura de un león

2) Suriel, como un toro

3) Rafael, en forma de serpiente

4) Gabriel como un águila

5) Yalda Bahut con el rostro de un oso

6) Erathaol, como un perro

7) Onoel en forma de asno

Los judíos aplican expresamente la prohibición de la idolatría a la semejanza de los ángeles :” el que sacrifica un animal en el nombre del sol, la luna, las estrellas y los planetas, o en el nombre de Miguel, el gran capitán de las huestes celestiales, hace la misma ofrenda a los ídolos muertos”. (Celso, VI:20).

(continuará)

Mary of Grace

www.lecturatarot.com

(derechos reservados-prohibida su reproducci n)

bibliograf a:

- Conversations with Angels, John Dee

- The book of Angels, Eleazar de Worms

-Antiguo Testamento

-Zohar

-Talmud

- Occult Philosophy, Libros I y II, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa

Los Angeles y la C bala (I)