angel (redirected from Angel-prince)

angel (ān`jəl), [Gr.,=messenger], bodiless, immortal spirit, limited in knowledge and power, accepted in the traditional belief of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and other religions. Angels appear frequently in the Bible, often in critical roles, e.g., visiting Abraham and Lot (Gen. 18; 19), wrestling with Jacob (Gen. 32.24–32), and guiding Tobit (Tobit 5). The Bible also speaks of guardian angels, protecting individuals or nations (Dan. 10.10–21; Mat. 18.10). In the Gospels an angel announced the Incarnation to the Virgin Mary (Luke 1), and an angel at the empty tomb revealed the Resurrection (Mat. 28.1–7). While Judaism has no fixed ordering of classes of angels, Christianity has a specific hierarchy. Codified in its classic form in the 5th cent by St. Dionysius the Areopagite, in The Celestial Hierarchy. In descending order the ranks of angels are seraphim, cherubim, thrones; dominations, virtues, powers; principalities, arch-angels, and angels. Roman Catholics and the Orthodox venerate angels, and the cult of guardian angels is especially extensive in the West (feast of Guardian Angels: Oct. 2). Protestants have generally abandoned the cult of angels. In Christianity, the angels of Hell, or dark angels, or devils, are the evil counterpart of the heavenly host; the chief of them, Satan (or Lucifer), was cast out of heaven for leading a revolt. They are often viewed as the initiators of evil temptations. Famous literary treatments of angels are those of John Milton's Paradise Lost and Dante's Divine Comedy. Angels play an important role in many other religions. Later Zoroastrian theology has numerous classes of yazatas "worshipful beings." Zoroastrian notions of angels influenced the intricate theories of heavenly beings of Gnostic systems and Manichaeism. In Islam the four archangels Jibrail, Mikail, Israfil, and Izrail (the Angel of Death) often act in place of Allah. The Kiram al-Katibin are the recording angels. According to a popular tradition, each person has two scribe angels, the one on the right side recording good deeds, the one on the left taking note of transgressions. A lower order of angels is the jinn.

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angel

Primarily in Western religions, any of numerous benevolent spiritual beings who mediate between heaven and earth. They often serve as messengers or servants of God or as guardians of an individual or nation. In Zoroastrianism the amesha spenta are arranged in a hierarchy of seven. Judaism and Christianity base their notion of angels on references in the Hebrew scriptures to divine servants and to the heavenly hosts. Two archangels (Michael and Gabriel) are mentioned in the Old Testament and two others (Raphael and Uriel) in the Apocrypha. Angels are mentioned throughout the Christian scriptures, and Christian tradition identifies nine orders of angels. Islam's hierarchy of angels descends from the four throne bearers of God to the cherubim who praise God, the four archangels, and lesser angels such as the hafazah (guardian angels). See also cherub; seraph.

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angel

1. Theol one of a class of spiritual beings attendant upon God. In medieval angelology they are divided by rank into nine orders: seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominations (or dominions), virtues, powers, principalities (or princedoms), archangels, and angels

2. a divine messenger from God

3. a former English gold coin with a representation of the archangel Michael on it, first minted in Edward IV's reign

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Angel

Abaddon

angel in charge of Sheol’s bottomless pit. [N.T.: Revelation 9:11; 20:1–3]

Abdiel

faithful seraph who withstood Satan when urged to revolt. [Br. Lit.: Paradise Lost]

Arcade

acquires knowledge of science, loses faith in God, and conspires to take over Heaven for Satan. [Fr. Lit.: The Revolt of the Angels in Magill I, 821]

Azrael

watches over the dying and takes the soul; will himself be the last to die. [Islamic Myth.: Brewer Dictionary, 60]

cherubim

four-winged, four-faced angels inspired Ezekiel to carry God’s message to the people. [O.T.: Ezek. 1:15]

Gabriel

angel of the annunciation; tells Mary she will bear Christ child. [N.T.: Luke 1:26–38]

guardian angel

believed to protect a particular person. [Folklore: Misc.]

Jordan, Mr.

heavenly messenger has to find a new body for a boxer who died before his earthly time was up. [Am. Drama and Cinema: Here Comes Mr. Jordan]

Lucifer

archangel; Satan’s name before his fall from Heaven. [Christian Hagiog.: Collier’s, XII, 143]

Michael

leader of angels against Satan. [N.T.: Revelation 12:7–9; Br. Lit.: Paradise Lost]

Raphael

God’s healer and helper in Book of Tobit. [Apocrypha: Tobit]

seraphim

six-winged angels of the highest order, distinguished by their zeal and love. [O.T.: Isaiah 6:2; Benét, 915]

Uriel

sent by God to instruct prophet Esdras. [Apocrypha: II Esdras 4]

Zadkiel

angel of the planet Jupiter. [Jew. Myth.: Brewer Handbook, 1237]

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(operating system)

Angel - A single address space, micro-kernel operating system for multiprocessor computers, developed at Imperial College and City University, London, UK. [Ariel Burton]